Dark Prince Rising

Three

He peered across the cavernous ballroom, searching face after face. He knew her profile like the back of his hand, from studying paintings and memory portraits of her. He hadn't seen her face yet in person, but he believed he would still be able to recognize her. He had to be able to recognize her.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. There were so many people here. It could take a man all night to locate one girl.

A cluster of ladies beside the doors stopped their chatter to gawk at him as he passed, but he ignored their wandering gazes. None of them were his target, after all. He moved through the crowd like a snake, turning sideways to slip his slender frame between groups of snobbish lords and ladies.

She should be with a family of curly-haired highborns, he knew. The Wynvers were known throughout the Five Kingdoms for their close relations to the royal family, and for their stunning beauty. Everyone wished to marry their children off to a Wynver, but that was a rare occurrence. The family tended to keep to itself.

He shifted to the wall, skirting the tapestries and pillars to avoid unwanted attention. If someone realized that he wasn't supposed to be here, he may never have a chance at locating the girl again.

A flash of gold caught his eye. There, across the floor, the younger Wynvers were gathered together, dancing close to one another. The eldest boy was near the wall, the princess Nalia hanging on his arm. He had been told that the girl was very close to him, and would never be too far away.

When he finally caught sight of her, he stopped dead in his tracks. Of all the ladies present, she was by far the most beautiful. Her cornsilk hair was braided in a crown around her head, but a few tendrils had escaped and rested in wispy curls against her collarbone. She wore a shimmery dress that flowed loosely from her shoulders, just translucent enough to make out the shape of her form when she moved. Even the way she held herself was graceful and lovely.

She was a goddess among mortals.

He caught her eye and smiled seductively, but her gaze only lighted on him for an instant before moving on to the rest of the crowd. It took him a moment to compose himself. It was a rare occasion that a woman didn't completely melt at his feet when he smiled like that.

He felt the excitement of the chase rise in his chest. She was going to be a challenge, then. He loved a challenge.

***

Cira wanted to get away. The ballroom was enormous and extravagant, as a royal ballroom should be, but it was packed to the brim with people. It was the naming ceremony of the newest member of the royal family. If you lived anywhere within the Five Kingdoms and had any rank at all, you came. That's just the way it was.

But the people were making her anxious. She craved the open air of the sky, the freedom to move and speak and do as she pleased. Every movement was scrutinized here; she could practically feel the judgement seeping off of the other ladies, and the lust from the lords and knights.

Isamay was enjoying herself thoroughly, dancing and laughing with every boy near her age. She was stunningly beautiful, even at twelve years old, her rich brown hair arranged just so around her shoulders so that her heart-shaped face and full lips were displayed to her best advantage.

Axl was not far away, dancing with more ladies than all the foreign princes combined. Even though the twins had no gifts, the beauty that made the family famous was difficult to resist. They attracted dance partners effortlessly, and they were charismatic enough to keep them coming back.