Starlight (The Dragonian Series Book 5) (29 page)

THE DAY WENT really fast and at two the girls and I left to go to our hair appointments and to pick up our dresses for tonight’s function. It would be the first time in a very long time that I would visit the Museum of Etan.

The function was being held in a private function hall tonight, because it was not a revealing, and it would be the very first one Blake and I would be attending together.

I was in a string of thoughts through the entire hair appointment.

Just don’t say the words, ‘my father is alive’.

In my mind I kept seeing a million ways that they could slip out.

Our hair was done in only a few hours. No magic was used, just plain and simple techniques.

A manicure and pedicure were desperately needed, and the color fit with my outfit for tonight beautifully.

We reached the Academy around four and took our cocktail dresses that had been safely packed in their protective black bags that zipped all the way to the top.

Becky unzipped hers first and took out a beautiful lavender dress. She had a thing for purple, and this one was long with a huge slit that ran up her thigh. Sammy’s dress was emerald green with golden brown trimmings that went beautifully with her hazel eyes. I just went for a plain black number. It was a halter neck, the back was bare and the fabric fell over my waist like a beautiful draping.

It was longer at the back than the front and with the shoes that I’d found, the outfit was stunning.

We met the boys and Master Longwei at six in the lobby.

Blake was speaking to George and Dean with his back facing the stairs. All of them wore black tuxes and when we finally came down the staircase Blake turned around.

His eyes rose slightly and then a huge grin appeared. He looked so handsome. He was not wearing a tie of course, just had his white shirt with the top button opened.

He walked toward me and held out his hand.

He didn’t say anything, just took my hand, hooked it into his arm and walked toward the main door.

“What, you don’t have any remarks?” I said.

He huffed with a huge smile. “There are simply no words to describe how beautiful you look tonight, Princess.”

I laughed as he led me to a carriage that waited for us right behind the main gate.

I climbed in first with Blake behind me. The rest followed and then Master Longwei entered wearing his traditional Chinese formal attire.

He had worn something similar when we had had to go to the revealing of the King of Lion mission too. It had been a display of Brian in both his forms carrying my axes. That night felt like such a long time ago.

So many things had happened since then.

“You still worried about tonight?” Blake asked as the carriage went up in the air.

“A little.” I took a soft deep breath.

“It’s going to be fine, Elena.” He squeezed my hand softly in his and winked once.

I smiled and stared out of the window again.

Our carriage landed on top of the museum and Raymond, with a couple of other guards sent by King Helmut I presumed, waited for us on the roof as the cockroaches crawled below taking pictures and interviews.

We took the elevator down to the function hall that was right above the floor that housed all the exhibits.

I was glad that I wasn’t being welcomed by flashing cameras for once in my life.

We were met by the organizer, one of Queen Marguerite’s event coordinators who’d done this a million times, and she kept babbling about the outcome of tonight, how many people had rsvp’d, etc.

She led us through two huge doors. It was bright and everything was white.

I was so happy to find Charles, Marcus, Gertrude, Luke and Olive with David and Connie around one of the corners.

We walked directly to them and greeted them with two kisses on the cheek.

A waiter with champagne glasses walked by and Blake took two flutes off his tray.

“For the nerves,” he said as he handed me the glass and Charles and Connie smiled at his remark.

“You are going to be perfect tonight, Elena, and may I say, you look gorgeous, Princess.”

“Thank you Connie, you look beautiful yourself.”

“Oh, this old thing?!”

David laughed. “My dear, you have been waiting for years to parade in that gown,” he spoke lovingly to his wife

THE BAR AREA had started to fill with woman and men wearing their finest attire.

I nodded at plenty even though I had no idea who they were. Smiled at many, said thank you to the compliments people gave me.

Sir Robert and Isabel finally showed up with Lucille at their side. I kept on thinking about the secret of her husband still being alive, and felt like a dog not being able to tell her about it.

Blake squeezed my hand as if he could sense the burden of that secret weighing on me.

“Son,” Sir Robert said. “Elena.” He bowed his head slightly. I caught the smile on Isabel’s face.

“Nice to see you again,” Isabel said, touching my hands softly, and planted two kisses on both my cheeks.

“Elena,” Lucille smiled as she hugged me softly. “You look stunning,” she whispered in my ear.

“You too,” I whispered back and she let me go.

She raised her one eyebrow at Blake. “Nice seeing you in a tux,” she flirted and Blake just smiled.

