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 into 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 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. Apparently, Skylar couldn't look at the crowd and feel comfort. Instead she just looked above everyone's heads and smiled politely as she and her parents walked up to their thrones at 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 silenced immediately.

"Thank you all for journeying to our home to help us celebrate the twenty-first anniversary of our daughter's birth. Please enjoy all the food and drink to your contentment. The band that will be playing is the band that has played for all of my events for the past ten years, so I can assure you that they are the best. Enjoy yourselves! This is a celebration!" Hal's deep voice rang throughout the chamber until the crowd clapped and cheered appreciatively. That band took their cue and began to play an upbeat tune that had Skylar's slippered foot tapping along while she waited for the first brave soul to ask her to dance. Hal and Violet sat on either side of her, just watching their crowd. Skylar recognized that they were letting their guests eat and drink and dance before they joined in the party. Skylar surveyed everything, more alert than ever simply because her dragon was so close to the surface. It was locked firmly away in the cage within her head, but it did not like what was going on around her.

Finally, a young man was brave enough to venture up to Skylar. "May I have this dance, My Lady?" he asked. She didn't recognize him but curtsied in a respectful manner. He was cute, in a boyish way, with round cheeks and blond hair. She took his outstretched hand and let him lead her onto the dancefloor, where everyone parted for them.

He was awkward as he placed a hand on her hip and stretched their intertwined hands out to the side. He was breathing heavily and blood had rushed to his cheeks to color them bright pink. Apparently his bravery only went so far as to ask her to dance. She impatiently waited for him to gather his courage. A giggle threatened to escape her throat as she saw him bob his head, counting the beat. He eventually found it and began to try to lead her about the dance floor. Skylar was afraid to distract him from his dancing, but felt as though she should start a conversation.

"I'm Skylar," she offered. Though it was perhaps the most obvious thing she could have said, she couldn't stand the silent dancing.

He glanced away from their feet and up at her face. His eyes were a plain brown, nothing to get excited about. "I know," he answered before looking back down at their feet. Skylar refrained from rolling her eyes and tried to keep her irritation in check.

"And your name is...?" She left the question open ended.

He looked up at her again, but this time his eyes were wide. He seemed surprised that she would even care what his name was.

"My father is Sir Bartholomew," he replied. And his eyes went back to watching their feet. Skylar took a deep breath. Was the young man dense or what? At least she now knew that he was the son of one of her father's knights.

"I do believe I asked for your name," she reminded him in a sweet voice. Again, he seemed shocked that she cared.

"My name is also Bartholomew," he said meekly.

"You're named after your father?"

"After my grandfather."

"You have the same name as your father."

"Yes, he was also named after my grandfather, his father."

"So you were named after both of them?"

"No."

Skylar blinked slowly at him. She couldn't tell if he was teasing or not. It didn't appear so, and she wasn't sure what to say to him, so she said nothing. If this was how all of her suitors were going to be, her patience wasn't going to last that long let alone her dragon's.

Eventually another young man ventured up to them and tapped on Bartholomew's shoulder. This young man smiled politely and introduced himself right away as George, the son of Lord Thomas. His eyes remained in contact with hers the entire time they swung around the dancefloor. George knew what he was doing and even made small talk as he spun her around the room. George was eventually replaced by Victor, who was replaced by Carlton, who was interrupted by Frederic, and then Samuel. Loren took the place of Samuel, and then there was Arthur, and Vincent, and Andrew, and Edward, and Benjamin. Eventually the names and faces blurred together and Skylar lost track. She was tired, thirsty, hungry, and her feet ached something awful. But, like any good princess, she remained courteous and acted as though each dance were her first of the evening.

"Excuse me, but may I have a dance with the princess?" a familiar voice sounded from behind her. The older gentleman she dancing with her nodded courteously and released her hand after kissing her knuckles.

"Until later, my lady," he smiled and handed her over to Jonathan.

"Hello," he grinned as he kissed the back of her hand.

