Chapter Text
“It has always been strained-to put it kindly, between the dragons and the fae.” The Queen lectured her son as they sat at the long oak table scrolls spanning the ages in front of them. Torryn looked up at his mother, smiling at her in all her regal glory – she really was stunning with blue green scales and wings.
“I know mother, I know our history. I know the battle from long ago and I know the battle that still continues on our borders.”
“Then you know how important it is that the union between our kingdoms goes well.” The queen stands and moves behind her son, running a hand over his velvet overed horn for a moment.
“What if I don’t love her, mother? How can I spend my life with someone I don’t love?” He twists to look up at her with his yellow green eyes, apprehension filling them.
“You can learn to love her, I did the same with your father. If not, you’ll be king, so you can do whatever you wish.” The Queen lets out a small laugh, going to sit in her chair once more.
“Mother!” Torryn calls out offended.
A knight enters the room, wings folded behind him with a sword strapped to his hip, he gives a curt bow before righting his posture.
“They’ve just arrived, My Queen. They’re on their way up.” He says politely. The Queen nods thanking and dismissing him as the fae princess, and her personal guard enter. The Queen and Torryn stand quickly bowing in respect. The princess smiled at them, giving a small curtsy – she was a sight to behold, in her emerald robes that were paired beautifully with her golden-brown hair and gold jewellery. The guard beside her gave a bow – he was equally stunning, with tan skin, clad in dark green robes with silver accents and a fabric mask hiding the lower half of his face.
“Please have a seat, Princess.” The Queen motions to the chair opposite Torryn’s and on her left. The princess nodded and waited for her guard to pull it out before she sat.
“This is my son, Torryn.” She introduces while clearing the scrolls away.
“Hello Princess.” Torryn greets softly, almost shyly which is unusual for dragon born – most being obnoxious and bold as brass.
“Please call me Aelin. There is no need for such formalities. This is my guard, Weylyn. He comes everywhere with me.” She grins not a note of shyness in her tone.
“I trust my things are being moved to a room along with my ladies in waiting?”
“Of course, Aelin. They will be in the room next to Torryn’s.” The Queen smiles.
“Now, we can discuss formalities and unions at a later date. I am sure you are very tired from your journey, Princess.”
“I suppose I could freshen up.” She smiles
“I’ll take you to your room, Aelin.” Torryn volunteers, not allowing his mother a chance to object, as he stands moving around the table to offer her his arm. Aelin stands and takes it, her green robes a huge contrast to Torryn’s own grey ones.
Torryn leads her out of the main hall and up a wood and stone staircase where the bedrooms are along with the bathrooms.
“So my room is this one.” He gestures at the door directly in front of the stairs. “Yours is this one and Weylyn’s is to the left.” He smiles opening the door of the room directly to the left of his own. The room in front of them was definitely fit for a princess.
“I hope everything is to your liking.” He smiles watching as Aelin moves around, feeling the fabric of the netting on the four-poster bed and the bedding before taking a seat crossing her legs over one another.
“It’s perfect, thank you for your hospitality.” Aelin smiles. “Now if you’ll forgive me, I really would like to freshen up.”
“Of course, my apologies, Princess. How about a walk after dinner?” Torryn offers politely. He mostly wanted to see if he could get the guard to talk but that might be a bit too hopeful.
“A walk would be lovely. I’d like to see more of the grounds.” Aelin grins motioning politely for him to leave and her ladies in waiting enter. Torryn takes the hint and retires to his own room.
“Weylyn, you may speak and remove the mask.” Aelin says as her robes are removed form her body, leaving her standing bare in the middle of the room. Weylyn averts his eyes as he unclasps the silver chain holding his mask up.
“What do you think of the prince?” She muses as she is sponged with lavender scented water.
“What do you mean? He seems kind.” Weylyn says, keeping his gaze out the window.
