Page 47 of Waves (Tangled Crowns #6)

Raj

A via was the most breathtaking bride in history.

A masterpiece of creation.

Luminous as the sun.

There was a shuffling of feet and fins as she descended from the surface of the ocean on the back of a dolphin, her golden hair free and floating up all around her, making her look like a fierce goddess.

That look was only magnified by the fact that she wore a trailing dress made of gossamer in giant gathers that resembled cresting waves.

Decorated with pale blue pearls and lined with white gold chains, she was the ocean made flesh.

A tiara made of auger shells framed her face in delicate white spikes, while a golden coin from Evaness—a gift from her sister, sat on a chain around her neck.

Her iridescent wings flared proudly, and even the hole ripped through her left wing didn’t diminish her. It marked her as a survivor. A fighter.

My chest ached at the sight of her, growing tight with both painful longing and pride.

All around, the crowd began to clap, the sound growing like thunder. The guest from the land kingdoms applauded politely within the giant domes of bubbles constructed for their visits for this momentous occasion, but the people of Okeanos smashed their palms together with enthusiasm. With pride.

Six months had passed since the day my queen reluctantly agreed to let me try.

Six months of the hardest, most brutal interactions with stupid people I’d ever endured.

Helping harvest pearls and seaweed, building bubble bridges made of air that started at the shore of each nation and dove under the waves, extending for miles.

Endless chores around the palace. The constant, looming judgment of Felipe—who liked to shadow my every move.

And paperwork. All of these egregiously dull tasks that I’d never have completed on land.

Tasks that left my back sore and my body exhausted at the end of each day. Tasks that were not befitting a king.

But I was a patient man.

It had taken me centuries to build an empire. Now, I was trying to build something else.

At the command of the royal guards, led by Ugo and Paavo, the crowd parted to form an aisle in front of the castle. An aisle that Avia and her mount could come down to meet with me and the other contestants.

Our eyes connected and her lips pressed together in a hesitant smile that seemed to make all of my bones feel as wispy as clouds. Today, I was going to marry the woman who was my heart. Without whom, I'd have remained a soulless disaster ripping through the realms.

My golden hands clenched and unclenched nervously.

I was in siren form today. Because Okeanos knew that Stavros had competed, it was Stavros who got to marry Avia.

Mateo, Felipe, and Keelan had all agreed that revealing my true identity to the public, and to Bloss and her kings, might not make for the best wedding ceremony.

It would stir up controversy, that was certain.

Objections.

Perhaps worse.

Next to me, Mateo also shifted nervously, mer tail swishing, and we exchanged understanding glances. Neither of us was comfortable in our current skin in front of this crowd. But we were willing to do it, for her. Because she was worth this and more.

Nearby, a little squi-shifter girl turned to her mother as Avia paraded down the aisle and people waved long strands of seaweed painted gold for the occasion. Tugging at the woman’s skirts, the chubby-cheeked toddler said, “Mommy, she’s kind of scary. Pretty but scary.”

The child was correct.

My queen was the most beautiful monster who ever lived.

When she reached the open circle in front of the castle doors, where all of her husbands-to-be waited, along with an Okeanos matchmaker, she dismounted from her dolphin.

The beast swam off around the castle on cue, as I'd trained him to do.

And then, as Felipe had arranged, a magnificent display of bioluminescent comb jellies surrounded all of us.

Pulsing blue and green colors turned into darting rainbows whenever a rare beam of sunlight hit the creatures as they danced in a semicircle above our heads.

The crowd oohed and awed as the matchmaker trundled forward on green octopus legs. A middle-aged woman who had adorned her head with a feathered turban, she looked ridiculous to me, but the people of Okeanos all bowed their heads when she spoke.

"Today, we bind our queen and those who have proven they have the strength, will, wisdom, and hearts to help her rule."

With a snap of her fingers, two crabs scuttled forth, carrying long strings of pearls. She took one and then had Felipe hold up his hand as she wrapped it with the strand before handing the end to Avia.

"State your promise to your queen and wife," the matchmaker declared.

The mer guard's face looked even more solemn than normal as he gruffly said, "I will protect you from all harm, adore you for all time, and never allow anyone or anything to come between us.

" Avia's face softened and her eyes began to fill with tears as she nodded and whispered, "I accept your vow.

" Then the strand of pearls connecting them began to glow a soft white, as if a string of moons hung between them.

The matchmaker repeated the process with Keelan, who played to the crowd like the annoying little attention-seeker he was. "I promise to make you laugh—at your other husbands—as much as possible. I promise to lighten your load and lift your mood for now and for always."

Avia grinned through her tears, shaking her head at him as she said, "I accept your vow."

Then it was Mateo's turn. He swam forward and cleared his throat a few times, clearly nervous.

