Page 65

Evelina

Evelina looked at herself in a long, golden-framed mirror. Her stomach flipped as her gaze traveled down the dress Lyria had brought to her this morning.

It was the most stunning gown she’d ever seen, composed of delicate gold and white fabric. Tiny crystal beads were woven into it, filling the bottom hem and trailing up to the waist like ivy. The top was supported by thin straps, just enough to keep the dress in place.

But the back was what made Evelina’s breath catch. It scooped low, stopping near the base of her spine. The hem of the dress fanned out, a train so long that it would take up half the aisle when she walked down it.

It was the kind of dress she’d imagined marrying Daimon in.

But he had his duty. She had hers.

Every moment with Daimon felt like she was flying against the sun, knowing that she would one day get too close. Her happiness wasn’t her priority anymore. Her people were.

She didn’t know how to rule, not when it was always meant to be Carwyn. But she would do this for her. Would do this for her mother. For Ren, Keir, Elias, and Ranick. For all the soldiers she couldn’t save and those who had given their lives for the empire.

Then there was Senna. Someone she had considered a friend from a young age, someone who was already marrying out of duty to his people. He was sacrificing for their empire just as she was, all the while grieving the Rider he, too, had lost.

She turned away from the mirror and faced Lyria. Her sister gazed at her, eyes hopeful and misty. She wore a pale pink dress that gathered at her waist and spread out widely around her, embellished with embroidered pink flowers sewn from head to toe.

“Evie, Mother would be so proud of you,” she said softly. “Carwyn and Ren, too.”

Evelina swallowed down the emotions clinging to her throat. The image of Carwyn’s face frozen in Xenos’s ice flashed through her mind, remembering the way the pain stayed frozen in her eyes too.

She threw her arms around Lyria, hugging her tightly. “I wish they were here.”

“Me too,” Lyria said. She pulled back and wiped a few stray tears away. Her eyes were sad, and Evelina knew the day would be far more bitter than sweet for the both of them.

“I always imagined Ren walking me down the aisle on the day I got married,” Evelina admitted.

Lyria walked over to the door, picking up a small basket. “I will be with you the whole way,” she whispered. “It’s time.”

They walked arm in arm to the throne room. Evelina could already hear the light music that played, and the chatter of hundreds of people who had spilled into the corridors. They passed Aegis guards stationed in the hallways along the way, which would have been odd before the war but was now commonplace.

Once outside of the throne room, Evelina began to panic. She turned to Lyria, eyes wide as she realized what she was about to do .

“I can’t do this,” Evelina whispered.

Lyria grabbed her shoulders lightly. “If you want to run, then I’ll hold your dress and we’ll run,” she said. Evelina’s brows jumped up. “If you want to storm in there and find a way to do this without having to marry Senna, I’ll open the door. If you want to cry, I have a shoulder and a cloth to dab your eyes with.”

Evelina’s eyes filled with tears.

“But, for what it’s worth,” Lyria said softly as she squeezed her shoulders, “you’re going to make a marvelous queen. You’re kind and gentle, but you’re also one of the bravest people I know. You don’t balk in the face of peril or uncertainty—you take it head-on. That is the kind of queen this realm needs right now.”

The music shifted behind the door, a lullaby for a bride. Evelina reached for Lyria’s hand and took a deep breath. Lyria was the only family she had left now. She didn’t know how she would get through this day without her.

“You’ll be with me the whole way?” she whispered.

Lyria smiled and pulled her into a hug. “Every single step.”

Evelina pulled away. She nodded at the two Aegis stationed outside the throne room and took another steadying breath as they opened the doors.

The room was packed wall-to-wall with people. Paper butterflies tied to strings hung from the ceiling, and the aisle had been lined with a sea of lavender and white flowers.

Ellerry waited at the end of the aisle with Senna at the bottom of the steps that led to the twisted-branch thrones. Senna wore a perfectly fitted white jacket and pants, covered with gold thread sewn into swirls. A perfect match to her gown.

The council sat on either side of the thrones. Maliena gave her a gentle, somber smile.

Lyria squeezed her arm and they stepped forward together.

Evelina smiled at those standing as she passed them. They wore flowing gowns and tailored jackets, jewels around their necks and flowers in their hair .

