"Not everyone gets to be the hero of the story, Gracie," her mother took the book out of her hands, closing it as she placed it down on the counter next to her. "Someone needs to be the sidekick, or the villain, or the townsfolk singing harmony in the background."
Gracie cocked an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Which one of those am I?"
"None of them. You're the girl who serves the beer. Table three." Her mother placed two steins in her hand and nudged her into the raucous rumble of the tavern.
"So I said to her, 'You've been living with seven men and you want me to believe your still as pure as mountain snow?'" The dark haired man at table three flashed a wolfish smile.
His companion's eyes widen. "And what did she have to say to that?"
A dark lock of hair flopped forward as the speaker learned in, "Well from what she told me, there's a reason you never see a female dwarf around. Seems that they're just not needed... if you catch my drift."
Gracie watched as the thought processed in the companion's face, realization moving slower than a castle drawbridge. "Oooohhhhhhh. Wait, and you believe that?"
"Let's just say when I finally got to plough that snow, I could tell it was fresh." He tipped back and let out a laugh that echoed through the tavern.
Gracie suppressed an eye roll. "Your drinks, your highnesses," She gave a slight curtsey.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't my favorite barmaid," the prince let out a low whistle, his eyes never straying higher than the swell at the top of her bodice.
"I didn't think I'd see you here anymore now that you're married," she placed the tankards on the table, feeling a heat rise within her. "No beer back in the castle?"
"Oh, there's plenty of beer back in the castle. But none of it has this view," the husky edge to his voice travelled up her legs and settled in the dark, damp place beneath her skirts.
"You'd best mind your words, your highness. The walls of this tavern have many ears, and loose lips to go with them."
Gracie turned to leave, but the prince caught her wrist, pulling her towards him until his mouth brushed her ear. His breath was hot against her neck as he spoke words only she could hear. "Your lips are the only lips I care about in this tavern."
"Sorry, I don't kiss men who've recently kissed corpses," she wrenched her arm free, her voice loud enough for the sandy-haired man across from her to hear. "Now if you'll excuse me."
"It was a magical enchantment!" He called after her, but Gracie never turned around.
"Mama, I'm going out to fetch some water from the spring!" She plucked the bucket from the floor by the bar and crossed her way out the door before her mother could respond.
The warm summer night air enveloped Gracie as she made her way to the stream behind the stable.
She would not think about the prince. She wouldn't not think about the prince and his stupid charming smile and his stupid sexy voice. She would not think about how the last time she had seen him he'd bent her over a stack of hay bales in that very stable. The way he gripped the hair at the back of her neck as he pressed his royal staff into her...
She nearly sat down in the stream, worried the burning heat between her legs would set her skirt on fire.
She wasn't in love with him. That was for damn sure. He was too cocky for her, too much of a flirt. She was certain she wasn't the first taven girl he'd bedded before his father made him settle down, and she had a feeling she wouldn't be the last.
Besides, even if there had been more than a salty lust, it wouldn't have worked out between them. She'd been in the crowd outside the royal wedding- everyone had. The ceremony, the pomp, the bowing. She'd always wanted more than to be more than a barmaid in the back ground of the great stories- but that life wasn't it.
A twig snapped behind her, startling her from her thoughts. She straightened, her ears straining for the source of the sound. They were too close to town for any real beasts, but sometimes the human ones were just as dangerous.
"There you are. Don't you know it's dangerous to be out in the woods by yourself at night?" Prince Ferdinand emerged into a beam of moonlight.
Gracie's posture relaxed, but her heart still raced. "How kind of you to chaperone me while I went for water, but I know these woods like the back of my hand. Besides, the Big Bad Wolf knows not to mess with me."
The prince took a step closer, "What about me? I would very much like to mess with you." He grabbed her by the waist, pulling her against him. She could feel his excitement straining in his trousers.
"As fun as that may be, I'll have to decline. I won't trifle about with other women's husbands. Well, unless she's there to join in." The image flashed in Gracie's mind of her mouth on the new princess' porcelain white breast as those blood red lips wrapped themselves around the prince's hard cock.
Sparks snapped in the air between them. Gracie felt his cock jump through all the layers of fabric as he considered the thought himself. She could feel her resolve start to slip, but he stepped away instead.
"I thought you might say that. You always were quite the noble wench. So I have come up with a plan B." The devil glinted in his eyes.
His sandy-haired companion emerged from the darkness. A cousin, if Gracie remembered correctly. Not as prestigious as the Prince, but still had a good enough title and land- nevermind the family dimples- that made half the kingdom swoon.
Her mind swam with possibilities. "What sort of plan were you thinking?"
"Did you know I've always been a fan of the theatre? There's nothing like a good show to make you feel like you a right there, really living it. It's almost as good as the real thing." He cocked his head innocently. "Do you know what I mean?"
Gracie glanced back and forth between the prince and his cousin. "And what makes you think I'm so keen to perform with a man I hardly know?"
The prince dropped his voice. "Because I know you, my dear girl. You love a good adventure."
His voice sent a chill up her spine. Her nipples strained against the linen of her bodice.
