Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 137958 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 690(@200wpm)___ 552(@250wpm)___ 460(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137958 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 690(@200wpm)___ 552(@250wpm)___ 460(@300wpm)
And there wasn’t.
There was nothing for it.
By some twist of a malcontented fate, I was stuck with a taciturn betrothed who, when he deigned to look at me, studied me like I was some specimen he was mildly curious about.
A male who was also surrounded by arseholes (his father) and louts (his men).
And from this dinner forward, that would be my lot.
Mine and Dora’s.
And for some reason that was entirely unexplainable, I was drawn to him so deeply, his inattention when we were in each other’s presence cut like a blade.
I had slept not a wink the night before. I tossed and turned, my mind filled with his face (and his shoulders, and the way he filled out his leathers, and his short-clipped black hair, and his beard, and his tattoos, not to mention his sky-blue eyes).
Bah!
I had not spent much time with men (save True). They unnerved me (save True, and of course the ones I was battling).
So I’d never felt such as this in my life.
Even for True.
I moved out from behind the screen and stopped to look at the trio who were all belly down on the bed, side by side.
All of them were staring at me.
I put my arms out to my sides. “Well?”
“Holy goddess,” Jasmine breathed.
“If I wasn’t already in love, I’d be in love,” Hera said. “With you.”
“You look like a princess!” Dora cried.
I studied my girl a moment before my gaze slid to Hera.
She was pursing her lips.
I turned back to Theodora. “I’m already a princess, Dora. And darling, this is important. A gown does not make a princess.”
“Yes,” she agreed. “But now, you look like one who’ll ride to her fairytale prince on a unicorn.”
I opened my mouth to cease this bent, but Theodora wasn’t done.
“You already ride faster than anyone, Ellie. Faster than lightning. And you can notch five arrows to a string in a thrice and let fly. Five. Even Serena can only do three. And Queen Ophelia told me that princesses are made, they are not born. So you can light up the night with starbursts and butterflies and ride Diana standing and wear a gown meant for a queen. Serena can’t do any of that. And you couldn’t do any of that when you were born. So you were made a princess. And how beautiful you are right now proves it, because you look this lovely, and you can still do all of that. No normal fairytale princess can do any of it, save the gown. So you’re the real thing!”
Oh heavens.
Suddenly I felt like crying.
And I realized then I didn’t need some male I did not know to be impressed I could notch a bow with five arrows while standing on my galloping horse and let fly.
All I needed was Dora to feel that way.
Clearly agreeing with me, Hera threw an arm around Dora and pulled her into a sideways hug.
I expended the effort to control my emotions before saying softly, “Come here, my lovely. I want an embrace before I attend dinner.”
She made a show of being annoyed she had to climb off the bed and she made another show of how difficult it was to trudge the six feet to me.
But when she wrapped her arms around my hips, she did it tight.
I bent and said into her hair, “Love you, Moonshine.”
She tipped her head back. “He’s Moonshine.”
I blinked down at her.
She kept speaking.
“You have to call me something else,” she ordered. “I saw him on the podium, watching you. And he’s dark. Like the night. So he’s Moonshine. You’re Sunshine. And that means he’s really your fairytale prince because you can’t have the sun without the moon and everyone knows, with every hero and heroine of a fairytale, it’s about destiny. And there’s no greater destiny than the sun leading to the moon and the moon leading right back.”
I twirled a lock of her hair around my gloved finger and asked, “When did you get so clever?”
“When I was three,” she answered cheekily.
I smiled down at her. “Well, smarty, be clever and good for Hera and Jazz. Eat all your dinner and go to sleep on time. Am I heard?”
She rolled her eyes.
“That isn’t a response, Dora,” I told her firmly, but I did it now fighting my smile.
“I’m always good.”
She was not.
But I was late so I couldn’t argue.
I bent again, gave her a kiss on her forehead which she tried to duck unsuccessfully. This left a rosy stain which I had to rub away with my gloved thumb, something she also tried to get away from.
“Okay, now you’re twenty minutes late,” Hera announced.
I looked to her.
She looked sympathetic.
She (and Jasmine) knew how badly I did not want to go to this dinner.
And why.
She still said, “You best get down there, Ellie.”
I nodded, tousled Dora’s hair (something she also tried to avoid), shot my friends a smile I hoped looked confident and brave, bid my goodnights and walked out.