The Dragon Princess and the Pea Read online

  “This is …”He hesitated briefly, “Amelia. I need you to be especially discreet, Lewis.”

  The doctor, Lewis, raised his eyebrows for a moment as he considered the man standing next to me.

  “Of course Your Highness.” He gave a slight bow to him. “What can I do to help?”

  “This young lady fell from the skies above.” Darius gave me a slight glance before looking at the doctor again.

  “The skies above. Huh, Darius? I didn’t know you had that kind of sense of humor.” Lewis chuckled as he stared at the other man.

  “I don’t, Lewis. I’m serious. Lyon was up on the roof and saw something in the clouds. It was this young lady.” His lips had no curve as if he was smiling and joking.

  Fell out of the sky? Even I couldn’t believe it.

  ‘ So she’s ...one of us?” Lewis asked hesitantly.

  “Yes, Lewis. She’s a dragon.” Darius wasn’t hesitant at all about stating this fact. A dragon?

  As he said that he stared right into my eyes as if studying my reaction. I was almost mesmerized again by his storm cloud eyes, but his eyes were warm not cold.

  I laughed hesitantly. Were these crazies I had stumbled upon? My hand went to my forehead to run down my hair where I played with a long curl. I took the lock of hair between my fingers to run it over my lips back and forth as I considered.

  You need to stop that bad habit, daughter.

  My head moved first one way and then the other. My eyes flitting about the room at the voice I had heard. Daughter. Could that be my father? Why couldn’t I remember? It was so frustrating.

  Darius still stared into my eyes with a strength of will I had only seen once in my life. But I couldn’t remember where or who. I was so frustrated with my mind. Why couldn’t I remember?

  “A dragon? Right. Good one. Tease the girl that has no memory.” I laughed again. This time it was forced.

  “Let’s have Lewis check you over. Make sure you’re alright and then we can talk and I can explain a few things to you. Okay?”

  I studied his strong regal features. I could definitely see royalty in there.

  I nodded in agreement as he shared a look with Lewis before he left leaving us alone.

  Lewis gazed at me hesitantly for a moment before he appeared to finish his discussion with himself. He straightened his shoulders and stepped closer to me his hands behind his back. I couldn’t see what they were doing but I hoped he had only clasped them together. “Alright my dear. Let me ask you some questions and then get you checked over. Is that alright with you?”

  Not knowing what else to say I only nodded again. He reached behind him to pick up a bag I hadn’t noticed him bring in with him. He placed it on the bed, opened it, and removed a stethoscope.

  Buttoning up my dress again, I sat on the edge of the bed as I waited while Lewis spoke with Darius. I tapped my bare foot on the floor wishing I had shoes, then crossed my ankles.

  I had a sudden recent memory of falling from the skies, my large gold body heavy as I plummeted to the ground.

  I concentrated, my brows drawn together. A long neck came to mind. I straightened slightly at that thought. A large sleek body with spikes travelling down the back. The ice blue eyes I saw before. Was that me? A dragon?

  “Are you remembering something?” a voice interrupted my thoughts.

  My head jerked to the side as I looked at Darius and realized he asked the question. “I don’t know,” I answered slowly before biting my lip.

  “What do you see?”

  “Well, you were the one that mentioned dragon,” His face lifted at my words.

  “You saw your dragon?” He sounded excited for me, as a grin lit his face.

  I nodded slowly. “I think so. I’m gold, with spikes down the back?” I pulled the top sheet over to my lap and began folding and unfolding a corner, then smoothing it flat on my lap, only to start the process all over again.

  “That’s her. Maybe more will come soon; Lewis thinks so. He thinks something happened to you, some trauma so bad it made you forget,” Darius explained gently. He laid a large hand on my shoulder.

  “I also remember...maybe. Maybe not. I don’t know. An older man, but with a regal bearing. Like you.” I was slightly embarrassed to admit this; I wasn’t sure if this was an actual memory. I turned my face into my other shoulder from the one with his hand on it.

  “You think I’m regal looking? “ He frowned. I nodded, unsure of his reaction.

