"Oh, my heavens!"

Charlene tugged on my arm as I lay there. "What?"

"Evelyn, wake up! The king is in your bed and your mother is coming up!"

"Oh! James!" I pushed him with all my might till he fell out of the bed.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"My mother!"

"Mother?" he asked sleepily, looking around. "Oh, Mother!"

He jumped up and ran for the door with Charlene and I close behind. He stopped short as the door handle turned.

"Shit," he muttered.

"What do we do?" I asked, looking around frantically.

"My room. Hide in there," Charlene whispered, pushing James toward the connecting door.

Just as she shut the door behind him, mine flew open.

"Evelyn, are you still asleep?"

"No, Mother. I am awake."

"Good, good. I've been thinking a lot about your wedding."

"My wedding? Already? I'd much rather..."

"Shush now, child."

Rolling my eyes, I turned toward the bureau to find something to change into. Charlene placed her hand on my shoulder and squeezed lightly. She saw my jaw clenching and unclenching. The irritation my mother caused at times was overwhelming.

"Mother, really now, why is there such a rush? James and I have plenty of time to wed."

"Darling girl, it is time. Procrastinating the wedding will do no one well. You shall marry the king in a week's time."

"A week? A week! How am I to prepare for a wedding in a week's time?" I asked in a near panic.

"You are not planning this wedding. Everything is already arranged. There is more help arriving from England in a day's time."

"Mother."

"This is not up for discussion, Evelyn. A seamstress shall be around in an hour's time to begin on your gown."

"But..."

"No. My word is final."

I slumped onto the bed and stared out the window. The connecting door squeaked open as James approached me. Tears welled in my eyes, threatening to spill over.

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, James. It's my mother. She's so domineering. She's so much like my grandmother no matter how much she denies it, just a little nicer."

"We don't have to wed."

Shaking my head, I sighed heavily. "No, we will. I'm not arguing with her and I do want to be your wife. I just wanted to focus on Charlene."

She dropped to her knees in front of me, a smile plastered on her beautiful face. "Do not worry for me. I can take care of myself."

I shook my head hard enough that curls bounced about my shoulders. "No! You are not to take care of yourself! I will. I'm not just your lady. I'm your friend. You're my best friend."

"Then we'll take care of each other. Let me help you with your wedding, then you help me with mine."

Nodding my head, we knew it was the only thing to do. As much as I wanted to wait, that wasn't going to happen. Mother would have her way. James grasped my hands in his and turned toward me. He kissed my cheek lightly and stood.

"I love you, Evelyn. I shall see you shortly, I believe it is time I go wash up as you should do."

As he left my room a tall, statuesque woman waltzed in followed by half a dozen other ladies carrying cloth and jewels. Charlene and I stood, staring at the woman as she barked out orders to the younger women. They organized and lined up all the fabrics along tables. A mannequin was set up near the window with pins stuck in the body. The body resembled some sort of torture device.

"Princess Evelyn, I am Lilliana."

"Charlene?"

"Princess Evelyn, please approach."

I glanced at my friend whose brows were arched as she shrugged her shoulders.

"Princess Evelyn," she repeated.

"Yes, of course. I'm sorry." I moved toward the woman, hesitant about what was going to happen.

She snapped her fingers and the other girls quickly removed my sleeping gown. I stood there in the nude, surprised by the brazenness they had with a royal.

"Oh!" Charlene exclaimed.

"I must protest," I began.

"Shh," Lilliana said, perusing the fabrics.

She held up a dull white, rough-looking material. She motioned to the girls, who picked it up and immediately draped it over my body. Thankfully it was softer than it looked. Lilliana nodded her head in approval. The girls began pinning and cutting the fabric to fit my body. Before my eyes, the shapeless cloth began to look like clothing. The head of the entourage held up a strange-looking spool of cloth I'd never seen before. It had holes all through it and appeared to be very delicate.

Lilliana noticed me staring and held it out so I could see. "It's called lace. It's relatively new and it's from Venice. Yours could be the first gown I make out of it."

"It's very lovely."

"It's very fragile."

She placed it back on the table and picked up a beautiful red satin. Holding them up together she smiled contently as though she had just created a masterpiece. Two of the girls hurried over when she snapped her fingers and followed with intent eyes as she described what she wanted to be done. They furrowed their brows and nodded at every word she said.

