Free Mark of the Princess by B.C. Morin Page A

and Tristan ?” Alannah said, indicating to the Prince and his friend with her hand.
    “Yes, we do.” King Cavalon stood and walked toward them, inclining his head in return to their bow. “We appreciate you taking our daughters with you today. I trust they weren’t any trouble?”
    The King’s gaze landed on Alannah winking at her.
    “No, your majesty. They were an absolute pleasure to be with. As a matter of fact, my father invited them for dinner tomorrow evening, when we were visiting this morning. I would like to ask your permission to escort them over tomorrow.” Kaleb stood firm, smiling kindly at the King and Queen.
    “Permission is granted, Kaleb.”
    “Thank you Papa” Evyette said, stepping forward to hug her father. “Would it be alright if we went for a stroll around the Kingdom before they went home?” She looked up at her father with imploring eyes.
    “Yes.” The King responded letting out a sigh and kissing his daughter on the head before releasing her, and watching them all walk out the room.
     
    Outside the castle, the entire village was gossiping of the Princess and her new companion.
At Fiona's Tavern, a place where most of the young faeries would go to drink, rest their wings and socialize, the air was abuzz. There sat a quiet stranger in the corner, her face barely visible beneath her hood. Once in a while, a villager of Meira would look over, but paid no mind as drifters did wander through from time to time.
    Celina sat and looked at the surrounding faeries from under the hood of her cloak. The chatter of the Prince and Princess angered her. She clinched the top of the bag she held tighter. The bag that held the bracelet for the Prince. My Prince , she thought. Celina could not bear listening to this nonsense any longer and decided to check out the rest of Meira, already devising plans in her head to try and take over when she became queen of Talom. She walked slowly through the market streets. Peering in the stores and glancing at the cart vendors as if hoping to see Kaleb and the others appear out of nowhere.
Saros perched himself high in the trees so he could not be seen following Celina, but always listening for the arrival of the Prince and Princess. He watched as Celina made her way toward her own forest once again.
    “I will have to wait until tomorrow” Celina said to herself through clenched teeth.
    Maligo watched Celina walking and began to pace around his cave. “Well, she has some wits about her.” He said out loud to himself. “It would not have been clever to catch him and give him the gift there. And if the prince is not with his new love when she does give him the gift, that will make things all the more easier for me." He thought, grinning evilly to himself.

~ Chapter 9~
     
    Celina waited impatiently at the stables, after spending the morning searching for the Prince and his friend only to find that they had been off training. After what seemed like an eternity, Kaleb and Tristan finally returned. They flew down on their steeds and dismounted. Chattering back and forth like a couple of schoolboys about their day, and the events of the day before while putting the horses back in their respective stalls.
    Celina held back the nasty feelings she had when hearing of the princess and their fun together. She went over the plan in her mind over and over, hesitation was not an option. Convincing herself that it was not Maligo's plan she was carrying out but her own. Her own plans of marrying the prince, of becoming queen, and of getting her revenge on Maligo.
    "Hello Kaleb, hello Tristan". Celina said, walking toward the Prince and his best friend hoping her nervousness was not visible.
    "Hello Celina, going for a ride?" the Prince responded. "Hello" chimed in Tristan.
    "Not really. Just stopping by, I … I wanted to say hello to you two". She walked toward them, running her fingers over the edging of the satchel hanging from her waist.
    "So, wherever you were yesterday,