Dragons Against Them (Kingdoms of Fire and Ice Book 2) by Kyra Jacobs

Author:Kyra Jacobs [Jacobs, Kyra]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781619234406
Publisher: Kyra Jacobs
Published: 2016-08-28T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

“A bit more to the left, dear.”

Addie rotated atop a wobbly pedestal at her handmaiden’s prodding but kept her eyes firmly shut. It was easier to imagine not playing human pincushion this way, or that the gown being pinned all around her wasn’t of the wedding variety. It was also easier to imagine she was still back in modern times, or at her cousin’s place in the good ole US of A. Back in a realm where crazy witches didn’t exist, and she sure as heck wasn’t a princess.

But there was no going back now, she reminded herself for the hundredth time. Though long vocal about her aversion to marriage, in a few short weeks she would be walking down the aisle to pledge her life to a dragon-shifting prince. She found the prospect partially thrilling but mostly terrifying.

Her. Married. And into royalty, no less. Addie’s days of blending in with the scenery were coming to an end. The tugging and fluffing halted, and she heard Ellen take several soft steps back.

“Oh, Princess Adelaide. You look like an angel.”

“I’ll have to take your word for it.”

“Do you not wish to see for yourself, my lady?”

Hurt and disappointment rang clear in her handmaiden’s voice, and so guilt forced Addie to crack open one eye. But the view was so shocking, so unexpected, that the second eye quickly followed suit. She stood in place, frozen with shock and awe, and watched as her reflection’s lips tugged into a slow smile.

“Oh, Ellen,” whispered Addie. “It’s…beautiful.”

“My best work, I do believe. Though ’tis the bride who truly makes the gown.”

Pale cheeks flushed a deep pink in the mirror.

“I think any woman would look beautiful in this dress. You really did an amazing job.”

Ellen threw her an unconvinced look as she bent to brush an unseen speck from the fabric. “I assure you, the kingdom has no’ seen as stunning a view since the day your mother wore this gown.”

My true mother. Addie reached down to trace the soft fabric that flared out from below her newly fitted bodice. Had her mother done the same? Had she been as scared of marrying into a monarchy as Addie felt now? Suddenly, the weight of the fabric didn’t seem nearly as heavy.

“This dress…was my mother’s?”

“Aye. Such a beauty, she was. Both inside and out. And your father, he knew that better than anyone.”

“Tell me about them, Ellen. What were they like when they were my age?”

A mischievous grin stole across the woman’s usually reserved face. “Your father was absolutely smitten with her. He would sneak from the castle each night of their engagement and fly to her village, just to catch a glimpse of her through her bedroom casement. His father, of course, forbade the visits—not that it made a bit of difference.”

Ellen stepped forward to loosen the gown, then helped Addie slip out of it without getting impaled by the bazillion pins she had stuck all along the hem. Queen Vanora, it seemed, had been several inches taller than her daughter.

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