A single tear slid down my cheek, and I nodded. “Of course.”
We hit an ornate spiral staircase with a platinum railing, and together descended to the bottom floor of the castle. The receiving hall was empty, save a few attendants crossing from one side of the room to the other. Which took them a considerable amount of time, considering it was massive in size and could easily house at least two Cruor manors. All along the stone walls were polished, white oak tables, stalls, and vibrant canopies of every shade under the sun.
“The Royal Bazaar,” Noc said. “It’s only open in the mornings. We can go tomorrow if you’d like.” He nodded to our right, where the wide-open archway of the castle led to a smooth landing and series of steps. Beyond, the courtyard with the now-split statue of the First King.
There, a small group of people lingered around the fountain, their light conversation carrying through the air. I recognized Oz, Kost, and Calem first. They were reclining on one of the benches, Kost and Calem obviously locked in one of their playful arguments, while Oz stood by with his arms folded across his chest. A few feet away, Kaori, Raven, and Gaige were also engaged in conversation, though far less animatedly.
But their beasts stole my focus and warmed my heart. Lounging on the edge of the fountain, Okean had one paw draped in the water and was batting at the trickling stream darting through the roots of the tree. Beside him, Felicks sat and licked at his fur, ears standing tall. A trilling birdcall sounded from above, and Effie, Calem’s beast, soared over the tree. She darted between branches and showered the twigs with magic from her wings, encouraging more leaves to sprout. Even Noc’s Gyss, Winnow, was there. Mischief glinting in her eyes, she floated across the surface of the fountain and splashed Felicks’s freshly cleaned hide. And then there was Jax, sound asleep and baking in the sun.
The closer we got, the wider my smile grew. My family was alive. Safe. And so were our allies. Madeline and Isla were chatting with soldiers stationed near the exit of the castle, and they nodded politely as we passed. Rhyne had upheld their end of the alliance without fault, and soon we’d be expected to reopen trade routes with our once enemies, as well as employ Harlow as one of our principal captains. I wasn’t sure Noc was overly keen on the idea, but working with her would be nothing compared to the challenges we’d already overcome.
When I stepped off the last stair, my stomach began to flutter. There, with their backs to me and faces upturned toward the magnificent tree, stood my parents. My father had his palm on the small of my mother’s back, the ends of her long hair teasing his fingers. She’d leaned her head against his shoulder and was laughing about something. The sound rooted me in place. Iknewthat laugh. My heart pounded in my throat. Would they even recognize me? Would they remember me at all? What if their coma had wiped their minds?
Noc urged me forward. “Come on. They’re eager to see you.”
I swallowed thickly. “They are?”
“Of course.” He frowned. “Why wouldn’t they be?”
“I don’t know, it’s just been so long. What if—”
“Hey, Leena!” Calem shouted, million-bit grin on display. “Glad to see you’re up and moving.”
Both of my parents turned in place. My mother gasped, then covered her mouth with shaking fingers. Her wide eyes turned glassy. My father took a careful step forward. Then another. Then he was rushing toward me and wrapping me in a hug so tight my bones creaked. But I didn’t care. I let out a sob and buried my head in the collar of his tunic. I heard my mother rush to our side and then felt the warmth of her arms around us. The splash of her hot tears against my neck. When I looked up at my father, I saw red-rimmed hazel eyes staring back at me. My eyes.
“Leena,” he managed to choke out.
“Hey, Dad.” I gave him another squeeze and then turned so I could see my mother. She cupped my face between her hands and trailed her thumbs over my cheeks. She studied every inch of my expression, as if she were committing it to memory. Gently, she placed a soft kiss on my forehead.
“You’ve grown so big.”
I let out a laugh and wrapped her in a tight hug. “I missed you.”
“We missed you, too,” she said.
Sniffing, I took a step back and steadied myself with a long breath. I glanced around to see that we’d gained an audience. Everyone was grinning. Kaori even had a tear at the corner of her eye. My new family and my old, all in one place. Extending my hand to Noc, I pulled him over to us. His smile was kind, and he tipped his head in a polite hello.
“Mother, Father, this is Noc. He’s myanam-cara.”
They beamed at him, and my mother nodded. “So we’ve been told.”
“I’m so happy for you, Leena.” My dad looked between Noc and me. “All we ever wanted was for you to be happy.”
“I am. And I always will be.” Tipping my head upward, I stole a glance at my love. Noc grinned back down at me, a lightness to his expression that I’d hardly seen in our days together: Ease. Peace. We were finallydone. Done fighting against curses, prophecies, and armies. We’d faced the impossible and somehow come out the other side still intact. Still together. Still in love. And even though there were things to take care of—rebuilding Hireath, maintaining an alliance with Rhyne, ruling over Lendria—I couldn’t help but welcome it all. Because this new life we were embarking on, this new future of ours, was incredibly full. And as I looked at each one of my family members’ beaming faces, I knew that even if life took an unexpected turn, we’d all be here for each other. Fighting curses, and prophecies, and armies, because we were a family.
And nothing could tear us apart.
Epilogue
Leena
“Are you sure I look okay? You think he’ll like it?” I asked for at least the tenth time. Fiora, Wilheim’s most skilled tailor, scoffed and placed her faintly scratched hands on her hips. Her fingers dug into the folds of her apron. She’d been making minor adjustments to my gown for hours and had finally deemed me perfect. But she still hadn’t let me check the mirror, which left my stomach in knots.
“You’re absolutely stunning. And if he does anything other than faint, I will take it as personal insult. ‘Do I look okay?’” she muttered. “Please.” Then, she turned to my mother, who’d been reclining on one of Fiora’s overstuffed armchairs sipping tea from an ocean-blue cup. “Will you tell your daughter to stop fretting?”
She chuckled. “Let a girl fret. It’s a big day, after all. Though she’s right, Leena.” She gave me a pointed stare, then set down her teacup on the low coffee table before her. “You look stunning.”
“So do you. Dad’s going to be speechless.” I nodded to her flowy, butter-yellow gown trimmed in ivory lace. Fiora had insisted on crafting it as a gift for the queen mother.
