Chapter 1: Chapter 2: A night of firsts

Elara’s POV

His words hung in the air between us. Once I get my hands on you, I’m not sure I’ll know how to let go.

My heart beat so fast I felt dizzy. I looked down at my feet, my face feeling hot. I didn’t know what to say.

Kaelen smiled softly. “Hey, look at me.” His voice was gentle. I slowly looked up into his green eyes. “I won’t bite. Unless you want me to.” He winked.

My eyes went wide. “What? No, I…”

He laughed, a warm, kind sound. “I’m just playing with you. Come on, let’s start easy.”

He kept holding my hand and led me through the crowd. “First, you need a drink. It will help you relax.”

We walked to a small stall where a man was pouring drinks. “Two cups of the blackberry wine,” Kaelen said.

The man filled two wooden cups. Kaelen handed one to me. “Try it. I bet they don’t have anything like this where you’re from.”

I took a small sip. It was sweet and warm. “It’s good,” I said quietly.

“See? Not so scary.” He touched his cup to mine. “To your first night of fun.”

We both drank. The wine made my body feel warm and loose.

“Okay,” he said. “Now for dancing.”

I immediately shook my head. “Oh no, I can’t. I’m not good at dancing.”

“Everyone can dance,” he said. “Just move how the music makes you feel.”

He led me to where people were dancing. The music was fast and loud. I stood frozen, not knowing what to do.

Kaelen stood in front of me. “Watch me.” He started moving to the beat, his body flowing naturally. “Now you try.”

I made a small, awkward movement with my shoulders.

He smiled. “That’s it! You’re doing it!”

He took both my hands and started moving them. “Just follow me.”

Slowly, I started to move more. The wine helped me feel less shy. Soon I was actually dancing, a small smile on my face.

“You see?” Kaelen said loudly over the music. “You’re a natural!”

We danced until we were both breathing hard. “I need another drink!” I said, surprising myself with how loud I was.

He laughed. “That’s the spirit!”

We got more wine and found a quiet spot to sit. I was starting to feel very dizzy, but in a good way.

“You know,” I said, my words sounding a bit slurred. “I’ve never had this much fun.”

“I can tell,” he said. He was leaning heavily against the wall, his eyes looking sleepy. “You’re different when you relax. Pretty.”

I felt my face get hot again. “You’re just saying that.”

“It’s true,” he said. His voice was soft. “Your eyes sparkle when you laugh.”

We sat there for a while, just talking and drinking. Well, mostly he talked and I listened, giggling at his stories. I lost count of how many cups of wine we had.

“Let’s dance again!” I said suddenly, standing up. The world spun around me.

“Whoa there,” Kaelen said, standing up too. He wobbled a bit. “Maybe we should slow down.”

But I was already pulling him toward the dancers. This time the music was slow. He put his hands on my waist, and I put mine on his shoulders. We swayed together, both of us unsteady from the wine.

“You’re really beautiful, you know that?” he whispered, his face close to mine.

I didn’t know what to say, so I just rested my head on his chest. I could hear his heart beating. It felt nice.

“I should probably go home soon,” I mumbled, though I didn’t want to move.

“Or,” he said, his voice low, “we could get a private room for a while. They have some upstairs. We could talk somewhere less noisy.” His hand moved slowly up and down my back. “Just to talk,” he added, though his eyes promised more.

I hesitated. “A room?”

“Just to talk,” he repeated, his green eyes sincere.

After a long moment, I nodded. “Okay.”

He smiled and took my hand. Instead of leading me straight upstairs, he first guided me to a small counter near the staircase where a stout woman sat on a stool. He pulled a few coins from his pocket and placed them in her hand.

“For the blue room,” he said. “The rest is for a jug of your best honey wine.”

The woman nodded, pocketing the coins and handing him a key and a small clay jug. “Top of the stairs, last door on the right.”

“Thank you.” He took the key and the jug, then led me up the wooden stairs. The hallway at the top was quiet. He unlocked the last door on the right and pushed it open.

The room was small and simple, containing only a low, wide bed piled with cushions and a small table. A single window was open, letting in the cool night air. He placed the jug of wine on the table.

“It’s not much,” he said, running a hand through his dark hair.

“It’s perfect,” I said softly, sitting on the edge of the bed. The silence felt heavy now that we were truly alone.

He poured some honey wine into two small cups and handed one to me before sitting beside me, not too close. “So, Lara,” he began, his voice calm. “Tell me something real. What are you really running from tonight?”

The direct question caught me off guard. I looked at my hands. How could I explain the weight of a crown?

“I… I feel like my whole life has been planned out for me,” I started slowly. “Tomorrow, everything changes. I have to become someone else. Tonight is the last night I get to be just… me.”

He listened intently. “Who you are seems pretty wonderful to me,” he said quietly.

His words were a balm to my soul. Without thinking, I leaned forward and kissed him. I definitely had too much to drink.

He responded immediately, his hands cradling my face. The kiss deepened, and the world outside ceased to exist because he also did have too much to drink.

It wasn’t until I felt his hands tugging at the laces of my dress that I hesitated. His mouth didn’t stop its exploration, moving to my collarbone, the hollow of my throat, the sensitive spot just below my ear. I was breathing hard, my body aching in a way I had never experienced before.

“Wait,” I managed to gasp, my fingers curling into his hair. “Kaelen, we should… I should…”

He pulled back, his chest heaving, his eyes dark with want. “Lara, if you want to stop, tell me now. Because I’m not sure how much control I have left.”

His honesty made my heart pound even faster. I knew I should say yes, I knew this wasn’t me, that tomorrow I would be a queen and not some tavern girl. But at that moment, I didn’t want to think about tomorrow. I wanted to be free, to feel everything I had been missing.

I didn’t answer, but I didn’t push him away either. Instead, I pulled him closer, our lips meeting in a clash of need and desperation. His hands resumed their work, untying the laces with practiced ease. The cool air hit my skin as he pushed the dress down, his mouth hot against my newly exposed flesh.

“Lara,” he murmured against my skin. “You are so beautiful.”

I arched into his touch, my hands tugging at his shirt, needing to feel him. He helped me, pulling it over his head in one fluid motion before returning to me. His skin was warm and smooth, his muscles tense under my exploring fingers.

I felt his fingers at my thighs, pushing my dress further down. “Is this okay?” he asked, his voice strained.

I nodded, my voice caught in my throat. He removed the rest of my clothes with slow, deliberate movements, his eyes drinking in every inch of me. I should have felt shy, but under his gaze, I felt powerful, desired.

He trailed kisses down my body, his tongue teasing and tasting. When his mouth found the apex of my thighs, I gasped, my fingers tangling in his hair. The pleasure was unlike anything I had ever felt, building and coiling inside me.

“Kaelen,” I breathed, my hips moving against him. “Please…”

He knew what I needed, his fingers joining his mouth, pushing me higher and higher until I couldn’t hold back anymore. The orgasm crashed over me, wave after wave of pleasure that left me breathless and trembling.

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