Page 4 of A Legacy of Stars (The Lost God Legacies)

4

STELLA

“ S tella, I swear to the gods if you don’t move your fine ass, I am leaving without you,” Kate bellowed from somewhere on the first floor of the McKay Estate.

Stella had always loved the huge house where her mother grew up, but its sheer size meant that someone was always yelling between floors.

Stella rushed down the stairs, around the corner and into the kitchen, and nearly barreled into her best friend. “A face like a lady, but the boisterous voice and colorful vocabulary of a sailor,” she said affectionately.

“I have to speak up if I want to get a word in edgewise in my house,” Kate said with a grin. “Now tell me how good I look.”

Stella laughed as Kate turned in a slow circle. Her fuchsia dress swished around her legs. The high neckline in the front fastened around her neck and left her whole back bare.

“Scandalous,” Stella teased.

Kate pretended to toss her dark hair, which was meticulously pinned up on top of her head. “Thank you for noticing.”

Stella smoothed her hands down the lilac silk of her own dress. “And me? ”

Kate pressed her lips together for a long moment, as if debating whether to say something. She was one of the few people who knew about Arden, but the prince had not done as good of a job winning Kate over as he had Stella.

“Of course you look gorgeous. I just hope you’re not getting your hopes too high,” Kate said.

Stella looked around the kitchen for anything to deflect from the same conversation they’d had many times before. Kate didn’t have to like Arden, but she could at least be supportive.

She glanced out the windows into the garden. Her parents sat in their fancy evening clothes, necks craned, looking up at the barely darkened sky. They whispered to each other, her mother taking the teacup from her father’s hand and sipping from it.

It had been a full day since her mother dropped the news of her pregnancy and Stella still felt unsettled.

“They’re so?—”

“In love?” Kate finished for her.

Stella rolled her eyes. “Yes, but this whole thing is a lot. The way they sit there staring at the sky, passing the same glass back and forth and saying, ‘ sugared with stars ’ like it actually means something?”

Kate laughed. “You are jealous. You want what they have. And why shouldn’t you? You’re their baby. They are the standard.”

Stella hated that it was true. Even now, with her father surely switching to some sort of tea instead of the whiskey they normally shared, they sat there together on a blanket, whispering to each other, as in love as they’d always been.

“They are. It’s easy for them, like it is with me and Arden.”

Kate ignored her, watching as Rainer rose from the ground and helped Stella’s mother up, kissing the scar on the outside of her hand and the one inside her wrist.

“I don’t blame you for feeling like no man at court can measure up to the example your father sets,” Kate said, fanning herself. “And he looks so good doing it.”

“Ew, Kate,” Stella said .

“It’s not my fault. Ever since I caught him and your mom that one time, I swear?—”

Stella covered her ears. “Stop, I beg you.”

“He looks at her like he worships her,” Kate said, gazing longingly out the window.

If Stella wasn’t so used to seeing it herself, she might have been disturbed, but mostly it just made her roll her eyes now. “He does.”

Kate waved a hand like it was obvious. “So it makes sense that you want a man who will worship you.”

“Because he’s like my dad?” Stella wrinkled her nose. “Gross.”

Kate threw her hands in the air. “No, because you know whoever you choose to love, your relationship will be held up against theirs .”

Stella squirmed, picking at her nails and avoiding Kate’s eyes. She didn’t like that it was so clear for her friend to see. That meant that everyone else would think it too. How could she compete with her parents’ history, what with the bond that allowed them to understand each other so fundamentally?

Arden was magnetic, creative, and thoughtful, but it was impossible to give their relationship the privacy to grow when he was such a public figure. She didn’t want Kate or anyone else’s scrutiny. Not when things were going so well with Arden—when they were so close to making things more serious.

“Shall we go?” Kate asked.

Stella turned away from the windows and threaded her arm through Kate’s. “Let’s.”

They hurried out of the house and down the trail to town. It was a quieter night for the Solstice Festival, meant for smaller household and bar parties.

“It’s more deserted out here than I expected,” Kate said as they walked into the main square in Olney City. Torches along the street kept the area well-lit, but there weren’t many people milling about.

Boisterous music spilled out of the doors of the surrounding bars, but the streets were far less crowded than they had been in years past, thanks to the escalating rebel attacks leading up to the Solstice Festival events .

