Isla couldn’t believe it. She had dreamed of this day for eons and it was far better than she had imagined with the wind lifting her hair and the cool leather saddle grounding her to reality.

Gripping onto the saddle for dear life, she peered down at the breathtaking view of Camelot — the blue and gold flags flew from the turrets as the polished stones of the castle gleamed back at her; water in the fountains, lakes and rivers that ran through the kingdom glittered under the late morning sun.

However, what really caught Isla's attention was the decorations being put up around the kingdom and the carriages and wagons travelling along the paths up to the castle for the Grand Ball that would mark the start of the Festival of Eros.

Nobles and officials from all over Eden, including the Council of Gods, will be present at the Ball. It's also the time when the five shortlisted ladies would be introduced to the kingdom through a series of events in town during the late afternoon before ending off with the Ball in the castle during the evening.

Isla couldn’t wait for what events had been planned for this year’s Festical. The last Festival, held by the Asura Empire, had been nothing short of breathtaking. The events were well organised with no hiccups at all, which was why King Fakir and Queen Anika were known for hosting the best events.

She had heard from Jacob, who was part of the planning council, that there would be a special fire stunt performance, speeches from the shortlisted ladies, a performance by the Zodiac Council–

“Hands on the front of the saddle,” their instructor, Creed, bellowed from above her, and she quickly sat up straight. He swooped down between the royals to inspect their form. “Lean forward,” he shouted at her. “Less air resistance. Dragon flies faster, and you become less of a liability.”

Isla sighed but followed his instructions. It was their second flying lesson for the week and had been a little too eager for her parents’ taste to get all of them up in the air, he had managed to convince them to let them fly. How he did it, she had no idea and she made a mental note to ask him about it later…if he was in a good mood.

“That’s enough for today,” Creed said. “I’ve promised the King and Queen it would only be an hour and the hour is almost up. Push your hands down on the saddle. Not too hard. Just enough that they start descending. Chop, chop! I would like to keep my head, thank you very much.”

Verity caught her gaze and rolled her eyes at Creed’s exaggeration. Isla giggled before turning her focus to pushing down the edge of the saddle. She didn’t want to be the only one left in the sky while the others managed to land on the ground. Slowly, but surely, her dragon began to descend, the ground rushing up towards her until they landed with a soft thud.

The moment Jacob’s dragon landed, he slid off the saddle and landed onto the grass in a heap, much to their parents’  horror.

“Jacob!” Queen Guinevere shrieked, picking up her peach skirts and rushing towards the dark-haired boy.

“Mother, I’m fine,” Jacob groaned, spreading his arms out on the soft grass. “I’m just relaxing.”

Isla laughed at her younger brother’s antics. Typical Jacob, she thought fondly. He’s always been a sucker for the land.

“He’s fine, Mother,” she called out. “He’s more of a land person and needs his quality time with the ground after being in the air for an hour.”

Queen Guinevere ignored her as she hauled Jacob to his feet and ushered him back into the castle, despite his protests. Not even King Arthur could keep a straight face as he trailed after them.

“Why doesn’t Mother fuss over me like that,” Henry said with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

Lucien, who hadn’t said a word since they took off to the sky, said from beside her, “We should switch identities then. I love Mother and all, but sometimes it can be a little suffocating.”

“I think it’s sweet,” Verity said, walking up to them.

Isla wrapped an arm around her sister-in-law’s shoulders, shaking her head slightly. “On the outside it might look sweet,” she mused, shooting Lucien an amused glance, “but after a while, it feels like the sweetness is forming a noose around your neck and choking you to death…Henry’s exact words I think.”

They laughed as Henry scowled at her. “Shut up,” he muttered before making his way back into the castle.

Verity reached out and grabbed both Isla and Lucien’s hands. “Come on, the festives start in a few hours, and we still have so much to do.”

“Shit,” Luciena cursed, obviously having forgotten all about the Festival’s opening ceremony. He tilted his head at Isla as Verity led them through the pale blue and gold marble hallways and staircases up to their shared chambers. “Why’s Isla following us?”

“I offered to help her get ready.” Verity gave Lucien a small smile and kissed his cheek before turning to Isla. She said, “Xenia has already drawn us a bath. Isla, you shower first.”

Isla stepped into the bathing chambers. The room was wide and spacious with shelves lining the walls, filled with fluffy snowy-white bath towels and robes, various cleaning materials, and other bath supplies. In the middle of the marble floor was a wide bathtub that sat on short, gold legs, decorated with ornate carvings, with similarly decorated handles along one side of the tub. Steam rose from milky water that smelled of lavender — Isla’s favourite.

Hung on a simple gold rack that stood beside the tub was her favourite dress. The beautiful masterpiece was of light blue and gold velvet. The billowy, translucent sleeves ended in an elastic band around the wrists, while the full skirt was heavily decorated with gold stitchings and glitter. But Isla’s favourite part was the glittery lace design on the front bodice of the dress, an Earthly Victorian touch as her seamstress had called it.

Turning back to face Verity, she bowed and said, “Yes, my lady.” before shutting the doors behind her.

When Isla emerged from the bathing chambers, Xenia, Verity’s personal maid, took over while Lucien and Verity went to have their bath. Xenia led her to Verity’s vanity table and started doing her hair. And by the time her brother and sister-in-law were out, Xenia was adding the finishing touches to her hair and makeup.

“You look beautiful, Isla!” Verity complimented. “You did a good job, Xenia.”

Isla agreed as she examined her reflection. Her usually straight hair had been curled into loose waves and tied up in a simple half up hairstyle, secured with a large gold hair ornament. Pearl hair pins had also been slotted into her head to keep it in place.

“Hoping to catch someone’s eye?” Lucien asked with a smirk.

Isla stood up and shoved him. “Verity, tell your annoying oaf of a husband–”

“Hey!” Lucien cried indignantly.

Verity placed a hand on his chest and said, “If you two want to fight, please do it somewhere else. Thank you.”

Isla rolled her eyes and said, “Whatever, Lucien. You can conjure up as many fantasies and theories as you like,” then she turned to Verity, “Thanks, Verity, Xenia. Now, I’ve got to go and help Mother with some preparations.”

Giving Lucien a dirty look, she went down to the ballroom where her parents were giving orders to the servants. Isla sighed when she saw how stressed Queen Guinevere looked. This is going to be a long day, she thought.