WHEN THE DOOR opened King Helmut and Emanuel, his dragon, came waltzing in. Flashing lights pierced the room once again and I watched as Emanuel shut the door in everyone’s faces.
King Helmut came over to me with huge strides. I stood up and he took both my hands in his big, gorilla-like ones. “I’m so sorry, Elena. Please, you’ve got to believe me. I knew nothing about this.”
“Not to worry.” I lifted up my chin and held my head high. “It’s over now.”
He gave my hands a soft squeeze before he let them go.
“Everyone ready to go?” he asked and looked at everyone else.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“It’s your birthday, Elena. And your eighteenth one at that. It’s time you see how our royals really party.” He winked which made me giggle.
Dean and George slapped one another’s hands high in the air and the excitement over the huge party came from both of them.
We took private elevators to wherever we were going. I wasn’t scared of them anymore. It was fun now that I’d gotten rid of all my fears and had turned into an adrenaline junkie. Thanks to Cara. I still missed her everyday and ever since she died, it felt as if someone had cut a huge part from me.
I let out a howl of pleasure the same time as Becky when the elevator dropped at high speed. She’d taken the chair next to me and we both sucked in a huge breath when the chair jolted forward. The pain turned into only pins and needles now and was far better than the burning sensation I’d once felt.
When the elevator stopped my hair stood up in every direction and I patted it back into place and out of my face.
We let ourselves out and took the helping hands of the staff that waited for us.
“Welcome to Bernice, Your Highness,” one of the attendants said.
“Thank you.” I smiled at him and stepped out.
I gasped as Hawaiian music played and people dressed in hula gear started to dance in front of us.
Becky jumped up with excitement and loved every minute of it. A couple of bystanders took pictures when they saw me, but it wasn’t like the cockroaches from before. These cameras belonged to friendly faces who were glad to see me.
We took another elevator, the real kind, to the ground floor and a group of people were waiting for us. They were smiling and made all of us feel extremely welcome in Bernice.
I posed for a picture with the nearest family who had two little girls. It was still weird and I wasn’t as used to it as I should be.
When they were done, the old grandma grabbed my face and smacked a kiss on each of my cheeks and babbled something in a foreign language which made her family laugh.
“She said she loved your father so much and he was the greatest king that ever ruled. You look like him, but you’ve got your mother’s grace,” her son translated.
“Thank you,” I said to the old lady with a huge smile, who just bowed her head at me as I said goodbye.
That sentence still got to me every time I met a stranger that loved my parents, and it would follow with the burden I carried, knowing that he was alive and that I’d promised to not go after him.
If these people knew my father was alive and was being mistreated, they would fight to the death to free him. A part of me knew that he knew that but his love for his people and for my safety was bigger than I could ever know.
“What was that about?”
“A princess thing,” I said and hooked my arm in with Becky who practically danced as she walked. I laughed at her and bowed down as a woman with a flower necklace came closer. She put it over my head and the exotic flowers reached the middle of my waist. She gave me two kisses on the cheek and mouthed a Happy birthday.
I replied with a soft, “Thank you.”
One of the guards guided Becky and me to the first limo outside. It felt like heaven when I found no paparazzi with their flashing lights in my face, and I felt normal again.
“See, there are places where royals still feel like normal humans.”
“Becky we are normal humans.”
She laughed and bumped me playfully. “You know what I mean.”
In a few minutes, Sammy and Dean climbed in.
“This is so frawsome!” Sammy said. “Did you see those dancers, the way they moved, I would break a hip if it was me, I tell you.” We started to laugh at her excitement.
She hadn’t been this excited in a long time. I guessed being friends with someone like me, not royalty but someone who was surrounded by danger all the time, took its toll on people. Even the chirpy ones.
George climbed in next with Lucille and they all looked like they were in the mood to party. Each of them carried the same necklace as me and Becky.
Sir Robert and Isabel slid into the opposite chairs, and last came King Helmut and Queen Margerite.
Emanuel shut the door and I saw the outline of his figure through the tinted windows climbing in the front. The limo took off and I rolled down the window to look at the scenery, even if it was the first rule they had taught me not to do as a princess.
Becky leaned with her head on my shoulder, watching the scenery with me. It was tropical with a beach right next to the road. The water was so blue with boats and jet ski’s playing in the ocean. We gasped as a dolphin jumped out of the water and I froze when I saw a human figure with a fish tale jumping after it.
I looked at Becky with huge eyes, and she laughed.
“C’mon Elena, don’t tell me you’ve never seen a mermaid.”
“They exist?”
“Of course they do, you’ve never seen one on the other side?”
I shook my head fast and watched the ocean again, hoping to see another one. I guessed all things this side of the wall felt free enough to show themselves.
Becky put her chin on my shoulder again after she announced to the entire limo that I’d never seen a mermaid before.
