Dragon Born

Chapter 16

Miraculously, I finished getting ready on time. Particularly since the hot bath had been divine; all of the muscle aches and bruises from my training session with Alaric ebbed away. Before getting dressed, I had slapped some anti-inflammatory oil on my bruises to help keep the swelling at bay. Tonight, after dinner, I would put more care and wrap them in a healing agent, which, the only downside to it, was the horrible smell. That was not the kind of impression I wanted to make.

A member of King Krona's personal guard and a handmaiden came to watch over Raiden with promises of his safety and wellbeing. I wasn't too concerned; he was sleeping the day away on his bed, and would likely sleep through the night.

I soothed out the pleats in my red silk dress and released a steadying breath. You can do this.

I hadn't gotten this far to only stop now.

One of the guards in front of the door cleared his throat, reminding me I was not alone in the hallway. "A word of advice from an old man?"

"Please."

"Just be yourself. People talk and when they find out the foot you put forward wasn't your own, things get messy fast."

His words settled a veil of comfort over me. "Thank you."

He nodded. "You'll do fine in there, miss. If what I've heard is true, you have the queen's favour. No one would dare besmirch your name."

Steeling myself, I rolled my shoulders back and sucked in a deep breath. "All right. Let's get this over with."

He inclined his head and pulled the door back. Chatter and mirth fluttered around the room. Several round tables were filled with people dressed formally, but not nearly as ostentatiously as Camden Reveal Party. At the back of the room, the Acker family sat at a long rectangular table. King Krona and Queen Bethany sat with his brothers and their wives on one side, while further down the table, Quinn joined his brothers and cousins. His back was to me, and everyone was too engrossed to notice my arrival. A blessing, really. It gave me the chance to take it all in--and find a place to sit.

Most of the tables were full. The ones that weren't, only had one spot available, and I wasn't sure if I would be overstepping anything if I took the spot.

One group of ladies took up an entire table, chatting avidly, excitedly. One of the ladies lifted her head and met my gaze; her face lit up in delight. She excused herself from the group and came to me, extending her hand. "You're the alchemist, right? Lyla Feyton?"

My jaw went slack of its own accord before I could tamper down my surprise. "I am."

I wasn't widely known as an alchemist; people prefer to refer to me as an animal healer, or more commonly now as Raiden's Protector. Alchemy still scared a lot of people and they tended to ignore it whenever they could.

Her smile broadened. "I'm Halle. Will you join us tonight? We have so many questions for you."

"For me?" The only thing that came to mind were the buzz of questions the handmaidens had about me. I hadn't considered spending my night being quizzed on my position and Raiden.

"Yes. Of course! Queen Bethany told us all about your alchemy practices. We'd love to hear from you."

They must be the ladies Queen Bethany had wanted me to meet. Her apprentices.
Maybe tonight won’t be so bad.

"I'd love to tell you all about it."

Beaming, she took my hand and led me over to the table. One by one, they introduced themselves, each as chipper as the last. They allowed me to make my plate before peppering me with questions.