Queen Thaliah

My gaze flickered to the entrance of the ballroom. The Earl's son chatted my ear off about some childhood memories. Some rubbish he thought would impress me. The man had a striking beauty. Something he did not inherit from his father. He was a sweet guy. Another thing he got from someone other than his father. I hated saying this, but he was too nice for me. He would bore me to death.

To be honest, out of every male in attendance at the ball, he would be the first on my list available candidate. I could look past his boring personality and settle for his outstanding good looks. I would if he were born to another family. The Earl was a conniving bastard. I couldn't trust him. And I needed a husband I could trust. One who didn't listen to his daddy all the time.

The poor man laughed at his own joke. I faked a smile and glanced at the entrance. Nothing. Where the hell was he? The ball started hours ago. Goddamnit!

A familiar face passed by with a tray of wine. I stopped the servant and grabbed one of the wine glasses. I downed it and fetched another. The sweet yet tangy liquid warmed my throat as it slid down to my stomach. I relished the sour aftertaste in my mouth. The attendant and the Earl's son watched the exchange. Three glasses down. I settled with another to keep my hand occupied. Before the ball, I promised myself I wouldn't drink. A joke of a promise. I should have known he would make me sweat before he showed his face.

"Have you seen the Prince of Azoria?" I questioned the servant, not caring if the Earl's son heard or not.

"He has not shown up at the ball, Your Majesty."

I bit my lip to prevent a curse. "Who to tell if he's even here."

The small woman perked. "He is. I saw madam escort him to his chambers earlier. Analia even saw him speaking with the duke while she attended the flowers at the entrance."

I froze at the statement. My eyes searched for Velron. I shivered when our eyes met. He flashed me a smile with a tilt of his glass. An instant nausea fought its way to the surface. No doubt he said something to trigger Arson off. They never got along. Velron hated Arson and he never hid it even when we were children.

Arson was not like his brothers. He hid his anger rather than nurturing it. Unlike Anubis, Arson never utilized his temper. He never used it as a weapon like Baron. He locked it away in a box that even he didn't realize was there. Velron knew and enjoyed that. If he managed to rile Arson up, this fight was over before it began. I lost the battle. I hoped not. Please.

I gulped down the contents in my glass.

"You should slow down on that," the Earl's son warned.

I would have answered if the horn at the entrance hadn't blown. My heart kicked up speed.

"Prince Arson of the Fire Kingdom, Azoria."

All eyes turned to the entrance where the announcement came. Two guards broke through the doorway first. Butterflies fluttered in the pit of my stomach. Thirteen years had passed since we saw each other. Yet, I could tell right away what he would look like. He entered the room with a sheepish grin on his cherry-colored lips. The vibrant red uniform brightened his tanned skin. Whispers broke out in the room. No one could take their eyes off the young prince. The gold in the fabric of his uniform complimented him and the outfit.

A gold crown cocked to one side of his head, endorsing his scarlet shoulder-length hair. Light twinkling yellow eyes searched the room. He had changed a bit. His shoulders were broader. His body…not small at all. The boy was gone, and the confident man ventured through the room. He was like the sun after a long winter. Vibrant and attractive. When he spoke, it was hard to think or pay attention to anything else.

I moved through the crowd, forgetting my discussion with the Earl's son. Arson snatched a glass of wine from one of the servant's trays and strolled outside. I tailed him. If he was aware of me, he didn't show it. We passed the fountain and ventured into the garden. The noise from the ball lessened. Leaves rustled. The chilly night air smooched my heated skin. The garden ended and a small path opened. I threw my empty glass to the side and hiked up my dress.

I hurried down the passage. The entwining ice sheltered me from the moon's glow. Gravel crunched beneath my heels. I could no longer see him. Excitement pricked beneath my skin. He knew I was following him. I almost started running at the thought. The sound of water filled the air. The passage cleared and the patio in front of the mini waterfall appeared. I scanned the dimly lit area.