"Avia, the first time I laid eyes on you I was smitten.

And then as I got to know you, my feelings only grew more intense.

You make me clumsy. I forget where I am when I'm around you.

Forget what I'm doing. What I'm saying. I might not be the best man in the world, but I will be the best man I can possibly be for you.

Because I feel so entirely lucky and incredibly unworthy. And I vow I'll never forget that."

Crying. She was crying openly, tears streaming down her face in adoration as he bent forward and kissed her knuckles, stealing the move I'd planned for myself.

Ass.

Bitterness crept up into my throat, but the intensity of Avia's affection overpowered it.

My hearts pumped at a blisteringly intense pace, making me speechless and breathless at the almost religious intensity of the feelings flickering between the two of them.

I found my own eyes brimming. My hand crept up to clutch at my chest as I watched her accept his vow and it was anointed by the matchmaker.

And then it was my turn.

I held out my hand and watched the matchmaker wrap cold beads against my skin, watched the trail of them dangling in the water before Avia grabbed the other end. My eyes rose to meet my queen's face and I was devastated by the love there. Destroyed—laid to waste like a battlefield.

Because such was the power of love.

It had the ability to kill whoever you thought you were. Whatever dreams you used to have. Those were decimated, slit to ribbons, blown to smithereens. And just as conquered countries had their lines redrawn and laws changed, Avia had transformed every bit of me.

She stared up at me, shyly, hesitantly, as if she didn’t quite know what to expect.

Impulsively, I stepped closer, wanting to rid her of any ounce of hesitation when it came to me. Leaning over, I whispered against the shell of Avia's ear, "Wish that I can only tell you the truth from now on."

The matchmaker glared at me as I straightened, but I didn't give a damn what she thought. I remained focused on my beautiful queen as her curiosity flowed through my veins.

She leaned toward me and began to refuse, as I’d known she would. As she’d refused Keelan. “Love is based on trust?—”

“No. I’m different. My past is a long, trailing shadow. Only the truth will meld us. Constant, complete truth. Your certainty of my loyalty. Wish it.”

She paused, weighing my words. Then, subtly, so as not to garner too much attention, Avia moved her hands and pretended to adjust the pearl strands she already held. Really, she twisted my ring and whispered her wish.

"Granted," I murmured under my breath.

Our gazes kissed then, and I forgot myself. Forgot the crowd. Forgot everything but her eyes.

I shifted on my feet and opened my mouth.

But all the eloquent words I'd planned fled, and I was left with only the simplest, purest, most ragged words.

"I didn't know love before I knew you. I had no idea the world could be such a beautiful place.

That every experience could be precious.

I didn't know why tomorrow was something people looked forward to.

I only had loneliness. Anger. Resentment.

And I festered like a wound. You healed me.

You gave me something that I never had before.

" I reached up and clasped my fist to my chest, in a gesture others might interpret as a soldier's vow.

..but my Avia knew differently. "Your heart is the greatest treasure I've ever possessed, and I promise to protect it with every fiber of my being.

I vow never to hurt or betray you in any way even in the darkest recesses of my thoughts.

I am yours. All I am—good and bad—belongs to you. "

The matchmaker handed the strand of pearls over to Avia.

But before the queen accepted my vow, I added, "And one more thing.

" I turned to the crowd and thundered, "I vow to destroy anyone who plots against my queen.

I vow to turn their bones to dust and their innards into chum for the sharks.

I will hunt and hurt whoever dares to do Avia harm. "

With a withering look at the nobles from Cheryn and Sedara, I turned back to my queen who was now biting down on a smile.

"Had to make it bloodthirsty," she murmured.

I shrugged. "It's the truth. I'll kill for you."

A dark thrill surged up through my veins because my queen's heart pumped harder at the thought.

My Avia smiled then, the vicious sort of smile she only reserved for me, as she said, "I accept your vow."

Then I yanked my queen, my wife, my reason for living into my arms and kissed her breathless, pouring every promise that I hadn’t said aloud into the crush of my lips against hers. A violently urgent sort of joy filled me, one more profound than anything I’d ever experienced before.

I only released Avia when Mateo tapped me on the shoulder, and even then, only because he did it politely.

Loosening my grip on my wife’s hips, I muttered, “To be continued,” before I turned and linked hands with Mateo and my queen. The other two joined in. And all together, we raised our hands to the crowd.

And the kingdom of Okeanos cheered, “All hail Queen Avia!”

Then, with a flick of my love’s fingers, the sea soared up overhead in a spiraling column of water that pierced the clouds, a tower so tall it could be seen from every kingdom in Kenmare. My queen’s heart vaulted upward, gliding and soaring with those waves.

So did mine.