“Well, then, it seems it’s settled. Charles, saddle the horses,” Phillip said.
“Why do I always have to saddle the horses?” he complained.
“Because you’re the youngest and that’s how it goes,” Jeffrey said. He returned to the small camp and started rolling up his bedroll.
Phillip took a step closer to her, though, that smile still on his face. He dropped his voice so the others wouldn’t hear him. “Are you sure about this, princess?”
Her nerves were on the edge of a knife. She looked down at the rolled-up map still clutched in her hand and thought about everything she’d done to get to this point. Jeffrey said she was brave, but was she? Perhaps she was mad to even think about going after a dragon and its treasure. But there was something deep inside her that told her she had to go.
“I may never get another chance to have an adventure.” As she said it, she looked up at him through her lashes.
Understanding lined his handsome face. His smile faded. Perhaps he was realizing they shared the same fate. That they were bound to each other and their futures were entwined. Like it or not, their wedding awaited at Myst Hall.
“What about the curse?” he asked.
It was a valid question. Her father had removed every rosebush from the royal gardens and even the surrounding castle grounds. She had never seen a rosebush in real life. Only in pictures.
“I suppose I’ll have to make sure I don’t go near any rosebushes.” She handed him the map then. “Here. You should take charge of this.”
Surprised, he took it from her. “You don’t want to lead us there?”
She flushed, hot. “In truth, I’m terrible at reading maps. It’s best if you lead us.”
He chuckled. “As you wish, princess.”
“While you two were conversing in secret, I broke down camp and Charles readied the horses,” Jeffrey said, sounding annoyed. “Shall we get on the road?”
Phillip gave her a questioning glance. “Shall we, princess?”
Nodding, she said, “I am ready.”
Rowena held the All-Seeing Eye in her palm and used her magic to make it come to life to watch the prince and princess. They had almost turned back, which she could not allow to happen. She needed them to go to the dragon’s lair so the princess would face her fate at last. She used a bit of her Faery magic to encourage the princess to go on the quest. Much to her surprise and annoyance, the men decided to go with her. One more night and then her birthday would be upon her. Rowena’s plan would at last come to fruition.
Smiling, she clutched her fingers around the green orb, snuffing out its magic. It was almost time for the princess to meet her doom.
Chapter 21
Theytraveledwestthroughthe Mystwood Forest, going deeper and deeper into the trees. Before they departed, Phillip consulted the map and committed their direction to memory. He and Jeffrey chatted about their previous adventures. She rode behind them with Charles next to her. She was aware of the sideways glances he gave her as they traveled.
Through their conversations, she learned Jeffrey was the son of a duke. The duke being the king’s brother. The two of them had grown up together with them spending most of their time in Haven Castle. Jeffrey would inherit his father’s title while Charles, being the second born, would not.
“You’re to marry the prince, then,” Charles said.
She was aware he was making small talk. “I am.”
“But neither of you wish to marry the other.” A statement, rather than a question.
“It appears so,” she replied.
All the while she kept her gaze forward watching as Phillip and Jeffrey shared a laugh. There was such life in the prince as he tossed his head back. He was handsome, certainly. He made her feel safe when they were together. He promised to keep her from pricking her finger on a thorn before the sun set on her birthday tomorrow. There was something sweet and endearing about that. It was difficult for her to think of him as her future husband.
But why shouldn’t she? Their parents had agreed to the betrothal when they were both children. She doubted they would break that betrothal.
Would it be so terrible to marry Phillip? She asked herself this more than once over the last few hours as they rode.
“What if there was another suitor?” Charles asked.
His question broke into her thoughts. Startled, she met his gaze and saw the look of hope buried deep within his eyes.