My heart sank when no one came into sight. He couldn't have eluded me. There was only one way in and out of here and I took it. I could have—

"Boo!" Arson jumped up from crouching next to the passage entrance.

I yelped and rested my hand against my racing heart. "Damnit, Arson!"

He laughed. "Can't believe you're still so gullible. I thought you would have grown out of it."

Heat circled my cheeks. I admit he used to do this a lot when we were younger. He caught me too many times. What could I say? He was good at this stuff.

Still laughing, he sipped his wine and plopped down on the seat under the patio. I joined him. He stared off at the waterfall. For some reason, I expected our reunion to be more hostile. He shared his future plans with me when we were young. The trips around the globe he wanted to do. He heard a few of the people in his kingdom got married after they fell in love, and he ran with it. Just like that, he planned to never marry until he loved someone. He would propose the proper way and then they would live happily ever after.

Noticing my parents not being as happy as they should be, I leaned towards his fantasies. They were different and intriguing. A foolish little girl who got a taste of the unknown. I daydreamed he would do all those things with me. Then, I found out he had eyes for Rhia. It hurt more than it should have. I learned then that a princess didn't need a prince to be happy. Princes were heart killers.

But there I was, sitting watching the fall of a waterfall with a prince. I needed him, needed his help. Princesses did need princes no matter how much we tried not to.

Before I admitted how much I needed him, I said, "Rhia married Anubis." The obvious.

He tensed next to me. "Yeah, not by choice."

I bet. Anubis tormented her behind Elineth's—his betrothed's—back. Rhia hated him for it but said nothing because he was her sister's prince. At least, that was how she made it seem at the time.

"I saw them kissing once." Where did that come from? I had no idea.

Arson's gaze flashed to me. His side-swept bang swung against his eyelid. "You're lying."

I should have shut up. I should have started a grown-up conversation. The serious discussion of why he was here. I should have but the child in me wanted to tell him, wanted him to see reason. Now more than ever since he was still in love with his brother's wife, the Queen of Azoria.

"Why would I lie?" I met his gaze. "Huh? Had you not wondered why he stared at her all the time? Why he went missing when she wasn't around? You saw them in the garden that time. I knew you saw them."

"They were talking."

I scoffed. "He was playing with her braids. He was into her, and you knew it. Why else would he jump to marry her two weeks after Elineth's death?"

A ring of fire ignited in the debts of his eyes. Heat waves dispersed from him. Sweat peppered my skin.

He pushed to his feet. "You shouldn't sprout such rubbish. He had to marry her. The King and princess of another Kingdom died on our soil. It could have caused a war between Azoria and Blassum. Anubis married Rhia to prevent it. She agreed because she didn't have the resources to win such a war. Peace was the only option they had. So don't you fucking pretend like you know anything."

He stormed off the patio. Damn it! I had to go and run my mouth.

I stood. "Stop!"

He paused.

I bit the inside of my mouth. "I won't take back what I said."

He narrowed his eyes at me.

Even so, it wasn't the reason we were here. "We should talk."

"I don't want to talk to you."

My teeth sank into my bottom lip. "I'm Queen and you're in my Kingdom and I say you have to."

He arched a brow. The expression he often gave me before he told me to get lost. As much as I wanted him to leave, he couldn't. Not when my life and Kingdom were at stake.

I sighed. "Please. It's important. I wouldn't have asked you to come if it wasn't."

He didn't move. When I thought he would walk away, he squeezed his eyes shut with a curse and stomped back to me.

He dropped himself on the seat next to me with, "It's all coming back to me. Now I know why I liked it when you cried."

I wiggled my nose, willing my mind not to recall that horrible summer. "You're such a child. I thought you would have changed."

A lie. I knew he wouldn't. Not when he had Baron and Anubis to baby him. They treated him like a delicate flower when we were small. I often envied how they protected him. No one looked after me that well.

