EXTRACT FOR
The Dragon Prince - Erien Tales Book 1
(Terri Pray)

Chapter One





	"There was once a chance I didn't take and it lost me any hope I might have had of making a decent match." Deft hands worked the hairbrush through Xantriana's hair, tugging through the snarls that tangled her silver white hair. "That's not a mistake I will let you make. You have a wonderful chance to meet half the eligible men in the land and you want to just stay hidden in your room?"

	Somehow the idea of being marriage bait did not appeal to Riana, but it didn't stop the rest of her family trying to find a way to pair her off whenever the chance arose. 

	"Lord Halvert and his three sons will be there, Jaynan and his brother, even the Prince himself though that would be setting your sights a little too high." Her sister patted Riana's hair into soft waves that sat on her shoulders before caressing their way down her back. "Prince Rhodan has something of a reputation. More rogue than royal, they say he has even spent time as a pirate."

	They said a lot of things about Rhodan, Prince of the Blood the heir to the dragon throne. Too many to even be remotely true, not that she had any interest in him or any man for that matter. Why would she want to see herself tied down by a marriage?

	"You can wipe that scowl off your face. Our father has spent months arranging this night. You could at least show a little gratitude for all his hard work." The hairbrush thumped down onto the dresser. "None of your usual tricks this night. No running off, hiding in the barracks, or vanishing into the forest. Guards have been alerted and now have strict instructions to return you to the main hall if you even try."

	Riana's jaw tightened as her sister spoke, slender fingers curling into the silken skirts of the elegant white dress. "Ever since I started looking like a woman instead of a half grown child you and Father have been trying to find me a mate. Not once have either of you spoken to me about it. Do you even care how I feel?"

	Hands grasped her shoulders, nails digging in. "Ungrateful brat. Most women would have been overjoyed at the work their father's had put into finding them a good mate. Not you, oh now, you have to moan, complain and make life awkward for the rest of us. Should be thankful Father doesn't barter you off to some low land baron in return for stock."

	The rest of us? Arinnana and Riana were the only children he had, but her older sister made it sound as though they were part of a small hoard.

	Should she be thankful?

	A low land Baron might have been easier to escape from. Just vanish on the way to the ceremony. Slip away into the forests and find her own path in life, anything that would allow her to avoid having to be married off.

	Not once had she been asked what she wanted in a mate, or if she even wanted one to begin with. That hadn't stopped her from screaming her thoughts at her Father whenever the chance had arisen. 

	"This is a waste, complete waste. He should have done this for me instead of just making the arrangements with the first offer flung his way." Those fingers clenched into her shoulders, only the dress saved her from the damage those nails could have done. "Don't you dare set your sights on the Prince."

	At the end of the day, it didn't matter. As his youngest daughter she had no choice in whom she would wed. He would decide for her. Just as he had tried to decide for his eldest daughter. 

	Why couldn't he arrange for a man who died before the wedding took place? Like he had for Arinnana?  That way everyone would think she had been cursed and no one would seek to wed her.

	The Prince, why would she be so interested in the Prince?

	Her sister had her eyes set on him?

	Well, she was welcome to him. Riana wanted no part of him or any of the hopeful power hungry men that would be attending the ball. Riana just wished her sister would see that.

	"There, you look almost presentable."  Not that Riana could think of a single person who would want to wed Arinnana, not without a huge dowry attached. Her sister's temper and sharp tongue had to be known throughout the lands.

	Perhaps that was cruel, but then she had lived with her sister most of her life. Three years her senior, Arinnana acted as if the age gap had to be closer to fifteen years with the way she was always treating her little sister as if she were little more than a child. 

	"Make sure you keep clean and don't mess up your hair. Father will not be pleased if you arrive in the hall looking more like a serving wench than his daughter." Arinnana's lips pressed into a thin line, reflected clearly in the silvered surface of the mirror. "Don't know why he does this with you. Should just announce who you are to wed and be done with it. Not as if you would ever be grateful for the work involved."

	Work, they just wanted to get rid of her. 

