Elara's POV
The walls of my room felt too close that night. I could feel them pressing in on me, like the whole palace was a beautiful, golden cage. Tomorrow, they will put the crown on my head. Tomorrow, I will become the Queen of Dravara. Forever. The thought made my heart beat too fast, like a trapped bird.
I looked at myself in the big mirror. The princess. The heiress. I did not feel like either. I just felt scared.
It had all happened so fast. My parents, the King and Queen, had been on a trip to the northern mountains. Their carriage fell from a high cliff during a storm. They were gone in one terrible night. The whole kingdom cried for a month. I cried for two. I was not ready to be queen. I was still not ready. But the law was the law. With no other children, the crown fell to me. The advisors said I must be crowned quickly, to show the people we were still strong. To show our enemies we were not weak. So tomorrow, at just eighteen years old, I will become queen.
A soft knock came at my door. "Elara? It's me."
It was Lena. My best friend. My maid. The only person who really saw me, and not just the crown.
"Come in, Lena," I said.
The door opened and she slipped inside. Her face was full of worry. "You look so sad," she said, coming to stand beside me. "This is your last night. Your last night to be just you."
I sighed. "There is no 'just me,' Lena. There is only the princess."
"No," she said, grabbing my hands. Her eyes were bright with a crazy idea. "That is not true. For one night, it does not have to be true."
I shook my head. "What are you talking about?"
"You should go out," she whispered, her voice excited. "Into the city! One last night of fun. No one will know you. You can wear my clothes. You can be just a normal girl, for a few hours."
My heart jumped at the idea. It was dangerous. It was reckless. It was everything I was not supposed to do.
"Lena, I cannot," I said, but my voice was weak. "It is too risky. Will you be coming with me, if I accept?"
"I wish I could come, but the head maid has given me work all night. But you must go alone. You are strong enough."
"Great, then maybe you've forgotten that I do not know the city!" I protested. "All I have ever done is listen to my tutors. The only times I left the palace was to visit other kingdoms to drink tea and talk politics. I have never seen my own city! I will get lost."
"No, you will not," she said, pulling me toward my wardrobe. She found a simple blue dress. "Listen to me. No one outside this palace knows what you look like. Your face is not on coins. You are safe. I will tell you how to get there. It is a place called the Wandering Gardens. You will know it when you see it."
"How?" I asked, my heart pounding.
"You will hear the sound of laughter. You will see things there your royal eyes have never seen," she said with a knowing smile. "People living, not just following rules. Now, put this on."
Before I could say no, she helped me into the plain dress. It was rough against my skin. I took off my jewels and let my hair down. I looked in the mirror. I did not see a princess.
"Okay," I whispered. "Tell me the way."
Lena's face lit up. "Go out the servants' door. Turn left. Walk until you see the big fountain with the stone fish. Then turn right. Keep walking until the streets get narrower. You will see a wall covered in green ivy. There is a bronze gate. Go through it. That is the Wandering Gardens."
I repeated the directions in my head. Fountain with a fish, right, narrow streets, ivy wall, bronze gate.
"One night of freedom," Lena said, hugging me tight. "Before the crown ties you down forever. You deserve this."
I hugged her back. "Thank you, Lena."
Sneaking out was easier than I thought. The servants' passages were empty. The cool night air hit my face as I slipped out the door. I pulled the cloak tight around me and started walking.
My heart was beating fast. I followed Lena's directions. I saw the fountain with the stone fish. I turned right. The streets got narrower, the buildings closer together. I saw the ivy-covered wall up ahead. The sounds of laughter and wild music drifted through a bronze gate.
Taking a deep breath, I stepped through.
And I froze.
Lena was right. My eyes had never seen such a place. Everywhere I looked, there was life. Couples were kissing openly under the trees. A group of men were singing loud drinking songs. Women with bright smiles and low-cut dresses were talking closely with men. This was a place without rules. A forbidden place for a royal blood to be found.
I stood there, stuck to the ground. Part of me wanted to run back to the palace. Another part never wanted to leave.
My heart hammered in my chest. I should go. This was too dangerous for a princess.
Then a low, calm voice spoke behind me. "Well, hello there. I don't think I've seen you in this garden before."
I turned around, and my breath got stuck in my throat.
The man standing before me was so beautiful it almost hurt to look at him. He was tall, so tall I had to tilt my head back to see his face. His shoulders were broad and strong, stretching his clothes. Messy dark hair fell across his forehead, looking like he'd just run his hands through it. But it was his eyes that held me captive, green, but not like any green I'd ever seen. They were the color of the deep forest. A sharp jawline looked like it was carved from stone, and when his lips curved into a smirk, a dimple appeared in his cheek. I could just see the top of a scar peeking out from his collar, a pale line against his tan skin.
"You're staring, sweetheart," he said, his voice was.. I couldn't describe it but it was so deep. "See something you like?"
I felt my face get hot. "I… I was just…" I swallowed hard, trying to remember how to form words. "I'm a tourist. Visiting your kingdom for the first time."
His green eyes swept over me, missing nothing. "A tourist," he repeated, that smirk still playing on his lips. He moved closer. Damn, he smelled like heaven.
"So, first time at the Wandering Gardens?" When I nodded, his smirk widened. "Then you definitely need a guide. Someone to make sure a proper little tourist like you doesn't get into too much trouble." He offered his hand. "I'm Kaelen."
I looked at his hand. It was large and strong, with scars across the knuckles. This was the worst idea I'd ever had. But when I looked back up into those deep green eyes, I found myself placing my hand in his.
A jolt of electricity shot up my arm the moment we touched. His eyes darkened, and I knew he felt it too.
"I'm Lara," I said, giving him the fake name I'd practiced.
"Lara," he said, my name sounding like a caress on his lips. He didn't let go of my hand. "So, little tourist. Tell me, have you ever had real fun?"
"No," I whispered.
His green eyes gleamed with mischief. "Well then, here's your first lesson about our kingdom," he said, leaning so close his lips nearly brushed my ear. "The night doesn't ask for permission before it takes what it wants. So why should we?"
He pulled back just enough to look down at me, his gaze hot enough to burn.
"So here's my offer, Lara," he said, his voice dropping to that same low, intimate tone. "I can show you things you've never seen. I can make you feel things you didn't know you could feel. But I have to warn you." He brought my hand to his lips, kissing my knuckles softly while his eyes held mine captive. "Once I get my hands on you, I'm not sure I'll know how to let go."