"Hello," she replied happily. For the first time in a few hours, her dragon was settled. A familiar person was all it had been looking for. She'd even settle for the object of Skylar's affection.

"I do believe I was supposed to get your second dance," he said casually as his large hand grasped her and his other hand found her hip. The feel of his hand on her body sent chills up her spine, and she unconsciously stepped closer to the handsome knight.

"Well, you missed that by about fifty dances."

"That would be my bad. I arrived late."

"Where were you?"

He shrugged. "Catching up on some things, doing what it is knights do. You would be bored."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm always interested when you tell me something," but she didn't push the subject. "You clean up nice," Skylar commented, taking in his blue tunic and black vest which was tucked into black leggings and black boots.

"Only for you, Princess," he smiled. "I don't know about you, but all of this dancing has me so thirsty. Would you mind if we took a break?" From the gleam in his eye, she knew he was teasing her. He had just started dancing with her only a minute before, but he knew she had been on her feet for hours.

She played along. "I suppose I could escort you to the refreshments."

"Why thank you, my lady," Jonathan bowed and offered her his elbow before he followed her off the floor. As they approached the table, Skylar overheard a man berating his son whom she had danced with a few dances ago.

"Why didn't you offer to give her a break! Of course she wanted a break! She's been dancing for hours! Fool," the nobleman scolded the anxious son, who was bright red. Skylar felt bad but said nothing. She wasn't supposed to have heard that, so she acted as though she hadn't. It wasn't his fault that her hearing was more sensitive because she was a dragon.

"My lady," Jonathan grabbed her attention and offered a glass of wine. He picked up his own and leaned back against the nearby wall. Skylar wished to sit, but knew that the only place she could do that would be a throne and she had no intention of sitting in either of her parents' thrones. "How has your evening been going thus far?"

She smiled and simply closed her eyes and she sipped her wine. "It's been what I expected. Sore feet and awkward young men."

"Awkward?"

"Everyone wishes to impress me, though admittedly some try harder than others, and it makes for difficult conversation," she said simply, glancing around the room. Her mother and father had finally taken the dance floor and everyone had cleared away for them. Both accomplished dancers, they floated across the dancefloor, focused on nothing but each other. Huge grins plastered on their faces and Skylar couldn't help but smile at them.

"They look happy," Jonathan noticed where she, and everyone else, was staring.

Skylar hoped that no one could overhear her next statement. "That's what I want, Jonathan. I want to marry someone I love, and who loves me back. I don't want to marry for alliance or for power. I want what Mother and Father have."

Jonathan sighed behind her. "You must be careful what you say in public, Princess."

"I know," she took a deep breath, which she let out slowly. "But I just needed to say it."

Jonathan remained quiet. Skylar was mesmerised by her parents' obvious affection, companionship, and trust. There were no secrets between them. She hadn't realized that she craved it, but now she couldn't ignore it. And the realization that whoever she married couldn't be trusted with the knowledge that she was a dragon, that she would always have to hide a huge part of her, caused her heart to squeeze painfully and a lump to form in her throat. She was always going to be alone.

Jonathan misunderstood her silence and trembling. "Hey, hey, Skylar." He took her glass and set it down before he grabbed her hand and pulled her out onto one of the unoccupied balconies. As soon as they were out of sight, he pulled her into his arms. Her cheek pressed against his chest and she clung to him as though she were drowning and he was the only thing keeping her head above water. "It'll be okay, Sky. You'll grow to love whoever you end up marrying, I'm sure of it." He whispered into her hair and kissed the top of her head.

Skylar wished so badly to tell him everything, but she just couldn't find the courage to do so. She just buried her face in his strong chest and let the silent tears run down her cheeks. He rubbed her back gently. A piercing whine echoed in her head as her dragon despaired. For once, it was Skyler's emotions having an effect on the monster and not the other way around. It was a novel experience, and it worried Skylar that her sadness was enough to influence a dragon to this extent. She leaned back and looked up into his Jonathan's kind, hazel eyes.