	Arinnana just wanted to be rid of her, preferably into the hands of the ugliest, most oppressive man in the lands. Someone who would try and break her spirit.

	Sometimes she wondered just how the two women could really be sisters.

	"I have no plans on going out, besides even if I had you and Father have made sure that I wouldn't get anywhere. Guards alerted, remember?" Rolling her eyes wouldn't have helped and only would have served to five Arinnana cause to treat her as a child. "I'll be at the ball with plenty of time to spare. See little point in giving you reason to call out the guards."

	Riana couldn't be sure if it had been her smile, calm tone, or cold eyes that finally sent her sister out of her room. Whatever the reason had been the lack of the older brought a blessed relief. There would be enough sets of eyes watching her every move during the ball, without having to endure a watchdog within her own room.

	The image that stared back at her from the mirror could have belonged to a stranger. Never had her hair looked so smooth, or her face lacked any trace of dirt. Makeup had been deftly applied in a vain attempt to give Riana a more sophisticated look, the result had been interesting.

	A woman looked back at her from the silvered surface. One without trace of girlish touches or mischief. Soft blue and silver satin made up the dress that hugged her waist, cut daringly low across breasts that had filled out over the past year. A strong breeze or deep breath might revel the soft pink of her nipples to the world. Worse still the banding about her waist had been bound so tight she could hardly breathe.

	"It's not me." Her fingers touched the mirror, tracing the face she saw before her. "Who ever that is, it's not me."

	"You look so much like your mother did." His voice broke through her thoughts. "Soft, beautiful, but with a fire that most men cannot control." Lord Valer stood in the doorway of his daughter's room. Once raven hair now turned salt and pepper, but his eyes still held all the strength she imagined her mother had seen. 

	Riana pushed back from the dressing table, turning to fully look at the man who had protected her throughout life, yet now sought to give her away in marriage. She wanted to hate him, scream at him for what he planned, but couldn't. 

	"I know you don't want this, Riana, but I would see one of my daughters wed before my time on this world ends." He stepped into her room, offering one weathered hand for her to take. "Arinnana is bitter. Perhaps when I am dead she will be able to find a mate with my lands as a bartering piece. You, my Riana, have your mother's beauty, her passion, fire and the ability to challenge every man who lays eyes on you."

	"And that is why you will not let me choose my own mate, Father?" One hand slipped into his, whilst the other rested in the form of a fist on her hip. "I can manage to find one myself, if you would just give me the chance."

	They'd been through this before it had almost become a dance they repeated once or twice a week. "And have you choose a no good rogue like your mother did?" The corners of his lips curled upwards into a true smile. "A man more away than he was at home, fighting any time the border even gave hint of problems."

	"Spending half his days as smuggler, pirate or worse?" She raised one eyebrow, matching his own quizzical smile. "Returning to her in the night, stealing her away under the full moon to ravish her then vanish again before the sun rose?"

	His chuckle did nothing to distract from the blush that crept over his face at his daughters words. "You've been listening to the guards too much. Not all their stories are real, most are embellished more than a little."

	"And some they under play rather than risk scaring me with all the details of your life."  The clock struck the hour breaking through the moment shared between father and daughter. "You really want me to go through this, don't you?"

	"If there was another way... but I won't see you left to the whims of your Sister. Do this for me, Riana." Her sister, would Arinnana be so caring? No, when her father died Arinnana would trade her to the highest bidder. "I am not blind to the tension between the two of you. Nor her jealousy, but she is still my eldest and the law would favor her in succession."

	"Then I suppose I should get this over with then?" Her pale eyes moved towards the open door. "They're be arriving soon no doubt. Some already have, haven't they?"

	"Aye my lass, that they have." He crooked his arm, moving her own hand to rest on his own velvet and leather clad. "Shall we give your sister a fit and appear together?"

	At that moment Riana could think of nothing she would like to do more than give her sister reason for one of her famous fainting fits.









	"Remind me again why I agreed to attend this ball?" Rhodan turned in the saddle, or what he joked could be one, looking down at the castle below. "This is nothing more than another mate hunt, another night of trying not to yawn and if I am lucky one or two decent wenches for bed mates."