“Then she definitely has to go swimming with one,” King Helmut said. “You father actually had one that was madly in love with him.”
I looked at him. “A mermaid was in love with my dad?”
They all laughed.
“How many times did she try to drown Katie?” the queen said.
“She tried to drown my mother?”
“They are very vain, Elena, but some of them are very friendly. Who knows, maybe one will let you swim with her.” Queen Margerite smiled.
“I hope so,” I thought, but I’d said it out loud and I watched the ocean again thinking what it must feel like to swim with a mermaid.
WE STOPPED IN front of a huge mansion of a house. It had a porch that reached the water and a gate that opened up to a small wooden dock which had plenty of jet skis and a speed boat with a yacht I’d only seen once in a magazine when Lucian had been here, just last year.
I sighed as an emotion jolted through my heart. It must be the first time they’d come back since his death. As much as I wanted to celebrate my birthday I felt miserable without him here.
We each were assigned to a room and when I saw mine, I knew it had been his. It had dark colors and his sports jersey hung in the closet. I brought it to my nose but it smelled nothing like him, they must have washed it when they found it left behind.
I took it out. It was green and soft and I buried my face in it. I softly cursed the person who’d washed it, but I guessed they didn’t even think for one second, that he would never enter the front door of this beautiful place ever again.
The door opened up and Queen Margerite entered. Her face fell when she saw me with the jersey in my hand. I just looked at her for a few seconds and held on tighter to it, scared that she would want to claim it for herself, like all the rest of his things. But instead she pulled her arm around me and gave me a soft hug. “I’m still waiting for it to be bearable, but it never comes.” She had tears in her eyes and mine glistened too. Princess or no princess, I would cry for the only love I’d lost.
“I know the feeling,” I whispered. At least I’d had a chance to say goodbye, his mother hadn’t.
She wiped away her tears and giggled. “Sorry, I’m not setting a good example. A princess should never cry in public,” we both said that last line together and laughed.
“But we are not in public. We are in Lucian’s room and we both miss him so much,” I said and looked at her. “How did you and my mother ever get used to this whole princess thing?”
She went over to Lucian’s bed, sat on it and stroked the top of his bedding with a long wipe of her hand. “If only I could tell you how many times I fought in private with Helmut’s mom,” she laughed. “I even secretly wished for the old hag to get poisoned.”
I giggled.
“They were horrible, but she taught me a lot. How to open your mouth when it mattered and how to shut it when you think it matters but it doesn’t.”
“She didn’t like you?”
“Not one bit,” Queen Margerite said. “A part of me felt like her when Lucian told us about you, and I’m so sorry that we didn’t accept you sooner. We could’ve had so many memories together of him.”
I smiled again. It felt like such a long time ago. “We have that weekend, it will just have to last us a lifetime.”
She got up and gave me a soft hug again. “Get into something more human and meet us on the porch.”
I giggled and watched her leave.
All three of my bags waited for me and I folded Lucian’s jersey and put it into the closet.
I opened my first piece of luggage and looked for my bikini and summer clothes. I seriously had to do some summer shopping as I couldn’t find a pair of flip-flops or even shorts.
Becky and Sammy entered. Sammy wore a short summer dress with her bikini underneath and Becky was in shorts and a tank top.
“What’s taking you so long?” she asked as I hovered over the last open case.
“I give up. I swear they must have burned my normal clothes. It just this…” I picked up a jacket from some famous designer and chucked it back. “I have no shorts, no summer clothes and no bikini.”
“No biggy, I have many…remember.”
I shook my head with a smile, remembering the first time back at Dragonia when she’d invited me to come with them to the lake. It was also the night she’d ascended.
Sammy came over and helped me close my suitcases. “We’ll get you new ones, I’m sure there’s a mall somewhere.”
“I hope there is one, somewhere, otherwise Stanley will get a nasty letter from me delivered by Emanuel.”
She laughed.
Becky came back. “Remember this little number?” She had the black bikini in her hands and threw it with a pair of shorts and a strapless shirt on my lap.
“You are a lifesaver. Thanks.”
“I know,” she said with buffing eyes as I disappeared into the bathroom.
I changed as fast as I could and ran down to the dock with Sammy and Becky.
When I burst through the door leading to the porch I heard a dog’s bark and found Cat. He’d gained a couple of pounds, more than a couple of pounds, and paddled like a duck to where I stood. I felt sorry for the bulldog and met him halfway. His rough tongue scraped my cheek softly.
“Okay, Cat, that is enough!” Queen Margerite yelled and I got up. The dog didn’t leave my side and I had to admit, it was good being here, even though Lucian wasn’t.
A huge table with a buffet right next to it awaited us on the other side of the porch. My stomach growled as I smelled the fresh baked bread and bacon. Late brunch, I thought and raced Cat to where the others waited.
