Page 10 of The Promise Born
“Well, forget what you heard.” He ordered as another knock sounded on the door.
This time it was the aides with my things. The prince excused himself as they brought in my items. As soon as they were done, they left me alone. I spent the rest of the day organizing my things and trying to think of a way out. The idea I came up with was to just walk out the door. Why make things complicated when they didn’t have to be?
There was no security detail. After my dinner had been served, a meaty stew that was too hot for the season, they left me alone entirely. So, after peeking out my door several times and finding no one monitoring me, I grabbed the few items I cared about, stuffed them into a woven bag, and tossed it over my shoulder. With my face hooded by the cloak I threw on, I was off to make my escape.
I thought I remembered the path Uradis took as she led me through the massive halls, but apparently, I was too busy eavesdropping on the passing gossip. After several wrong turns, I landed exactly where I didn’t want to be. I stood outside a cracked door. The smell of food came from within, the same hot stew I’d eaten earlier. And with the delicious smell came the sounds of two people arguing.
“Don’t you dare stand there and disrespect me like this!” one woman spoke in hushed anger.
“Disrespect you? How am I doing that?” I recognized Asante’s voice instantly.
I held my breath and tiptoed closer to the door.
“Lower your tone.” She fussed. “You’re ignoring what matters.”
“Thisiswhat matters to me, mother!”
My heart ached as his voice cracked.
The pain I heard.
It was the same way I felt. Trapped in a family who thought they knew what was best for me. Every life choice felt predetermined; a path laid out before I even understood I had a say. It was the reason I left home.
A beat of silence, the weight of the prince's frustration heavy on me, derailed my escape route.
I jumped when I heard footsteps moving down the hall toward me. I stumbled backward, hoping to find a place to hide, but bumped right into a guard. He narrowed his gaze at me, glanced at the cracked door, and shook his head. Then, against my will, he ushered me right back to my room.
Chapter 5
IwishIcouldsaythe 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 oneheassigned 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.