The Sons of Endros had been wreaking havoc in the kingdom since Stella’s parents had helped end the war between Olney and Argaria more than two decades earlier. When Stella was young, the attacks had been few and far between—the careless tantrums of men too rooted in their ways to allow the fighting to end.

Recently, however, those attacks had become more organized and much more frequent. The Solstice Festival was normally a week long with events every night, but for the sake of security, King Marcos had reduced the larger events to every other night so that some of the kingdom’s hunters and guardians could stay sharp and rested, instead of constantly guarding the royal family and visiting dignitaries.

“At least tomorrow will be exciting again,” Stella said, taking one long glance down the mostly empty street. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled like she was being watched, but when she turned, there was no one.

“I know you’re right, but it seems a waste to use such a breathtaking dress at a party where there won’t be any real courting prospects,” Kate said. “Good thing I have the perfect one saved for tomorrow night. Maybe I’ll bring some excitement to the Gauntlet play.”

Stella laughed. She’d always liked watching the Gauntlet play as a child. She grew up on stories and loved that her parents were so intricately woven into the tale of their two kingdoms. In recent years, though, she hadn’t loved the scrutiny. People always came up to her teary-eyed afterward to reassure her that she would find the same kind of love her parents had, but their words felt more placating than sincere.

Rainer liked to say that she had inherited her mother’s face for truth-telling. Stella was not good at hiding her displeasure, and over the past few years, those comments had become difficult to smile through.

Kate tugged her toward the large castle walls. The guards at the gate nodded and Stella and Kate followed a trail of rose petals that led through the castle gates and into the party. They stepped through a large floral archway into a glowing, whimsical wonderland .

The courtyard outside of Olney Castle had been transformed. Tall, white candles surrounded by colorful floral bouquets ran down the center of the long dining tables.

The more intimate gathering of the royal families and a few select families of the court, like Kate’s, had become a tradition over the past few years and Stella always looked forward to it.

“I didn’t know Rosie and Leo went ahead of us,” Kate said.

Stella glanced at her siblings, who stood on the far side of the courtyard, looking at a large ice sculpture that held chilled bottles of bubble wine. Guilt uncoiled in Stella’s stomach. She needed to apologize to them both, but not in front of everyone. She’d have to find a quiet moment when no one was paying close attention.

Kate turned an assessing gaze on Stella and arched a brow. “Oh? Are the perfect McKays fighting?”

“Of course not,” Stella said.

Kate scoffed. “Must be nice. When you only have brothers, the fighting never stops. What is it this time?”

Stella wrung her hands. “You can’t say anything. It’s not public knowledge.”

Kate’s eyes lit up, and she grabbed two glasses of bubble wine from a passing servant’s tray, handing one to Stella before settling in for gossip.

“My mom is pregnant,” Stella said.

Kate stared at her for a full thirty seconds before the words sank in. Her face twisted from an expression of shock to a smirk.

Stella held her hands up to ward off whatever obscene thing Kate was about to say. “Do not even say it?—”

“I knew your dad had it in him. I swear my life changed the day I heard him say the words ‘good girl.’”

Stella groaned. “My stomach is not strong enough to hear that story a second time.”

Kate fanned herself and held her glass against her neck. “I should thank you for inviting me to sleep over after our first Godsball. If I hadn’t, I would never have caught them in the act. I didn’t know older married people still had hot sex in their kitchens. ”

Stella shivered with disgust and covered her ears. “Stop ruining my life, you deviant.”

Kate cackled and turned back to the party, which was beginning to fill with guests.

A squeal cut through the din of voices and Stella turned to watch her mother throw herself into the arms of the king of Argaria. Xander Savero laughed and whispered something in her ear before stepping back and making her twirl. Her mother’s cheeks pinked, and she laughed again as Queen Jessamin hugged her and kissed her on the cheek.

“It’s so weird how your family is so casual with King Xander,” Kate whispered. “You know he’s handsome for an older man. Your mother really knows how to pick them.”

Stella slapped her arm. “Stop it. I can’t think about him that way.”

“Do you not have eyes? What about his sons? Prince Jalen is gorgeous, though you can just tell from looking at him that he knows it. Prince Theodore is very good-looking. He has that whole intensely serious, broody thing going on.”

“Teddy is a jerk, Kate. Jalen is a year younger than us but at least he’s charming.”

“And a flirt from the looks of it,” Kate said, nodding to where Jalen leaned against the table, a rose in his hand extended to Lady Amy Sharp.

At the head table, Xander pulled a pink rose from behind his back and handed it to Cecilia.