“I mean, Weylyn, what do you think? He isn’t really my type but I have a suspicion he might be yours.” Aelin teases giving the guard a once over as she is patted dry. Weylyn sputters in shock at her comment.
“Princess, you must be out of your mind, I could never look at your future king like that.”
“Oh hush, don’t lie to me, I’ve seen you watch the troops train on a hot day, your keen eyes mesmerised by the muscles shifting below the skin as you push them into the ground. The sight gets you going doesn’t it?” Aelin is dressed in a soft lilac robe that complimented her brilliantly.
“Aelin! Really! How are you so sure, that’s what I’m looking at.” Weylyn says colour flooding his cheeks.
“Well for one, I am sure we know each other well enough now and two I’ve never seen you look at a lady the way you look at men, even when they throw themselves at you.” She grins at him, knowing she had caught him. One of her ladies tuts at her – motioning her to still so her makeup can be completed.
“Fine you caught me, happy? But even so a prince is never going to fall for me. It’s frowned upon for two men to be together, let alone a man of my standing and a prince. I’d be put to death for it.” Weylyn says getting very much ahead of himself.
“Calm down. I can put a word in with the prince and we can go from there.” The princess smiles at her friend and guard, now she is ready.
Meanwhile Torryn paces his room having undressed down to his undergarments. He didn’t entirely know why he was panicking, after all it is only dinner and a walk. Torryn moves to the wash basin, splashing water on his face. He needed to calm down, he groaned turning to his closet and looking for some clean robes, fit to impress a princess and her guard – who’ve made an impact of the dragon prince. He settles on a set of navy and silver robes, meant to compliment the green scales that decorated his face – kind of like freckles. Torryn gives himself a once over in the mirror, adding some liner to his eyes darkening the rim; he then takes a breath and goes to knock on the princesses door.
Aelin’s door is opened by Weylyn, whose chest Torryn almost headbutts – his cheeks colouring immediately as he sputters. Aelin greets him quickly,
“Shall we go? I’m sure your mother is expecting us.” She gives the guard a knowing smile before looping her arm through an embarrassed Torryn’s. Torryn clears his throat gives her a smile before leading her to the hall again.
Instead of having scrolls across it like the first time Aeli had seen the great oak table, it had at least twenty dishes on, some she had never seen. Torryn pulls a chair out for her, and for Weylyn cheeks going red when their gazes catch. Aelin giggles at the awkwardness her own gaze meeting the Queen’s who gives her a curious look.
“Wow you pulled out all the stops for dinner, Mother.” Torryn says trying to get over the sudden awkwardness.
“I had to make a good impression on our guests.” The Queen smiles urging Weylyn and Aelin to grab a plate before herself and Torryn.
“You should try the chicken, it’s my favourite, and fairly sweet if you like that?” Torryn trails off awkwardly, though he never directed it to anyone, his eyes hadn’t left Weylyn’s. Aelin nods and takes some chicken, placing it on her plate.
The rest of the dinner went smoothly, no more awkwardness between everyone – just smiles and laughs.
“Ah, Torryn, I understand you promised Aelin a walk, but I was hoping I could talk to you for a moment?”
“Of course, Mother. Aelin meet me in the gardens just outside, I won’t be long.” Aelin nods and stands taking her leave with Weylyn.
“Now Torryn, I see the way you look at the guard, Weylyn was it?” The Queen gives her son a knowing look, one eyebrow raised.
“That is not it, I don’t look at him like anything.”
“Now, Now, take a breath. I am not judging you for your orientation. I was merely going to say be careful. Not everyone in ours and the fae kingdom are open to it and don’t get me started about the difference in your standing.” The Queen worries pulling a hand through her hair and then flattening her robes.
“Mother I don’t even know how I feel about him, let alone what I am going to do about it.” Torryn smiles. “I also barely know the man, mother.” He teases her, holding her arm to stop her stressing.”
“Just be careful, is all I mean.”
“I almost always am, now I have a walk to go on.” Torryn grins at her giving his mothers hand a squeeze before leaving the hall and going outside to meet the two fae.
