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Renya reached out and squeezed her aunt’s hand. “It has to be me, anyways.”

Agatha didn’t respond, just continued to gaze into the fire.

“So, tell me about the wedding. How did he propose? Am I invited?”

Renya laughed, and then proceeded to relay the story to her aunt.

Renya crossed her arms and pouted. “She'll just destroy your home to get to me.”

“Our home, Little Fawn,” Grayden gently reminded her. “And yes, we will find a permanent solution. But right now I think she needs to be locked up.”

“What about the balcony outside of your room?”

“Our room, Renya,” he said, and then sighed. “I guess that's as good a space as any. But she can't come into the bedroom. She's already larger than a horse and the lodge is old.”

Renya grinned. “Deal.” She opened the wardrobe and pulled out the first dress she could find, eager to get downstairs and join everyone for dinner. The gown she haphazardly threw on was midnight blue, reminiscent of the starry night sky, and was made of luxurious silk, draping gracefully to the floor. Adorning the gown were delicate snowflakes, intricately embroidered with shimmering silver thread, scattered across the bodice and trailing down the skirt. Every step she took in the gown resulted in a rustling noise, almost as if the gown itself was whispering a tale of winter magic.

Grayden stopped, his tunic only halfway on, and drank Renya in. “That gown is gorgeous on you, my Little Fawn.”

Renya beamed, running her fingers along the material of the gown. “Doria must have made it for me after we left. I don't recognize it.”

He finished pulling on his shirt and walked over to her, placing a kiss along her temple. “Remind me to thank her for taking such good care of my mate.”

“I missed her so much, and she was certainly happy to see us again,” Renya replied. The second they had appeared on the landing outside of their room a few hours earlier, Doria was there, shaking with excitement. She had fussed over the state of Grayden's hair, demanding that he allow her to cut it before he left their chambers again, and then she had worried about Renya's weight, proceeding to force feed her a tray of sweet pastries.

Grayden held out his arm to Renya, and they left the room.

“You’ve finally cut that mop on your head,” came a teasing voice from down the hall. Selenia ran towards them, embracing Renya then giving her brother a playful slug. “Renya, you look beautiful. I’m so happy you’re safe and back where you belong.”

“Me too. You look amazing, as always, Selenia.” Her gown was a tad short for her, hinting that she’d grown taller since she last wore it, but it was beautiful nonetheless. The buttercup yellow dress displayed delicate dragonflies dancing across the fabric, their wings shimmering in iridescent hues. The dragonflies, meticulously embroidered with golden thread, were so realistic that Renya thought they might take flight at any moment.

Sion came out of the room on Selenia’s left, looking slightly startled at seeing them all huddled outside in the hall.

Renya noticed Selenia shift uncomfortably when Sion joined them. She frowned, surprised by Selenia’s reaction to Sion. Renya watched Grayden, to see if he noticed it, but like usual, he didn’t pick up on the things that Renya seemed to. She’d have to ask Selenia about it later.

They all walked towards the stairs, and Phillippe joined them from the far side of the hall.

“You weren’t even going to wait for me?” he teased.

“I assumed you were already stuffing your face,” Grayden said playfully.

Renya watched Selenia again. Not even a hint of amusement sparkled in her eyes. Something was definitely up with her. It was a joke that she should have made, not Grayden.

They continued to the dining room, and when Renya walked in, she saw her aunt was already there, sitting next to Tumwalt. Renya watched the pair hard, trying to discern if there was something going on there, but didn’t see any tell-tale signs.

She moved towards the far end of the table and sat beside her aunt, with Grayden sitting down right next to her.

“You look radiant, Sunshine.”

“Thanks, Auntie. You do too.” Someone provided Agatha with an upgrade in her borrowed clothing, which Renya suspected was the work of Doria. Her aunt donned a simple gray dress with tiny beaded roses all over the skirt. Renya had never seen her aunt in anything but pants and a shirt. Her hair was also braided and wrapped elegantly around her head.

Almory was also there, sitting next to Tumwalt. Cyrus was on Almory’s left, and they chatted animatedly and Renya wondered if they previously knew each other. They had never all dined together before, so Renya assumed this must be a special occasion so they could all discuss the upcoming plans and tactics for their stand against Cressida.

Phillippe and Selenia sat across from Renya, and she thought she detected a slight uptick in Selenia’s expression as Sion glided into the seat beside her, taking up the last available chair.

Grayden stood up and clicked his knife against his glass of wine. A hush fell over the chit chatter as all eyes turned to him and Renya.

“Now that we’re all together, I think it’s important to fill everyone in on what has happened over the past six weeks.”