We all dug in and spoke at the same time.
Isabel and Lucille were in a deep discussion about the exterior and interior decorations of the house and Sir Robert, with King Helmut, spoke about Paegeia and what my future held.
I didn’t want to listen to that, and gave all my attention to my friends, speaking about jet skis and paragliding. I’d never done any of it and I couldn’t wait to try it out.
After breakfast we went down to the dock and found Emanuel in a tank top with swim shorts and flip flops. He looked like one of us, and not like the King’s dragon. When he saw us come near he stood up from his crouched position busy with the jet skis and a small grunt left Becky’s mouth as we all stared at what Emanuel was hiding behind black tuxedo’s and formal wear. Guilt flashed across her face and George roared with laughter. Not one ounce of jealousy.
“You guys want to take these babies out?” He had five sets of keys dangling from long lanyards and threw one in each of our directions, I barely caught mine and had to bounce a couple of steps back to regain my balance. They all laughed.
“Princesses know how to catch, Elena,” George mocked me as he started to strap a safety vest around his torso. Emanuel handed me a vest too.
“I’m not your typical princess,” I said and they all laughed again as I put my arms into my vest.
Sammy and Becky gave back their keys to Emanuel as they shared Dean and George’s jet skis. I eyed the key in my hand and one of the jet-ski’s and sighed.
Emanuel walked over to me. “You’ve never driven one before?”
“The last time I checked, the academy didn’t have jet-ski’s.”
“Then I should speak to Helmut about that.”
We both laughed. “Come, I’ll take you.”
“No, I can’t possibly ask you to do that.”
He climbed on one and I watched the jet ski bob slightly. “Hey, where I am from, when it’s someone’s birthday, we do whatever they want, now get on.” He glanced over his shoulder.
I closed the straps of the safety vest and did as I was told. For the past three weeks it was all I’d done, do as everyone told me, except for the nights I’d tried to break free.
Emanuel guided my hands around his big, gorilla-sized waist and I held on tight as he started the ignition and we left with a jolt. It skidded over the water and I laughed with pure excitement. My heart raced inside my chest as I didn’t know what to expect.
Water sprayed over me as George and Becky suddenly turned in the opposite direction.
“Oh, it’s going to be like that, huh,” Emanuel said and glanced at me over his shoulder.
“Go for it!” I yelled back and held on tighter.
For the next half an hour we chased George and Becky and laughed when they were thrown off their jet-ski.
Becky cussed fiercely at George when her head came up, but laughed as he pulled her up making jokes.
Dean and Sammy shared in our fun and I had to admit, I was glad that Emanuel had taken me out.
Half-way through he literally grabbed me and put me in front of him.
My heart fluttered a bit. I know Emanuel was an old dude, but he looked twenty-three and he wasn’t bad looking at all. He was far from bad looking with his bald head and smile that would make any woman sigh.
“C’mon, if you can break the Rubicon, you can learn how to tame one of these babies,” he said with a wink.
Was he flirting with me?
He guided my hand and turned on the jet ski again.
Becky and the others cheered me on. “C’mon Elena, it’s really fun!” Becky yelled.
“Now, one is the accelerator, the other is the brake. You change gears with this one. Just like a car. You will hear it at first when you need a different gear, and later it will come naturally.”
“Just like flying,” I said and he laughed.
“I forgot to ask you, how did it feel to be a dragon?”
“Don’t, I miss it more than anything in this world.”
He didn’t say anything and I pressed the accelerator. The jet ski darted forward and Emanuel fell off.
Becky and George cheered again. “You go, Elena,” George yelled.
“I didn’t mean to,” I said and stood straight to look back at Emanuel. “Are you okay?” I asked as he wiped the water from his face.
“I’ll live. Next time a little less power, princess.”
I went back for him and he got up, soaking wet. Bulges of muscles showed and heat rose all over my body. What was it with me today?
He’s old, Elena, he’s old, he’s old, he’s old, I said a couple of times to myself.
He isn’t that old.” The voice I used to hear when Paul attended the Academy said.
The jet ski threw both of us off again as I must have turned the wrong handle. I hit the water with force and coughed as I finally got my vest to push me back out of the water.
The side of my body ached as it’d connected hard against the water and I was grateful when Emanuel lifted me with one arm out of the water. “Are you okay?”
“I’ll live.” I managed to give a soft giggle.
“Maybe jet ski lessons should be left for another day,” he said and I found myself back behind him.
My arms automatically went around his waist again and I closed my eyes, not because I’d changed my mind about Emanuel and his age, but because of the voice inside my head. It was the same voice I heard more than half a year ago at the Academy.
The only difference was that this time, I knew exactly whose voice it was and what it’d said.
Cheng was right. It wasn’t Paul’s voice, it was Blake’s.
