“It has finally happened!” Snow exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around Raven and hugged her tightly.
“I know, I know! I cannot believe today has come at last!”
Snow pulled back, her full red lips arching in a pretty smile against her pale skin, her black lashes fluttering briefly over her brilliant blue eyes. She was a stunning beauty. If Raven did not love her as much as she did, she would find the green tinges of jealously invading her thoughts, but as it was, she simply could not think ill of the enchanting Snow White. No one could.
“Where is Corlan?” Snow grinned. “I must hug my new brother as well.”
Raven glanced over to where Corlan stood, watching them intently, his eyes never straying from Snow. He had been head over heels for the girl since they were children. Long before their parents had agreed to marry, King Herbert, Snow’s father, had often brought her to play with them, the neighboring royal children, so she could experience friendship. He worried that without her mother, she would become too sad and lose the finer elegant qualities needed to turn into a lady and ruler one day. And so he hoped to bring her out of the melancholy of losing her dear mother and into the warmth of the Flynn court.
“He is over there.” Raven nodded toward her brother.
She grinned at Corlan’s reaction as the stunning girl rushed toward him and threw her arms about his shoulders. He held her and closed his eyes briefly, no doubt reveling in the feel of her so close to him.
Snow pulled back, and Raven loved the way her brother’s eyes observed that lively face before him, watching each movement, each smile, each word as it came from her lips.
When would he tell her he was in love? Raven had been asking him for months now, but he would never answer. Just then, a dashing young man stepped forward and bowed low before the pretty princess in her red-and-gold gown.
“Princess Snow,” Raven heard him say, “will you do me the honor of dancing the first set with me?”
Raven glanced around the grand ballroom. It would seem indeed that it was time to begin the entertainment her mother had requested. Several couples already lined the outskirts of the floor, waiting for the king and new queen to begin their nuptial dance.
“Snow is dancing with me for the first set,” Corlan answered.
Raven looked over at her brother. Bravo. He stood just a bit taller, with his arm wrapped around Snow’s shoulders.
Snow smiled sweetly at the man. “I promise to go out on the floor with you during the second.”
The man glanced from Snow to Corlan and then back to Snow again. He must have liked the smile on her face, for he bowed lower and said, “Your Highness, there is nothing I wish for more.”
She nodded, and then looked up at Corlan.
“Shall we?” he asked.
They really did make an incredible couple. Corlan was so tall and dashing, with his distinguished brown hair and lightly sun-kissed skin and deep green eyes. He was a sight to behold. But Snow, bless her heart, did not ever appear to prefer one man over the other. She seemed completely oblivious to the male species altogether—enjoying them, of course, and smiling serenely and capturing their hearts one by one. But every suitor who came to stare and try his hand for the fair princess left with a confused look on his face, for they simply did not know what to make of her. Did she not like them? Did they do something wrong? She seemed happy enough, but pushed away their advances as if they were nothing to her. Again and again, Raven watched princes from all over the continent come and try their best to woo her, but to no avail.
“King Herbert and Queen Melantha will now take the floor,” the herald announced grandly.
Raven watched her mother, a stunning red-haired beauty glorious in pale-gold silk, step into the arms of her beloved Herbert as they began to waltz on the floor of the sparkling chandeliered room. The guests exclaimed over the couple as they passed by, tittering behind fans and whispering of their happiness for the great king and queen.
They had sent a surge of new hope throughout the land by uniting the two kingdoms. Raven could feel the excitement and joy buzzing through the air in pings of awareness at the exhilaration this wedding brought to all.
Raven smiled as her mother came near and then dipped and spun away as the music wound down. Even though she was in her early forties, there was no woman who could claim to have the beauty she still possessed—a vision of loveliness from her shining head of hair to her dainty, nimble feet.
The first set of dances were about to begin. Raven sighed and looked around the room, her heart clenching slightly within her chest. So many of the couples were already eagerly waiting to take their places on the dance floor. She had hoped that by now, a young man would have been inclined to ask for her hand during this particular set, today of all days when it was her mother’s wedding. But no young man made his way toward her. Indeed, most of them were across the room, keenly watching Snow and Corlan speak softly and laugh with one another.
It was no use. There would never be a man who saw her while her dear new sister was in the room. Taking a deep breath, she blinked back a few tears and attempted to paste on a smile. She refused to become a silly water pot today, when truly everything she could have wished for came true. This was the happiest day of her life.
“Excuse me, Princess Raven Flynn?” a dashing young man asked as he walked toward her and then bowed.
Butterflies flurried wildly within her chest. “Yes?” she replied a little breathlessly. He was unbelievably handsome, with his blond hair and deep brown eyes.
“Forgive me for being so forward and not waiting for a proper introduction. I am Prince Terrance from the Sybright court and was pointed in your direction. I was wondering if you knew if the Princess Snow White was free this set? I have only just arrived, by invitation of King Herbert, and have been eager to meet this paragon I have heard mentioned.”
“Oh.” Her smile tightened. “Of course.” She nodded, reminding herself that someone as attractive as he would only ever wish to be with Snow. “She is engaged at present,” she said as the dancers began to walk upon the floor. “But if you wait your turn, she is indeed very amiable and would be more than happy to stand up with you.”
“Perfect.” He smiled, showing off two adorable dimples as he did so.
Raven gasped, and then quickly bit her lip to keep from doing it again. She had always longed for a man with dimples.
Terrance grinned down at her, those indentations only deepening more. “Are you perchance free at the moment?” he asked, looking around as if amazed she was still standing with him and not upon the floor.
“Yes, I am.”
“And do you mean to dance?”
He took a pace back and swept another bow. “Forgive me, princess! I did not realize. Please, would you do me the honor of stepping out with me?”
She giggled. “I would be delighted,” she said as she placed her hand within his and walked onto the floor.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jenni James is the busy mom of seven rambunctious children ranging from the ages of 2-16. When she isn’t chasing them around her house in sunny New Mexico, she is dreaming of new books to write. She loves to hear from her readers and can be contacted at: jenni@authorjennijames.com, or written to: Jenni James PO Box 514, Farmington, NM 87499. Jenni has several clean books for teens already published and many more to come, including:
Jenni James Faerie Tale Collection:
Beauty and the Beast
Sleeping Beauty
Rumplestiltskin
Cinderella
Hansel and Gretel
Snow White
Frog Prince
The Jane Austen Diaries:
Pride & Popularity
Northanger Alibi
Persuaded
Emmalee
Mansfield Ranch
Sensible & Sensational
Prince Tennyson
Revitalizing Jane
The Eternal Realm
Series:
Eternity
Jack and the Beanstalk
Jenni James © copyright 2013
All rights reserved as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
StoneHouse Ink 2013
StoneHouse Ink
Boise ID 83713
http://www.stonehouseink.net
First eBook Edition: 2013
First Paperback Edition: 2013
Cover design by Phatpuppy Art
This book was professionally edited by Tristi Pinkston http://www.tristipinkstonediting.blogspot.com
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to a real person, living or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Published in the United States of America
Table of Contents
Praise for Jenni James
Title Page
Other Books by Jenni
A Note from the Author
Dedication
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
Sneak Peek at "Snow White"
About Jenni
Copyright Information
Table of Contents
Praise for Jenni James
Title Page
Other Books by Jenni
A Note from the Author
Dedication
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
Sneak Peek at "Snow White"
About Jenni
Copyright Information