“You look beautiful, like always, Mrs. Johnson.”

She squinted. “So formal.”

Everyone laughed.

“Are you ready for this speech?” Sir Robert asked, and I nodded in return.

“We miss you at the manor,” Isabel said.

“Sorry, I’ve been meaning to come around, but it’s been so hectic lately.”

“Blake told me.” She stroked my back.

A group of men dressed in tuxedos drew near. They didn’t look familiar, but they screamed richness beyond richness.

One was in his fifties and had golden blonde hair, the other one hiding behind him was in his twenties and another one in his mid-thirties.

The one with the blond hair reached out his hand to Sir Robert.

They shook hands.

“Elena, I would like you to meet Hans Streighner, a noble dragon, and one of your father’s good friends.”

I turned to the man and he bowed.

“Princess, at last.”

“This is Hans’s son, Heico,” the twenty-odd-year-old with black hair took my hand in his and kissed it.

I could see Blake’s eye twitching slightly as he stared at this greeting.

“You are wooing the wrong princess, Heico,” Arianna said, coming out of nowhere. “Good evening, Elena,” she greeted me, looking spectacular as always. “Besides, this one has a watch dog you don’t want to mess with,” she carried on flirting.

Heico and the other men laughed.

“Blake,” Arianna greeted him with a super smile and two kisses on each check.

“Princess.” Blake had a grin on his mouth.

“I mean no disrespect, Your Highness. My father taught me manners and how to greet royalty this side.”

“This side?” I squinted.

“Heico was born and raised on the other side,” Arianna said.

“You are all from the other side?” I looked at Hans and he nodded once.

“This is my younger brother, Reginald. We left a very long time ago, Princess, and I’m so sorry that we only returned now. But we are at your service.”

“Thank you so much, I really appreciate that.”

“Good evening, ladies and gentleman,” the speaker of the function came out of two huge doors. Inside were tables, many tables that cost a fortune to dine at tonight.

“If you would all take your seats so that we can start.”

“Better go find out where they put us,” Heico said to Arianna and held his arm for her.

“Later,” she curtsied and walked away with Heico.

I looked at Blake with raised eyebrows and he smiled.

We went over to one of the front tables where they seated all of us with King Helmut and Queen Marguerite, who made sure that everything was ready for my first function.

When she reached our table, she greeted each of us with a kiss on the cheek before she went to take her own seat.

The speaker started welcoming everyone and explained what this function was about. I hated asking for money, but it wasn’t for me.

“I would love to know how Arianna knows Heico.”

“Caleb has housed them the past few weeks. He knows Hans very well,” Blake whispered.

“She fell for him?”

“She does share his fire, Elena.”

“Heico is a Sun-Blast?”

He nodded.

“How did he?”

“He hatched that side. From what she’s told me it’s his first time in Paegeia, so he doesn’t know any better.”

“Wow,” I said.

“Hans is a Fin-Tail like Master Longwei, and like my father said, one of your father’s greatest friends. He served him in the war, and is as smart as they come when it comes to strategizing war tactics.”

Sir Robert grunted.

“Apart from my father that is.”

Isabel cleared her throat at Blake.

“Sorry,” he mouthed and we turned our attention back to the night’s events.

My heartbeat started to rise slightly and my palms were getting sweaty as the time for my speech came closer.

When the speaker called my name, I felt as if I’d spent the last twenty minutes inside a sauna.

Blake stood up with me and walked with me to the podium.

“I’ll be fine,” I whispered before I took the podium and walked to the mic.

You can do this, don’t mention your father’s status, and concentrate on tonight.

“Good evening everyone, and thank you so much for joining us tonight on this festive evening.” I swallowed hard and cleared my throat, which made everyone laugh softly.

I took a deep breath.
Just be yourself, Elena.

“I usually don’t do this, address a huge gathering of important people, unless you are the Council…”

Everyone laughed again.

“So I’m going to speak from the heart. You all are Paegeia’s wealthiest benefactors, some of you, and I’m so grateful that you came all the way from the other side for this event. As you all know, Etan isn’t what it used to be anymore. It’s unrecognizable.”

A screen of pictures of what the first group had collected was projected behind me. I’d seen this before at David’s lodge.

Many gasped as the slide show continued.

