Prince Kelton slammed the empty tankard against the counter. “Another!” he demanded before he hiccoughed.

“Sire, perhaps….”

“Not another word, Sir Hamnet,” he growled at one of his most trusted knights.

“He’s only….”

“Same goes for you, …Sir Droyn,” Prince Kelton hiccoughed as he swayed on the barstool. “Another!”

He ignored the concerned glances cast about him by the innkeeper and his knights as he watched more mead get poured into the stein in front of him. He was never much of a dinker, but today he was making an exception. It had been a year since his beloved betrothed, Iredys of Abundare, had disappeared, and his mother had started to pressure him into marrying the spoiled Princess Analisa from Lakemeade Kingdom.

“As if,” he muttered to himself before he chugged the pint of mead in front of him.

Slamming the stein down once more, Prince Kelton fumbled for his coin purse before he spilled several gold coins on the counter.

“Keep it coming,” he said, waving his hand to get the innkeeper to bring him more alcohol.

“Prince Kelton, the Lady Iredys wouldn’t like to see you like this,” Sir Hamnet tried again.

Prince Kelton swayed in his seat as he turned his hazy vision to look at Sir Hamnet. “She… told you as m… uch?”

“No, but….”

“Then… leave me… alone.”

Prince Kelton pulled the stein close, his head bowing and his eyes threatening to close. His head bobbed once before he drew in a sharp breath and opened his eyes. He drank the mead slowly, feeling the alcohol burn with each swallow. He should have never let her out of his sight that day. If only he had kept on her heels as they raced, then….

Throwing his head back, Prince Kelton finished off the mead and slammed the stein back on the counter. He waved the innkeeper away as he slipped off the barstool and stumbled away from the bar. Sir Droyn and Sir Hamnet steadied him before he shrugged them off then staggered upstairs to sleep. As much as he had been hoping that the alcohol would shut his thoughts off, it only seemed to exacerbate them. He hoped that he would have a dreamless night for once and not the nightmares about Iredys that had plagued him since her disappearance.

He entered his room then leaned against the door once it was closed. A breeze came into the room from the balcony doors. He didn’t remember leaving them open. As he turned his burning eyes to look, he saw a dark woman dressed in a dark blue and gold dress. He closed his eyes and shook his head, thinking that his drunken state was making him see things. However, as he opened his eyes to look toward the balcony door again, he heard.

‘Hello, Kelton.’

“Iredys,” he whispered, as tears filled his eyes.

He staggered over to her and pulled her close. He kissed her deeply several times before Iredys pulled back, but rested her forehead against his.

‘Have you kept the vows we made to each other a year ago?’ she asked.

Prince Kelton nodded as more tears slid down his cheeks. “H… have you?”

‘Yes.’

Prince Kelton gasped in relief before he kissed Iredys again. His head started to spin and his body felt heavy. He fought to remain conscious. He wanted to consummate his vows with Iredys. He needed to consummate his vows with Iredys.

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‘Trust me,’ he heard her voice whisper.

“I trust…,” he mumbled before he sunk into darkness.

“Sire. …Your Highness,” Pince Kelton heard as if through cotton.

His head pounded something fierce and he felt weak and nauseated.

“Prince Kelton, are you alright?” Sir Droyn asked, setting a hand on his shoulder.

Prince Kelton tried to peel his eyes open, but closed them again with a moan at the amount of light coming into the room.

“Prince Kelton?” Sir Hamnet asked.

The sound of his sword returning to its sheath echoed through the room, making Kelton wince. The smell of the garbage on the street reached his nose and brought his nausea to a head. He leaned forward so he didn’t vomit on the bed, only to hit his head against the wood floor he was laying on as he emptied his stomach. His consciousness was swimming. He was barely aware of the shifting of the blanket against his legs as Sir Droyn’s hands lifted him into a seated position. The floor felt cold against his bare butt, but his awareness was distracted by the presence of liquid being poured into his mouth. He choked on the water at first before he could swallow it.

Only when the glass was empty, did his head seem to clear a little. A very concerned Sir Hamnet knelt in front of him.

“Are you hurt anywhere, Prince Kelton?” Sir Hamnet asked.

He shook his head slightly. “Where…?”

“Still in your room at the Crunching Otter Inn, thankfully.”

Prince Kelton’s brow furrowed, but before he could try and ask his question again, Sir Droyn said.

“You were almost taken away by a black Dragonwoman.”

Prince Kelton winced. Sir Droyn’s voice was very loud to his sensitive ears. He sat up more and pressed his hand against his forehead as he shook his head. “Iredys. Iredys was here, she….”

He stopped when he caught the concerned look his knights gave each other.

“Dragonfolk are known to be masters of disguise, Sire,” Sir Hamnet said gently. “And you were skunked last night.”

“It wouldn’t take much to be mistaken in that regard,” Sir Droyn said. “Also, looking at the state of the room, in addition to your state of undress….”

“Seems you may have slept with a Dragonwoman, My Lord,” Sir Hamnet teased as Sir Droyn stood.

“Not ‘may have’, Sir Hamnet,” Sir Droyn replied seriously.

Prince Kelton turned as Sir Hamnet looked up.

Sir Droyn lifted the bedding up and revealed fresh blood and mucous stains on the fabric. “He did.”

Sir Hamnet stood and walked over to the bed. Kelton took a peek under the blanket over his legs to find blood, semen, and mucous that had yet to dry, all over himself. He put the blanket back down as Sir Hamnet turned toward him with a blue and gold dress in hand. Prince Kelton nearly smiled at the confirmation that it had been Iredys here last night when he felt pain encompass the base of his left ring finger. The sensation started to extend toward the tip, bringing with it a pallor. Grabbing the Garnet ring that Iredys had given him, he tugged on it several times to try and get it to slide off of his finger.

“Prince Kelton?” Sir Droyn and Sir Hamnet asked at the same time.

Prince Kelton gave the ring another couple tugs before it slipped off his slightly swollen finger. The pain lessened and the color returned as the swelling started to go down. His finger was almost back to normal when he noticed a Diamond band embedded in the flesh where the Garnet ring had just been. Several emotions passed through Prince Kelton’s chest as his whole body started to shake.

“...sick,” he finally managed after several moments.

Sir Droyn grabbed the closest bucket and handed it to Prince Kelton. He threw up what little stomach acid he could, as his hands shook against the top of the bucket. Tears stung his already burning eyes and made the pounding in his head worse. His thoughts hyper focused on the hazy memory of the woman he had bound himself to, while his heart ached with her obvious absence.

“Is there any help we can give you, Prince Kelton?” Sir Hamnet asked when Prince Kelton’s dry heaving had stopped.

Prince Kelton shook his head.

“We’ll be back shortly with food then,” Sir Droyn said.

Prince Kelton bobbed his head slightly before Sir Droyn and Sir Hamnet left the room.

For several minutes, Prince Kelton remained on the floor staring at the Diamond ring that was now a permanent part of his finger. His gaze then shifted to the blue and gold dress that lay on the bed. His mind and heart were at war, and yet at peace at the same time. There was no mistaking Iredys’ voice. His heart wouldn’t have reacted that way if it wasn’t her. He let out his breath before he felt his attention pulled to the southwest.

“I’m coming, Iredys,” he said.