Page 83 of Grounded (Convergence #1)

The ceremony was so romantic. At first, when Lena heard her twin sister would be marrying an Aethari in some kind of Aethari rite, she'd been worried.

But Liria had always been the level-headed one out of the two of them.

She often said that Lena walked around with her head in the clouds.

Which made Liria's marriage to one of the winged Aethari ironic.

This particular Aethari had lost his wings when he was captured by Nethren and taken underground, but somehow, he had regained flight.

The man was incredible—handsome, tall, muscular, and blessed by both Sources.

He was an Aethari who could converge. And not just in the Medean way.

Thaxvarien Rennux could converge living things.

Or so Lena had heard.

She'd yet to see it for herself, but she believed her sister.

It was hard not to with all the Aethari who had come to join Thaxvarien's cause.

Their home had been turned into a sort of military and religious compound.

Lena wasn't sure what it was all about. Something about changing Aethari laws and taking them into a new future where they interacted more with Medeans.

Lena was all for that. Especially after she'd met Evellor.

The Aethari soldier was one of her sister's guards.

Well, he was Thaxvarien's guard, and before that, he had been the Speaker of Icara's guard.

But now, Evellor lived on the surface, in Liria's home.

And he had nearly died during a traitorous uprising when two of the guards assigned to Thaxvarien decided he was some kind of chosen one who needed to rule them all.

It was insane. They killed all of Thaxvarien's other guards in their sleep. Only Evellor had survived.

For which Lena was grateful.

With blond hair so pale that it was nearly white and ice-blue eyes that would have faded into the whites if not for the deep blue rings around them, Evellor reminded Lena of the knights in the stories she used to read.

His pale hair and eyes were enhanced by the deep, almost umber tone of his skin.

It made his eyes look as if they were glowing.

Especially when he stood in the sunshine. As he was now.

Lena focused back on her harp.

She was playing for her sister's approach with her betrothed.

The march down an aisle of sorts was one of the few Medean traditions that would be included in the ceremony.

Liria was stunning in her pale blue gown, and Thaxvarien was the most dashing groom Lena had ever seen.

He didn't need wings to have a grand presence.

Thaxvarien's charisma preceded him as if it were a tangible thing.

And that face. He was striking. Even her sister couldn't resist him.

They made an incredible couple, striding into the meadow.

The guests were a mix of both Medeans and Aethari.

They threw flower petals on the ground before the advancing couple—another Medean tradition.

A soft smile came to Lena's face as she watched them approach Thaxvarien's father, the Speaker of Icara.

The imposing Aethari man stood in an odd circle of black dust and feathers.

As Lena looked from her smiling sister to the end of the aisle, her fingers kept moving over the strings.

She didn't have to look at her harp to play it.

Every musical instrument Lena had ever picked up had become a part of her.

She learned the feel of them as well as the sound.

Lena could strum her harp with her eyes closed if she wanted to.

Her stare stuttered as it caught upon Rallorival.

It was just Lena's luck that the Aethari soldier she admired didn't show any interest in her.

Instead, it was this brash, annoying, arrogant idiot who pursued her relentlessly.

He may be an Aethari with blond hair, but Rallorival was nothing like the loyal, brave Evellor.

He was the man who had led the very same rebel force that had murdered Evellor's team.

After Thaxvarien and Liria had gone up to Icara to stop the rebels, Rallorival, who had believed he was fighting for Thaxvarien's cause, gave up his position to return to the surface with Thaxvarien and Liria. He brought many of his people with him. They were the first of Thaxvarien's following.

Thaxvarien hated that term, but there was no denying that he was their leader. He might even become the king whom Rallorival and his soldiers wanted him to be. All of Thaxvarien's followers idolized him, especially Rallorival. Yet another reason he annoyed Lena.

Who wanted a man who bent his knee to another? Not Lena. She wanted someone who would stand beside his friend and choose to support him while still retaining his own worth. A man like Evellor.

But it was Rallorival who stared at her. Rallorival—so big that he was brutish. Blond, but darker than Evellor. Dirtier. His eyes were a boring gray that matched his boring gray wings. Everything about him seemed to verify that he was a traitor and a criminal.

Lena determinedly looked away from Rallorival.

At least she wouldn't have to mingle much at the celebration.

She was going to sing, and after that, she would attend to her sister.

Hoping that Evellor attended Thaxvarien.

But Lena rarely got what she wanted. The only thing that ever went her way was music.

Sometimes she wondered if that would be all she had in her life.

And most times, she was all right with that.

This was not one of those times.

Watching her sister with her beloved made Lena ache for more.

She wanted that—a man who looked at her the way Thaxvarien looked at Liria.

She was his whole world. And he was hers.

Liria had gone underground for Thaxvarien, braving a Nethren city to bring him back.

What kind of love was that? Surely it would outlive the stars.

It would outlive their current bodies. Lena was certain that long after they died, their love would affect those who had known them. It already affected her.

Lena glanced over and met the cold, steel-gray eyes of the Aethari rebel. Ugh. Was that man even capable of love? No, he wasn't for her.

Then her sister entered the Aethari circle with her betrothed, and a feeling swept through Lena as a flash of a face filled her mind.

It was so quick, but she knew she'd just been shown the image of her beloved.

That was the man who would change Lena's life forever.

She couldn't recall his features, but one thing had seared itself into her mind—his hair was blond.

Bright, golden blond. No, not exactly Evellor's shade, but that could have been a trick of the light.

It certainly wasn't dark enough to be Rallorival.

Smiling to herself, Lena played on.