CHAPTER THREE

“What’s so funny?” Xander had been listening to the back and forth banter Archer and Adalia had been having. He especially like the part when Adalia was angry but when they started laughing he knew he had to do something.

Xander’s father had once been the pride and glory of the South Kingdom. He had fought alongside Gabrielle’s father for many years. His father had a wife and a couple of mistresses and he was a product of the mistresses. He wasn’t acknowledged by his father’s family but his prowess and industrious nature had made him his father’s favorite. The first time he was brought to the palace was when Gabrielle’s father had fallen ill and was slowly dying. He met a little girl in the garden, dressed in amour with a sword that belonged to the king in her hand, she was crying. Xander picked up a stick and began a sword game with the little girl and ever since they were best of friends.

When his father died Adalia was the one who comforted him. Gabrielle made sure that he was brought up as one of his knights, he had been turned into somebody from the bastard child he once was. Ever since Gabrielle had been like a father to him and Adalia had graduated from being his best friend to his girlfriend. It was because of this romance that Gabrielle had sent him away for over twelve months.

He had looked forward to seeing Adalia. All he thought about when he was away were her lips, her hair and her smile. And now he risked losing her to a man who had only known her for an average of five minutes. Xander had watched in pain as they were presented and accepted by the families. His mind went back to the day Gabrielle had sent him away.

Xander had asked for her hand in marriage but Gabrielle quickly declined. “We need the alliance,” he had said. The rebels by then had become a huge pain for both kingdoms and they were slowly growing in number. They would need both armies to fight them but he didn’t understand why his love for Adalia had to suffer. Why it had to be the sacrificial lamb but he couldn’t go against the king. For twelve months he had fought in the forests, trying his best to decrease the number, to convince the militia to join the royal army with promises of gold, silver and land. He had made progress but it seemed with every hundred he managed to scout, five hundred would be recruited.

Now he risked losing her to a little boy who hadn’t seen the sight of blood except for his own. Xander didn’t know how to loose and what made it worse was that he was beginning to feel like nothing compared to the Crown prince of the Northern kingdom.

He now stood in between them. Xander could feel the tiny daggers Archer’s eyes shot out drive into his skin. They were in private and there was nothing he could do to him then.

“It doesn’t concern you,” Archer shouted.

***

Adalia felt chocked by the thick tension in the air. She had the option of filling Xander in on the joke or taking the side of her future husband. She chose the latter. “It’s nothing,” she stepped around Xander and stood beside Archer. “Are you enjoying the feast?”

“Yes I am,” he wished he could drive a continent in between the two.

“We should go inside, I’m sure our parents are wondering where we are,” respectfully Archer took her hand. Although he felt angry, she was sure he wasn’t about to act like a brute in front of her.

“We’ll talk later,” Adalia promised Xander.

As she walked away with Archer she felt part of her being torn away. She was going to wait, she decided. She was going to wait until the whole castle was still then she would meet up with Xander. Adalia convinced herself that she wouldn’t be betraying Archer. Yes, they had a moment. And in that moment Adalia felt like she could be happy at Archer’s side. However, she feeling for Xander and they made her all the more confused.

When they got back to the dining room they were met with good news. Everyone was on their feet cheering at their siblings who stood in the middle of the room. Archer and Adalia made their wall through the wall of bodies to the center where their family stood.

“Mother,” Adalia walked to her mother’s side. “What’s going on?”

“Your brother wants to marry,” Liora pointed out with a smile.

Adalia finally noticed the loving way in which Novia hooked her arm into Randi’s. It was like she was floating. And if it wasn’t for the fact Adalia knew otherwise she would have been convinced that under the grand ball gown Novia’s feet weren’t touching the ground.

“Brother?”