Regina & Daniella Short Stories

A Game of Chess and Wine

Author's note:

This short story is actually an extended version of a deleted scene from City of Starlight. It happens in the aftermath of Rhys and Daniella's first intimate night together - meaning that it chronologically fits between Chapter 23 - Sweet Waters and Chapter 24 -The Furies of Hell.

When read together, the sequence of events as depicted over these three chapters is basically as follows:

Steamy scene from 'Sweet Waters' --> Daniella wakes up with Rhys --> she spends her time with her friend Maria --> she goes to the knights after dinner --> she makes the contraception potion to prevent pregnancy. 

Steamy scene from 'Sweet Waters' --> Rhys wakes up with Daniella --> he arrives late to his morning training and gets punished --> he eats lunch with his friends --> he sees Daniella again at dinner. 

In this story, I introduce the names of the squires in Rhys' friendship group: Oliver (his best friend), Alan, Alexander, Hugh and Quentin. If I end up mentioning them in City of Starlight, I'll make it clear who they are, because I understand that it's difficult to remember random names. Also, a reminder that the knight who took over Sir Headley's place when the Headleys were stuck in Camelot, Sir Edwards, is Oliver's father. 

Please leave a vote and a comment if you end up liking this short story/deleted scene!

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(Rhys' POV)

I stretched my neck when I felt myself slowly being pulled out of slumber. I took a deep breath and immediately frowned, for not only did a sweet rosy scent met my nostrils, but the bedsheets around me felt different; felt softer and heavier. My eyes snapped open and I sat up slightly to see black and lavender purple wallpaper and a hanging chandelier with flickering candles look back at me. When my head fell to the side, everything came back to me. 

Her back was faced towards me, rising and falling gently. Her long dark hair sprawled out in the space between us. I shifted over slightly so that I could catch a glimpse of her sleeping expression. The faint candlelight illuminated the slope of her nose, down to the perfect pout of her parted lips. 

My muscles pulled a dumb grin onto my face as I traced the events of the night before that I barely remembered. Yet when I looked down at her, the warmth in my chest only grew. I reached out slowly and rested my hand beside her cheek, allowing her gentle warm breath to tickle my skin. After watching her sleep for a few more minutes, I turned the other way so that I could squint at the clock on the mantel. Shit. 

It was a little past eight in the morning which meant I was more than an hour late to training. The curtains hanging above the balcony at one end of the room had not been drawn closed entirely, but I could tell that it was dark outside. My gaze flicked back at the clock, noting that the second hand was ticking. Assuming that the darkness was probably an artificial illusion, I knew I had to get up. 

I didn't want to disturb her so I gently eased myself off her bed and padded over to the dressing room where she had flung off my clothes with her magic. I got dressed quickly and went back into the bedchamber. Although I approached the balcony with intrigue, I made sure to keep a safe distance from the edge in case anybody spied me standing there.

A gentle rustle of bedsheets turned my attention away. I looked back and approached the bed as she stirred. Her eyes opened lazily and a sweet smile illuminated her face as she dipped her head ever so slightly as though she was embarrassed to see me hovering near her. "Good morning, Your Highness."

The edges of her lips pulled into a smirk. "When did you wake up?"

"Ten or fifteen minutes ago. I didn't want to wake you."