	"Don't ask me, I'd rather be hunting prey of a different sought. Think this Lord whatisface will mind me snagging a cow or two." Multi faceted eyes looked back over a bone ridge shoulder. "Never will understand the mating habits of your kind. Can't you just snag who you want and be done. Get her to lay a few good eggs whilst we go back to the more interesting things in life?"

	Laughing would have given Orent too much satisfaction. "We don't reproduce that way."

	"How would I know, you've never let me take a peek when you've been busy with those females of yours. You could satisfy my curiosity just once. After all the things I do for you."  Sunlight gleamed from her black scales as she turned, circling lazily down towards the castle below. 

	"And I have no plans of letting you take that peek any time soon, Orent. Do you let me spy on your time with your companions?" He tweaked at the flap of skin that trailed back from her ear. 

	"Keep your hands to yourself before I decide to use you as a tooth pick." Her words snorted out in a puff of black smoke. "Looks like the humans forgot why it's called the Dragon Throne." 

	Men, women and horses scattered in the landing path of the Dragon. Screams of terror mixed with cries to remain calm from those wearing the blue and silver tabards of Lord Valer. Rhodan didn't have to see the Dragon's grin when she swooped low over the already scattering humans. In the eight years the two had flown together he had never known her to miss a chance to scare human kind.

	"Enjoying your duty, pet?" Her claws grasped the dirt as they landed outside the castle walls. 

	"Pet...did you just call me Pet?" Her snarl brought flames to her lips as Rhodan swung himself easily down from her back, bring the large pack with him. One thing he could never bring himself to do was fly in 'court dress'. "Pet indeed." Claws opened up to dig further into the ground. "I am not and never will be your pet, Rhodan, but you keep this up and you will be my next snack. Human's taste better than cows, even if you do tend to be on the boney side."

	"You love me really." He took a chance, patting the side of her angular jaw, snatching his hand back just before her teeth could close on it. "Though it looks like you have grass caught between your teeth."

	"Are you accusing me of being a vegetarian?" Her eyes whirled in fury.

	"Your Highness? Prince Rhodan?" The new voice ended the teasing between human and dragon kind. A guard, barely old enough to be out of his mother's care, cast nervous glances towards Orent. "Is the beast safe. I mean the servants, it frightened them. Will it remain under your control during the feast?"

	One long tongue snaked out, flickering across her nose. "Who says that I am under his control now?" It had become rare that Rhodan heard her voice aloud, but on occasions she did seem to enjoy using it to frighten the locals. 

	The young guard took three hasty steps backwards, what color he had laid claim to drained instantly from his face. "No one warned me that it could talk."

	"The 'It' you keep referring to is the Lady Orent, Blood Royal of the Blacks. I would suggest treating her with the same level of respect that you offer the ladies of this household."

	"Your Highness?" He blinked, taking another step back when Rhodan placed one hand lightly on the hilt of his sword. "Yes your Highness, of course. I'll see to it that the rest of the guards are made aware."

	Rhodan smiled, but without a trace of warmth touching his eyes, fingers still tapping on the hilt of his weapon.

	The young guard swallowed hard, glancing towards Orent. With a slow grace he bowed as low as he might have done before Lord Valer. "My utmost apologies My Lady."

	Her tongue snaked out, flickering closer to the bowing guard. "I won't eat you, this time. You may go, snack."

	Rhodan let loose the laugh as the young guard fled from sight. "You like teasing them almost as much as bantering with me."

	"That, my dear prince, is nothing more than a figment of your over active imagination." Her words said one thing, her smile another. "You shouldn't keep them waiting."

	"Yes, Mother." He smirked, striding towards the open gates before she could snort once more in his direction. In his traveling cloak, low heeled boots and simple leathers he looked little like a Prince of the Blood. There were times that could be an advantage, but tonight he would have to cast off the simple clothing he often preferred and pull on the regalia of his family.

	He just hoped that both the wine and the company were of equal quality or else this could turn into a very long night.