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How could I tell who I could trust? How could I even begin to imagine the future ahead of me?
27
I had barely fallen asleep when I was awoken by the commotion of Amity and Rue hurrying into my room. Amity threw the curtains open, casting sunshine into the room, and Rue poured the coffee.
“Good morning, milady!” Rue said. “It’s your big day! Are you so excited?”
I pushed myself up onto one elbow and rubbed my eyes. “Uh-huh,” I agreed, squinting into the bright sun. I felt like I’d barely slept at all, trapped in my circling thoughts going round and round in my head into the deepest, darkest part of the night. I’d been trying to pinpoint moments in my youth where my father may have suggested any of the truths I’d uncovered. But there was nothing. All I’d managed to do was dig into some of my worst memories, reliving times when he’d been dismissive or casually cruel, seeing them through a new lens.
But the girls were right. It was my big day.
I had to leave the past in the past. There was nothing I could do to undo what my father had done, or to make him love me the way I’d thought he had to in some deep part of his heart. It’d serve me better to focus on the people who did care for me—my friends who would stand with me today, the handmaidens who were so eager to take care of me.
And, perhaps, the King of Frasia.
“We have a lot to do!” Amity said. “Get up, milady, have some coffee. Rue will start the bath.”
I sipped at my coffee, waking up slowly as I gazed out over the quiet landscapes of Efra and the wolves starting their days. I squinted and leaned closer to the window. Servants from the manor were moving into the tree line, carrying lights, chairs, and decorations. “Amity?” I asked. “Where is the ceremony to be held?”
“In the forest, of course,” she said. “As Nightfall weddings are.”
“In the forest?”
“Yes!” she said. “It’s easier for your wolves to bond while in the presence of nature. Is that not how things are done in Daybreak?”
“Not at all,” I murmured. I couldn’t imagine a Daybreak wedding held outside of the sunny chapel by the sea. It was lovely, with a big window overlooking the ocean, but the ceremonies were so buttoned-up. Never held at the mercy of the elements.
Amity corralled me into the ensuite, and the girls then guided me into the steaming water. This bath was already more extravagant than the ones I’d had previously, with the water fragrant with soaps and rich with oils. They washed my hair, then bundled me into a towel. Then, they led me out of the bath and dried me off.
Rue knelt at my feet. She toweled them dry, then carefully began applying a thick lotion, with an earthy fragrance that left a strange prickling sensation in its wake.
“What’s that?” I asked. “Feels strange.”
“It’s cold today, milady,” Rue said as she rubbed the lotion into the soles of my feet. “This will keep your feet warm during the ceremony.”
“Will I be barefoot?” I teased.
“Yes,” Rue said seriously.
I blinked. “Really?”
“Well, yes,” Rue said. “You want to be connected to the earth when you complete your union, don’t you?”
“I supposed I do,” I murmured.
Amity began to carefully towel dry my hair with gentle hands. “I apologize, milady,” she said. “There’s much about the traditions of Nightfall you aren’t familiar with, isn’t there?”
“That’s an understatement,” I admitted. “This Choice has been a bit of a whirlwind.”
“Well,” Amity said, “once we begin as your royal handmaidens, Rue and I will ensure to fill the gaps in your knowledge.”
“The king said I have to learn how to dance like a Nightfall wolf,” I said. “I don’t know if that’s possible.”
Rue laughed brightly. “It’s much easier than it seems, milady,” she said. “Most things in Nightfall are. It comes naturally.”
I could only hope she was right. Once my hair was dry, Rue styled it with her skilled hands into a half-up, half-down style, while Amity did my makeup. It was more dramatic than I was used to wearing, with a shadowed eye and mascara. She put no tint on my lips, though, forgoing color for a simple dab of moisturizer.
“You don’t want to leave any color on the king,” she said with a smile. “Though a red lip might look nice on him, too.”
