Then it was just me and Griff.
“You look…” He trailed off, silent.
When he didn’t resume the thought, I teased, “So surprised to see me in something other than sweat-soaked leathers you couldn’t think of an adjective? Beautiful would work. Or captivating. Gorgeous. Stunning?—”
“Radiant,” he interrupted me softly. “Like watching the sun set with a kaleidoscope of colors splashed across the horizon, the sparkle of the stars appearing in the night sky.”
I fell silent, his words causing my heart to thump so hard I thought it might leave my chest. This couldn’t beallduty for him, could it?
I finally found some words. “I had no idea you were a poet.”
He gave me a half-smile that caused a twinkle in his eyes. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Princess.”
There was a weighted pause before I asked, “You sure you’re willing to do this?”
He simply stood there, unblinkingly holding my gaze. “It is my honor, Princess.”
I looked away, facing straight ahead as the doors started to open to vast fanfare that caused my heart to speed up. So many faces craned in my direction, looking for a glimpse of the princess who was prophesied to be the savior. I released a shaky breath. “Just do me one favor?” I said out of the corner of my mouth.
“Anything.”
“Don’t let me fall?” I glanced up at him, and his eyes softened.
His free hand moved across his body to cover mine where it rested on the inside of his elbow. “Never, Princess.” He said the words as if they were a vow. “I will never let you fall.”
The doors were fully open now. It appeared that every resident of the castle had turned out for their first official glimpse of the princess and the party that followed. Men were all dressed the same as Finn and Griff, most of them in black coats with crisp, white shirts, although there were some pops of red in their vests or cummerbunds. But the women—there was every shade of red, from the deep crimson that I was wearing, to burgundy, rose, and lighter pink.
And the decorations. The hall was unrecognizable. Fire was represented everywhere. The thick red and gold drapes on the walls shimmered in the light of the standing torches spread every few feet apart, creating the illusion that the walls themselves were alive with fire. The skylights that so perfectly let in the golden light during the day were now dark, stars twinkling as though they too wished to join in the merriment. Boughs of evergreen, woven in garlands and interspersed with bright-red holly berries, were twisted with gold ribbon, threaded over doorways and rafters. The scent of pine permeated the air.
Mona was right—this was magical.
If only I wasn’t the entertainment.
Griff and I stepped as one, and made our way down the long golden carpet that stretched the length of the hall, absorbing andreflecting the firelight as though it was a river of gold. I hesitated as all eyes turned to me, but Griff gave an encouraging squeeze that enabled me to steel my spine and continue on.
We approached the raised dais with two golden chairs where my grandfather stood. As my foot touched the dais for the first time, I almost stumbled as I saw double for a moment, the present overlayed with a vision of something else entirely. I was there, sitting in one of those chairs, looking like I belonged, wearing a crown of gold, with veins of blue, red, silver, and green pulsing through it. A man was on the throne next to me, our hands entwined. His presence was familiar—the strong line of his jaw, the breadth of his shoulders, hands built to be a warrior but that I somehow knew were gentle—but his face was obscured, keeping his identity just out of reach.
But what truly caused my breath to catch was the gigantic white wolf sprawled out at my feet, positioned like a guardian and partner. Its massive head rested on its paws, its silver eyes scanning the crowd with ancient wisdom. The wolf’s presence looked as natural as the man at my side, both as essential to me as breathing.
Before I could study it further, the vision shimmered and disappeared. I blinked at the now-empty golden chairs as I put my other foot on the step.
What the fuck was that?
Griff helped me up the dais, surreptitiously aiding me as I tripped over my long skirts. Zachariah saw everything, his face expressionless except for a slight tick of his jaw as he saw how I was dressed. I knew the plan was for Griff to hand me over to my grandfather once we were next to each other, but was that reluctance I sensed coming from Griff or was it solely my own? I considered refusing Zachariah’s hand and insisting on standing on my own, but I had no choice as he clasped mine in his cool, wrinkled grip before turning me to face my people. I took a deep breath, butterflies in my stomach—but not the good kind. Only Griff’s presence, a pace behind and to the left of me, loosened my chest enough to release the breath. I saw a few faces I recognized in the crowd—Finn, Andrei, afew of the higher-ranking soldiers I trained with. I plastered a demure smile on my face, the kind that I assumed a princess would wear.
“A glorious Ignistar!” Zachariah’s voice was amplified so that everyone could hear him. “After so many years, our long-lost princess has been returned to her rightful place. I introduce you to my granddaughter, Lily Alexandra Andrever, daughter of Thomrin and Mireya Andrever.”
I had to hand it to him—he was a masterful showman. He had them in the palm of his hand, and he knew it. My breath stuttered again as all those people stared at me, wanting me to be something for them, the hope radiating out from them.
“Breathe, Princess,” Griff’s voice said in my ear, so quiet I almost had to strain to hear it. “I promise I’ll catch you if you faint, but you’ll give them something to talk about if that happens.”
I hadn’t realized I was holding myself that tightly until I almost snorted and ruined everything. “Not helping,” I spoke out of the corner of my mouth.
“I’ve seen you face down so much worse than a room of overdressed peacocks. This should be the easy one, Princess.”
“Aren’t you ever going to use my name?”
Zachariah’s grip on my hand tightened again. I doubted he could hear Griff’s comments, but he somehow knew my attention had wandered and he was not amused.
