“Don’t even think about it,” he whispers. “It’s you. It was always meant to be you.”
I swallow the lump in my throat, lick my lips, and search the faces around me. Everyone seems pleased, even Jaqual. No one but me is questioning this outcome.
Hand on my stomach to settle myself, I simply say, “Queen will do.”
Epilogue: A Promise is a Promise
Damien
“You promised me a wedding, and by the goddess, you will give me the wedding of my dreams,” Ariadne says.
I adjust the gold-embellished sash on the red velvet tunic she’s dressed me in, feeling like it’s far too pretentious, considering Eloise and I are now elected officials and not royals. “May I remind you, only a few weeks ago, you said that designing Eloise’s gown for her coronation was your life’s greatest achievement. She didn’t have to have one, you know, considering she was elected.”
She tosses up her hands. “The people want what the people want!”
“And they—you—got it. Didn’t that settle any debt between us?”
She smooths her blond hair, glossy now that she is well-fed. Although her features are as sharp as ever, they are softened by rounder cheeks and a teasing smile. “Acoronation is a coronation. A wedding is a wedding. You promised me a wedding.”
“We are already married.”
“That wedding in Dimhollow was a rushed tragedy of unfashionable and coerced vows. They barely count.”
“They count. There was nothing coerced about them.”
“Other than you thought you might die.”
I purse my lips. “No sash.” I move to remove it.
“You must wear the sash!” she protests. “It coordinates with Eloise’s gown perfectly!”
I rub my forehead and groan as she physically adjusts the sash back into place and smooths it with her hands. “Can I ask you something, Damien?”
“Why do I feel you are only asking to distract me from all the glittery bits hanging off my chest?”
She folds her arms. “Was any part of you jealous when she won? Did you feel like your legacy had been stolen from you? Did part of you want to snatch it back, out of her hands?”
I rub my jaw. Ariadne hasn’t kept a secret her entire life. If I tell her the truth, it will definitely get back to Eloise and circulate across Tenebris by the end of the week. Fuck it all. Do I really care who knows?
“I voted for her,” I say truthfully.
Ariadne’s eyes narrow. “What?”
“The morning of the vote, I woke up to find her feeding our people, sandwiched between my mother and the king of the Rivertoads, and it all became clear to me. Eloise was the catalyst for everything that occurred to save Tenebris. She recognized my brother’s treachery before I did. She saved me from assassination. She befriended the witches and convinced them to help whenthey did. She was the reason the Rivertoads engaged with us and the vampires who fought for us were here at all. She killed King Entrydal, and her best friend used her powers as a witch to defeat the dark elf army. Eloise is the reason we are all here today. And so, I. Voted. For. Her. I was relieved when she won. The people love her. She is the best choice to rule.”
She snorts. “But doesn’t it make you feel like less of a?—”
“Man? Shade? Warrior?” I laugh. “No, Ariadne. Serving this kingdom at her side is everything I wanted. It isn’t easy loving a dragon, you know. Keeping her alive has been a hobby of mine for some time now. That day we died together, the day we were married, I would have given away the kingdom a hundred times over to save her.” I spare Ariadne the memory I hold of the Darklands, of my father whispering to Eloise that the kingdom needed her. “Believe me when I say to you, it takes being a man—a strong one—to love Eloise the way she needs to be loved. I don’t need to dominate her to possess her. I don’t need to be a king to tolerate her being my queen. I am not so weak as that.”
Ariadne wipes a stray tear from under her eye. “You are a rare male, indeed, and will always be a king to me.” She smiles. “That’s why I voted foryou, and I would do it again.”
“You’ll have another chance in ten years. Eloise was adamant about term limits.”
She shakes her head. “I do have to hand it to her. She’s very open-minded and creative when it comes to this new form ofgovernment.”
“I must agree.”
Trumpets blare, and Ariadne shoves me toward the door. “It’s time!”