“Everything’s changed. The people on the other side are ruled with an iron fist. Kids have to fend for themselves, darkness rules. Everything my father and his men fought for so long ago needs to be freed. That will be my responsibility, not yours. But we do need your help with the hundred we freed from that side. Children need to catch up on their education and housing needs to be built. I financed most of this, but I can’t do it alone. We need your help in order for them to heal. So please be generous, show your kindness and help us to help them. Thank you.”

Everyone applauded. Whether they felt the need to or whether it came from their hearts, I would never know.

The speaker came back and King Helmut spoke next.

It was about war, things I didn’t really want to think about, but it was necessary. We needed more troops and we were not going to force anyone to fight. It had to come from their hearts.

After the speeches, dinner was served.

It was a five-course meal.

I spent the rest of the evening meeting more people. A couple of them I’d met before on the night of Brian’s revealing.

“Beautiful speech, Princess,” a round man with a curly mustache and cognac in his hand said.

“Thank you so much.” I smiled at him.

The night crept by slowly, but one thing that was great was that Blake was always close by.

Then the dance floor opened and Blake came and rescued me from a boring male conversation that was all about the war they’d fought with my father years and years ago.

“Care to dance, Princess?” He had a sly grin on his face.

“You didn’t learn from the last time I danced with you?” I asked, remembering that night at the ball.

He grinned as he held my waist and pulled my other arm into his chest.

“You can stand on my feet for as long as you want.”

I laughed as we slow danced.

My eye caught on Arianna again. “She’s really changed, hasn’t she?”

“Yes, I think she’s grown up.”

“I will always see her as a spoiled little brat.”

“She’s not like that, Elena. You haven’t grown up with her. To be honest, she does own a good heart. She is not very happy with her father and how he’s treated you lately.”

“She said that, or are you making that up so I will like her more?”

He smiled. “It’s the truth. Pappi’s note didn’t reach me in time. It was Arianna that told me about that night.”

“Wait, what?”

“Is it so hard to imagine that? She went with him that night, but when she saw the Ancients, well, she slipped out the back and phoned me.”

“She did?”

“I promise you. Halfway to Tith, I flew into one of your Pappi’s guards and he confirmed it. She’s changed Elena, and she really feels crappy about that time she was supposed to teach you how to use magic.”

“I guess later is better than never, right?”

“Oh it is.”

Arianna’s laughter made both of us look and we saw Heico dip her.

“I bet King Caleb is not very happy about that.”

“He’ll come around.”

It didn’t surprise me that he wasn’t here tonight. Still, I would’ve loved to meet the Caleb my father once knew and treasured.

We danced one more song and then Blake took my hand and led me to one of the back doors.

“Where are we going?” I had a worried look about what he was planning now on my face. “Your father…”

“My father is having the time of his life.” He showed me a group of men having a hefty conversation and laughter burst out.

“I want to show you something.”

He opened another door and ran down the staircase to the lower level.

We were surrounded by exhibits. The dragons were on our left and he took me to the opposite side toward the Viden’s Book of Shadows.

“You want to show me my foretelling?”

“No, I’m taking you to see your mom.”

My heart fluttered as he said that. The first time I’d seen her, I was too shocked to actually look at her, and now, now I would know that she was the woman who had given birth to me, and that wanted me more than anything in this entire world.

We reached the candles and Blake took off his shoes. I bent my leg backward and took off my shoes one at a time as gracefully as I could, leaning against the wall.

When both were off, Blake lit two of the candles and then we walked into their chambers.

I sucked in breath as I saw them sitting on their thrones but it wasn’t just the two of them anymore.

Tears welled up my eyes as I looked at the third chair with a statue sitting next to Queen Catherine. She had blonde hair with a beautiful crown on her head.

A chuckle escaped my lips as I wiped my tears away as delicately as possible. “Is that supposed to be me?”

Blake laughed too. “Supposed to be, yes.” He wrapped his one arm around me and pulled me in for a sideways hug as we just stared at it. They must have done this while I was in Etan the first time. “I wish that this was the truth.”

“Elena, it still can be.”

“You know it can never be. She’s dead Blake.” I stared at my mother’s statue.

“I know.”

I took a deep breath and went over to their statues and sat down on the stairs right between my mother and father’s chairs.

“I really thought that I would mess up tonight.”

“I know you did, I could hear your heartbeat fluttering like a trapped bird in a cage.”

I looked at him and he walked over and hunched in front of me. “But I had faith that you wouldn’t mess anything up. You showed them who you are, and not what they want you to be. That was one of your mother’s traits.” He scrunched up his nose once, making me laugh again.