  I could see him studying my face and his brightened. “That must be a good thing then, from all the training I’ve had. Do you recognize him?”

  The face came into my mind again, and I tried to bring a name to the face, but I couldn’t. The face was lined but not heavily. The dark hair was thick but graying. I still couldn’t bring a name to the face.

  I shook my head regretfully, sighing.

  “That’s okay,” he patted my back commensurably. “You’ll work on it.”

  Looking up at him I asked, “Now what?”

  Darius screwed his face up in disgust. “Now you meet my mother.”

  Chapter Three

  Lyon

  “Lewis has also seen her.” Darius announced. He entered the room with the tall girl trailing him.

  The flimsy garment that someone had dressed her in appeared to reveal but concealed her form, especially the hem that floated loose to her ankles, and the long and wide sleeves. Her dark gold hair moved with electricity, sparked to life. I was more enamored of her now than I was before. She was magnificent.

  I needed to dispose of Darius. He was a thorn in my ambitions. There had to be a get-rid-of-your-older-brother-prince club or something. Humm. I needed to check on that.

  My eyes scanned the room, noting my mother’s memories. A samari sword from Japan hung in a place of honor on the wall, and I was told my father knew a samari well. Immortal dragons have many stories to tell.

  I spotted the dragon china figurine from China. There were so many items I couldn’t recall them all.

  “Girl. What is your name?” my mother demanded, breaking into my thoughts.

  The girl glanced at Darius and Lewis before she turned back to my mother. “Amelia.” Her gaze was hesitant but her voice firm.

  “What a quaint, old-fashioned name, dear. So what brings you to us, then?” So, what brings you to us, then?” My mother settled herself more comfortably into her straight- backed chair. As comfortable as you can be with a stick up your ass, as my mother did, I thought.

  “She doesn’t know, Mother. She doesn’t remember.” Darius’ voice was hard as he chided Lilliana, their mother.

  She laughed harshly. “Doesn’t remember? What a joke. Tell me another one. Amnesia?” Another bark of laughter while throwing her head back.

  Amelia drew back as if she didn’t understand what was happening and was confused by our bickering. I stepped forward to help her but Darius beat me to it, again.

  His arm slipped around her shoulders, drawing her close, and I watched as our mother saw as well. Her lips tightened into a thin line before she loosened her lips into a semblance of a smile.

  “You poor dear. How?” The words silkily escaped her thin lips. Lilliana was a hard woman. Tall, very thin. Her face long but still attractive.

  “She doesn’t know, Mother. She has amnesia remember?” Darius sighed. His eyes headed to the ceiling in an eye roll.

  “Oh yes, dear. That’s right. Well, we can find her somewhere to stay and put an alert out maybe. Try to find out what’s happened to her.” Lilliana snapped her fingers to a maid standing nearby, who scurried over, with her head bowed, as a good servant should.

  “Take this girl down to the servant’s quarters and find her a place, as well as something to do.” Lilliana waved her fingers from Amelia to the maid. Dismissed.

  Amelia looked to Darius, who shook his head. He stared Lilliana in the eyes, daring her to question him.

  Lilliana, not being one to accept her son’s decision, sa
id,” I don’t think she should stay up here, Darius. We don’t know who she is or where she’s come from. She could be a thief lying to you.” Her tone suddenly soft, but I knew better. It was all part of her manipulation. We had grown up with it.

  Darius looked at his mother, tapping a finger to his chin as he considered something. Lilliana appeared to take that as consent. She waved her fingers from Amelia to the maid again.

  “Mother, I said no!” Darius thundered. I had never heard him yell like that before. Especially at our mother. His gray eyes were dark.

  He whispered, “She has the royal seal upon her, mother.”

  Lilliana looked as shocked as I was. That was an unexpected piece of news. Darius held out a locket emblazoned with the royal seal of dragons upon it. Only royal dragons could carry this. For anyone else it was a death sentence.

  “She could have stolen it.” Lilliana iterated.

