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“Not the same. New Taras overlooks a river like a fortress. The castle is situated at the top and the streets meander around and around until they reach the river valley below. Its rock and plaster, brick and mortar, arches and pillars painted various shades of a sunset.”

“Poetic, Ollie.”

“You know me. Always wanted to be a writer and got stuck with this job.” He grinned.

“And Queen Keyanna?”

Ollie arched his eyebrow again. “Infuriating, but brilliant.”

“Thinking of joining her harem?”

Ollie scoffed. “I plan on remaining in Kaloma only as long as your father insists to help her with her cabinet. Hopefully that archbishop will be found. Then, I will look forward to my return to Jast.”

“Spoken like a true Jastian if I’ve ever heard one. I must admit, I’m looking forward to spending the year with Tarley there.”

Ollie grinned. “Don’t want to return immediately to Jast with your family then?”

“Absolutely not. I plan on…” Lachlan stopped and swiped a hand down the placard of his jacket, checking each of his buttons. “Let’s just say, what I plan to do isn’t fit for my mother’s ears.”

Ollie laughed loudly. “Perhaps we’ll have a new heir before the month is out.”

Lachlan furrowed his brow. “Let’s not be too hasty. I’d like some time with my wife first. Maybe by the time we’re thirty-five. No. Forty.” He smiled.

“Lachlan.” Trevis poked his head inside the small space. “They’re ready.”

“Thank you, Trev,” he said to the boy who’d become enamored with his seventeen-year-old sister. Of course, Lea couldn’t see past the tip of her nose to notice. His siblings weren’t exactly enamored with Sevens and had grumbled repeatedly about wanting to return home.

Lachlan joined his family also dressed in their royal garb standing on the dais that Tomas and Mattias had built at the front of the meeting house. It was a beautiful recreation of the tree on the green. His mother reached out as he passed, grabbed his hand, offered a quick squeeze, and released him. As he turned to face the front, Lachlan tracked Ollie across the room and watched as he took a seat next to Queen Keyanna. The Queen offered Lachlan a smile and a regal nod.

Lachlan took his place near Horance, who held the binding cloth for the ceremony. Tarley had refused to allow the Rayoran priest to marry them, though Acolyte Primson was still present, watching from the gallery, to confirm their vows as was still necessary by Kaloma law until the laws were changed. And surprisingly, Horance had agreed to do the honors of leading them through their vows.

The meeting house was decorated in sprigs of pine and berries, late flowers still in bloom, ribbons, and candles—a recreation of the Green. An array of forest colors throughout the hall made Lachlan smile, remembering their time alone in the woods when he fell in love with a woodland fairy named Tarley.

When Tomas and Scarlett appeared in the doorway at the opposite end of the building, Lachlan’s breath caught in his chest, knowing Tarley was on her way. The guests began tossing flower petals as soon as they stepped into the aisle. By the time Tomas and Scarlett, arm-in-arm, climbed the dais where Lachlan stood with his family, he was eager to see his bride. Jessamine followed them first, then Brinna, then Auri, and finally Mattias.

His heart stopped then decided to race forward, lurching in his chest when Tarley appeared in the doorway. His woodland fairy. She wore a dress her sisters had made, of mauve silk and sparkling with gems the queen had sent. The fabric skimmed her like a dream. As she walked forward, the silk moved with her steps, drifting around her like a cloud, flower petals raining around her. A crown of greenery circled her head. Lachlan was sure he was standing in a woodland glen, watching his fairy-queen wife who’d stolen his heart.

Her eyes jumped to his and curled with joy as she smiled at him—a smile that stole his heart one more time and he knew would for the rest of their lives.

42

Lachlan carried Tarley over the threshold of the room in the inn. It was the first time they’d truly been alone, aside from a few stolen moments at the cottage over the last four weeks. Scarlett had insisted Tarley return home to the cottage where it was safer, and while things had been strained, planning a royal wedding in a place like Sevens had proved all encompassing.

Now, though, in her husband’s arms—her husband!—Tarley’s heart was knocking against the inside of her chest with an excited rhythm.

Lachlan kicked the door closed behind him, set her down, and leveled a dark look full of promise. “Clothes off,” he ordered.

A thrill went through her as she took a step away from him. “Is this how it’s going to be? You ordering me about, Your Highness?”

“That is not all I plan to do to you–” He took another step toward her while undoing the gold buttons of his purple jacket. He looked divine. As she’d walked down the aisle, when she saw him in his royal finery, the weight of marrying him carried crashed into her. She’d only ever known him as a man, and how wonderful a man he was. He was going to be an incredible king. The king of Jast!

“When I get these hands on you, Tarley,” he promised, holding up his hands for a moment. She tracked them as he returned to working the golden buttons of his jacket loose. “Clothes.”

“The guard is right outside,” Tarley whispered, retreating a step as Lachlan stalked forward.

“Now you’re shy?” Lachlan asked. “You weren’t exactly opposed to going at it in the hedge outside your parents’ cottage where everyone could hear us.”

She grinned as heat spread across her cheeks. “Hush.”