Together, the three of us look unmistakably matched. Whether this was an aesthetic choice by our attendants or purely coincidence, I do not know.
Wren and Chiron stop to look me over, eyes moving from my hair to my face…and down. Heat rises in me at their attention. They both make their way to me, and I am quickly surrounded by the heady scents of two very tall and very interested men. My husbands.
“You look breathtaking, Vonetta,” Wren says, bringing my hand to his lips.
Chiron dips his face to me, speaking directly into my ear. “Good enough to eat, I’d say.”
I flush immediately, recalling images of the night under the mountain.
“You both look very fine. Are we ready?”
Wren and Chiron both sigh, backing away from me a step and resigning themselves to the event at hand, our introductions to Chiron’s family.
With a final once-over from Jessah, we assemble between a team of ornately dressed guards. We travel down wide hallways and staircases, passing both open and closed doorways. People stop to stare at us, and every person bows. Chiron handles all of the attention with his charms, smiling at one person or nodding respectfully to another. Wren’s eyes remain forward, stately but detached from the gawking.
I did not feel the anxieties of this grand occasion until now. Of all of the trials we have been through over the last several weeks, this is the one I did not give thought to…until now.
A steady hand lands on my lower back, Chiron's.
“Deep breaths, Netta. They will love you.” He whispers, maintaining his Princely air to the passerby.
I try to draw a deep breath into my lungs; it is shaky, but I manage it.
I will not have it be known that I panicked about meeting Chiron’s parents.
Gods alive, I am a sister of the Isle of Naedra, chosen of the Land. I will not falter here.
I focus on my steps, keeping them steady and my face up. We make it down the final set of steps and into an incredibly large foyer. The walls go up several stories, and I can see the land beyond the castle. We are led still farther, down another endless hallway. Portraits line the walls here of regal men and women. Landscapes too. I wish to be able to stop and look at them all, but our party moves onward still.
When we finally make it to a grand entrance, I am incredibly grateful I declined the flimsy slippers Jessah had set aside for me. This palace feels larger than the Isle of Women for how long we have traveled to get here.
A loud knock sounds on the grand wooden doors. I am unsurprised to see the great spiral of the Trinity sits between them, only a solid representation when the doors are closed.
Some signal must come because the two guards at the front of our entourage take a handle each and push the doors inward before turning back and extending their hands to us.
We walk into the impossibly tall atrium of the Ilyorean Palace to fanfare. People line the walls in numbers to rival the streets of Nerine. Everywhere I look, rapt faces look back at me. I glance at Wren hesitantly, and his face does not betray him. He looks stony and regal, the picture of calm authority now.
Chiron, too, though his is the smile of the beloved son returned home. I lift my chin once more and stare directly forward. The Guards are no longer in front of us. I can see a path directly to the great thrones at the front of the long room. I cannot see them clearly, but two people sit upon them, the King and Queen of Elemyr.
We walk forward, my husbands on either side of me. I keep my pace with them, matching their long-legged strides with my own. We make our way toward the royals there, and my heartbeat pounds in my ears like a drum.
When we reach the steps of their platform, Chiron bows low to his mother and father. I take my dress in both hands and curtsy low, showing my respect to the rulers of this land. Wren bows as well, a stiff bow that, if I were not so nervous, I might have giggled at.
We stay this way for a long moment, as Chiron greets his family and makes our introductions.
“Mother, Father. Your Majesties. It is with great pride that I tell you we have succeeded in our task. The beacons are lit, the Gods have spoken. I introduce to you, the next Trinity of Elemyr. This is our husband, Wren Ashyr, and our wife, Vonetta Sage. Trinity, I present you now to King Connor and Queen Arianelle Daciana.”
We rise together, the three of us. I look up to the royals in their great seats. The King is a vision of Chiron’s future. His hair and beard are peppered with silver, and his eyes are blue. In every other way, the match to his son. The Queen? She is a being of radiance. Her hair is perfectly coiffed in dark braids that wrap around her head to coil under her crown. Her skin is a radiant golden hue, cooler than Chiron’s but absolutely where he gets his complexion from. Her eyes are a deep brown, darker than his. She is gowned in a silver dress with layers of shining gauze. She is ethereal, a Goddess made flesh. But her eyes?
They look utterlyterrified.
The King and Queen look to one another, holding each other’s eyes for a moment and then turning to address the crowds of people. The King speaks, his voice is rich and carries across the room, now hushed from its previous excitement.
“Court of Ilyora, your Prince has returned. Go now and share the good news amongst our people. The next Trinity has arrived!”
The shouts and clapping resound in the space, a deafening roar. Chiron takes my hand tightly in his, and together the three of us bow once more. For long minutes, people file out of the room until it is near silent, and I hear the great doors close with a heavy thump that echoes. Something grows hollow in the pit of my stomach. A knowing that something is very wrong right now.
We rise again, Chiron pulling me with him and then wrapping an arm protectively around me.
