There is plenty to be wary of, but there is also much to be happy for. I do my level best to focus on the latter.
I take my time, allowing myself to really feel the level of care that went into each stitch on the gorgeous gown I will wear. Though, if I am being honest with myself, the more demure green dress of the night before will always be most dear. This may be my wedding gown, but that was the one I wore when I married my love.
I try to hide my smile at the secret I am keeping, but it is impossible.
“There she is,” Soria remarks. “The blushing bride. How are you feeling?”
“Honestly, good. Really good.” The answer surprises even myself. But it is true. I am a married woman. And I am married to the man who holds my heart with more care than I could ever hope for, who renews my strength and never lets me forget my own power, who cherishes me like something sacred, and who inspires me to something greater not just for others but also for myself.
Today the king takes his queen, but last night two souls came together, and that makes all the difference.
I follow Soria’s lead through the morning. We have an unshakable bond too. I take time to appreciate it. I will give everything to the people today, yet I will still savor the small moments with the people I love every chance I get.
We are both on the brink of tears when I finally step out in the gown, hair pulled up with cascading curls barely sweeping my neck. Her hands cover her mouth as she shakes her head, eyes welling up. “You look perfect, my dear.” She opens her arms, and I move into them happily.
“Thanks to you. And not just today, not just the work you do. You. Your friendship, your heart, your strength. I wouldn’t be here today without you.” We hold each other a moment before pulling away, each reaching for a handkerchief to dab away any tears that threaten to breach.
“There is only one thing missing,” she says with a wry smirk as she reaches for something. She approaches with a velvet box. “He wanted to give it to you himself, but I said he mustn’t see you before the ceremony.” Her eyes shine as I reach to open it. There, resting on a satin lining, are the most exquisite gems I have ever seen. “Something fit for a queen.”
Eyes wide, I am left speechless. She directs me toward the mirror, and I watch the reflection as she drapes the necklace across my décolletage. The stones are cold and heavy. The weight of them grounding me in the moment as she clasps them to my neck. Far less the weight of duty—more the steady hand of inheritance. They shimmer in the sun, the silver bodice of the gown catching the glow in kind. Shining ethereal beauty looks back at me, even my own inner light seems to extend and bring it all together. It’s hard to believe it’s me looking back, but yet Ialso sense how much of me it really is. I am the girl from the woods, I am the woman in his arms, and yes, I am this as well. Foreign and new, but no less true.
“It’s nearly time,” Soria says softly, not breaking the spell but ensuring I carry this magic with me. Down to the great hall, to all of Caerhollan waiting inside just beyond the doors, to the man standing at the altar—to my destiny.
Guards flank the doors and on either side of the walls. Soria takes my hands in hers, and I hear the crowd that had been murmuring just beyond the doors start to hush. Music plays in the distance as she speaks softly, “This is it. Deep breath, dear.” Eyes locked on each other, we breathe together. Long slow inhales, but my breath fractures as I release it, the energy building inside me. “I’ll go in and take my place. I will be there at the end, but let’s be honest, the man you’re walking to will have your sole attention,” she says with a wink. One last squeeze of my hand and the doors part. She enters, walking head held high as the music carries on. The doors close, and I move to stand before them.
When they open once more, all eyes will be on me. The whole of the kingdom staring at me. I don’t need to look back. I just need to see him. Only him.
I breathe in once more and nod to the guards. They move. The massive heavy doors open with a thunderous sigh. Light pours in from every window in the grand room. For a fleeting instant I feel… met. Flowers line each row, a staggering array surrounds the altar. Soria and Ace smile back at me. And Vale, my Vale, looks at me with an overwhelming love that feels easy to walk to.
One foot then another, slow-paced steps to the strumming of a harp playing a sweet melody that begins to feel like the very beating of my heart. My chest catches, neither a laugh nor a cry, but some new, even more overwhelming emotion rises within me. A soft inhale and a flutter of blinks keep from crying, though I do notice Soria lifting a handkerchief to her eyes as I continue down the aisle. Even Ace seems to raise his hand and blot away the emotion.
Vale, standing there, the might of Caerhollan. His broad shoulders pulled back, the lapel of his waistcoat accentuating his strong muscular chest, the cravat tugged almost imperceptibly loose around his neck. Ican almost feel the rise and fall of his chest. I focus in on his breathing. Steady, sure. The same solid foundation I tethered myself to on nights that threatened to tear me apart. He is my beacon in the storm. Everything else falls away.
Shafts of light beam down in golden columns from above. The sun streaming, illuminating the path ahead, at times almost blinding. Still, my attention is singular. Vale.
I do not notice the danger approaching until it is too late.
A dark figure charges toward me. Music stops. A collective gasp stills the air but does nothing to slow the assailant barrels right at me.
I am knocked to the ground before I even register the commotion. Heat sears at my chest, lungs empty, head ringing. Everything seizes inside me. Locked. I cannot see. Blackness takes over. No, not blackness. Blinding light.
“Mira!” The cry breaks through. There are chaotic noises all around, yet all I hear is him. “Mira, Mira, speak to me.” Hands pat across my body, arms wrap around me. In the distance, noises I can’t discern. Beyond the gasps, a scuffle. Crash and clatter. I fight to make sense of it but…
Heat. Everything is burning. I am burning. I can’t breathe. I try to lift my hands, to claw for air, but I am motionless. I cannot move, I cannot…
Crying. Vale.
I hear his quiet sob. I feel his arms wrapped around me.
No!I scream, but no sound escapes, my lips do not part. No. Not like this. Not when I finally have so much to live for.
Power surges. My own force grappling to meet it. I hear windows and doors thrust open. Air whips wildly, and I feel it. That flame deep inside me. The fire I always carried. And something else. Something new.
That heat. That light. That raging inferno.
It will not consume me.
I pull all the power flowing through me, refusing to surrender. Channeling it. I feel it building inside of my chest. Tight. My chest is so tight. It feels as though my ribs may splinter inward at the sheer force.
