The Dragon Bond

Chapter 21

Ariana dreamed of dancing endlessly in the ballroom with Alan. They were spinning and twirling and suddenly Alan was gone. Rather than being the only two people in the ballroom, she was now surrounded by strangers wearing masks.

She ran around asking people if they had seen the prince but when they opened their mouths, their tongues were missing and they could not speak. Soon the people in masks formed a circle and Ariana pushed through to the center. Everyone surrounding her was speechless but their mouths were moving quickly.

There, in the center of the circle lay Alan, dead.

Ariana shot up in bed, breathing heavily. A tear slipped down her cheek from the nightmare. Her breathing calmed and she finally noticed the sweet smell in her room. Everywhere around her were flowers of all different kinds and colors.

She couldn't even get out of bed without stepping on them.

"He had them brought in a couple of hours ago," Alexia's voice scared the daylights out of Ariana. The maid giggled. "Sorry, Miss, I didn't mean to give you a fright."

"Where's Lizabeth?" Ariana asked curiously.

"She's sewing." Alexia smiled and added, "She hasn't stopped talking about the ball last night. We both had a wonderful time but I think she enjoyed it even more than I did. She met this man and since then she's had this dazed look in her eyes. I think she's in love."

Ariana smiled at the thought of Lizabeth being in love. Sure, it had only been one night, but love was strange that way. It was odd to think that a woman so proper and orderly as Lizabeth could be so spontaneous as to fall in love with a man she just met.

Alexia helped Ariana dress and then she left to fetch her breakfast. When she returned, she was not alone. Alan was with her.

"Good morning," he greeted her, smiling widely.

She blushed as she remembered last night and how much of a gentleman he had been. He had held her for an hour while she sobbed and had danced the entire night with her until she felt better.

Alexia exited quietly, leaving them alone.

Ariana gestured around her room. "I assume this is your doing."

"Is it too much?" he asked playfully.

She stepped forward and at least thirty flowers were moved in the process. "No, it's not too much. But I have to admit, it is a little predictable." she teased.

He laughed and stepped towards. They met each other half way and he gently grabbed hold of her hands. "I would have brought in a thousand rocks instead, but I figured that would be a bit too dangerous."

Ariana laughed aloud at the thought. He knew how much she had hated levitating those stupid boulders. Had she awoken to a room full of rocks, she would have had a fit.

"You think you're hilarious, don't you?" she asked sarcastically.

He squeezed her hands. "I think I can be anything when I'm with you."

She bit her lip and looked down, hiding a smile. It was as if he knew the perfect things to say. Then, to the perfect moment, Ariana noticed all of the flowers were floating in the air around her.

Her head turned in every direction, taking in the glorious sight. She had never seen anything so amazing before. She also had not realized just how many flowers Alan had really placed in her room. They reached up to the ceiling!

Alan let go of her hands, took a step back, bowed and then asked, "May I have one more dance?"

Ariana laughed, but accepted his offer. So they danced around her bedroom with flowers levitating in the air. All of her negative thoughts about Jordan were gone and replaced with dreams about a possible future with Alan. She knew it was foolish to think she had a chance at being his wife some day but still she could not help but hope.