“Did you see how awkward he was? And when he pulled out the chair for you! How cute was that!” Aelin gushes, giving the guard a small shove.
“It was very endearing wasn’t it.” Weylyn smiles, having forgone his mask after dinner.
Torryn walks out the castle door and towards the pair of fae. He watched them laugh and tease each other for a moment, being struck with how lonely he was. He hoped at the very least he gained friends from the union between the kingdoms.
“Torryn!” Aelin calls when she notices the dragon prince. He walks over smiling brightly.
“I hope you liked dinner.”
“Yes it was great, there were a few dishes I’d never heard of before but they all tasted brilliantly.” She beams looping her arm through Torryn’s putting him between her and Weylyn.
“And you Weylyn? Did you like it?” Torryn prompts in a soft voice.
“Yes I especially liked the sugared scales that were desert, they kind of looked like your scales now I think about it, I like the colour it’s unusual.” Weylyn was trying to use his comment in a round about way to compliment the prince, who hums in response.
“Where would you like to see?” The prince asks, not sure where to go for this walk.
“We could go to the gardens, that I saw on arrival? I heard you had some plants and trees that shine in the dark.” Aelin suggests.
“Yeah I can show you those. The trees are really cool – I’ve had them since I was a boy.” Torryn says leading them across the back of the garden to where the trees are hidden.
“It’s like a light show!” Weylyn can’t help but say like a child that just discovered sweets for the first time.
“You can also use the substance on the leaves like paint.” Torryn says, wiping a finger across a large leaf and turning to Weylyn, wiping a pair of stripes across his cheek bones. He then turns and does the same to Aelin leaving stripes on her cheeks before covering his own hands in paint and reaching to colour his horns leaving them a soft blue-silver colour. Torryn then picks up a large flower that glowed a soft pink and tucks it behind Aelin’s ear with a soft smile.
“Thank you.” She says softly taking his hand.
“A flower, deserving of such a beautiful girl.” Torryn says stroking her cheek with is other hand – he really was pulling out all the stops to flirt with the one he knows he should. Aelin smiles seeing right through the flirtatious comment.
“You don’t have to flirt with me, I can see your heart isn’t in it, and that is okay.” She smiles at him sweetly.
“I do though princess. I refuse to be wed to someone I don’t love, so I have to love you, at least in time.” Torryn says a hint of sadness in his voice.
“You will be king, you can love whom ever you like. We may end this trip being wed but that doesn’t mean we can’t be happy.”
“Thank you, princess. I know today was out first meeting, but your words have brought comfort to my unsteady heart. I hope in time we can be friends, no matter who our hearts belong to.” Torryn muses as the pair re-join Weylyn who was waiting by a large conifer type tree. Torryn grins at the other brightly, like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
“It’s late shall we retire, Aelin?” Weylyn murmurs, falling into step with the duo. Aelin nods, a yawn showing her true feelings.
“It has been a long day, thank you for the walk Torryn. I trust I will see you tomorrow?” She smiles at the dragon.
“Yes of course, Aelin, I can meet you for breakfast and we can take it out in the garden, spark rumours among the ladies at court.” Torryn grins making the princess chuckle and shake her head.
“Sleep well, Aelin Princess of the fae Courts.” Torryn smiles, granting her a kiss on the cheek before turning back to tend to the garden before he to retired.
“What did the pair of you talk about?” Weylyn asks as he escorts her back through the castle halls and up the staircases.
“Nothing much Weylyn. Just the prospect of living once wed, and how we can be friends no matter who out hearts belong to. I agree with him on one thing – I don’t want to force a love between us, if it happens then great but if not I won’t be too sad about it.” Aelin says thoughts drifting to how beautiful that moment was with the trees and flowers creating a soft glow, the prince has such a soft heart, that it makes Aelin hurt, but if the dragon was to fall for her guard nothing would hurt him.