“I know,” she said quietly.
They moved in silence for a few moments before Alex decided to speak again. “You’re really good at this. Dancing, I mean.”
“We’ve danced before,” he replied, and when she looked up, his eyes were no longer troubled—in fact, they were sparkling with amusement. It was a startling change from the serious expression they’d held just moments ago.
All the same, Alex frowned slightly, having no memory of ever dancing with him—and that was something she would definitely remember. But then she understood what he meant and replied, “Sword fighting hardly counts as dancing, Kaiden.”
“I disagree.” He spun her away from his body in a complicated three-step manoeuvre before guiding her back to him, keeping perfect time with the music. “It’s all in the movement.”
“Now you’re just showing off,” she said, now smiling herself. She was impressed he’d managed to not only surprise her with the move, but also guide her in and out of it without her having to do anything but follow along. She hadn’t even stumbled— which was quite the miracle considering the heels she was wearing.
“Maybe,” he admitted, with humour in his voice. “But it’s not every day I get to dance with ‘The Inebriated Guest’.”
Alex groaned and leaned forward to hide her face in the crook of his neck as he laughed at her.
“It’s not funny,” she muttered.
“I disagree again,” Kaiden said, and she moved her head back so she was looking at him once more. “Both the act and the explanation were the textbook definition of ‘funny’.”
She scrunched her face up. “Good to know I’m still a verifiable source of entertainment.”
“I heard a rumour that you’ll actually be participating in Combat this year,” Kaiden said. “If that’s true, I’m sure the entertainment will continue.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” she said. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your support.”
“I’m here for you,” he said mock-seriously.
“Hey, Alex, what happened to our drinks?” D.C.’s voice interrupted their conversation.
Alex hadn’t realised that the orchestra had stopped for a brief intermission, so wrapped up was she in Kaiden’s easy banter—and his arms. But her friends had found her and they looked between the two of them with unbridled curiosity. She hastily let go of him.
“Guys, this is Kaiden James,” she introduced. “He’s in my Combat class at Akarnae.”
“We know who he is,” D.C. said, amused. “We’ve been at the academy together for years.”
“Oh. Right,” Alex said, wincing inwardly. Of course they all knew each other.
“Thanks again for helping us out earlier,” Jordan said to Kaiden.
Seeing Alex’s questioning look, Bear explained, “Kaiden and Declan showed us the way down to the dungeons and then kept watch to make sure no other guards turned up. We didn’t know the king and that Warden were already there.”
“So that’s why you were waiting around the corner when I ran past?” D.C. said to Kaiden, who shrugged noncommittally in response.
“Hey, guys. What am I missing out on?” Declan asked as he joined their group.
“Nothing important,” said Alex. She wasn’t sure how she felt knowing the two Combat boys had heard her interaction with the king down in the dungeons, so instead of dwelling on that thought, she motioned to them and D.C. and asked, “Have you all grown up together?”
“For the most part, yeah,” Declan said. “Both my family and Kaiden’s are closely associated with the royal family in one way or another, so we’ve all known each other since we were kids.”
Alex wondered why the two boys hadn’t befriended D.C. at the academy, but then she remembered that her roommate hadn’t wanted to be known as the princess, and these two probably treated her like one, even if it wasn’t deliberate. Plus, they were both a year ahead of Alex and her friends, and unless she was mistaken, D.C. didn’t share any of their potential-based classes.
“What do your families do?” Alex asked, curious.
Before they had a chance to respond, the king called for everyone’s attention.
“We would once again like to thank you for coming to share in the birthday celebrations, but the night is getting away from us and we ask that you begin to say your farewells so our daughter can get some sleep before dawn. Not to mention, her parents as well.”
There were a number of chuckles and the king offered a general “goodnight” and left the ballroom with his wife.
“Ever the concerned parent,” D.C. said, her face showing how much she loved her family. “I’d better go make my rounds, but I’ll see you guys tomorrow at the academy. Alex, I’ll meet you upstairs in a little while.”
“Sure thing,” Alex said.
Everyone else disbursed soon after that. Kaiden and Declan took off after a quick farewell, leaving Alex with Jordan and Bear.
“Are you both truly okay with Dix being the princess?” she asked.
“I had a feeling it might have been her, even before we were friends,” Jordan said. “You don’t grow up in my family and not have some kind of intuition about certain people.”
“Well, I had no idea, but like we said down in the dungeon, it makes sense,” Bear said. “And it’s not like she’s a different person. As long as she doesn’t want us to bow when she walks into the room, then I’m cool with it.”
“You guys are so great,” Alex said, pulling them in for a spontaneous hug.
Jordan patted her on the back. “We sure are.”
“Time for us to get out of here,” Bear said, drawing away. “I told Dad we’d be back by midnight and we’re cutting it close.”
“We’ll see you back at the academy tomorrow,” Jordan promised, and the two of them took off into the departing crowd.
Alex looked around and noticed that D.C. was surrounded by admirers, so she quickly ascended the staircase and headed up to the royal suite. She’d had such a crazy day and couldn’t wait to put her feet up and rest—and finally get her hands on a drink.