ICE

99. The Crown Prince

AMUSEMENT SHIMMERED WITHIN Eoin's eyes. He watched Ravenna's reaction and his lips quirked back into a small smile. "Fear not," he said. "I don't plan to rat you out."

Ravenna almost couldn't even respond. She was so flustered. It had been years since she'd truly been caught for pickpocketing. It had also been years since someone had so blatantly called her out for it.

She took a sip of her drink. The liquid burned in the back of her throat. "You've been watching me," she accused casually.

"You are just hard to miss," he told her.

She didn't really know what to say to that. Silence fell between them, drowned out by the loud music and chatter that surrounded them. Eoin took a sip of his own drink. His gaze remained focused on her face.

"Can I ask why you came to this town?" he asked after a moment.

Ravenna turned toward him and tilted her head to the side. "Why are you asking me so many questions?"

He chuckled. "I am simply curious."

"I feel like I am under interrogation," she muttered under her breath. "Do you do this to all of the girls that you find attractive?"

"Not quite," he answered with a laugh. "You are definitely an exception."

"And why is that?"

Part of her was a little nervous. He had already proven himself to be smarter than the average guard —or at least a drunken man with heavy pockets. Not many had ever caught her pickpocketing before. With the nature of his questions, she couldn't help but wonder if he knew more about her than he let on. There was a chance that he'd begun to piece things together.

A hand appeared out of nowhere, reaching past Ravenna's face to grasp at the edge of the bar. Confused and annoyed, she turned toward its owner. The drunken man pushed between her and Eoin, until he was pressed against the bar. Ravenna leaned back, away from him, as a horrid stench drifted past her nose.

The man reached across the counter, shouting incoherently and grabbing at the young woman who served drinks.

Annoyance bristled through Ravenna.

Her hand curled around the man's shoulder. Her nails dug into his flesh. "Sir. You are being incredibly rude," she snapped at him. He almost didn't respond at first —but she didn't dare use magic next to Eoin.

The man turned to face her, almost shoving her off her seat in the process. His angry screeches were almost completely drowned out by the music. Ravenna glared at him, silently daring him to lay a hand on her.

To her surprise, the man stopped screaming very abruptly. His expression morphed into something that was angry and overwhelmed with confusion. Then Ravenna watched as he was lifted upward, into the air, until his feet dangled almost a foot above the ground.

The music stopped. The dancers froze. The entire tavern had shifted their attention toward them.

The drunken man let out a small squeak as he was tossed, effortlessly, to the side. He hit the stone floor with a pained grunt and rolled over onto his side, disoriented.

Eoin stared down at the man, his expression grim. "I apologize about that, sir. But I had no choice. You were being incredibly rude and disrespectful, both to my friend and the bartender."

The drunken man stared up at him, his jaw hanging low. After a moment, he seemed to gather his senses. The man fumbled around on the floor, until he appeared to sit in a low bow. His forehead touched the stone floor and his arms stretched out in front of him. "Forgive me, your highness," he gasped out.

Ravenna blinked. She stared at the drunken man, observing the way that he bowed before Eoin. His words slowly began to register inside her head. Then her gaze darted around the tavern, taking in the various expressions that the humans wore around her. Most of them were filled with admiration and surprise. And all of their gazes were focused on Eoin.

Or technically Prince Eoin.

She reached back, her fingers curling around the edge of her stool. Her skin suddenly became very clammy and very cold. She felt a little faint. Her jaw clenched tightly as she watched Prince Eoin bend down and helped the drunken man to his feet.

She knew that his name had sounded familiar, back when she'd first heard it. However, growing up in such a small town, in the outskirts of the kingdom, Ravenna had really only ever heard it once or twice in her life.

And she certainly didn't expect Eoin to be the Crown Prince...

hello friends!

I'm sorry about the late update this week! Things have been crazy busy on my end and I feel like my brain is scrambling around, trying to catch up. I really hope that everyone is having an awesome weekend so far! 

Thank you so much for your endless patience and support! I really appreciate y'all so much!! ❤❤❤