Page 5

I wish I could say the angry queen and her tantrum-throwing prince kept me up all night. That their images swirling in my mind somehow prevented me from drifting off to sleep. Or that the sounds of their imagined shouting echoing in my ears. But that would be a lie.

I slept like a baby.

That bed had to be the most comfortable thing I had ever laid on before! I’d heard about the warming beds the royals had, but this was far more amazing than even the rumors made them out to be. The moment I laid down in that artificial cocoon, everything that worried me melted away. I could have stayed in that bed for many days, lost in the soft comfort of the down. But the sun's sharp light through my window and the cacophony of battle—a symphony of screams and clashing metal—forced me to wake.

That’s when I realized that my new bedroom, the one he assigned me to, overlooked the training grounds. And so, as I stumbled from the bed over to the window, I found prince Asante, with all the men he was set to train. These are the men that would take off and be a part of the convergence games. The tournaments that determined who were the best our world had to offer.

As I watched him, I understood why he wanted to train the others. The sheer mastery of his skills evident in every precise movement made the time he spent guiding them worthwhile.

Asante himself moved with the grace of a dragon's current, a swirling dance of power and fluidity. Every action he showcased, as his sword danced more like an extension of himself than as a weapon he held, felt purposeful.

A knock at my door interrupted my viewing.

“Hello, Kiala, it's nice to meet you.” A cheerful woman with bold makeup and a bright smile walked into the room after I opened the door. “My name is Maryl, and I am to help you while you get yourself adjusted here. You're going to be working in the kitchen with myself and the rest of the cooks. I understand you are here to make special treats for our prince. No one gave us a list of accommodations for you, but if something is missing, just ask me and I’ll make sure you get whatever you need.”

“Oh, thank you.” I smiled as if I really wanted to be there. “It's so kind of you.”

“They also told me you don't exactly want to be here,” she said, and the smile fell from my face. “So, I won’t treat you like the others. They’re already planning to isolate you.”

“I'm sorry, what?” I gawked at her blatant honesty.

“Don't take offense, but we have some of the best chefs and dessert pastry cookers around the world working here. Not everyone here is a dragon, so for you to be brought here to create something that none of them could master, it's kind of a big deal.”

“Ah.” I nodded. Of course, no one wanted to be made to look incompetent at their job.

“But if you really wanted to leave, perhaps you could share your secrets?” she looked hopeful.

“Thank you.” Even if I wanted to share my secrets, it would make no difference because none of them could replicate the process.

“Here is your uniform.” She handed me a bundle of fabrics. “This is only to be worn while you're in the kitchen. When you're out of the kitchen, you can wear whatever you want, but our queen does visit the kitchen from time to time and we must be presentable when she does.”

“Right. Thank you.” I took the bundle from her and started looking over the soft gray and red fabrics. At least the material was soft. It wouldn’t irritate my skin.

“I'll give you some time to get ready. I have to go check in with some other people, but then I'll be back to escort you to the kitchen.”

“Thanks, again.”

Maryl left me alone and I got myself together, fixed my hair and put on the soft fabrics. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at how horribly boring the outfit was. The gray blended into the background and the touches of red represented fire. That was it. Of course, it didn't matter how I looked. I was going to stand in the kitchen and get messy. No one was going to be looking at me.

Moments after I finished dressing, Maryl returned to get me. I followed her through the busy halls to the kitchen on the lower level, where I immediately got to work. Their eyes followed my every move. It didn’t feel safe even pretending to do the treats the way I'd normally would. So instead, I made them how everyone else would. Simple ingredients put together in a bowl, baked and prepared the best that I could without using my magic.

The idea that my treats would end up less tasty just because I couldn’t steal a few moments to myself disheartened me. But after a while, I smiled to myself, thinking this could be my way out. Maybe if they didn't taste as good, he would send me away from his home and back to my shop. Maybe I could convince the prince that I had to be happy and comfortable to make them to the best of my ability.

It was a long shot, but it was worth a try.

When I finished making the treats, Maryl came and got me to usher me to the prince.

If he hadn’t taken my freedom away, I might have found him attractive. Sitting beneath a stone arch covered in red and white flowers. The prince stood and greeted Maryl and I as we approached him.

“Maryl, it’s good to see you again.”

Maryl said nothing. Her face brightened as she smiled, bowed, and waved her hand at me to present me to him.

I stood there, tray in hand, and Maryl ran away. It was like she didn't want him to even look at her. Her chubby cheeks flushed crimson, and a little giggle escaped her lips. Something told me Maryl had a crush on the prince. I immediately concocted a story in my mind about Maryl one day stealing the heart of the cruddy prince. And as I've told myself this story, Prince Asante stood looking at me like I was an alien.

“Are you going to present the treats to me?” He asked, a frown etching itself onto his face, clearly annoyed.

“Oh yeah, sorry. Here you go.” I pushed the tray out to him.

“You look a mess.” He turned up his nose as he looked me over. I was covered in flour and had a little dried egg still on my hands.

“Thank you so much for the compliment.” I huffed. “I only spent hours slaving away in a hot stove in a hot, unfamiliar kitchen that is not my own, struggling to make the most basic desserts, because your kitchen doesn't have everything that I need.”

“Sorry.” He said shortly before peering over the presented treats. They looked good enough, but I knew they wouldn’t taste the same.

I watched him as he ate the food and awaited his reaction. I knew it wouldn't be the same typically when someone ate my food. Their eyes lit up and their face is flushed, and they looked like they were in heaven. That is not what happened when Asante put those morsels into his mouth. His brow furrowed; his nose scrunched up. He looked at me with total disappointment.

“Did you purposely make them this bad?” He dropped the uneaten food back on the tray. “They don’t taste anything like what you gave me before.”

