The Time Tournament (Order of the Dragon #1)

CHAPTER 35

Elena

February 1431

T he following morning, the entire castle brimmed with attendants preparing for the ball. But I wanted to hide between the sheets of this heavenly contraption called a mattress. Years of sleeping on a marble bed did a number on this girl’s back. I closed my eyes for just a second, but then a knock woke me up. “Who could it be now?” I muttered.

“It’s Tarra. We have to go get our dresses from the tailor.”

Oh yes, the dresses. “Coming,” I yelled and got out of bed.

Once I opened the door, Soraya and Tarra’s gleeful smiles almost blinded me. Could they not be more obvious?

“Are you ready?” Tarra asked.

“I’m so excited,” Soraya said.

“I just need to pull on a day gown, and I’m good.”

“What about your hair?” Soraya asked, though she clearly didn’t put much thought into her own updo.

“Will it be a crime if I just go with my hair down?”

They both gasped.

“Fine,” I said, “let’s fix it.”

After Tarra braided my hair, we walked to the dressmaker’s chamber. When we walked in, our dresses were already displayed on mannequins in front. The woman was a magician. She managed to finish three dresses in two days. Of course, she had help, but still, that was impressive.

“Young ladies, come in. I hope you like the final look,” Eleonóra said.

“We love them,” Soraya said.

“Wonderful. You never know when it comes to tastes,” Eleonóra spoke softly.

“Can we try them on?” Tarra asked.

“Certainly. Veronica, can you help our young ladies here? They need to feel as beautiful as possible for the ball.”

Both Tarra and Soraya got similar designs. I wasn’t sure if it was intentional. But once they saw each other, they latched onto one another and jumped. Though one dress was a deep brown and the other black, they both laced up in front with silk laces. Both had round necklines with a trim of delicate pearls. The sleeves were tightened by lace, leaving the chemise to peek out. The long skirts flowed from their fitted bodices.

“You both look stunning,” I said.

They admired each other as Tarra said, “I can’t wait to dance next to you at the ball.”

Soraya giggled, and neither took the time to notice mine.

“The fit looks good,” Veronica said. “The burgundy color suits your complexion well.”

“It does,” I said, looking in the mirror. “I can’t believe your mom decided to add a golden trim on the bodice and sleeves. And these bell sleeves look so lavish. It won’t be too much, will it? What if I offend the queen?”

Veronica laughed. “No matter how much opulence you think the queen is going to display, she’ll always outdo it.”

“Really?”

“Uh-huh. No one can outdo her, unless we talk about beauty. Since you do look more beautiful in comparison,” she said, looking at my reflection in the mirror. “But please don’t tell the queen I said that.”

Few people said I was beautiful, besides men who wanted to get in my pants and one delirious dragon shifter.

“Thank you. I didn’t expect your words would mean so much to me.”

“Make sure you enjoy the dancing. I wish Mother would let me attend too. ”

“Are you not allowed?”

“The queen says I can, but Mother always refuses. No worries, though, I always find a way to have fun.”

“Well, that’s good to hear. My fun will end the moment the ball is done. So, I better make the best of it.”

“I hope you win. It would be an event of its own to see the smirk wiped off those smug dragon faces.”

I laughed. She was very straightforward.

As Veronica removed some fluff from my shoulder, she said, “I think we are done. But best to take it off till evening.”

“You’re right.”

We thanked the mother-daughter duo sincerely. They truly worked their butts off for us. Then we went to get something to eat.

Evening rolled around quickly. Since Eleonóra’s atelier was near the ballroom, we decided to pay her a last visit, all dressed and rouged up. Soraya, besides her talent for discovering underground springs, had a knack for hair updos, which she conveniently hid. It had something to do with the dozen sisters she had to take care of daily. She also gave me a hairpiece made of pearls, called a pearl circlet, that wrapped around my head. She said she had no use for it. As if I had any use for it.

They both looked at each other knowingly. Those two were scheming something, and I didn’t like it. But I enjoyed my look, so I let it slide. Who knew when I would attend a ball again? Probably as a ghost after I face-planted thirty feet from the ground .

We walked to the hall with the widest smiles on our faces, not really caring how much noise we were making in the castle hallways. Most of the light at that hour came from sconces or torches, but as we got closer to Eleonóra’s chamber, the door was open, and a bright light emerged. Then we heard two people arguing. Could it have been Lord Corbin again? A slap followed.

We rushed to see what happened and found a distraught Eleonóra with Veronica kneeling on the floor, covering her cheek. A nobleman hovered above them, foaming at the mouth.

“How dare you touch my daughter?” Eleonóra asked, barely keeping it together.

“She’s a thief,” the man said. “My wife came after her dress, and the pouch of forints I gave her vanished.”

“Maybe you should question your wife,” Veronica said.

“Keep quiet, child,” Eleonóra said. “My lord, we don’t know of any missing money. I’ve been serving the queen for almost twenty years, and nothing has vanished under my watch. It must’ve been a misunderstanding.”

“You’re both lying thieves, leeching off the nobles’ kindness. Pack your bags—you’re out.”

Their eyes widened, filled with tears. “Please, kind sir. Let me speak to the queen,” Eleonóra pleaded.

“The queen has already approved it. French dressmakers arrive next week. You and your parasite of a daughter need to be gone by then.” He turned, spit in their direction, and left .

Eleonóra collapsed beside her daughter. We knelt by them, but no one spoke. Suddenly, Eleonóra jumped to her feet, grabbed Veronica’s hand, and marched out without a word.

