Holiday–get away… Holiday… (yeah, I’ll shut up about the Madonna song now. I swear.) Its that time of the week again when I give you a snippet of something themed to the Saturday. So, here you go. Its some of the FREE story I did with a bunch of authors for a 12 Days of Christmas Antho.
King, King, Goose by Mandy M. Roth
King Najarni stood outside the thick wooden door, his palm
pressed to it and his head bent. He pushed his shoulder length dark hair
back from his face. “Tara, allow me to enter.”
“No,” she said, her temper still evident.
He sighed. When he’d taken a human as his mate—his wife—he
knew the road of marriage would not always be a smooth one. Tara was
so different from the females of his realm. They were mild, meek even,
always ready and willing to serve their husbands. Tara was strong willed,
often setting him in his place, regardless of who was around. He would
have her no other way.
“I have already said I was sorry,” he pushed. “I only wanted to
give you what you speak of so often—a real Christmas.” The holiday was
not one celebrated by his people so he knew little of it. He’d sent two of
his advisors along with six of his finest warriors to the human realm to
gather what would be needed. They’d returned with several wagons full
of materials and other items.
His servants had spent the greater part of two days preparing the
hall for the event and Najarni spent equally as long keeping his wife
occupied in their bedchamber so as not to spoil the surprise.
When he led her to the hall and the music began to play, he
thought his wife would perhaps grant him a look at her beautiful smile.
One he never tired of. She had done so right up to the point she spotted
the strange creature his advisors had returned with. It was caged and
spent most of its time hissing and flapping its large wings. When Najarni
informed her it was to be part of the feast, the only reward he was given
was a look of horror before she stomped on his foot, deemed him to be a
giant, mean, oaf and then ran to their chambers, where she still remained.
“Tara,” he whispered.
“I’m not coming out,” she spoke with brutal deliberation. “You’re
a tyrant.”
“Because I wished to give you a feast to celebrate a time of the year
you hold dear?” He saw not how he could viewed in such a manner when
he only wished to please her.
Opening the door, she made an odd noise before peeking out at
him. Her green eyes danced with fury. “Because you ordered Roger’s
death.”
Roger?
His brows met. “I know no Roger and ordered no such death.”
“The goose,” she snapped.
“I know no goose and again, ordered no such death.”
She pinched the bridge of her nose. “The creature in the cage. The
one you want to serve me for dinner.”
Understanding came to him and he knew he was in trouble with
his wife. An insipid grin slid over his face. “Ah,” he paused, “you wish no
harm to come to The Roger?”
She blinked and stared up at him through hooded lashes. Her red
hair framed her heart shaped face, making the blue of her eyes stand out
more. “You mean the goose?”
“Yes, that is what I said. The Roger. Are they not the one in the
same?”
Tara’s lips trembled and he was unsure if she was on the verge of
tears or laughing. When customs from the human realm came up in
discussion, she often found humor in his questions or responses. He
wasn’t sure why.
“Promise me you won’t hurt Roger,” she said, tugging at her lower
lip.
He watched the action intensely, wanting to steal a kiss but
knowing better than to try when she was in her current mood. “You have
my word.” He put his arm out to her. “Come, we shall enjoy this
Christmas gathering.”
She slid her arm through his and put her head to his upper arm.
They made their way through the castle, to the great hall and the moment
they entered, all persons present stopped what they were doing and bent
their heads, honoring the arrival of the king and queen. Najarni glanced
over the crowd. “I hereby decree that no harm shall befall The Roger.”
His guards shared confused looks.
He pointed to the creature in the cage. “That is a Roger. It is not to
be harmed. You are to protect it with your lives.”
Tara hid her laugh behind a cough and held tight to her husband’s
arm. There was no point in explaining again that Roger was a goose. Not a
Roger. Once Najarni made his mind up about something, it was incredibly
difficult to change it.
His men nodded in understanding and he waved a hand in a
dismissive fashion in the air. The festivities continued, though this time, a guard
took a position near the cage, standing in a protective manner.
TO READ THE REST OF THIS FREE STORY YOU CAN DOWNLOAD IT HERE
Be sure to check out these other fantastic authors and their Saturday Snippets
Michelle Pillow
Anya Bast
Lacey Savage
Jaci Burton
McKenna Jeffries
Moira Rogers
TJ Michaels
Taige Crenshaw
Vivian Arend
Jody Wallace
Ashley Ladd
Shelli Stevens
Shelley Munro
