Keys to the Kingdom Read Online Free Page B
Author: Fiona Wilde
voice floated to him from across the room.
When Kier shot her an angry look, Lenora picked up a banana slice and popped into her mouth, smiling innocently as she did.
Kier groaned in frustration. "You, Quentin. Go fetch the king."
"Certainly brother," Quentin said, rising quickly from the table to the disappointment of his siblings, each of whom had hoped to be chosen to leave what was beginning to look like a losing battle.
As he left, Kier turned back to the princesses. "When your father hears of this you'll find the tables turned. Don't think that my brothers and I are so easily outwitted."
"Oh no," Lenora said. "We'd never think that."
Then she and the others burst into laughter again.
"Stop it!" Kier commanded. "Stop or I'll..."
"You'll what?" Lenora asked. "Beat us. For laughing? I can only imagine how much fun life will be with you once you've banished mirth from the castle. Or is it simply forbidden when you are its target."
She turned to Luna. "You get the clumsy one. I get the insecure one."
Kier felt his fists clenched. His hands itched to grab Lenora form her chair and haul her across the room, to throw her over his lap and bare her bottom - modesty be damned! - and spank her until her perfect posterior was a deep cherry red and she was begging him for mercy.
But she'd succeeded in making him look petty, and if he spanked her now he would only look more petty.
And she knew it. He could tell by the way she looked at him with this satisfied, victorious expression on her beautiful face. And he was going to marry this woman? Did he want to?
Then he reminded himself of the king's promise of lands and titles and riches, of honor restored to the sons of Salazar. And Kier knew he had a duty to forge ahead and tame this woman and - if possible - try to love her.
"Where in the world was that king?" he wondered and finally, when he was nearly at his wits end, the doors opened and King Elgar walked slowly and stiffly into the room with Quentin by his side.
But it was too late.
The sisters had all risen from the table, their plates now cleared of food.
"I was told I was needed?" he said, looking from his daughters to the princesses.
"Yes, papa. We summoned you," lied Angelica. "For we wanted to thank you for the lovely breakfast and tell you how much we love you. The girls circled their father then and smothered his old face with kisses as he sighed with happiness."
Kier moved over to Quentin. "You didn't tell him," he observed. "You didn't tell him why he'd been summoned."
"I thought it was best if you did," Quentin said defensively.
"My daughters tell me the food is not to your liking?" The king stepped forward now and looked at the table where the princes' plates sat nearly full across from the princess' cleared ones.
"No, there is nothing wrong with the food."
"But your plates are still full!" the King observed.
"We were....distracted," Kier said.
"By the good conversation," Angelica offered.
"Yes," Fiona said. "The princes were just telling us how they enjoy jousting, and how they are extremely adept at it, and how they regularly practice jousting with one another in a most aggressive fashion. They think you might like to watch a match!"
The brothers looked at one another in confusion. They'd said nothing of the sort, and what's more while they knew how to joust none of them were particularly adept.
"Splendid!" the king replied before Kier could explain. "It's been years since I've seen a good jousting match. We'll arrange one for later today, and I'll even put up one of my jewels as a prize to the prince who wins!"
"Lovely!" Lark replied. "I do like a man with jewels. I home my betrothed wins it, so he can make a gift of it to me!"
Then the girls left the room with their father, leaving the princes standing there looking confused.
"Let's hope the jousting match goes better than this morning," Leo drily observed.
"We were trounced," admitted Quentin.
"Badly," agreed Ivan, rubbing the knot
When Kier shot her an angry look, Lenora picked up a banana slice and popped into her mouth, smiling innocently as she did.
Kier groaned in frustration. "You, Quentin. Go fetch the king."
"Certainly brother," Quentin said, rising quickly from the table to the disappointment of his siblings, each of whom had hoped to be chosen to leave what was beginning to look like a losing battle.
As he left, Kier turned back to the princesses. "When your father hears of this you'll find the tables turned. Don't think that my brothers and I are so easily outwitted."
"Oh no," Lenora said. "We'd never think that."
Then she and the others burst into laughter again.
"Stop it!" Kier commanded. "Stop or I'll..."
"You'll what?" Lenora asked. "Beat us. For laughing? I can only imagine how much fun life will be with you once you've banished mirth from the castle. Or is it simply forbidden when you are its target."
She turned to Luna. "You get the clumsy one. I get the insecure one."
Kier felt his fists clenched. His hands itched to grab Lenora form her chair and haul her across the room, to throw her over his lap and bare her bottom - modesty be damned! - and spank her until her perfect posterior was a deep cherry red and she was begging him for mercy.
But she'd succeeded in making him look petty, and if he spanked her now he would only look more petty.
And she knew it. He could tell by the way she looked at him with this satisfied, victorious expression on her beautiful face. And he was going to marry this woman? Did he want to?
Then he reminded himself of the king's promise of lands and titles and riches, of honor restored to the sons of Salazar. And Kier knew he had a duty to forge ahead and tame this woman and - if possible - try to love her.
"Where in the world was that king?" he wondered and finally, when he was nearly at his wits end, the doors opened and King Elgar walked slowly and stiffly into the room with Quentin by his side.
But it was too late.
The sisters had all risen from the table, their plates now cleared of food.
"I was told I was needed?" he said, looking from his daughters to the princesses.
"Yes, papa. We summoned you," lied Angelica. "For we wanted to thank you for the lovely breakfast and tell you how much we love you. The girls circled their father then and smothered his old face with kisses as he sighed with happiness."
Kier moved over to Quentin. "You didn't tell him," he observed. "You didn't tell him why he'd been summoned."
"I thought it was best if you did," Quentin said defensively.
"My daughters tell me the food is not to your liking?" The king stepped forward now and looked at the table where the princes' plates sat nearly full across from the princess' cleared ones.
"No, there is nothing wrong with the food."
"But your plates are still full!" the King observed.
"We were....distracted," Kier said.
"By the good conversation," Angelica offered.
"Yes," Fiona said. "The princes were just telling us how they enjoy jousting, and how they are extremely adept at it, and how they regularly practice jousting with one another in a most aggressive fashion. They think you might like to watch a match!"
The brothers looked at one another in confusion. They'd said nothing of the sort, and what's more while they knew how to joust none of them were particularly adept.
"Splendid!" the king replied before Kier could explain. "It's been years since I've seen a good jousting match. We'll arrange one for later today, and I'll even put up one of my jewels as a prize to the prince who wins!"
"Lovely!" Lark replied. "I do like a man with jewels. I home my betrothed wins it, so he can make a gift of it to me!"
Then the girls left the room with their father, leaving the princes standing there looking confused.
"Let's hope the jousting match goes better than this morning," Leo drily observed.
"We were trounced," admitted Quentin.
"Badly," agreed Ivan, rubbing the knot
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