  Darius shook his head slowly from side to side as if he were contemplating his options. “We need to be sure. I will reach out to our European cousins and inquire about her.”

  “And if not?” Lilliana asked. She was always one to look for greed in others when she was the greediest person I knew.

  “We’ll see, then.”

  “Alright. Well, if I must, I’ll make the bed up nice and comfortable for her; can’t have anyone saying I’m a bad hostess. Why don’t you have the maid bring her something nice and warm to eat up to her room?”

  I certainly didn’t trust the sickeningly smoothness of our mother’s face and voice. But good ol’ Darius, of course, trusted her, as usual.

  He smiled. Idiot. Trusting idiot. I plastered the same smooth expression on my face as Lilliana had. I’ve learned from the best.

  Darius lifted a hand to the maid, who scuttled over to bend down and listen intently to what he ordered. She hurried out of the room, headed towards the kitchen.

  I saw Mother whispering her own instructions to her own maid that was always by her side. She was a sharp-faced and wizened, older woman. The maid gave Lilliana a startled wide- eyed look before a wide grin spread across her face.

  Huh. That made me wonder what Mother was up too. No good.

  Darius helped Amelia to a chair, and as soon as she sat, her head drooped in exhaustion. The back of her head laid back against the upholstery of the chair, her golden curls spread out in all its long glory. I so wanted to run my hands through the lengths of the mass, but I knew that was inappropriate.

  I could see Amelia had fallen asleep in her exhaustion. Not knowing what Mother had planned, I had no idea of what to suggest. Jealousy overtook me as I observed Darius scoot a chair over, so he could sit protectively over Amelia as she slept.

  As we waited for Mother’s plans to take fruition, I began running scenarios of my own plans through my head.

  “Madam, the room is ready,” a servant announced. I didn’t know his name. They were beneath my notice.

  “Come along dear,” Lilliana simpered to both. The sweetness almost made me vomit. She was really doing it a little thick; Darius had even noticed, thick headed do-gooder he was.

  He gave mother a sharp, narrow-eyed glance before he gathered Amelia into his arms and followed our mother to Amelia’s new room.

  It was almost the same, except the mattress was thicker. I had never seen one so thick, and it appeared neither had Darius.

  “What is this Mother?”

  “Why, to make our guest more comfortable dear. If she is a princess of Europe, we don’t want her reporting we were unhospitable.” Her face was a smooth, filled with a fake lightness of joy to help. I couldn’t believe Darius didn’t see it.

  But according to Mother, he was like our father. Goodness and honor. Something I wouldn’t understand. I also wouldn’t know, since our father died when I was six. Darius also couldn’t take the throne of North American Dragons until he mated.

  “Now my maid will help her into a clean nightgown. Hmm. I don’t think we’re going to be able to get her to eat. Well I’m sure there’s some homeless person that will eat this meal.”

  I opened my mouth and then shut it. There was no way I was going to be able to tell Lilliana she was going a bit overboard.

  As I considered what her plans could possibly be, my heart skipped a beat and a smirk touch my lips as thoughts of me becoming the heir raced through my head. I would have to break him first. And I knew just the way. The way being Amelia.

  Chapter Four

  Lilliana

  Making the room ready for the girl was a great joy for me. Little in this life brought me joy. Certainly not my two sons. My husband’s death? Yes, that did, because it brought me great power.

  My oldest son, was not manipulative the way my younger son was. Darius would, unfortunately, make a good, honest king someday.

  I would have less power and he was getting more. Proving that this girl was not a princess was what I needed to do. A means to an end, as they said. I watched as Lyon paced back and forth across in the drawing room, giving me quick glances as he went by.

  Finally, he stopped. “What are you planning, Mother?” His brows had drawn together, but his eyes shifted continuously and wouldn’t meet mine. I loved it when he didn’t know what to expect from me. It meant I was doing my job. I laughed inwardly.

  With graceful movements that had taken many years of training to learn, I moved carefully to the doorway and glanced around outside to be sure no one was listening.

  Shutting the large double doors I turned and gracefully made my way back to my uncomfortable chair.

