Amatista was next, hugging me tightly and whispering, “You will be the best queen this kingdom has ever seen.”
“And I’ll make sure you live your happily ever after as well, Tista,” I whispered back, closing my eyes as I made my promise. I wouldn’t let her father sell her off for an alliance. I would ensure she lived the life she wanted with the woman she loved.
Allirea leaned in to hug me next, and Safira even made an appearance. The others were still on edge around her, but I knew with time we could break those barriers down. When the time finally came, Zav appeared to walk me down the aisle. Elestren and Juvela, along with Allirea, Amatista, and Faiza, all left to join the crowd.
“Stop trembling, little pearl, this is a happy day,” Zav whispered, winking at me when I looked up.
I couldn’t help my smile, leaning into him as we walked out. “Thank you for doing this.”
“It’s my greatest honor, Linnea,” he said, growing serious. “Your father was one of the greatest men I knew, and I owed everything to him. I’m so sorry that we were separated for so long. We spent so many years mourning you, little pearl, but Juvela and I will always be here for you. Never question that.”
I fought back the tears, pressing a kiss to the side of his jaw where I could reach, and he gave me a quick side hug before we appeared at the end of the aisle.
My breath caught as I looked up, finding Azurill waiting for me at the other end. Everyone else might as well have not existed at that moment. Everything I’d ever wanted was staring back at me, and I could have run to the end of the aisle with the anticipation buzzing in my chest. It felt like his soul was pulling at mine, like a magnet forcing me forward.
He took my hands when we reached him, his teal eyes luminous as he stared back at me with an expression full of love and awe. I squeezed his hands, barely paying any attention to the vows, just wanting to be married to the man before me.
“By the grace of the gods, Veritx, god of Diamond, and Erodite, goddess of Pearl, we join these two in sacred love and marriage for eternity.” Ikelos, the Sacred Gemholder, concluded, and with that, it was finally done. Azurill leaned down to kiss me and the crowd cheered as I lost myself in his lips.
Before I knew it, we had to part, and we smiled at one another foolishly as Ikelos came over with the diamond scepter in hand, handing it to Azurill.
“My dearest wife, please kneel,” he said with a wide smile, and I knelt before him with a racing heart.
“Today, you have become the wife to the High King of Gemaria, and now you must be sworn in as its High Queen,” he stated, a gravitas to his voice that pulsed with power.
“Do you, Lady Linnea Alankar, swear by the Sacred Gems and all the gods, to rule well and wisely, for the good of all, from the highest to lowest, with fairness and grace?” he asked, holding the scepter above my right shoulder.
“I do,” I swore with a nod, and the scepter, with its large diamond on top, surrounded by the smaller gems of each court, pulsed with light at my answer.
“Do you swear to abide by the laws of the lands and the gods, to ensure the kingdom continues to rise and flourish?” he asked, the scepter above my left shoulder this time.
“I swear.” I nodded, the light pulsing once more. I understood more was happening than I could see. With each oath, the gods would delve deep inside my very soul, searching out my worthiness for the task set before me. The light was their acceptance, and a breath of relief left me at each one. I had worried I wouldn’t be found worthy, but Azurill had declared that ridiculous to even consider.
“Then by the grace of Veritx, and all the gods, I now pronounce you, Lady Linnea Alankar, High Queen of Gemaria.” He held the scepter over my head, and light exploded out of it, bathing the room in an otherworldly glow.
The crowd hushed at the display before exploding in cheers as Azurill helped me stand. He waved a hand, and several men came to remove the expansive backdrop decorated with flowers and gems, along with the gorgeous marriage arch, which was blocking where his throne stood. I gasped when I realized that another throne had been added to the dais, and turned to look at my new husband with wide eyes. He smiled slyly, offering a hand to help me up the steps.
I took it, looking back with watering eyes to the new throne stationed beside his. Where his was carved from a diamond with a blue center, mine had been carved from an ultra-rare diamond with a pink center. The gems of every court were displayed across the arched backrest and pink pearls had been added along the arms and legs. It was truly made just for me, and I stared at him in shock as I turned around to sit in it.
“You deserve it, my love,” he whispered, pressing a quick kiss to the side of my mouth.
I sat down, feeling the enormity of the moment as the crowd hushed, the entire room seeming to resonate with power for a moment before a gust of wind rushed through the room. Azurill smiled broadly before he gestured to Ikelos, who handed him what I guessed to be a crown covered with a silver cloth.
He faked tugging the cloth off, teasing me for a moment, before he finally smirked and removed it, making my mouth drop open. The tiara was similar to his crown, but more feminine and delicate. A large diamond sat in the middle, the silver sparkling metal flaring out from it, and two large pink pearls were anchored on either side. The other gems of every court were worked in around them in beautiful swirling patterns.
I reached up and removed the diadem, handing it off to Ikelos, before Azurill placed the crown on my head.
“All hail High Queen Linnea!” Azurill called, the rest of the room echoing him, before he sat down on his throne beside mine, reaching over to clasp my hand. I squeezed his, our arms reaching across and connecting us from our joint thrones, staring out as the court kneeled before us both.
This was the future.My future.One I never expected to have, but one full of love and happiness, replacing the vengeance and wrath that once consumed me.
I couldn’t wait to see what it brought next.
Epilogue Two
Linnea
“Imight actually kill him,” I said, rolling my eyes as Faiza let out a bark of laughter, shaking her head and making her turquoise waves fall over her shoulder.