He snorted. "You're the one to talk. You don't look at day over sixteen and they call you a Queen."

A title thrust on me a year ago when my father died. I thought I could reign in peace. Wishful thinking. Looked where it got me? Naiveness was for the weak. I couldn't be weak. For the sake of my Kingdom.

"I'll take that as a complement." I brushed my hair over my shoulder. "Don't expect me to say it back. You look your age, but act like a child."

He groaned. "I don't like you very much."

"The feeling is mutual." Ever since that unforgettable summer, I learned a lot. One of them was to never like a guy who could never reciprocate the feeling. Better yet not liking any guy more than myself and my kingdom was a no go. My kingdom came first. "But I need you."

If someone told me I would be seeking the help of a male a year ago, I would have laughed in their face. In my fantasy, I ruled over Cordal like my father did. A strong Queen like he taught me to be. A survivor like they made me. Reality was different. Cordal had always been led by powerful men. Though I got the Queen's power, it was not enough. The court decided to reject my rule.

I sunk into the seat. My shoulder slumped. "Someone's trying to kill me."

"What?" Arson asked.

"Several of my taste testers and attendants have died in the past two months."

"Do you know who it is? Who's trying to kill you?"

It could be anyone in the Palace. I couldn't even trust my guards.

I admired the white glove on my hand. "Velron wants me to marry him. The court has already approved it. He's already strong without the King's power. It'll double once he receives the title."

Arson scrunched his nose. "Aren't you guys like distant relatives or something?"

I snickered at how repulsing the idea was to him. "The key word in that statement is 'distant'. Distant cousins. In Cordal, such things don't matter. Not unless I have a solid partner. Someone more powerful than the relative."

"And you think I'm that person?"

I shrugged. "You're from the Fire Kingdom. The only available Prince to marry. I can get your brothers' blessings. King Anubis is a legend and he's not even thirty years old. Prince Baron is the mighty protector. Stories of how he single-handedly defeated an entire army at the tender age of sixteen have traveled to all Kingdoms. Children love him. Boys and men strive to be him. I even hear a few of my guards praising him. If I get the backing of those mighty men behind me, my court has to accept my reign."

Besides, I knew for a fact Arson had real power. Stronger than Velron's. I just had to get him to be serious about things.

Arson propped up one of his legs on the seat to look at me. "You do realize, I'll be King, right?"

"Yes," I answered.

"We'll be pushed to have heirs as soon as we wed. I'll have to listen to complaints and pretend to be happy. We'll be sad and miserable until the day we die." The color drained from his face with every word.

"That's a price I'm willing to take. From my perspective, you are a better person than Velron will ever be. Imagine him having children." I shivered at the prospect. Arson wiggled his nose. "Exactly. He's horrible and I don't want my Kingdom in the hands of someone who relishes in other's demise. The Ice Kingdom is a prosperous Kingdom, and I would like it to stay that way. So, I don't care who I have to marry or have children with, I'll sell my soul if I have to. Velron or anyone who wishes my Kingdom harm will never take it from me." Ever. "Besides, it'll be the first in history that the Fire and Ice Kingdom will come together as one. We'll be famous."

Arson observed me.

I squirmed under his pointed stare. "What?"

A smile brightened his face. "You talk like a ruler. A powerful one. I doubt you need me."

"But I do. Just think about it. And I'll think about what I can do for you. If you want, you can fall in love with anyone you want and make her your mistress. You can marry her and have kids with her too. We can have two children and then you can move on to search for love. I'll even give you a chance to tour another Kingdom once every year. I'll run everything. All you have to do is pretend to be in charge."

He cocked his head to the side. His hair flared out. "I'll think about it."

"Okay, then. Sleep on it and give me your answer tomorrow."

He nodded and relaxed. We sat in silence as the sound of the waterfall took over. I hoped he agreed. I needed him to agree. Out of all the Kingdoms, he was the only person I knew Velron could never influence to agree with killing me.