  That’s what kept me up to par. I stayed lean. Exercised daily. Kept up to date on world news. I was so above everyone else. I deserved to rule and worked hard for it.

  Lyon. He was a good boy to lead around. “I am going to keep us in power,” I told Lyon in response to his question. “Do what I say and all will be well.”

  He stood off to my side, his brown eyes flat and lifeless as he stared off into nothing. His hands were in the front pockets of his jeans but the jangle of keys was annoyingly loud. “Lyon.” When he didn’t respond, I huffed and shouted, “Lyon!”

  He started as if he hadn’t heard me the first time. “Yes, Mother?”

  My eyes raised to the ceiling as I sighed dramatically. “Did you hear me? Do what I tell you and all will be well. I’m going to go now and make sure the girl is settled.”

  “Mother.” Lyon stopped suddenly but didn’t continue with what he was saying.

  Waiting but a moment, I tilted my head back to stare at him, as I played with the gold dragon broach pinned to my dress at my breast.

  It had been my mother’s, and her mother’s, before her. I didn’t have the daughter to give it to, and it didn’t look like I would have the daughter -in-law I had been looking for either.

  Girls nowadays were not cunning like I was taught. They were spoiled. Insipid. They didn’t use their brains to get what they wanted. I had tried looking for women I deemed acceptable mates for my sons, but I could not find anyone that met my expectations.

  I stood abruptly, not being able to handle Lyon’s indecision to continue to speak any longer. Brushing past him, my back as straight as a board, I could feel his hand reach out to me, but I ignored it. He was such a disappointment. He was too afraid to apply himself. I knew Darius wanted him to go to Europe but Lyon was afraid. I had babied him too much.

  Throwing the drawing room doors open, I swiftly made my way to the room I had assigned to the girl. They should be ready by now.

  Knocking swiftly on the door, I waited. I tapped my foot. I was just about ready to begin knocking again when the door slowly opened.

  On the other side was Abagail, my maid. She watched me as she bit her lip, unfurling the fingers of her hand to reveal a pea, right in the middle of her lined palm. It was a big, dried pea.

  Rubbing my hands together, I leaned forward slightly and reached out to take the pea out of her palm. Abagail suddenly closed her hand into a fist before I could tak
e it.

  My eyes swiftly raised to her and the burn of righteous anger raised to the surface. “You’re not going to hurt her? Right?” The worry was palpable in her youthful face.

  My naturally curved eyebrows almost reached my hairline as I stared at her, my mouth slightly open.

  “She’s a very sweet girl. She could actually be a princess, Your Highness. Wouldn’t that be good for a daughter-in-law?” Abagail glanced quickly back into the room, and I glanced over her to the girl sleeping in the bed. She laid on her side facing away from me so I couldn’t see her face.

  After all, it was just a dried pea. Such an innocuous thing. A pea.

  I held my hand out, palm open. And waited. Slowly Abagail held hers out and we watched as the pea dropped into mine. My fingers closed around the little gem.

  Abagail stood shuffling her feet as she waited to see what I would do next. I twisted my lips, hoping it resembled a smile. It must not have worked, because her blue eyes went wide and her head jerked backwards.

  Brushing past her, I entered the room and slowly began closing the door, “I’m just going to check on her and make sure she doesn’t need another blanket.” I hoped my tone was enough to convince Abigail that my intentions were nothing but motherly.

  Abagail’s lips tightened into a line as she nodded her head with two jerks. She turned stiffly and walked away as the door finished closing, looking over her shoulder once.

  Turning to the bed and the girl sleeping peacefully buried within the cocoon of blankets, I gazed at her for a moment. I almost wished she was malleable but I had a gift for knowing people’s strengths. This girl, whoever she was, had a deep strength of will, even as broken as she was.

  Wishing would do me no good at the moment, so I lifted the blankets from the side of the bed and the middle of the mattress, sticking my arm through the slight hole I made. Luckily I was a dragon shifter and used the extra strength to thrust my arm harder through, until I thought I was far enough in. I opened my hand to let the dried pea drop onto the box springs.