The Dragon Bond: Heirs of Lyra

Chapter 31

Slowly Ralf opened his eyes, his mind foggy as he awoke. He breathed in and inhaled the familiar sweet scent of rose and honey. That's when he noticed that Karolina was still lying on him, her head resting peacefully on his chest. Her hair falling in delicate black waves down the length of Ralf's torso. He observed her features, taking advantage of their closeness, and noted the contrast between her dark hair against the softness of her porcelain skin. The Princess was breathing deeply as she slept and Ralf grinned as he heard the soft whistle of a snore escape her mouth.

As he looked at her, Ralf was overwhelmed by the sense of warmness in his stomach. He had never been so happy and he took in the moment, wanting it to last forever.

Careful not to wake the foreign Princess, Ralf manipulated his breathing so his chest would not rise and fall so heavily. He didn't want anything disturbing her and ruining this precious moment.

Finally Ralf became aware that his right hand was softly clasped with Karolina's. Gently he stroked the side of her hand with his thumb and he closed his eyes, perfectly content.

Then, suddenly, that perfect moment was abruptly shaken by the sound of a throat being cleared. The noise was loud enough that it echoed in the large room and not only caused Ralf to jump in his position, but it also woke the sleeping Karolina.

Ralf jerked his head to the direction of the disturbance and his face fell in horror as he recognized the enraged stance of his brother, Henry.

"Isn't this a pretty picture?" Henry spat venomously.

Ralf sat up straight causing Karolina to sit up as well. Her bodyweight was still against Ralf's, but it shifted forward once she realized the situation.

"This isn't what it looks like!" Karolina exclaimed, standing up. She took a step towards Henry, but thought better of it. Her face was terrified. She looked at Ralf, her eyes pleading for him to make things better. But Ralf had no idea what to do, there was nothing he could do. Henry would surely kill him now.

"Really?" Henry said incredulously. "Because I've been standing here for the last five minutes and to me it looks like you two got pretty cozy last night and didn't wake up in time to avoid getting caught. But please, if I'm wrong, tell me!"

Karolina was breathing rapidly, panic obviously setting in. Ralf empathized with her completely. He was at a loss of what to do. He was frozen in panic, unable to move or even think. He wanted to explain to Henry that he hadn't meant to fall in love with Karolina. He wanted to tell his brother that he would never purposefully oppose him. Instead, all that came out of Ralf's mouth was air.

Before Ralf could react, Henry lurched himself forward at his younger brother. Karolina quickly stepped between them, but Henry shoved her aside and she fell in a heap on the floor, her hands breaking her fall. "Henry stop!" she shouted, but he ignored her.

As Henry grew closer, adrenaline finally kicked in and Ralf was up on his feet, ready to fight.

"Henry I'm sorry," Ralf said, his voice wavering. "I never meant to go against you."

Ralf knew there was no stopping Henry, yet he still was not prepared for the sharp blow that Henry sent to his face, cracking his nose.

Ralf winced and immediately put a hand up to his nose, squeezing it to fight the pain. He was sure it was broken. Tears welled up in his eyes, reflexively from the pain, but he refused to let them fall. An uncomfortable heat suddenly welled inside Ralf's nose as he felt the rush of blood flowing from the wound.

Before Ralf could recover, he noticed Henry gearing up to make another attack. This time Ralf countered it with a blocking spell, halting Henry's fist in the air just before making contact.