“You’re not losing me, Papa,” I whisper.
“My brave, beautiful Rose. Happy wedding day. I love you.”
“I love you too.” I hug my father, then hand him my bouquet and ascend the steps of the dais.
Keldarion’s eyes crinkle as he looks at me, glistening with tears. “Rose, you are…”
“So are you.”
Eldor strides out from the side of the platform, dressed in flowing blue robes with a book in his hands. He smooths back his wheat-blond hair and addresses the crowd. “Fae of Winter and visitors from across the realms, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of High Prince Keldarion of Winter and Princess Rosalina O’Connell, heir to the Enchanted Vale.”
A breathy laugh pours out of me as Eldor continues the ceremony. Having never been to a fae wedding, I can’t say for certain, but I do believe they added human elements for me.
By the time we get to the vows, Marigold is sobbing, poor Astrid on her lap soaked with tears.
“Rosalina,” Eldor says and gestures to me.
I look up at Keldarion. “Kel, you are brave and protective. I felt safe for the first time in my life because of you. All my life, I’ve read thousands of tales of wonder and enchantment and love, but none of them can ever compare to our love story.”
Tears glisten in his eyes, and he reaches out to grip my hands, rubbing the soft fabric of my gloves with his thumb. “Rosalina, the stars have blessed me with the honor of being your mate. You who, with your beautiful kindness, has saved not only me but all the realms. Rosalina, my Rose, my heart is yours evermore.”
“Oh, oh,” Eldy says, lip quivering. “The rings!”
“Right.” There’s a slight clattering of armor as Ezryn steps forward. He holds a navy box. “There wasn’t much time. This was the best I could do.”
“Ezryn.” I touch his arm.
This seems to calm him, and he exhales and opens the box.
Two rings sit on a plush bed. The first ring steals my breath. The band is silver, delicate yet strong, twined with tiny vines and blossoms. Snowflakes are etched into the metal, each one holding a small, glimmering stone, like frost kissed by starlight. Beside them, two roses bloom—red as blood, red as love—cradled in the leaves.
But it’s the center stone that steals my breath. A marquise cut gem, gleaming as though it holds the twilight sky itself. The jewel shifts between midnight and sapphire every time it catches the light. It feels as though the stone could swallow me whole, a fragment of eternity bound in silver.
The second ring is broader but no less elegant, its silver band infused with deep, swirling streaks of icy blue that glint with the heart of a glacier.
Ezryn tilts the rings, and they catch the light, scattering soft prisms of color across my white dress. “Crafted by my hand in Frostfang’s grand Everburn Forge,” he says. “Bound by frost, strength, and eternity. For my brother and his mate.”
“They’re beautiful,” I say.
“A gift I shall never forget.” Keldarion squeezes Ezryn’s shoulder.
“It was my deepest honor. Truly.”
Keldarion takes the delicate snowflake ring and slips it on my finger. It fits perfectly, right beside his one made of ice.
“I, Keldarion, High Prince of Winter, take you, Rosalina O’Connell, as my wife, to stand with you through every storm and every still night. I promise to protect you and cherish you with all my heart. From this day forward, my soul is yours, as eternal as the ice below and the stars above.”
My heart shudders at his words, and I pluck the second ring from the box. Ezryn nods and steps back behind Kel. Gently, I slide the ring onto his finger and keep holding his hand.
“I, Rosalina O’Connell, take you, Keldarion, as my husband, to be your strength when the briars grow thick and your light when shadows fall. I promise to love you with the fierceness of thorns and the softness of petals, to guard your heart as carefully as a briar patch shelters its bloom. From this day forward, my love will be eternal, growing through every season.”
Eldor’s voice is a high whimper, tears streaming over his mustache. “Now you may kiss the bride.”
“Finally.” A roguish grin appears on Keldarion’s face. His large hand cups my back, drawing me to his chest.
I’m lost in his embrace. The rest of the world falls away, and there’s only the snow drifting around us.
He drops his forehead to mine. “You are beautiful, my Rose.”
