Gauzy panels of her long white gown lifted off the ground with the breeze, swirling behind her and framing her in an eerie but beautiful way. The soft fabric covered her body as though it was liquid poured over her, soft and fluent, her lengthy sleeves partially hiding her hands. Lustrous strands of wavy brown hair fell down the side of her face and onto her shoulders, unrestrained while the wind swept them and made them dance along her lovely face.
The smile that curved her rosy lips spoke of seeing an old friend again, of someone who knew me long before I knew myself. A meeting I wished to remember but could not. And yet, familiarity colored her features. Her gaze gleamed with kindness and a sincere smile that I often witnessed when I looked at her son.
In her presence, a feeling of reverence and admiration overwhelmed me with the purity of her heart and her glowing, untainted soul.
“Princess Keira Devenish…” My voice filled with humbleness as I lowered to my knees before her. “It is an honor.” The truth was that after learning everything she had done to fight against her own father, and what she had been through to protect her son so he could make it back to us, “honor” was not enough to express what it meant to meet her.
“The honor is truly mine, sweet Evie.”
My gaze flew to hers with the endearment, but soon fell to the hand she offered me.
“The last time I saw you, you were only a baby. You are a woman now, perhaps it is no longer okay for me to call you that.”
The affection her voice carried as she spoke to me made me feel as though she was a member of my own family and not a stranger talking to me. My chest filled with warmth, and I couldn’t help the smile that took over my lips. “Evie is perfectly fine.”
Her grin widened, and she nodded, pleased by my approval.
“I’m a hugger, so I’d love nothing more than to hug you. Will you accept my invitation, Evie?” Her caring eyes lowered to her still outstretched hand.
A part of my brain told me I couldn’t really touch her, that this was nothing but a dream… but I didn’t want it to be. Before doubt could stop me, I placed my hand in hers. Feeling instantly returned to my body, the weight of my muscles and limbs becoming more real by the sun-second, until I felt like myself again.
“Welcome to the land of the ascended,Evie.” White light radiated from Princess Keira the next moment, overwhelming everything around me until all I saw was light.
Her words echoed in my ears when my eyelids lifted again, finding Braxton glancing down at me with a crooked smile. I was still in his arms, but he was carrying me somewhere. Confused, I glanced ahead, and a gasp burst from my throat. “TheLake of Tranquility!”
Somehow, before us, the shore at the edge of the Woodlands glimmered and swayed, opening to the otherworldly place I’d just seen.
“It wasn’t a dream,” I whispered.
“No, it wasn’t,” Braxton assured while we crossed the glimmering boundary, and I finally saw what he had been seeing this whole time.
His mother stood on the sandy beach in her white gown, just like before, loose strands of her brown hair dancing around her face in the wind. The haze was fully gone, and everything was sharp and vibrant now. The salty smell of the lake seeped into my nostrils. The sun above us warmed my skin, hot and dry, while the warm breeze brushed against my cheeks, making my own hair lift from my shoulders.
Pushing against Braxton’s chest, I forced him to put me down, which he did with a chuckle, my boots sinking in the rich sand when I began to walk on my own. Everything was real, tangible, yet, even now, Princess Keira’s form still gleamed from the purity of her essence, making her look ethereal.
I was awestruck by her.
My heart lurched in my chest and the nerves returned, but I made my way to her, inexplicably longing for the hug she had offered. The brightness of her smile became a thousand times more powerful as she looked at me now, and meeting me halfway, she pulled me into her arms.
A wave of love so strong that it reminded me of my own mother engulfed me the moment her arms wrapped around me, and I was forced to hold down the feelings rising inside me. It seemed emotions were far more potent in here, but I clamped them down before they could cause any real harm.
“My sweet Evie,” Princess Keira greeted, kissing my cheek a moment before she pulled back to look at me, both hands cradling my face. “You are such a beautiful woman now. A woman of incredible strength and selflessness, of goodwill for her people before herself.” Letting out a heavy sigh, a sliver of sadness shone in her gaze. “I say this because I know without a shadow of a doubt that your parents feel it too. We are so proud of you, honey. So proud.”
Throat tightening with emotion, I watched her let go of my face, her hands caressing my arms until she reached my hands and took them into hers.
“I owe you a debt of gratitude, sweetie.”
“Gratitude?” I questioned, confused. “I haven’t done any—”
“You have done plenty,” she chided, glancing behind me.
Following her line of sight, I found Braxton welcoming Kingston and Imogen as they crossed the threshold totheLake of Tranquilitytoo, having accepted Princess Keira’s invitation. Their stunned expressions spoke of the same reverence I felt. Had they all experienced what I did with her? Had her soul spoken to each of us at the same time?
Once her eyes focused on her son, I understood the intention behind her words, my attention returning to her.
“Thank you for loving Brax for all that he is, before you even realized what that meant,” she offered, squeezing my hands in hers. “Thank you for bringing him back home, and for helping him heal from that strange illness that threatened him in theMirror World. If you hadn’t realized the Dragons were healing him and gotten to him in time, I don’t know what would have happened.”
Both the pain and relief only a mother could feel mixed in her expression, and I wanted to say it was nothing, but I knew it had beeneverything, even if I had no idea at the time. Instead, I settled for the truth.
