Sorin had donned clean clothing and was towel drying his hair when he heard a knock at his door.
He opened it to find one of the maids that work in the family wing. "Good evening Prince Sorin." She bowed. "You have been requested to join her highness the Queen for dinner tonight."
Sorin grimaced at the thought then quickly hid his emotions behind his court mask. "I will be there. I also request that you bring a tray for my guest. She will be dining in her room tonight."
"As you wish prince." She bowed again and headed down the hallway.
Sorin took this time to slip out of his room and head over to check on Evelyn.
He knocked quietly and when he didn't hear anything brandished a key from his pocket to unlock the door.
Sorin pushed the door open to see Evelyn sitting by the open balcony doors enjoying the cool breeze. Or he assumed that is what she was doing before he had knocked. Because she now had a look of fear frozen on her face that slowly thawed when she saw it was him that had come through the door.
"I hope I didn't disrupt your relaxation."
Sorin broke the silence as he walked across the room.
Evelyn shook her head in response. "I was just wondering how long I would be stuck in here."
Evelyn had enjoyed exploring the suite of rooms she had been given, the bathroom alone was amazing. Never before had Evelyn seen indoor plumbing, and she wondered if the palace in the human capitol even had such luxuries. However after her nap on the amazingly soft bed she had run out of things to occupy her time. Even watching some of the inhabitants of the estate from the balcony got boring after a while.
Sorin's golden eyes held a note of sadness. It wasn't his intention to keep her a prisoner like a bird in a gilded cage. "Honestly I don't know. I wish things were different and humans were treated as equals here. But until I know you are safe you will have to remain either in your room or with me."
Evelyn groaned in frustration. For a moment she wondered if it might be better for her to go stay with the other humans but Sorin's sharp look made the request wither and die on her tongue. "Then can I at least request some books to read?"
"A fair request." Sorin smiled. "I will be heading to the library after dinner this evening. I have requested a tray brought to your quarters. Once you have finished I will have you accompany me so you may pick out some books to bring back with you."
Evelyn beamed at the thought of being able to go see the library. Growing up she only had one book, a gift from her parents when she came of age. She hoped that the book had somehow escaped the destruction of her village and could one day go back to retrieve it.
Now that he knew Evelyn was taken care of, Sorin took his leave to join his family in the dining hall.
It was a small gathering with his mother sat at the head of the table. Her current consort sat to her left with the seat on her right left vacant for Sorin to occupy. Cline was also sat at the table along with a handful of others Sorin didn't bother to remember. One of them a half sibling. Then he spotted Jora sat beside the empty chair. This dinner had just gone from tolerable to down right torture.
With his court mask firmly in place Sorin walked over and took his seat. He exuded an air of boredom as he answered questions directed at him with the least amount of courtesy necessary.
Jora tried to make eye contact and polite conversation with him the entire evening. Sorin however was thinking about the best way possible to rid himself of this selfish woman.
"I heard that you are housing that pet of yours in the family wing." Queen Celeste turned to face her son. "Those rooms are specifically set aside for the prince's consort, not a lowly human." Her gaze held the fire of a thousand suns as it bore into Sorin. He however did not give her the pleasure of cowering in fear in her presence.
"She is there for her safety, and because I will it." Sorin replied bluntly. "Besides it was not being used at the moment." He smiled as fury washed over Jora's features.
"Regardless, that room shall be vacated, cleaned and made ready for Jora. I have decided she shall stay in your consort suite until the wedding."
"Then she will be there until the day she no longer draws breath." Sorin growled as he got up from the table.
"Your marriage to Jora is not up for debate Sorin!" His mother stood and barred his path with her mighty golden wings. "When you are King you will need a queen by your side that will keep our bloodline strong. Jora is the strongest of the other dragon families and as such is the perfect match for you."
"As you have told me time and again mother. It does not change the fact that I loath that woman to the depths of my core, and well... accidents can happen."
Sorin side stepped those massive golden wings and walked out of the dining hall, his plate barely touched.
Sorin was not in the habit of playing these court games, nor would he ever kill Jora, as much as he wanted to, unless it was deemed necessary.
It had been a while since he had that same argument with his mother, which means she sees the human girl as a threat. She wasn't wrong but it did worry Sorin. The longer it took for them to figure out what was going on and if this mate bond was truly possible, the longer Evelyn was in danger.
By the time he had reached Evelyn's door Sorin had calmed down from his argument with his mother. He knocked on the door once then slipped inside.
Evelyn was seated at a table enjoying her dinner when he walked in.
"That was a fast dinner." Evelyn said in confusion as her fork hovered half way to her mouth. "I'm guessing things didn't go well." She placed her fork back on the plate and folded her hands in her lap. "I am sorry I brought you so much trouble."
"Don't. Evelyn you are not trouble." Sorin crossed the room and knelt beside the chair. "The strife in my family has been there long before I met you. The only thing that has changed is that if we can weather this storm we can have a life of true happiness together."
Sorin stood and held out his hand. "If you have finished your dinner we can head to the library."
Evelyn smiled and took his hand. His warms strong fingers curled around hers and gently pulled her up from the chair. His now familiar scent of shadow and moonlight drifted around her as he escorted her out of the room and down the hall.
Sorin pointed out many tapestries, paintings, and statues on their walk. He said they all depicted tales of their past and how the mountain village was founded and prospered. Evelyn found them beautiful and fascinating, until they came upon the tapestries that told of the beastman uprising and the bloody wars that followed. She lowered her eyes as the vivid scenes brought back memories that were still too fresh in her mind.
They continued through the great mountain until they reached another large set of heavy wooden doors. These ones were not as majestic as the doors to the throne room, as those doors had ornate carvings and gold fittings.
Sorin noticed that the doors to the library were ajar, meaning someone was inside. He found that odd since no one ever spent any time in the library since his father's passing.
"Perhapse Cline has decided to join us this evening." Sorin thought outloud as he opened the door farther for Evelyn to enter and followed close behind.
"So this is your little human pet." Jora spat with her arms crossed under her ample chest. A sly grin on her face.