Page 14 of Iris of the Crowned Flame

His words gave me so much hope. Maybe he really could offer me a way to make this work. Could I trust him? Was he really that different from every man in Elthas?

“Is that your fear, Lyla? That you will not be happy when married?”

I nodded, not trusting my lips to keep my secrets.

“I don’t pretend that I know what makes you happy. Whatever it might be, I want you to know, your happiness will be my primary goal. Of course, I also would want to learn the role of being a king in Elthas, because I want to make sure that your rule is everything you hoped it would be. My goal is your happiness.”

My eyes allowed one of the many tears clouding my vision to slip down my cheek. He noticed and leaned in to wipe it away. Our faces were so close. No chaperone around.

His emerald eyes gazed into mine, and I swear I could see his soul. His kindness and his compassion went as deep as I dared to imagine. He leaned forward, and our lips touched, hesitantly. His hand, lingering by the side of my face, pushed into the hair next to my ear, and he deepened the kiss. I felt myself close my eyes and return his passion, surprised but allowing him to lead. I never would have imagined this to feel so good, to ignite the same flame that Amyra and I so enjoyed fanning.

Guilt hit at the thought of her, and I pulled away. His handremained longer, caressing my chin then down my neck, sending a shiver down my back. His smile dropped; he must have noticed the guilt on my face. “Lyla, did you not enjoy that?”

“Oh no, I did. I’m pleasantly surprised at how much I did. I think I need to get ready for this announcement, though.”

I stood up, embarrassed. At least I was not on the verge of crying again. I moved to the bathing room to freshen up quickly and returned to the anteroom.

“Spencer?”

“Yes, Lyla?”

“I don’t think this needs to be said, but I must have the highest of caution here. Please, not a word of what just happened?”

Spencer smiled. “Your happiness is my only goal. I will protect your reputation with all I have until my dying breath.”

I nodded my head, a smile escaping. Frederick and Egan would have a very hard time competing against Spencer. I couldn’t wait to share with Ivy and Amyra. Spencer may very well be the way I could survive a marriage.

CHAPTER 11

Spencer left first, to make his way to the dining room before I arrived. I had to assure him I would be ok making my way there alone before he would go. I took my time checking my appearance once more before leaving, to ensure that no one saw us leaving the same room.

By the time I made it to the dining room, the hall was packed beyond capacity. I made my way to the raised platform containing the dais, as people shuffled to make room for me to walk through. At the dais, I joined Father, noting Ivy and Amyra standing nearby. The event coordinators had lined up all the suitors in front. As I stepped up on the platform, the room quieted, and all bowed to show respect. I signaled to rise before beginning the announcement.

“Gentlemen, thank you for joining me here today. I appreciate the efforts each of you have made to travel to Elthas, and enjoyed the company each of you provided last night. The evening was most enjoyable, and I treasure the moments we shared. While I know many expect to learn who the King will be, I must inform everyone that we will not have that announcement today.”

I paused, allowing the crowd a moment to process, and waited for the chatter to subside before I spoke again.

“Instead, I have narrowed my choice to three suitors. Ifthey would honor me, I invite you to stay here in Elthas to allow me to get to know each of you. During this period, we will have a series of trials to help determine suitability. By the winter solstice, I will announce the one I will marry. Before I reveal the names, I must ask, is this something that the gentlemen will do?”

I looked down the line of suitors, paying close attention to Egan, Spencer, and Frederick, and all nodded or offered an affirmative answer, with various levels of confidence on their faces. I offered a warm smile, silently accepting each response.

“Thank you, gentlemen. I invite the following suitors to join us for this competition: Prince Egan, Prince Frederick, and Prince Spencer.”

I paused with each name, making eye contact with each man. They offered a small bow to accompany their grins of success. After announcing their names, I allowed a few moments of chatter before raising my hand. The crowd quieted down once more.

“For the rest of you, I enjoyed our time together last night, however brief it may have been. I invite you to stay for as long as you wish. You are always welcome in my court. I look forward to future meetings with you and your kingdoms as we strengthen our relationships in other ways.”

With this last statement, I sat down in my chair at the table on this platform. I wanted to allow time for some of these men to visit before I returned to my room. Ivy and Amyra sat with me, and we each received a plate of food. We made small talk, aware that many could hear us, and that others might interrupt us at any time. After I had eaten quite a bit of my meal, some of the rejected suitors visited briefly to pay respects and inform me of their intent to leave in the next few days. I confirmed to others that there would be planned entertainment while waiting for the competition to start, in response to their questions. My event planners would work quite a bit the rest of this summer and fall to keep up with these plans.

Eventually, all three of the chosen princes approached at once. I wasn't sure if they had been talking prior to approaching,but I found the choice for all three to approach at the same time curious.

Frederick spoke first. “Princess Lyla, we are truly honored to have the privilege of participating in this, uh, event. But we were hoping to learn more about what the plan is, so that we may prepare. Could you elaborate on what this will be?”

A reasonable question, which unfortunately not much I could answer. I nodded, “Yes, gentlemen. Thank you for accepting this invitation. I hope primarily to spend these next few months getting to know you on a more personal level. This morning, my council didn’t approve my idea until I added the element of a competition to make it more appealing. This afternoon, I plan to meet with our event planners to complete the details. I would love for all of you to join me for dinner this evening, and I can explain more about the trials. I also want to make sure your accommodations are comfortable, so once we understand who is leaving this week, we will extend you offers to move into some of the larger chambers as well. If you are comfortable with your current situation, please don’t feel you must change rooms.”

I noted Spencer’s nod specifically. He was not in his usual room, which lead to part of the confusion this morning. I would make sure he gets into the chambers he normally used. I wondered why he hadn’t gotten that room to begin with.

“I will host dinner in my private dining hall this evening. Someone will assist you to the hall. I expect I will host us in there many evenings, at least to start, if that’s ok with all of you. It allows us for more privacy in conversation than this room could offer us.”

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