Page 70 of A Kingdom of Magic and Rain

My ivory gown was a masterpiece, hand-sewn by the best seamstresses, who had worked tirelessly on it in the past two weeks. The strapless corset hugged my waist and flowed into an elegant skirt with an endless train. Gossamer lace sleeves were attached to the bodice. They started below my shoulders and ran all the way down to my wrists. A sparkling lace overlay covered the entire dress, displaying the most exquisite design. Subtle shimmering vines were stitched into the fabric, using silver and gold threads. They symbolized the union of two kingdoms—silver for Aubrielle and gold for Emeraldia.

“Oh, this is lovely,” my mother said, gingerly running her fingertips over the delicate blue flowers woven into my hair. Thea had pulled the top half of my locks up, braiding it into a loose crown on the back of my head. The bottom half was curled and left cascading down around my bare shoulders.

“Thea thought it would be a nice touch since silver and blue are the colors of Aubrielle.”

“I agree, and you should also have something for Emeraldia.” She reached for the box on the vanity. When she opened it, my gaze landed on a dazzling necklace with a pear-shaped emerald in the middle. It came with matching earrings, and while I put those on, my mother clasped the necklace behind my neck. “There. Now you look like a queen.”

“I may look like a queen, but I don’t feel like one,” I confessed.

“One day, you will, and until that day, you pretend.”

“Pretend?” I turned around to face her.

“Yes, my dear. I will not be there to guide you, but I can give you my advice. Every day when you rise, look in the mirror and tell your reflection, ‘I am the queen’. Don your best gown before you leave your room. Stand tall, head held high. Do that every day until you believe it.”

“What if the day when I believe it never comes?”

“It will,” she assured me. “Now let’s get you married.”

“To the one who lied to me.”

“His feelings for you were not a lie. You will find your way back to each other.”

“Do you truly believe that?”

“I do.”

A knock on the door interrupted our conversation.

“Emelin, are you ready?” Thea asked when she walked in.

She was going to glimmer me to Castle Argent for the wedding. Lady May would glimmer my parents, and Mirielle, who was also a Fae, would take my brother. All of Emeraldia had been invited to the ceremony and the coronation, but only a few had decided to attend. Most didn’t feel it would be safe to travel to Tardor, the capital of Aubrielle, for the occasion. They were still wary about the Fae, as the old beliefs cultivated over one hundred years were not so easily erased.

My father had revealed the truth about the wards and the weakening magic to everyone two weeks ago after he and I had returned from Tardor. While most had been shocked to learn about the barrier, they hadn’t been surprised to learn about the waning magic as they had suspected that something was wrong. My father hoped that after I became queen, Emeraldians and Fae could start rebuilding the relationship that had been severed a century ago. Both nations held their breath waiting for the wedding—for the proof that the newfound peace would last and become the new way of life moving forward.

“Emelin?” Thea asked again, pulling me from my thoughts. “Ready?” I wasn’t, but I nodded anyway. “Adrian has your chambers prepared at the castle, and I’ve filled them with everything that I thought you might want or need, but is there anything you would like to bring with you?”

I quickly looked around my room again. My old life was over. I was leaving my family and everything that I knew behind, moving to a different kingdom, inhabited by cold creatures I barely understood. There was no reason to hold on to the scraps of the old me; they wouldn’t help me in the new life.

“There is only one thing,” I said as I picked up my diary from the vanity.

Thea nodded and walked out. My mother and I followed her into the hallway, where my father, Sebastian, Lady May, and Mirielle were waiting.

“Em, you look beautiful.” Sebastian smiled at me with brotherly admiration.

“You truly do. You make the loveliest bride,” Miri added demurely next to him.

The girl had looked miserable the first time I had seen her after everything had transpired. She had apologized profusely, telling me that she felt terrible for having to hide the truth. I had told her I had forgiven her, though I wasn’t sure that was entirely true. Sebastian had forgiven her for lying to him, and that was all that mattered. Though Mirielle and Lady May had moved to Castle Argent a week ago, the girl and my brother had resolved to keep seeing each other. I was envious of their relationship and wished that I could find forgiveness in my heart for Adrian as easily as my brother had found for Miri.

“Thank you,” I told them both.

My father didn’t compliment me. He didn’t say anything at all as he stood dressed in his finest attire, with the hefty, emerald and diamond encrusted crown on top of his head.

“What do you have there?” Lady May nodded at the journal in my hand.

“My diary. Thea, will you please hold on to it for me while I…walk down the aisle?”

“I have a better idea. I’ll drop it off in your room before the ceremony,” Thea replied as I handed her the journal.