CHAPTER FIVE

Skylar took a shaky breath as Greta pulled her into the hallway. The silk skirt of her gown flowed around her legs and dragged slightly on the floor, which made her look as though she were floating. Her three guards were waiting to escort her and they smiled at her appearance in appreciation. Greta had done a wonderful job making her look like a princess. Especially her hair. She had somehow tamed the unruly waves and coaxed them to flow around her in the most elegant of ways. The top layers of her hair were pinned back in a clip that matched both her gown and her necklace. Upon the piles of thick hair sat her tiara, silver and tantalizingly shiny. "My lady," Ian said as he bowed low. The other two guards followed his lead. Skylar curtsied and smiled as her parents approached them.

The queen adorned a deep purple gown with similar silver accents as Skylar's. Her auburn hair was braided and wrapped around her head, with a few stray tendrils tickling her cheeks. The king wore his blue tunic, black cape, and ceremonial sword. The large gold crown sat proudly atop dark brown locks. The three of them were the epitome of royalty.

"Skylar!" Violet gushed, grinning and taking the princess's soft hands. "You look wonderful. Where did you get that necklace?"

Skylar blushed and touched the beautiful gem. "Jonathan's grandmother sent it for me."

"What a lovely birthday gift. And it matches your dress perfectly," the queen admired the necklace for a moment, though she seemed a bit troubled.

"Hello, Father," Skylar curtsied before her father, who bowed in response. His wink was hidden from the guards, but he offered his elbow to her.

"Happy birthday, Skylar," he smiled as she slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow. Violet took her place on his other side and together they walked toward the ballroom. "Everyone is looking forward to seeing you this evening."

"I'll be glad to see them as well. It was very kind of them to make the trip," she replied. It went unspoken that nearly every noble and king that was in the ballroom was looking for their son or even themselves to take her hand in marriage. The potential to marry the future queen was incentive enough for any of them to make the trip.

"Just make sure that you talk to everyone, even if it is only for a few minutes. Fortunately for you, most people will seek you out of their own volition. But we don't want anyone to feel ignored. Tonight is as much about political relations as it is about your birthday," Hal advised her.

"Always smile. If you don't look like you're having a good time people will get offended," Violet added.

This continued back and forth until Skylar's head was spinning. They acted as though she had never been to a party before. She had been a princess for a while; she knew how to act amongst other people with high positions in society. She began to ignore them until Hal leaned down close to her ear so that no one else could hear him. "And make sure that you keep that dragon in check. I know that it's close to the full moon, but you need to stay in control."

His assumption that she wouldn't try her hardest to stay stronger than the beast within her offended Skylar. And what did he know about her dragon other than what she had told him? He had no idea how much work it was to fight something that was very much a part of her. He talked about it like it was just a bad habit, like biting her fingernails. Like it was something that she could eventually stop doing if she tried hard enough at it.

She wanted to say all of that to him but refrained. "Of course, Father."

"That's my girl. You'll do wonderful, darling," he grinned as they approached the doors to the ballroom. Two guards stood on either side of the door and waited until the king gave them the signal to pull the doors open. As the doors opened, trumpets began to play to announce the arrival of the royal family. Skylar filled her lungs and released the air slowly in an attempt to calm her nerves. Large groups made her nervous because they made her dragon nervous. Her mother and father took their place on either side of her and walked right alongside Skylar as they entered the ballroom. The crowd made the appropriate noises of admiration as they entered. It was hard not to notice all of the bachelors in the crowd, raking Skylar's body up and down with their greedy eyes. She swallowed anxiously and ignored them. Instead, she focused on the faces of the well-dressed ladies in the crowd. Most of them were kind and supportive, but a few were filled with envy and anger. Skylar couldn't look at the crowd and feel comfortable. Instead, she just looked above everyone's heads and smiled politely as she and her parents walked up to their thrones at the front of the room. She stood between them as her mother took her seat. Hal remained standing and lifted his arms to address the crowd. They were silenced immediately.