Jonathan had always been there for her; she wasn't sure what she would do without his friendship, even if he didn't know that she was a dragon. She liked to think that he could accept her as she was. Of its own accord, her hand traveled up his muscled chest to gently caress his cheek. His eyes locked on hers, but he was deep in thought. She couldn't figure out what he was thinking until he suddenly swooped down and pressed his soft lips against her own. She was surprised at first, but then she gave in to the kiss. She rose onto her tiptoes to get closer to him, and his strong arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her into his body so that they were flush from the chest, to the hips, to their toes. Her dragon was so amazed at this act of affection that it didn't even get mad, it was simply confused.

Skylar was instantly addicted to the gentle way his lips moved against hers. She had never been kissed before, nor kissed anyone, but his lips guided hers in the intimate art. Her hands clasped his cheeks in a desperate attempt to keep his face near hers.

Skylar suddenly realized what was happening and how inappropriate it was. She jumped away, pushing him back and wiping her tear streaked cheeks frantically with the back of her hand. Her lips were tingling from his tenderness, and she wanted nothing more than to return to the strength of his arms, but she was the Princess, and her wants could not come first. "Sir Jonathan, someone could see us." She smoothed her dress and took a deep breath through her nose. Her back straightened and she wiped a wavy tendril of hair back from her face.

Jonathan straightened up and nodded, bowing slightly. Sadness filled his eyes. "Of course, My lady. I'm sorry." There was a crease between his brows and she could see him clenching and unclenching his jaw.

Skylar's face softened, but there was nothing she could say. She simply filled her gaze with everything she felt, which was very confusing. She wasn't sure how to deal with it.

The line disappeared, and his eyes softened, but his jaw was still clenched. "I'm here whenever you need me. Always." He lifted her hand to kiss her knuckles just as someone cleared their throat behind her. She started and pulled her hand away from Jonathan, even though it was an innocent enough gesture.

Draco stood in the doorway with his arms crossed. His long black hair was plaited and tied with a green ribbon that matched the color of his cape. "My apologies, am I interrupting something?" He glanced between Jonathan and Skylar suspiciously, though she noticed that his mouth was twisted in an amused sort of way.

"Not at all. We were just getting some fresh air. Sir Jonathan offered to accompany me," Skylar informed the king. She hoped that her eyes were not red and puffy nor her lips swollen, and that if they were, it was not noticeable in the candlelight. She curtsied to the king, her dragon growled at the dragon hunter, but it was half-hearted; she was still subdued from Skylar's emotions.

"Well, my apologies for assuming something," Draco responded, dipping his head. "Though, Princess, you should be paying your attentions to your guests, not your father's knights, should you not?"

"Of course, my lord," Skylar whispered. Of all people who could have discovered her out there with Jonathan, it had to be Draco. She just hoped that he hadn't seen anything that he shouldn't have.

"Speaking of guests, may I have a dance?" Draco held out his long, pale fingered hand in invitation.

Skylar nodded and took his cool hand in her gloved one. As Draco led her back into the stifling ballroom, she glanced back at Jonathan. He had turned around and was looking out into the darkness. He looked relaxed at first glance, but Sky could see that his shoulders were hunched and his knuckles were white from grasping the balcony so hard. She hadn't realized she'd offended him so horribly when she pushed away from him. But he had to understand her position as princess. It wouldn't be terrible if they had a relationship that was more than friends because he was a noble, but she needed to marry for an alliance. Jonathan and his family were already loyal to her father and the kingdom, and though they were wealthy and powerful Trael needed a king's power and wealth.

"Did my sons get a chance to dance with you?" Draco's smooth, soft voice pulled her away from her thoughts of Jonathan.

"I believe that they did," Skylar answered slowly. In all honesty, she wasn't entirely sure who she had danced with. The faces had blended together, but she knew Draco's sons and she was almost sure that she had danced with at least one of them.

"That's alright if they didn't. They're a bit young to marry anyway, if you ask me. You need a man who is older than you," he said easily. It was innocent enough, but the way he stated it sounded like he was insulting her. He was implying that she couldn't take care of herself or a kingdom, let alone someone younger than she.

