Lessia tried to get the women to speak—especially as she noticed the scratches and bruises on Frelina’s arms—but her sister only hushed her and said they needed to hurry if she’d look somewhat decent for the ceremony.
As Lessia took in the others, she realized they were probably right.
Iviry looked stunning in a floor-length gown of deep green, with black accents that Lessia was sure Loche loved marking her chest and waist. It was perfect to offset her hair, which looked like a wildfire, while her eyes were like a vast sea in summer.
The Fae looked every bit the queen she would be with Loche.
Amalise was stunning, too, wearing a red dress that showed off her every curve, and as she worked on Lessia’s hair, she explained that Zaddock had chosen it for her. Lessia smiled at her, wanting nothing more than to hear how Zaddock had finally broken down her walls. Because he had. He finally had.
There was something in Amalise’s blue eyes—a missing fear, while something softer, more vulnerable, shone there—that Lessia could never thank the human soldier enough for.
Frelina helped Iviry sort through the dresses. She looked amazing as well. In white, with a dress that musthave restricted her breath slightly for how tightly it wound around her bust, her sister looked like one of the princesses Lessia had read about growing up. Ethereal. Not of this world. Happy and perfect.
When Amalise was done with her hair, Iviry of all people told Lessia to close her eyes as they got the dress on her. While Lessia initially thought to protest, there was a worry—an edge of strain—in the Fae leader’s tone that made her keep her lips shut.
She guessed it was a lot to help others on your big day, and it wasn’t the time for Lessia to make it about herself, so Lessia remained quiet, allowing the three females to move her arms and legs and tighten and tie things until the air stilled and they stepped away.
A soft breeze, although not an uncomfortable one, wrapped around her, and she laughed softly before asking, “May I look now?”
It was Iviry who responded. “Yes.”
Lessia’s eyes flew open, and she realized they’d placed a floor-length mirror before her.
Goose bumps rose across her skin, a strange awareness that first made the urge to look away surge through her, but then… Lessia couldn’t stop staring.
Amalise had managed to get her hair to shine again, and it fell in soft golden-brown waves down her back.
Frelina must have magically gifted fingers because the makeup she’d used had Lessia’s cheeks blushed with pink and her eyes wide and clear, the golden eyeshadow making her amber ones sparkle.
But it was the dress that left her speechless.
It was pure silver, without sleeves, accentuated by an intricate pattern of stars swirling all across the tightly wrapped bodice, and the skirt fell down to her bare feet.
The garment dipped low both in the front and in the back, and while several of the marks of Merrick’s name were visible, they looked like they belonged—it almost looked like… the dress had been made to show them off.
Lessia blinked as she focused on the three women behind her, and she realized there were tears in all their eyes as they stared back at her.
“You look like a queen,” Frelina whispered.
“No,” Amalise broke in, a sob forcing its way through her throat before she continued. “She looks likehisqueen.”
“She is his queen, like she is everything for him,” Iviry said softly. “Wait until he sees her.”
“What is happening?” Lessia asked, but Iviry shook her head, her hand shooting out to wave them all up again.
“You’ll see soon enough,” Iviry shot her way as she took the lead up the stairs. “Come on. We don’t have all the time in the world. We are going to war, after all.”
“Frelina?” Lessia asked as she followed, collecting some of the heavy skirts in her hands.
But her sister only smiled as she accompanied the fiery-haired Fae.
Lessia was out of breath nearly sprinting after the Fae, half-Fae, and human, but they allowed her a moment to collect herself before the door leading to the stern.
Music still flowed outside the thick wooden door, and even if Lessia couldn’t see through it, she could feel there were people everywhere outside—many, many people from the sounds of it. Tension whispered in the air—but not the kind she’d felt before the last war… no, this was different. It was excitement. It was elation. It was as if the world was… full of life.
“What is happening?” Lessia asked again, but the girls just shared a look, and then Iviry slammed open the door.
The three of them quickly left the dark space and joined the hundreds of others outside.
