Chapter 4:

The music broke out as the doors closed behind us. The first dance was the Quadrille. I went in search of Megan. We had been taught all of the latest dances growing up but had never had the chance to do them. I spotted her, dancing with a gentleman I didn't recognize. I saw Sage talking to Emma. He kept giving the man murderous glances when he was in his line of vision. I smiled and went over to introduce myself to Emma.

We both curtsied to each other. "Sage is quite taken with your sister Aria." She snickered as Sage glared at her.

"I'm surprised he let her go at all." I joked.

"You ladies are going to drive me up the wall." He murmured under his breath. Both Emma and I gave each other knowing looks.

"Don't worry Sage. She doesn't have eyes for anyone else either." I smiled as I caught Megan peeking at us over her partner.

"Thank god. He would be in a sour mood all night if that weren't the case." Emma laughed as Sage rolled his eyes.

"How was your trip here? No trouble I hope." I turned to Emma.

"Nope it was great. I always love coming up to visit Eric. He was always so lonely before. Now I haven't seen him without a smile on his face. It's good to know he is finally happy. And you both fit well together." She grasped my hand. "I hope we can be close friends."

I smiled at her. She looked so much like my sisters. She had the same straw colored hair and curvy figure, though she was a little shorter than Megan was. "Of course." I glanced at the crowd of people gathering next to the balcony doors.

"They are all here for Ella and James aren't they?" I asked Emma. Her smile dropped a little.

"Yes, Ella and James don't travel very often because of this. After they've been here a while things will die down. Most of us don't like the big fuss." She apologized.

"Actually I'm glad the attention isn't on me. It always makes me feel like they are making fun of me. I mean I was a maid for Eric. All the noble's know that." I sighed.

"Ella feels the same way with all the attention on her. She was her family's maid. All of us royals feel like no one approves of us." She patted my arm.

"Emma you don't ever feel like that do you?" Sage asked. I had forgotten he was standing next to me.

"I had a curse on me remember? Causing the whole court to fall asleep when I was pricked and fell asleep myself." She grumbled. My eyes widened in shock.

"Hasn't Eric told you?" She asked me when she saw the look on my face. "No? Well, I had a curse put on me as a child by a sorceress, that I would die on my sixteenth birthday. A fairy altered it, saying I would fall asleep until my true love woke me with a kiss. Well when this happened Philip went to rescue me when the sorceress tried to stop him. She turned herself into a dragon. Philip killed her, came to the court and found me. He kissed me and I woke up."

"Wow, mine and Eric's story sounds lame compared to that." I mumbled.

"Uhh I wouldn't say that." Emma's knowing look made me giggle. "Eric is trying to find you."

"Thanks Emma." I smiled and went to find him. He was next to James and Ella searching the crowd for me. I moved past the people and made it to his side. He grabbed my hand and squeezed.

"Made some friends?" He asked. I nodded and looked over at Ella. She looked like she was ready to scream.

"I can't believe I told Philip that story." I blushed. "I'm just glad your father stopped me from admitting the rest of it."

"Oh? He didn't hear the part where we locked ourselves in the library and ravaged each other?" He whispered in my ear. I shivered as his breath hit my neck.

"No, he didn't."

"He will. Emma knows the whole story. Or my side anyway." Eric shrugged as I shook my head at him. "And you will have to repeat it when the others get here."

"Are we the only ones that had sex before getting married?" I asked him quietly.

He smirked at me. "You will have to find out for yourself."

"Well Ella and James's story doesn't make it sound like they did. And Emma and Philip seem like they could have but she didn't hint at anything like that." I replied.

"Who told you the stories?" He asked.

"Philip told me Ella's and Emma told me hers." I looked at his face as he grinned and shook his head.

"My dear you need to get Philips side of that story. Ella and James's was probably correct though. Philip doesn't leave out that kind of thing as I'm sure you figured out." Eric looked around as the crowd started to thin out. He turned to James. "Took control ehh?"

"Ella was going to scream if I didn't do something." He replied.

"Would that have been so bad? It might get around to people that I don't want their attention." Ella growled as she came to stand next to me. "Hello Aria, it's good to meet you."

"Thank you, it's a pleasure to meet you too." I curtsied to her as she did the same for me.

"Now what horrible thing did Philip say to you about me? I felt my skin crawl during dinner which means he was saying something not true." She eyed my face.

"He just told me how you and James met." I told her.

"Did he now? I knew he wasn't to be trusted when he asked us that question James." In response James just laughed. "You didn't tell him the truth did you? He already thinks I'm a stick in the mud. Always proper and all."

"Well I did tell him the truth. It's not like we had time to do anything before our wedding. We got married the day after I found you. It isn't that hard to figure out." James shrugged.

Ella moaned. "Great now he's going to make fun of me."

"Well its not like Emma would have let him do anything to her until they were married, so she will back you up." Eric put in. I gave him a puzzled look.

"That's true. Emma's too stubborn to have her mind changed once it's made up." James clapped Eric on the shoulder. "Thanks man."

"You guys mean to tell me that we are the only ones who . . . " I gulped as I felt myself blush.

"Yep, so far anyway. I'm betting Al and Mina couldn't wait though. " I heard Philip behind me. The group laughed.

"Mina never was one for rules so that wouldn't surprise me." James said. "Oh it sounds like the next one's a waltz. Ella?" He held his hand out to her. She took it as they glided out to the dance floor.

"I better go find Emma." Philip ran off in search of his wife.

"Aria? Shall we?" Eric pulled me out to dance. I put my head on his shoulder and sighed. "So do you like my friends so far?"

"Yes they are very interesting. Is it normal to have conversations like that?" I asked him.

"Yep, we share just about everything with each other. When all the girls get here and insist on a girl's night you will find out things about their husbands that you might not want to know. And you will share things with them about us." He pulled me closer to him.

"When will the night end?" I asked him after a few minutes.

"This is the last dance of the night. Father is expecting Rick and Syd tomorrow and possibly Adam and Belle." He answered.

"Alright. I need to check on Danny before I go to bed. I'm hoping he is alright." I was pretty sure things were okay because Lacey didn't need to send anyone to come get Megan or me.

"If that would make you feel better we can move their room closer to ours." He suggested.

"That'd be great if it's okay with Megan. You know I think her and Sage might hit it off. They couldn't take their eyes off each other the whole night."

"That's good. I hope Megan is feeling better about being here. I know you were worried she might go back home."

"Yea I was. She seemed really nervous that our father would do something horrible to everyone at home. It made me wonder if he did something to them other than not allowing them outside when I left." I bit my lip. Eric groaned a little bit.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I pulled back to look at him. He was watching my mouth. I bit my lip again and I saw heat flare in his eyes.

"You better hurry back to the room tonight." He whispered huskily. Heat pooled in my belly as I thought about the things he would do to me when we were alone. I distantly heard the music end and the whole room applaud the band. "Go check on Danny." He pushed me gently to the doors.

"Thank you all for coming this evening. It's time for us all to head home and retire for the evening." Eric's father announced before I left the room.

I rushed up the stairs and ran into Lacey. "My lady." She curtsied.

"Lacey how's Danny?" I asked breathlessly.

"He was just fine tonight. He's asleep in your sisters room." She reassured me.

"I'm so glad. Did he ask where we were?"

"I think Megan explained everything to him while she got ready. He seemed happy to just play with all the toys in the nursery. It's a mess in there now. He got out just about everything. When Prince Nate arrives he will have someone to play with. Prince Nate has a six-year-old brother. Now Miss you better get to your room before his highness comes to hunt you down." She shooed me down toward my room.