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It was colored an elegant white, with a mermaid style skirt that would hug my legs just enough, leading to a delicate train. The bodice was fitted like a corset, detailed with white lace and moonstone across the neckline. The silk of the bodice ended just above the breasts, and the gown was made only of white lace from the sternum to the neckline, as well as the sleeves. It was so delicate I could hardly imagine wearing it at all.
“It’s gorgeous,” Fina sighed. “Wow.”
“And of course,” Camille said, “it’s quite detailed.” She turned the mannequin slightly, and the light of the shop caught the tiny moonstones embroidered into the gown. It glowed the pale blue of Starcrest under the light.
Starcrest colors. And only Starcrest. Not a mention of Daybreak at all. Aerika smiled at me, small and secretive. “Come,” she said. “Let’s ensure it fits.”
Micah set up the dressing screen around the platform at the front of the room, shielding me from the girls and the mirrors. Then, Aerika stepped behind the screen and carefully helped me step out of my simple daywear gown and into the surprisingly light wedding gown. The fabric was surprisingly soft swishing around my legs, and light, despite the crystals and gems woven into it. The ethereal feeling was almost magical. Or maybe I was imagining it—just hoping there was some kind of Fae magic woven into the fabric, crackling over my skin.
Aerika finished fastening the hook and eye closures on the back, then smoothed her strong hands over the lace on my shoulders. “There you go,” she said. “What do you think?”
Micha rolled the screen away and I turned to face the mirror.
“Oh,” I said quietly, and covered my mouth with my hand.
Seeing it on the mannequin was one thing, but seeing it on me was completely another. It was gorgeous, molded exactly to my body, accentuating the curve of my waist and thighs, while still allowing ease of movement. The lace was subtle and finely detailed, crisp white against my skin, and even my hair seemed to shine brighter against it.
“Oh, Reyna,” Adora said. “You look so beautiful.” She blinked hard, then cast her gaze up at the ceiling as she tried to hold back her tears.
Fina didn’t even try. She sniffled hard, a few tears leaking from her eyes even as she beamed. “You really do!” she agreed. “You look stunning! It was made for you. I mean—I know it literally was, but it really looks incredible.” She dabbed carefully under her eyes. “I’m so happy I get to be here to see this. I’m so thrilled to be in your court. Never in a century did I imagine something like this.”
“Since you are to be members of the court,” Camille said, “Barion of Daybreak has requested that you both stand with the bride as her wedding party.”
“Oh!” Fina gasped. “Reyna, you didn’t have to!”
My heart broke anew. I knew this was Barion’s way of apologizing. He was loyal to my father—that much was obvious. He would continue to do what my father asked. But at least he, unlike my father, did care about me. In his own way, he did want me to be happy. I couldn’t even imagine a reality in which my father would give a thought to Fina and Adora, other than to find a way to manipulate them and use them against me.
“In Nightfall tradition, the family stands with the bride,” Camille said. “But Barion has suggested that you two have become close to family. And in a wedding as extravagant as one that is the culmination of the King’s Choice, we can bend a few rules.”
Aerika hurried into the back room, and then returned with two more dress mannequins. Both were a deep dove gray, sewn from heavy, decadent velvet. Adora’s had a cinched waist and a full skirt, accentuating the curves of her figure, and Fina’s had a plunging neckline and straighter skirt, highlighting her height and elegant frame.
“Oh my gods,” Adora said. “Reyna, this is so—this is so kind of you.”
My own heart swelled. I stepped off the platform, careful not to step on the hem of my gown and wrapped them both in a hug.
“There’s no one else I’d rather have beside me on my wedding day,” I said, and I meant it. “Thank you for everything.”
For the first time since Griffin had broken my heart in the dungeons, I felt like I might actually have a future. It wasn’t the one I’d planned for, but there was something there for me. I’d make sure of that.
“Wonderful,” Camille said. “We’ll have everything ready for the ceremony tomorrow.”
When we returned from the shop, I said my good evenings to Fina and Adora and made my way to my quarters alone. I dismissed Amity and Rue. Tomorrow was the big day.
My wedding day.
I needed time alone. In the quiet of my quarters, I stoked the fire until it was crackling merrily in the hearth, and then brushed my hair out. As the fire cast its light over the room, a sparkle in my trunk caught my eye.
The necklace. I’d tossed it so carelessly back into my trunk when I’d returned from the dungeons, after pulling it from my neck hard enough to break it. I pulled it from where it’d fallen in the mess of clothes, and where it sparkled like a treasure at the bottom of the ocean. I smoothed my thumb over the garish sapphire—I could admit that to myself now, it was garish.
When Griffin had given this to me, it was with the promise that we’d be together again. I’d come to Efra buzzing with anticipation—the excitement of adventure, of seeing more of the country. I’d thought this was to be the start of something. I’d leave the Choice with an independent life ahead of me, far from the complexities of the courts and the packs. A life of travel, where I would find myself through the freedom of exploration.
Coming to Efra had been the start of my life, I supposed. Just not the one I expected.
I wrapped the necklace in a handkerchief and tucked it the far corner of my trunk. I wasn’t ready to get rid of it, not yet. It wasn’t just a gift from Griffin, it was a relic of my previous life.
Now I was about to start a new life. I was going to marry a king who everyone had told me was a monster. I had seen him behave monstrously. And yet I had seen a deep humanity in him, as well—both in the privacy of his quarters, and on the arena pitch, when he had given Griffin two chances to submit.
He was the monster who was a man. My father was the man who was a monster. My father was the one who had orchestrated all of this—the coup, the lies, the disregard for what I wanted. He’d never cared about me. Never loved me. All he’d wanted was the throne, and he’d used Griffin in an attempt to get it.