“I don't purposely destroy food, but your kitchen is not the same as my own place. The tools are not the same. And I don't like being watched when I do what I need to do. The reason other people can't do what I do is because they don't know my secrets. And you want me to sit there and do everything with an audience. I walked into the kitchen and their eyes followed me everywhere. How could I work like that?”

The prince looked away from me. “Why didn't you mention this before?”

“I feel like this is something I'm going to be asking you a lot, but when did you ask?”

“What do you need to make them better?”

“Why are you spending so much time training those men?” I avoided the question and redirected the conversation to something I was more interested in.

He frowned at me. “What are you talking about?”

“You know my room overlooks the yards.” I rolled my eyes as if he didn't know. “I assume you had me put there on purpose. You wanted me to see what you were doing with your days. Am I wrong?”

“I didn't select your room. My aide did.” He lied straight to my face. “I'm training those men because they have to go to the tournament. Because I want them to win and bring honor to our people.”

I could have pointed out how he’d already told me he chose my room, but I kept the thought to myself. “Isn’t there someone else who can do that? Does it have to be the prince?”

“The person meant to do it is no longer here with us. I'm filling his shoes the best I can. And I'll tell you, like everyone else who asks, no, I don't think there is anyone else.” He took a deep breath, his jaw tightening with aggravation. “This is personal to me. I need to do this. Is that a good enough answer for you?”

“I didn’t intend to offend you.” I pulled back on my prodding. “I just wanted to understand why it was so important. I've only been in your home for a day and already I've heard so many rumors about how you are refusing your responsibilities and your role as a prince to focus on this. And so, yeah, I'm curious as to why this was important.”

“This will be the first time in a long time our people are able to take part.” His shoulders relaxed. “It was supposed to be this grand return to the world. You're a dragon, you understand how this works. How long has it been since either us, the fire or the ice dragons, has even stepped foot off this island? Finally, we have been making strides to return to society. This is one of those last steps when we go out there and we show them what we're made of.” Prince Asante turned to look out at the open sky and a gentle breeze picked up as he continued. “We need to make a strong showing if we want to get back into the world. It's infuriating to think of the drama that kept us locked away for so long, and now we're finally at the precipice of getting back out there and I can't let all that hard work go to waste. So yeah, I am putting a lot of my time and attention into this. When I’m done, I will return my attention to my other princely duties. I just wish people could understand that.”

“I never really understand why we withdrew from the world, either. We shied away when things got tough, and I don't get it.” Two sides of the same coin, fighting for years until that fight spilled out into the rest of the world. That was until both sides decided to retreat to the island and keep to themselves.

“It's because in this world, if one of us cannot be out, neither can. Anytime the fire dragons stepped out, the ice dragons would cause havoc. And the other way around, too. We don't want to be seen, but we don't want the other person to have the spotlight either. It's pathetic, and it's time we change that. I only wish I could somehow contact the leaders of Frostspire. It would be good if we both took this step together, but that is beyond my position right now, so I'm focusing on what I can and I'm hoping I can lead by example.”

“Have you ever explained that to anyone like you have to me? They would understand it. Maybe they wouldn't question you so much.”

“It is not my hope to get understanding from simple-minded people. They’re only focused on considering the status quo. I must push outside of that and don't get me wrong, I've tried to explain this. Until I had no breath left in my lungs I tried, and I still went unheard. So now I can only focus on what I can do. Let my actions and their results show them, not my words.”

“I can appreciate that sentiment.” And there it was. Sympathy. Here I thought he was just arrogant and used to getting his own way, throwing a tantrum when someone refused his requests. Yet really, he and I had led similar lives. None of this was what he actually wanted, either. We wanted to break out and do something unexpected, but our families had already decided what we should do. If I hadn’t run away, I’d be just like him. Under the pressure of expectations from people who didn’t understand me.

“It’s not your appreciation I am after. But I'm going to ask you again, what do you need to make these better? Because honestly, these have been the only thing to bring me even a small bit of joy lately. It has been hard and I'm searching for whatever good I can get.”

I paused for a beat, wondering if there was a way to convince him to send me home. The longer I looked into his eyes, the less I believed that was possible. Even in those moments of sweetness with him, there was still an edge, still something underneath the surface, some part of him that was still a prince. A prince who believed he deserved everything he wanted, no matter how it affected other people. He was a man who had been told his entire life that the world owed him a favor. And so instead of asking for my freedom, I asked for a bargain.

“Give me a place where I can create in private.” I spoke. “I don't want eyes on me while I do what I need to do.”

He eyed the tray in my hand and nodded. “I will have that arranged.”

“Thank you.” I turned to leave, but stopped when he spoke again.

“I heard you were out for a walk last night.” Prince Asante gagged me with his words. “You must have gotten lost because you had to be escorted back to your room? Are you alright?”

“Yes, I am. New place and all.” I waited for him to mention the bags I had with me, wondering how I could explain them.

“It can take a while to adjust.” He smiled.

“Yes.” A nervous smile stretched my lips as I returned his, silently praying I hadn’t been exposed.

“Kiala, next time you want to go for a stroll, leave the luggage behind.” He moved toward me, his expression almost threatening.

His eyes glanced up over my head at the door behind me.

I heard the rhythmic footsteps of women reverberating in through the empty hall behind me. Before I could turn away to see who was coming, a wave of female voices — sharp, high-pitched, and overlapping — surrounded me, drowning out my own thoughts. Asante’s arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me close as his lips found mine.

“Asante!” a woman shouted.

He released me, and I turned, my face a mask of confusion, to see the queen standing there. The way she looked at me — eyes blazing, fists clenched — made it crystal clear she wanted to punch me.