“The apple doesn’t fall far,” Stella grumbled.

“Stella?”

She spun and came face to face with the two Savero princesses.

Juliana was twenty-two and had always been close with Rosie. The two were constantly writing letters to each other and spent all the solstice holidays practically attached at the hip. The princess was tall like her mother with flawless golden-brown skin, dark brown eyes, and hair that was always immaculately styled in intricate braids. She was all elegant grace and stylish dresses, but looks could be deceiving. The middle daughter of the Savero family was well-trained by her warrior parents, as deadly as she was regal. Her dress probably had no less than six blades hidden within the bodice.

Juliana pulled Stella into a hug. “It’s good to see you. You’re looking lovely in lilac,” she said.

Stella smiled. “You look beautiful as well, Jules. The beadwork on that dress is gorgeous. Is it from Novum?”

Juliana nodded, glowing with pride in her mother’s homeland as she spun so the candlelight caught the silver beading on her dress. “I think it adds to my ice princess ethos.”

Stella nodded. “It certainly does. You remember Lady Kate Crawley.”

Juliana and Kate kissed cheeks as Stella turned to greet Alexandra.

Of all the Savero children, Alexandra was the one who bore the most striking resemblance to the king. Her skin was lighter and more olive than her siblings, and she had his bright hazel eyes that were always lit with mischief.

Kate looked at the king and then back at Alexandra. “I hope you’ll forgive me for saying so, but you look just like?—”

“My father. I know. Mother says it every day,” Alexandra said. “Fortunate for me that the men and women of Olney think that’s a good thing.”

Stella laughed. “So happy court life hasn’t tamed you, Alex.”

Alexandra brushed her hands together like she was trying to rid herself of crumbs. “I dared them to try. They haven’t risen to the occasion as of yet.”

Stella had never met a more self-contained twenty-one-year-old than Alexandra Savero. Alexandra had always had a steady confidence about her and no fear of the attention being royal brought.

“You look very lovely,” Stella said, eyeing the silver beading forming a scalloped pattern that looked almost like chain mail on her bodice.

Though Alexandra rarely wore anything but her leather armor, she looked just as at ease in the elegant dress that showed off her tall, slender body and a daring amount of cleavage .

Stella looked at the crowd. “Where is Aunt Isla?”

Juliana and Alexandra exchanged a look. “She’s gone away for a while.”

“Away?” Kate asked. “Like on a mission?”

King Xander’s consort, Isla, had long been the general of the Argarian army and had shared responsibility for Argaria’s network of spies with Evan Farlan.

Alexandra swiped a glass of bubble wine from a passing tray and took a long sip, refusing to meet Stella’s gaze. It was no secret that Alexandra idolized Isla. She’d spoken of going to the elite Novumi warrior academy, Callemoore, every summer visit since she was old enough to hold a weapon because she wanted to be trained in the same way the consort was.

Juliana cleared her throat. “No. Not a mission. Perhaps more permanent this time. Our father was forced to make a difficult decision and relieve her of her duties.”

Alexandra scoffed. “You mean to bend to the will of weaker men.”

Juliana glared at her. “You know well that a king cannot rule without the allegiance of his people, Alex. We should at least support him even if we don’t agree with his choices. Or is granting a loved one the grace to make their own mistakes a courtesy that you expect us to only extend to you?”

Stella stared at them. The two princesses were so different, but never so publicly at odds with each other.

“I don’t understand,” Kate said. “Isla is such an asset. She’s a legend. Why would he relieve her of her duties?”

Juliana cast a wary glance around the party and sipped her wine. “Old prejudices die hard. She’s been in the role a long time, but there are still men who are too proud to fight and train beneath a woman, especially a foreign woman.”

“Men would rather let their kingdom be overrun with rebels than follow a woman into battle. The decades change, but the men stay the same,” Alexandra said bitterly.

Stella’s gaze slid to the king. Xander looked as jovial as always, smiling indulgently at Cecilia as they sat down at the table. There was an ease between Cecilia and the king that spoke of a long and intimate history. Stella had always wondered why it didn’t bother her father more, but Rainer seemed entirely content watching the two of them. She supposed he was still riding the high about the baby news. Stella was the only one in the family feeling any semblance of apprehension. Even her mother, who was sick every day, seemed to be in great spirits.

