He never comes to my room; I’m always the one who initiates it.
And, most importantly, we never let our wings out again.
By the time Yule rolls around, Vernallis is almost completely unrecognizable from how it was a mere few months ago.
Under Daemon and Alix’s leadership, the kingdom is thriving. They work tirelessly, implementing policy after policy designed to improve citizens’ lives—new education initiatives in the villages, reformed taxation that spares the poorest, and even a council where common folk can voice concerns directly. It would all be impossible if Daemon and Alix were working alone, but everyone has found ways to help.
Fox keeps training the army. Jett becomes the spymaster and spends as much time in other kingdoms forging useful alliances as he does at home. Odessa and Beatrix manage the staff and household; Kastian is Daemon’s primary advisor, and I’ve finallyfound a real outlet for my magic, making spells and potions to make the entire kingdom’s lives better.
I keep up with my fight training and eventually get good enough that Fox lets me spar with the soldiers. Sometimes, I feel him watching me during those sparring matches, and I know that later I’ll find myself in his room once again.
My birthday falls near the end of January, and the entire household celebrates over an extravagant birthday breakfast. I receive well wishes and gifts from everyone, but Alix’s gift is my favorite—she got me several pairs of stretchy, human-made trousers to wear during my sparring practice, and some thin, short sleeved tops to go with them.
“A lot going on at the moment…” I read out loud from the front of one of the shirts. “Is that supposed to be a warning?”
“Could be,” Alix says, grinning. “It just seemed appropriate. Youdohave a lot going on, pretty much always.”
That’s too true. Lately, I’ve been spending even more time up in my tower than usual. There’s just so much to do now that the kingdom is growing—so many helpful spells I can invent to make life easier for everyone. Plus, it’s been several months now since the start of my arrangement with Fox, and I spend at least a quarter of my evenings in the barracks.
After breakfast, I practice sparring for a bit, then work on spells as usual. By midafternoon, however, I’m restless. I pace my tower, pausing every few steps to glance out the window at the sky where streaks of orange and pink still bleed across the horizon. It’s too early to go to the barracks, which will be bustling with soldiers finishing their evening meal, but I’mrestless and bored. Maybe I can go down there early and pretend I need to talk to Fox about something. Is that pathetic? Ugh.
A sharp knock sounds at my door and I look up, startled. My heartbeat quickens. It couldn’t be…
“Come in!” I call, smoothing my hair away from my face.
The door opens, and I’m just the tiniest bit disappointed when I see Beatrix on the threshold. “Evening, dear. Happy birthday!”
“You already said happy birthday,” I remind her, smiling.
“I know,” Beatrix says, wafting inside. “But I was just coming to sit with you. It’s almost time, you know.”
“Time?” I ask, confused.
Her face falls slightly. “You didn’t forget, did you? The lights should begin soon.”
My eyes widen. “Oh Gods, the lights! Of course. I can’t believe I forgot.”
“I can’t believe you did either.” She chuckles. “We’ve been watching them together on your birthday your whole life.”
I run my fingers through my hair. “I suppose it’s just because we’re spending the day during the daytime now. This is the first time I’ve celebrated my birthday before the lights started.”
She nods as if that makes sense and comes to sit beside me at the workbench. I watch, gnawing on my lip, as she pets Eugene. Beatrix might have accepted that excuse, but I’m unnerved. How could I forget the lights?
Every year on my birthday, for as long as I can remember, the entire sky has lit up with a rainbow of colors—blues and purples, pinks and greens. When I was younger, I always thought that somehow the lights were just for me. It was one thing that made me so intent on leaving Vernallis one day and going on real adventures. I wanted to travel to Thermia and see where they came from.
Now, I understand the lights have nothing to do with my birthday. I’ve looked up the phenomenon before in one of my many books; it’s the northern lights. Typically, we can’t see them this far south in Vernallis, but for some reason, once a year, they’re visible here.
While we wait for the sky to darken, Beatrix and I chat about the changes to Storia, my recent spellwork, and the general gossip among the household. She wants Daemon and Alix to get married and can’t understand why they’re waiting.
“It’s not as if they’re not busy,” I point out.
“I know, but I’d think this would be more important than anything else!” she insists, brow furrowing.
I grin. “You just want to throw a party.”
“Can you blame me? There hasn’t been a reason to celebrate in this kingdom in over a century, and now my son is king and Alix is perfect for him. Is it so strange that I want to see them get married?”
“They will. Next year, I think.”