“Please stay,” I said. “There must be a way to fix this.”

But they didn’t turn, and they didn’t stop. They simply disappeared into the hallway’s darkness.

“We can talk to the queen at the ball. Maybe she doesn’t know the entire situation,” Tarra said.

“We better get going,” I said.

When we reached the closed arched doors, two attendants greeted us.

We bowed, each to the best of our ability. I leaned on the not-so-elegant side. Then they opened the doors solemnly. Tarra and Soraya eagerly joined the dance, while I wanted nothing of the sort. So I walked with the intention of hiding in a secluded corner and munching on sweets. Later, I planned to talk to the queen when I got the chance, but first I needed to get used to the crowd.

Then I realized, I had picked the brightest color around. Eyes turned my way, and several older nobles ogled my square neckline a little too intently. Knowing I didn’t enjoy being around too many people, why did I need to dress to impress? Impress who? Horny old men? Even the dragon shifters took a second to acknowledge my existence before returning to their chats.

Killian stepped in front of me, goblet in hand. His eyes glimmered—maybe from the alcohol. “The last thing I expected from you, Rider Costin, was to see you wearing a velvet dress. Especially a red one.”

“It’s not red, it’s burgundy.”

“Trust me, I know the shades of my house very well.” He smirked.

I wanted to punch that smirk off his face.

“Are you planning to dance tonight?” he asked, pointing at the group activity in the middle of the hall.

“Even if I wanted to, I don’t know how.”

“I can’t hear you. You’ll need to come closer,” he said and bent down, turning his ear.

The scent of leather, smoke, and red wine enveloped me, making me wish I could stay there forever. By the time I realized what happened, I had forgotten what I had said.

He looked at me in confusion. “Did you say you want to dance now?”

“I don’t know how.”

“There’s always a first time.” He seized my hand and pulled me onto the dance floor.

Why did I always find myself in these kind of situations?

He pushed me to the other side of two rows. The glint in his eyes terrified me. “Follow my lead,” he mouthed.

How? Embarrassment flushed my cheeks, matching the color of my dress. He raised his right palm and pointed at my arms to do the same.

Once the music began, the rows started merging. I did the same, and we connected palms and circled each other. Then he switched hands, and I followed, going through another circle in the opposite direction. I wasn’t sure if others were doing the same, since Killian’s eyes never left mine. I barely had time to blink.

He wrapped his arm around my waist, and I rested mine on his shoulder. A few more circles, and I felt like I got the hang of it.

But then the dance stopped.

We looked at each other and bowed according to the rules. Everyone left in opposite directions, but Killian followed me. What was he trying to do? Make me fall for him even more? My heart skipped enough beats to give me a heart attack.

Laszlo suddenly appeared, dressed in his best leather uniform. “You look incredible,” he said.

To which Killian grunted. What was his problem?

“Thank you, Laszlo. Where have you been? The ball started a long time ago.”

“I brought someone special,” he said. Behind him appeared Rosalynd.

“Rosalynd?” Killian interjected. “I thought you would take the evening off?”

He knew she was here?

“Laszlo convinced me to come before tomorrow,” Rosalynd said.

“Are you here for tomorrow as well?” I asked.

“Yes, as a healer.” She looked at Killian. “Since the last tournament, Lord Valkorian has required the house healers to be present at the games. But recently Mother hasn’t been feeling well enough to travel this far, so she chose to stay home. It’s my first time on my own. ”

“You’ll do well,” Killian said. “But most likely, we won’t need healing.”

“You always say that.” She chuckled. “But you always do.”

These two clearly had history.

“Another dance is starting,” Laszlo said as the music began a new tune. “Would you care to dance?” he turned to me.

“I need to speak to someone,” I said.

“Then I’ll go with you,” Laszlo said.

“Sure.”

“But what about Rosalynd?” Laszlo stopped in his tracks.

“Rosalynd, care for a dance?” Killian asked.

She smiled shyly. “I do.”

The looks they shared made me nauseous. It was bad enough to endure unrequited love, but now I had to watch theirs bloom. I walked faster just to avoid the pain in my chest. We walked past Tarra and Soraya, their hands intertwined as they gazed into each other’s eyes, completely oblivious to the world around them.

“Where did you want to go?” Laszlo asked.

“I need to speak to the queen.”

“The queen? Why?”

“A lord banished the castle seamstress, and I need to make sure the queen knows.”

“Why wouldn’t she know?”

As we approached the queen, she was chatting with the Viridian father and son. Noticing me, she said, “Ah, the time-traveling rider everyone’s talking about.”

I bowed crookedly. “Your Majesty, you must know. Your dressmaker, Eleonóra, was banished tonight by one of your lords. Did you know anything about it?”

“Nothing in this castle happens without my approval. It wasn’t clear if the daughter stole anything, but Eleonóra’s time here was coming to an end. Her gowns were getting out of fashion. Though I see she’s done a stupendous job on your gown. But do not worry yourself, Rider. She will be fully compensated.”

“But she already left,” I said, realizing the bleak truth.

“Well, it’s her loss.” She laughed, and everybody followed.

Nothing surprising about it. Status meant everything to these people, so they used everything and everyone they could to their advantage.

Laszlo and I walked to a shadowy corner.

“Why do you care so much about the royal seamstress?” Laszlo asked.

“It’s just… It was unfair how they treated her.”

“I’m sure it’ll settle on its own. Lower class people can’t do much when it comes to those with power.”

“I suppose.” My shoulders slumped in defeat.

“Would you like something to drink?” he asked.

“I heard the red wine here is good.”