Kate followed her gaze and whistled. “Gods, your father looks incredible. I love when he rolls up his tunic sleeves like that. Those forearms are so?—”

“Kate!” Stella snapped. Her best friend was so good at interrupting awkward conversations with even more awkward ones. “How many times do I have to tell you not to talk about him like that? It grosses me out.”

Juliana smothered a laugh, and Alexandra smirked.

Kate shrugged. “I don’t know why you’re grossed out. You have half those good looks.”

Stella rolled her eyes. “Stop it or I’ll start flirting with your brother.”

Kate gasped in faux shock, her hand coming to her heart. “You wouldn’t dare .”

“Why not? He’s one of the most eligible bachelors in Olney.”

Kate made a gagging noise. “Don’t remind me. If one more lady tries to initiate a friendship with me just to ask about him, I’m going to lose it.”

Kate’s brother, Gregory, was handsome, but Stella had once seen him tell a lady that her eyes were as brown as mud, so his idea of romance might need some work.

A bell rang, the signal for the guests to take their seats, and Stella was saved from any more awkwardness with the princesses.

She walked up alongside the table, searching for her name card and finding it toward the head of the table, only a few seats down from Arden. When he spotted her, he rounded the table and pulled out her chair .

He looked so handsome in his hunter-green tunic. His tan skin glowed in the candlelight.

“You look gorgeous,” he whispered as he pushed her chair in for her. “Just a few more days until I can show the world you’re mine.”

Stella fought a smile, trying to keep her face neutral as he walked back to his place at the table and the king of Olney stood to speak.

Kate sat down beside Stella. “Ready for the corny speech?”

Stella smothered a laugh.

King Marcos stood tall at the head of the table. His dark hair was peppered with gray around the temples, but he still had the build of a warrior. Queen Ilani stood beside him. She was regal and beautiful, and though her features were more delicate, her eyes held a fierce guile that was absent in her son. Stella had always thought Arden favored the best of both of them. He had the king’s kind eyes that invited trust, but Ilani’s clever, strategic mind. Arden would make a great king one day, and Stella thrilled at the thought of being his queen. They could be a team the way his parents so clearly were.

“Thank you all for being here tonight for this dinner under the stars,” King Marcos said. “Queen Ilani and I are honored that our dear friends, the Saveros, have joined us to celebrate our long, prosperous alliance. Please be sure you make King Xander, Queen Jessamin, and the princes and princesses feel welcome.”

Stella scoffed. As if anyone could make prickly Teddy Savero feel welcome. His face was always either devoid of any emotion at all or pinched in disdain.

“Ilani and I are also happy to welcome the Zims, Princess Eleria Zim and her parents, King Limin and Queen Frella, who have traveled all the way from Jeset to celebrate with us.”

The foreign king gave King Marcos a sharp nod. Stella had been trying to ignore the fact that the beautiful princess was sitting just a few seats down, but now it was impossible. The proximity made her want to down her entire glass of wine, but it would have been rude while the king was toasting.

King Marcos paused and smiled warmly at the visiting royal family. “King Limin and I are also delighted to make a very joyful announcement tonight. After many years, we have further fortified our already strong kingdom by solidifying our friendship with Jeset. Just moments ago, we confirmed the details and are happy to announce that Prince Arden and Princess Eleria are betrothed.”

The crowd erupted in applause, but Stella could scarcely hear it over the pounding of her heart. She was winded by the proclamation. Arden looked just as stunned by the words. His face was drained of color and his hands flexed at his sides. Stella’s gaze darted to Princess Eleria, who looked suddenly pale, her smile the tight line of a woman white-knuckling her way through a banquet she’d rather run from.

The world tilted, a sick feeling settling in Stella’s stomach. She felt betrayed.

How could Arden not tell Stella this was a real possibility?

Kate grabbed her hand. “Stella?”

She’d been talking, but Stella couldn’t make out the words.

“What?” Her mouth was so dry it came out like a death gasp.

King Marcos raised a glass. “A toast to my son, Arden, and daughter-to-be, Princess Eleria.”

Stella grabbed her wine and knocked back the rest of what was in her almost-full cup. Her heartbeat drowned out the noise in the courtyard. She set the cup down with a clatter, her gaze locking on Arden across the table.

It was a mistake; her eyes immediately began to burn with tears. She stood with a start.

“Stella—” Kate reached for her, but she ducked away.

Stella felt like she was moving in slow motion as she slipped from the table and through the crush of servants presenting the first dinner course.

She needed air. Her chest was too tight, the evening too warm, her eyes too blurry.

