“There’s somewhere I want to take you!” Roslyn said. “Come with us.”
I shook my head, to which she pursed her lips and crossed her arms.
“You are not staying in here forever. Now let’s go. Someone I’m very close to has arrived at Nightfall. His name is Ash and I’ve been betrothed to him since birth,” she said. “He’s waiting for us.”
My irritation melted in an instant, and my jaw dropped.
“Since birth? Can they do that?” I asked.
I glanced between Isabella and Roslyn, waiting for an explanation, but Isabella cringed and Roslyn shrugged.
“Of course,” she said. “But that is not the point. I want you to meet him. Let’s go.”
She yanked on my covers and I let my head crash against the pillow and groaned.
“What is this place?”I asked.
We were in a part of the castle that was typically off limits, where more private residences were.
Isabella shot me a look that said my thoughts exactly.
I followed her and Roslyn inside. The room we entered looked like a palace. Deep crimson and gold overwhelmed me; the rich design work detailed with creatures and flowers in small patterns. The flames cast shadows across the polished marble floor adorned with a patterned rug. Across one wall was a golden dragon that gleamed as if it were made of actual gold.
I stared at it, my eyes following the sprawling framed artwork stretched across ornate wallpaper, before I saw a man about our age by the window. He was dressed much more formally than the other Aurkai, with deeply pressed creases that made it look unnaturally perfect—a long-sleeved, button-up, and close-collared black shirt with detailed golden stitchwork of a dragon across the back.
He had to be Ash. He turned to greet us, his hands behind his back. He inclined his head, to which Roslyn formally curtsied. My eye twitched. Was I supposed to do this, too? Her expression was like a mask, hard and unflinching, with no hint of playfulness.
Roslyn turned to me, a gentle smile spreading across her rose-colored lips.
“Introducing His Royal Highness, Prince Asher Rometheus Saint, Heir to the Kingdom of Celestia, Blood of the Goddess of Light and Protector of Roran.”
I stared at her, waiting for someone to laugh and tell me the truth. He couldn’t possibly go by that many things, right?
I glanced at him, then to her, but no one laughed.
“You’re serious?” Isabella asked.
Roslyn cast her a look of utter seriousness as Ash neared her, touching her at the waist.
“It is the duty of all Aurkai to hold our sovereign in the highest regard,” Roslyn said. “At Nightfall, we do try to accommodate the many cultures of this world, but for us, the ancient bloodlines of the kingdoms have served our Realm for millennia.
I smiled politely, trying to blend this side of Roslyn with the one I thought I knew. Had it all been an act? No. It certainly hadn’t. This was the act, even if she believed in it as she said she did. But Blood of the Goddess of Light? It was indeed a lot of titles. I had no idea there were so many ways to reference one person.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I said, smiling and nodding at Ash.
“And you,” he said, inclining his head politely. “You may call me Ash, if you like. And thank you for welcoming me here to your world.”
My stomach tightened; the idea that Valyria was somewhere else in the cosmos was still an unfathomable concept to me. And what about Blake? Was it like this for him in the Realm, too? No one formally introduced him like this, but he had already been here when we were Initiates.
“Does Blake have this many titles?” I asked.
Roslyn immediately looked at Ash, eyes wide, but Ash only watched me, his expression lifting almost imperceptibly for just a moment.
“Ah, so you know Prince Rykiren well? Few call him by that name in the Realm. And, yes, he, too, has many titles.”
His voice was smooth and firm, a sense of authority permeating the air. As he moved across the room, I noted that the dragon was the same as the one on the gate in the Realm and in the Nightfall emblem. He was broad-chested and taller than me, with neatly trimmed blond hair only a shade darker than mine. His blue eyes were steady and confident, which put me at ease, despite the clear status he held.
He poured two drinks at a small bar and offered them to Isabella and me. I accepted and took a sip—a strong red wine.