In a whirl of nimble hands, occasionally being stuck with a pin, and shears coming entirely too close to my skin; a gown began to form around my body. The fabrics were soft and cradled me like a lover's embrace. Just as quickly as they'd arrived, they were gone and I once again stood in the middle of my chambers nude.

"Well, I never!" Charlene explained.

"That woman was intimidating. I've never been treated in such a way, but that gown will be gorgeous."

"Let's get you dressed."

I nodded and went behind my privacy screen as Charlene handed me undergarments. Walking around the screens I nearly jumped out of my skin when Elizabeth burst through the doors. Gasping, Charlene dropped the lovely red and black day dress she'd chosen for me. The front of Elizabeth's dress was covered in blood.

"What happened?" I ran to her as she collapsed to the ground. "Are you hurt?"

"Th-the servants. All dead." She wept in my arms.

"What servants? What happened, Elizabeth? Are you hurt?"

"Not my blood. I went out to the stable to fetch a horse for an afternoon ride." She stopped talking and sobbed uncontrollably. The blood that splattered her porcelain face streaked down her cheeks.

"Elizabeth!"

"I didn't see their faces, Evelyn. I didn't know what to do. I froze while they killed them all."

"They didn't kill you?" Charlene asked.

"They didn't see me." She closed her eyes as more tears flowed down her cheeks. "I hid. I hid while they all died!"

"No. Don't you dare think like that. You're alive." I hugged the shaking girl as Charlene joined us.

I broke the embrace and stood. Grabbing a simple gown meant for staying in the castle and ran down the hall.

"Where are you going?" Charlene called after me.

"To the stables. I have to find out what happened."

I ran down the stairs, the hallway, and through the kitchen. Stopping once I hit the grass the breath left my body. Blood covered the yard. Blood and bodies. There were so many bodies strewn about such a small area.

"What happened?" I asked, tip-toeing to James.

He held his shoulder, which dripped a significant amount of blood. "I don't know. I heard screaming and came out. Someone came running past, slicing my arm. It was too late though. Everyone was dead."

"Who did this?"

He tried to shrug his shoulders but winced in pain. "I don't know."

"I do," Mother said, hugging me.

"Who?"

"It was the Guild."

"How? They should be immobilized."

"Evelyn, nothing we do will deter them. Nothing until they are dead."

"Then we will kill them. Sooner rather than later."

"Haven't you learned, Evelyn? We can't kill them. I've tried. You've tried. It doesn't work!"

"We have the dragons' help this time. We have...oh no. Draco!"

I ran to the large barn off to the side and threw open the doors. Nothing seemed amiss. The floors were dirty and strewn with hay as always. The musty air seemed different though. It had a slight hint of blood. My heart dropped as I looked around for a dead dragon.

No. I would be dead if he were dead. He's okay.

I searched the barn for the smell. Keeping it in my head that Draco was fine. As I neared the back of the barn, the smell grew stronger. I closed my eyes and opened the closet door I'd used to change. Holding my breath, I opened my eyes.

There lay the stable master. His throat slit, eyes wide open. I knelt beside him and slid his eyelids close.

The poor man. Such a good servant to all.

I hurried out the back doors and looked about for Draco. The grass was scorched and three burned bodies lay in crumpled heaps.

"They're the culprits," a hot breath said from above.

"You're okay."

"Kind of."

He shimmered into view and jumped down to me. He wasn't okay. Blood poured from a wound in his shoulder and from his back.

"Draco!"

"It'll be alright."

I ran to him and examined the cuts he had sustained.

"What can I do to help? I know there's something."

"They will heal."

"No, Draco. What can I do to help you?" I asked hugging the big, scaly beast.

Tears rolled down my cheeks, landing on a small gash on his chest. Amazingly, it closed before my eyes.

"Well that's different," he said watching as well.

"My tears? My tears help you?"

"I guess so. We are bonded."

"I need to cry." I started working myself up as he laid down on the scorched earth.

Climbing onto his back I let all the feelings I'd held in come out. The tears flowed easily. They ran down my cheeks and onto his body. He illuminated a brilliant blue as the healing from my body took over his. His warmth enveloped me and together we rose toward the sky. My simple dress was replaced with the most beautiful blue armor, and bows that seemed to form out of nowhere that were made of bone and dragon scale. The muscly beast beneath me grew in size, his scales shined in the sunlight and was something beautiful amongst all the carnage.

Now was the time to fight. Not time for weddings.