The Dragon Bond: Heirs of Lyra

Chapter 2

Henry felt the warmth of the sun shining down upon his face from the window. He stretched, extending his muscles and yawned simultaneously. Once again, he had slept in late. His father would probably be upset with him for wasting another "perfectly good morning." As future king, Henry was expected to be more productive during early morning hours. Instead, he preferred to sleep in until the sun eventually woke him up.

Once he was dressed, he swiftly left his bedroom and nimbly slid down the railing of the staircases until he reached the first floor. On his way to the kitchen he bid several guards and knights a good morning.

Miles, his best mate and Lady Sofia's son, met him at the kitchen doorway. "Another late morning, I see."

Henry punched him hard on the shoulder, causing Miles to laugh. "A prince needs his rest."

Miles rolled his eyes and followed the Prince into the kitchen. The head chef placed the usual morning meal onto Prince Henry's plate and handed it to him with a bow of his head.

Without thanking the chef, Henry took the plate and waltzed over to the long table in the adjoining room. Miles plopped down in the seat next to him and bit into an apple. He had been up for hours and already ate breakfast.

"What's on the agenda for today?" Henry asked his friend.

"Don't tell me you've already forgotten?" Miles asked, feigning astonishment. He was well accustomed to the Prince's forgetfulness.

"Don't tell me!" Henry exclaimed, holding up a finger for silence. "There's training on the army grounds?" When Miles shook his head, Henry guessed again. "Perhaps we are meeting with the other noblemen to discuss future plans for Lyra?" Again, Miles shook his head. "Then I give up. Tell me."

Miles took another bite of his apple. "Princess Karolina? Your future bride. She's arriving today. Please tell me you haven't completely forgotten about her?"

Henry laughed as he finally recalled that his bride-to-be was arriving today. She was the Princess of Copia, the kingdom neighboring them from across the Forman Sea. His father, King Alan had made the wedding arrangements before Henry could even pick up a sword. The southern most part of Lyra was bordered by the Forman Sea which then eventually connected to the piece of land that holds the capital city of Lepidus. Because of the sea connection, both Lepidus and Lyra were powerful trade lands. Most of the kingdom's income came from this trade market.

With the marriage between the Princess of Copia and the future King of Lyra, the two kingdoms would become strong allies. Since the reign of King Nicholas, or as many nicknamed it--the reign of terror--King Alan had spent many years rebuilding other kingdom's trust and gaining alliances.

"Quite honestly, I had forgotten that she would be here today," Henry admitted. "But now that you have reminded me, I am quite excited. I've heard she's the most beautiful woman in the world."

Henry smiled at the mere idea of it. He could only imagine taking such a woman so well known for her beauty as a wife. He was sure to be the envy of all men.

"I don't doubt that she's beautiful," Miles added. "However, I wouldn't be so quick to crown her the most beautiful woman."

Henry rolled his eyes. "We all know who you would give that title to."

Miles was a handsome knight with short brown curly hair, scruff that needed shaven, and soft brown eyes. Many of the young female apprentices around the castle were constantly making eyes at him, but Miles had eyes for someone else. It was a well known fact around the castle that Miles was pathetically infatuated with Princess Elysia.

"I haven't said whom," Miles said blushing.

"Please," Henry said, stuffing his face with porridge. "You've been in love with my sister since you first saw her. All I ask is you at least talk to her, one conversation, one word, something!"

Miles' blush deepened. "We've spoken before." Though he was not sure this was true. Miles had spoken around Elysia but never directly to her. He was a strong and noble knight, yet whenever Elysia neared him, he felt weak and defenseless.

Now as he realized this, embarrassment settled in on the young knight. He began to  fidget in his wooden chair and attempted to change the topic. "So how do you plan on communicating with this princess?"

"What do you mean?" Henry frowned at the question.

"She doesn't speak our language. She only knows a few words, how do you expect to fall in love with her?"

Henry's frown subsided as he shoved more food in his mouth. "Who said anything about love? It's an arranged marriage, love isn't expected."

"No," Miles drew out the word, "but wouldn't you want to love your wife? After all, you'll be spending the rest of your life with her. She'll be by your side for dinners and meetings. For goodness sake, you're going to have to share a bed with her, have children with her, wouldn't you at least try to love her?"

Henry wiped his mouth and looked at his bewildered friend. "I'm sure once I see her, I'll become infatuated and there will be no problem. And I'm certain she'll feel the same of me."

The Prince was more than a little conceited, especially in regard to his appearance. He knew the way women looked at him and so he knew that his shoulder-length, blond hair and brown eyes were found irresistible by most of the young ladies of the castle. He wasn't concerned about whether this Princess Karolina would fall in love with him or not. He had nothing to worry about.

Knowing there was no arguing with the cocky prince, Miles settled for shrugging his shoulders and letting the entire conversation drop. He waited a short minute for the Prince to finish his meal before they both left to go to the training grounds. Both young men constantly spent their time training there and sword fighting with each other.

When they reached the weapons rack, Henry took his usual sword while Miles tried something different. They spent two hours working up a sweat and trying different techniques until it was time for Henry to prepare for the Princess' arrival.

Both men went their separate ways to bathe and dress in formal attire. A skinny little maid with dark hair brushed and dried Henry's now clean hair and then set out his clothing. When the Prince was ready, he met his mother and father in the foyer of the castle.

"Are you ready?" King Alan asked his son.

Henry nodded, then looked around, noticing his siblings were absent. He would have expected them to be present for such an important event. "Are Elysia and Ralf not coming?"

Henry's mother answered, "Your sister is busy in town and Ralf has worn himself out with magic." Ariana gave her son a sympathetic look, but Henry made sure to appear unfazed. 

Shrugging his shoulders, Henry exited the castle with his parents. Once outside, Miles joined the family and together they took a carriage to the docks by the Forman Sea. They waited almost an hour until they caught sight of an approaching ship.

Queen Ariana gently nudged her son, grabbing his attention. "Are you nervous at all?"

The question almost annoyed him, but he respectfully answered, "I am not preparing for war, nor am I surrounded by any sort of enemy, why would I be nervous? It's just a girl."

Henry's bluntness caused his mother to flinch, but she said nothing else.

After a short while the Prince looked over at Miles. "Did you hear how old she is?"

Miles shook his head.

Henry scratched his nose before responding, "She's only sixteen. I've got six years on her, she's even younger than my sister. It almost feels immoral," he muttered to himself.

If Miles didn't know any better, he would have thought the Prince was having doubts. Maybe he was even anxious or, better yet, nervous. After all, this was a huge step in the Prince's life. Perhaps this had finally dawned on Henry.

Miles watched his friend's expression as the ship drew closer to shore. When it finally docked, Henry's fist clenched tightly. For the first time in his life, Henry was nervous.