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Cara stopped at two massive doors and looked me up and down. This was it. We were at the dining room. She pushed open a door, and we entered a room that was as big as a luxury liner. The twenty-foot ceilings were ornate with carved flowers and four multi-layered candle-lit chandeliers hung down over a table that was long enough for fifty people. But only ten elegant place settings had been laid on one end, including two at the head of the table. I was rather relieved that no one else had come in yet. I hoped to settle in my chair and relax before the others entered.

“Where should I sit?” I asked Cara.

“You can’t sit until the royals have a seat. They’ll be at the head of the table, of course. Prince Granier will be across from you, and several of the council members will take up the rest of the seats.”

I took another deep breath. “Just be yourself,” Cara reminded me. She turned to leave.

“Wait, you’re leaving me alone?” I asked.

“I must. It’s not proper protocol for the lady’s maid to remain in the dining room.” Cara squeezed my hand. “You’ll be fine.” She hurried out, and I stood alone in a room that was bigger than any auditorium I’d ever been in. Paintings of incredibly beautiful people hung in ornate silver frames around the walls. A long cherry wood sideboard was bedecked with platters of fruits, cakes, breads and meats. It would have made my mouth water if my stomach hadn’t been tied in knots.

A door at the far end of the room opened and I sucked in a breath. I held it and waited as several men and women, all impeccably dressed, entered. They chatted quietly amongst themselves, gave me only a cursory glance and then stood at attention to wait for the royal family. Prince Granier was the next person through the door. He wore a black tunic with white breeches and shiny black boots. He spotted me, said something to the others and then walked across to greet me.

He took my hand, lifted it to his mouth and kissed it. “Welcome to Solamere, Raphael. How are you finding it so far?” His velvet gray eyes were beautiful, but something about his admiring gaze was not genuine.

“It’s beautiful, and Cara, my lady’s maid, has made sure I have everything I need.”

“That is good to hear.” Granier looked me up and down. “Perfect. My parents are on their way.”

The mention of his parents sent a nervous twitch through me. Cara’s warning about Princess Jonier had given me plenty of butterflies.

Granier joined the council members standing at the side of the room. They spoke quietly amongst themselves and flashed me the occasional scrutinizing glance. A few moments of awkward silence followed until the doors were opened by two uniformed men. Princess Jonier, I presumed, entered in a flowing emerald green dress. She was older, with stunning features and large blue eyes. A glittering necklace of blue and green jewels hung around her long, white neck. A small, hunched-over elderly woman in a gray dress, with eyes so pale they looked almost white, hobbled in behind her. She looked entirely out of place in the palatial dining room.

“Mother, I told you—not here.” Granier spoke sharply.

Jonier glanced only briefly toward her son. “This is too important to wait,” she said curtly. Jonier lifted long fingers and waved them my direction. The elderly woman used the backs of chairs to guide her across the room to me. She reached me and stared up at me with eyes that had no pupils. I held my breath in stunned fear. The hump on her back didn’t allow her to straighten. She lifted a hand with gnarled fingers. I flinched and took a step back from her hand.

“Hold still, child. I won’t touch you.” The room froze in tense silence as she waved her bony hands in front of me a few times. She nodded just enough to make the hump move up and down. She turned slowly toward Princess Jonier, who stood near the doors as if ready to leave.

“She’s still intact,” the woman said in a creaky voice. With that, she made her way along the dining table, clutching the tall chair backs as she went. It took me only a few seconds to understand what she meant about me being “intact.” I could feel my face and entire body heat with an embarrassed flush.

Jonier looked angry about the assessment. I could almost see tiny daggers shooting from her liquid blue eyes as she stared at me across the room. Without turning to look at the men holding the door, she snapped her long fingers. “Tell Prince Leovan the meal is served.”

Under a thick cloud of superiority, she glided toward one of the two chairs positioned at the head of the table. One of the uniformed servants hurried across and pulled the chair out for her. She sat but everyone else waited. I stood alone in my heated blush, wishing I was anywhere but standing in the ridiculously lavish dining room. Cara certainly hadn’t exaggerated. The cold, haughty woman, who was quite possibly slated as my future mother-in-law, ignored my discomfort and her son’s disapproving glower and rang a bell for the servers to start carrying food to the table.

The door opened again and an attractive man with graying sideburns and finely chiseled features entered. He wore a royal blue tunic over cream-colored breeches, and his tall boots were so shiny the candlelight reflected off them. The gold epaulets and gold sash on his tunic assured me that he was Prince Leovan, ruler of Solamere. It was quite notable how much less fanfare he received or expected, compared to his wife. Something told me that was usually the case.

Prince Leovan waved his hand, and the others sat down at the table. Prince Granier circled the table and pulled out a chair. He motioned for me to sit in it. Even though I was starved, I really wanted to dash out of the room and hide in the giant posh bedroom for the rest of my visit.

Granier sat across from me and tried to smile pleasantly, but I wasn’t in the pleasantry mood. His mother had literally performed a virtual gynecological exam, via witch or sorceress or whatever the old woman was, in front of a crowd. I wasn’t certain I’d ever get past that humiliation, even to enjoy some of the delicious looking fare.

A dozen servers rushed around to feed the ten guests. A fruity smelling drink was poured into long-stemmed glasses, and plates were heaped with meats and fruit and cheese. There was no fry bread, so I assumed that was a uniquely Valian treat. As hungry as I was, I found I had little appetite. Conversations went on around me as if I was invisible, and I was fine with that. I wanted nothing more than to nibble a few bites of food and then head back to my room. That was my plan, and it was working until Princess Jonier suddenly said my name. “Raphael.” It came out like a foghorn over the rest of the conversations.

I lowered my fork and sat up straighter. She wasn’t my princess after all, so I looked her right in the eye. “Yes?” I had no idea how to address her but “your highness” and “your majesty” weren’t on the tip of my tongue. I had a few other ideas for a title, but none of them would have been suitable at the dining table.

Jonier’s lips rolled in angrily at the way I responded. I considered that a point in my column. “I will say that other than your blood connection to King Articus and Queen Raphaela, I don’t see how you became fated to my son. Especially with your mother being⁠—”

“Mother!” Granier snapped. “This is hardly good lunch conversation.”

Prince Leovan concentrated on his food and seemed to have no desire to interject himself into the squabble. I had a feeling there was only one ruler of Solamere, and it wasn’t Prince Leovan.

“What about my mother?” I asked sharply.

Granier scowled at his mother. “Nothing. Not important.” Jonier picked up her glass to drink but then placed it back on the table. “What will you bring to Solamere? What talents? I know you have no riches.” She held back a smug grin. “I hear you’re a mind traveler, but you can only see a short distance into the future. Hardly a talent,” she added with an amused sneer.

“My talents lie in my character. I’m kind and intelligent and well-read.” I decided not to mention my whole thing with the dragons. I knew the Valian didn’t want news of our newly charged dragon fleet to get out, and since my loyalty was solely to the people of Norvale, I’d never reveal the secret. Even if I badly wanted to let the snotty woman know that I did indeed have talent.

Her thin brow arched in an annoying way. She appeared pleased that I had nothing much to recommend myself, even if I considered my listed attributes more important than any magical talents. After all, Calista purportedly had immense powers, and that earned her a trip to a very personalized barbecue. I smiled at my analogy. Grainier, who’d been trying his hardest to be polite and attentive noticed.