The music swelled as she stopped just before Senna and Ellerry. Lyria gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and moved into the crowd.

Senna reached for her hands, his touch light and warm. He smiled at her. Seeing how calm he was kept her focused. The music slowed to a pause and, within the silence that followed, a thick layer of anticipation suspended in the air.

“People of Valon,” Ellerry began. “Today, we bind together not only two fae, but a queen and her king.” She held a short rope in her hand, her face reserved and unreadable as it usually was. She placed the rope over Evelina’s arm first, then looped it under and around Senna’s, tying them together. “Repeat together after me: We bind this marriage in loyalty, honor, and respect for one another.”

“We bind this marriage in loyalty, honor, and respect for one another,” Senna and Evelina repeated in unison.

People cheered and clapped as the rope was laced another time around their wrists.

“In the way of the Woodland, we leave the rope securely tied for the remainder of the ceremony as a reminder of two being bound as one,” Ellerry continued. “An eternal knot is one of unwavering strength. It holds against any weight, secures the weakest of objects, not to be separated by weather or force.”

Evelina looked up at Senna at the same time he turned his head to look at her.

“We not only celebrate this day; we also mourn the loss of the late Queen Embry. But we honor her by carrying on her legacy to strive for a better tomorrow.”

Evelina swallowed, blinking back tears.

“We bring forth a new crown, as is the tradition of each new ruler, one forged on the morning of their coronation.” Ellerry motioned for the crowns to be brought forward. They rested on a velvet maroon pillow in the hands of one of the Aegis guards. “Not a single crown, but two. One for Queen Evelina and one for King Senna. They each bear a symbol of our kind: a golden vine for the Woodland, forged from the fire of an Aegis, cooled in the water of an Undine, and made by the hand of a Nocturna.”

Evelina swallowed as Lyria retrieved the crowns and brought them forward, stopping between them and the crowd. Evelina’s crown was ringed with tall points, the bottom lined with a single golden vine, while Senna’s was composed of three thick vines woven together.

“As each ruler before you, you will kneel before your people, pledging your lives to serve and honor them.”

Evelina swept aside her gown, kneeling on the stairs. Senna did the same, helping her with her dress and settling beside her.

Ellerry reached over them, grabbing Senna’s crown off the pillow first. “Senna, do you promise to uphold the duty as King of the Valon Empire, to rule in the light of Eurydice, to bring peace when able, and protect when needed?”

Senna nodded and said, “I will.”

Ellerry lowered the crown onto his head. Senna was always calm, but in this moment, Evelina saw his jaw tighten and his brows draw together just slightly.

The first and only sign of his hesitation. She was glad she wasn’t alone in that.

Then Ellerry leaned forward again, picking up Evelina’s crown. She heard the tapping of Lyria’s shoes against the wooden floor as she returned to her seat by the council.

“And do you, Evelina Manor, bringer of light, promise to uphold the duty as Queen of the Valon Empire, to rule in the light of Eurydice, to bring peace when able, and protect when needed?”

Evelina’s breath caught. Her heart pounded in her chest as she answered, “I will.”

The crown was lowered onto her head. It was lighter than she expected.

“Then may you both be blessed by Eurydice.” Ellerry motioned for them to stand, their backs still to the crowd. “And long may you reign as queen and king.”

Evelina and Senna were now married, bound together forever as husband and wife. They promised to protect the empire just as they promised to protect each other.

People cheered, throwing flowers into the air. Together, they walked hand in hand up the stairs. They paused in front of the thrones and turned around.

Everyone was smiling, cheering, clapping. Evelina’s eyes searched for Daimon, but the familiar pull she felt when he was near was absent. She couldn’t blame him for not coming.

Evelina turned to her sister, who was wiping a tear from her cheek. Annora was nestled against her and they stood together, hand in hand. She looked around the room, seeing Brielle towering above the crowd, a sad smile on her face. Evelina’s heart squeezed when she saw Willow and Aster beside her. She caught a glimpse of Gloriana, whom she hadn’t seen since they were at camp together. The healer waved, her eyes filled with pride.

Senna’s eyes were turned to Evelina, waiting for her move. Slowly, Evelina lowered herself onto the throne, and he followed.

They sat together, side by side, as Queen and King of the Valon Empire.