Skylar said nothing as she pondered this.

"How has your party been?"

"Absolutely lovely. Thank you for attending with your family," Skylar smiled her most cordial grin at him. He kept a straight face.

"It was what was expected. Besides, I've known you since you were an infant. I wouldn't miss celebrating this milestone with you."

"That is most kind of you, my lord," Skylar curtsied slightly.

"I am apparently not the only one who is excited to celebrate with you."

Skylar looked around the room, noticing the flushed faces and bright smiles. Yes, she supposed everyone was having a good time, as far as she could tell. "It appears so, my lord. I'm glad that everyone is having a good time."

"That knight is older than you, is he not?" Draco wondered while he swung her around the dancefloor.

Skylar tried to figure out what he was getting at, while trying to catch up with the sudden topic change. "I think that he is, yes."

"A shame he's not royalty."

"Well, he's a noble and a knight. He's my father's best knight. I don't think that he minds that he's not royalty," Skylar replied slowly.

"I guess that your affair will have to end soon."

Skylar blinked and her dragon came to life with a growl. "I beg your pardon." "Your affair with the knight? He's a handsome lad to be sure, and he may be a noble, but your father would never allow it to continue if he found out about it."

"My lord, I believe that you are mistaken." "Unless my eyes deceive me, you were in his arms only moments ago, my lady." So he had seen them. There was no point in lying. Draco's black eyes were filled with a challenge, and he had obviously seen Jonathan comforting Skylar, but she had no idea what Draco was trying to do. "He was simply acting as a friend. I found myself needing comfort." Except that friends didn't kiss friends like that.

"So you run into the arms of the nearest knight?"

Skylar was so taken aback by the inappropriateness of his comment that she stopped dancing, but he gave her arms a rough jerk and she was forced through the motions. Her dragon was furious now. What Draco was suggesting was unacceptable and the dragon was ready to defend against the rude man. Skylar was almost ready to let her.

"That is not at all what happened," Skylar struggled to keep her voice steady. "Jonathan is a good friend, that's all."

Draco smirked, and continued to drag her around the room. This was the longest she had danced with anyone; suddenly no one seemed to want to cut in. Perhaps it was because Draco was a king and he was intimidating enough as it was. She looked around frantically, trying to catch the eye of someone who could save her from the uncomfortable conversation.

"If anyone else had seen what I saw, it is likely that you would have been labeled something much less desireable than 'Princess.'"

Skylar's gaze was snapped right back onto his long, slim face. Her mouth popped open into an "oh" before she snapped it shut. Her temper flared and it was fueled by her dragon's indignation. She had to fight back the audible snarl that nearly escaped her lips. Damn, why was the full moon so close? She was so insulted and angry, along with her dragon, that it was nearly past the restraints of its cage. How dare Draco insult her honor in such a way? She was a princess, and he was a guest in her castle!

"I'd like to remind you that you are a guest here, my lord, at a party celebrating my birthday. A bit of discretion and respect would be much appreciated. My lord," Skylar answered in a steady voice. She raised her chin and set her mouth firmly. A corner of Draco's mouth twitched as he leaned forward and whispered in her ear.

"It's not even your real birthday," he said quietly.

What did that even mean? Sky leaned away from him as another flash of anger sparked through her. "Excuse me? I believe you are mistaken once again. Today is the twenty-first time I've celebrated my birthday on this day."

"Ah, that you've celebrated it. Today is simply the twenty-first anniversary of the day your father came to pick you up from my castle," he said slowly, as if she were dumb. Skylar blinked at him in shock but then the indignation returned full force. Her dragon's roar was deafening within her head; it was too much for the confines of her mind, and it leaked slightly from her mouth in the form of a growl. She also knew that her eyes had flashed a glowing blue, as they tended too when she was really worked up about something. The growl and the eyes had lasted for only half a second, but Draco had noticed. And it apparently meant something to the king.

"I knew it," he chuckled. "I knew it."