Everything had fallen apart so quickly. How could she have been so incredibly naive? She’d always thought herself so above court politics. She felt better than the ladies she’d watched moon over men whose families were making alliances they chose not to see. She’d thought those ladies so silly, but now she was one of them. Swooning over a prince like she had a right to him—when she was nothing but a party trick to be trotted out. A lovely little result of a great love story she’d always fall short of living up to.

Her parents were extraordinary, and Stella was just another common lady—a dreamer with her head in the clouds. Things with Arden had always been effortless, but now she wondered if she’d read it all wrong—if she was so blinded by the shine of him that she’d thought they were more.

She barely ducked around a servant carrying a tray of bubble wine before stumbling into the queen’s garden. She was practically running by the time her feet hit the familiar garden trail. The shadows of the path seemed to reach for her, the dark as eager for her as she was for its shelter.

“Stella! Slow down.” Arden’s voice cut through the foliage behind her and she took off at a sprint, her dress billowing out behind her.

“Leave me alone,” she said in a loud whisper, running deeper into the maze of gardens.

It was no use. Arden was still on her heels.

“I have an idea. Just let me talk to you. I didn’t know?—”

Stella stopped and turned on him so fast he almost ran into her. “What idea could possibly fix this? You’re engaged to marry some stranger!” Her words were a harsh whisper.

Arden ran a hand through his hair, making a mess of his dark waves. “I didn’t ask for this. I didn’t know my father was even negotiating it, let alone announcing it to the world. He’s not trying to be malicious. He’s just not used to someone saying no to him.”

“As if you would!” Stella said. “I thought—” She was mortified by the raw emotion in her voice. “I thought you and I had something different. I thought we could have the kind of love my parents have. I know there’s pressure on you to always go along with what’s expected of you. But I thought this ease between us was what you wanted.”

Arden winced as if wounded by the words. Anger and frustration swirled in his dark eyes. “For you, I could stand up to them. For you I will.” He cupped her face in his hands. “I won’t lose you, Stella.”

He kissed her with a tenderness that melted the ice in her veins. This was real. Everything at that table had been a performance, but this kiss was the real him. Arden’s hands in her hair, his heart beating wildly beneath her palms. That was what mattered.

He pulled away, his forehead resting against hers, lips brushing hers. “Go with me to the Temple of Desiree. We’ll leave tonight and by tomorrow afternoon we’ll have proof that we’re soul mates and our hearts will be bonded together. There will be nothing my parents can say to that.”

“I’m sure they’ll have plenty to say,” Stella said. She stepped back, needing the distance between them to think.

“They won’t. It’s easier to beg forgiveness when we prove we’re right, because I know we are. I’ve never felt like this about anyone. I love you. Who can argue once we have that bond? You know that’s a thing our parents will respect. My father is terrified of upsetting the gods. Just trust me on this. It will be enough to convince them it’s a good idea and then we can finally be together. Meet me at the royal stables at midnight and we will ride to Heartwood Valley.” He took her hand in his.

The sudden impulsivity was so unlike him. He could be romantic in moments, but he was so rarely spontaneous. Spontaneity was not a luxury for princes. He always had to be aware of appearances.

He curled in on himself, looking agonized by her silence. “Please, Stella. I love you and I can stand up for what I believe in. You mean too much to me and I need you as queen. Our people do.”

Seeing him so undone at the thought of losing her sent a reckless thrill through Stella.

“You think I’d be a good queen?” she asked, fighting a smile.

He lowered to his knees, brushing a kiss to her knuckles. “You would make an exceptional queen. You’re kind and beautiful and have such brilliant ideas. You were made to be my better half. Just give me this chance to prove I deserve you.”

Stella was torn between logic and the sweeping romance of the offer. It was unlike him to go against his parents’ wishes, but this was just the grand gesture she’d been dreaming about since he first started speaking to her on the beach. She wanted the world to know that she was special to him—not in the way he made everyone who spoke to him feel special, but in the way she made him feel that back.

A warning bell blared in the back of her mind. It was the echo of her mother’s voice chiding her to be careful about handsome, sweet-talking men who made big promises.

But Arden was noble and not prone to chasing whim. He had been listening all along and he wanted to give her the exact thing that she’d always wanted. She could have a grand, sweeping love story of her own, and all she had to do was take a leap of faith.

It was not the question she’d been hoping he’d ask from his knees, but her response was the same anyway.

“Yes.”