All Chapters of Dragon Queen.: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Mare forced herself into a good mood which was near impossible when it was so late into the night and she was on her way to seduce a man. Perci had trained most of the day away and while that happened she thought about her plan and realized she was nervous.The only sounds to be heard that night were the snores of those sleeping, the servants in the kitchen, the drunken noises of the soldiers, and the chirping night insects. Well, there was no better time than now to hatch her plan. The dead of night provided the perfect cover for her to sneak along the halls. With the light from a single lamp Hegi had dressed her in a sheer attire, her hair cascaded down her neck in thick dark waves, her lips were reddened with dye, dark enough to make a man weak in the knees. She only hoped her target, Perci prince of Arlankis would be weak enough to do her bidding.Who would have thought? She who had preserved herself for the man she would call husband one day was now scheming to bare herself sham

The king's loud laughter shook the doors of the dining hall. Mare was tempted to run and hide. He was laughing now but what if he was laughing over her failed attempt to seduce the prince? What punishment did he have planned for her? Was it going to affect the rest of the Baryns? If Hegi and the king's guards were not behind her, she would have run as fast as her legs could take her and escaped the kingdom if she had to. But as it so happened, she struggled to keep her head up, her shoulders high as she made her way down the corridor. They arrived at the door and the soldiers pushed the door open. As soon as she stepped into the threshold she almost lost her breath and faltered.The king was not alone. Not that she expected him to be alone. She had expected to see the heads of the Noble Houses but the king's company was none other than Perci, the crown prince of Arlankis.Eyes light with laughter, golden goblet in hand, turned to face the door as soon as they were thrown open. His

"What news do you bring from the northern borders?" Vallezarii demanded as soon as he stormed into the throne room. He was angered. His day had started off badly with Serywithe insinuating that he did not respect the dead. No, the dead had no use for respect.He would have preferred to not be disturbed for the rest of the day. The sight of the bloodied warrior of Arlankis was a welcome relief, something to distract him from the guilt that plagued him. But it wasn't just guilt that plagued him, even anger at Serywithe's stubbornness. If he did not have a use for her she would have been bound in chains and thrown into the dungeons long ago. He had no use for stubborn opposition and she was fast becoming a thorn in his flesh. He knew what to do to bring her under control.As he passed by Dymas the sickening stench of blood made his stomach roll. Most of the blood on Dymas Milelot probably belonged to his opponents. Even Vallezarii was wary of the mighty soldier but he had need for him. H

His voice was hard and Mare noted with a hint of disappointment that he was very angry too. She dipped into a curtsey.Perci’s brows shot up against his will. He was immensely surprised at her servitude and was almost tempted to laugh but this wasn’t a time to laugh, especially not when he just risked his neck for a common Baryn. If he had been a second late the soldier might have beheaded him and he would have lost his life for nothing but foolishness.To think that a soldier of the king's army had drawn a sword at him for rescuing a slave burned him deeply. But if he had not come riding through the village in disguise like he always did those men would have raped her and probably killed her and that would have served her right because the girl was dense in the head. Yet he couldn’t have left her at the mercies of those lecherous men starved for the drunkenness only a woman’s body could offer. He was next in line for the throne therefore hated though the Baryns may be, he still had a

Mare stared at her reflection in the mirror. Dragon descendants.She was of dragon birth. All Baryns were of dragon birth yet the men of Kronos claimed the same. What kind of test would the king put them through to reveal the truth or lies of their words?Hegi’s hand came to rest on her slim shoulders, a proud smile on his face at his handiwork. He had rubbed scented oil into her skin to smoothen it and the result was a bright glow. Her hair had been oiled and allowed to fall loose down her back. But even her long tresses did nothing to hide her back exposed by the shimmering white gown. It was long and flowy with exposed sides held together by thin gold chains. The straps of the gown were twisted with gold threads.“You look beautiful, my lady.”She could not disagree with him. Her eyelids had been darkened and the edges pulled to enhance her feline eyes. Her lips had been painted a dark red making her full lips tempting to whoever gazed at them.Hegi gasped lightly and drew the stri