Page 104 of Heart of Night and Fire

As the ceremony finished, Tarin declared the first step was now completed. Vikram pecked Amrita’s cheek as the audience clapped and cheered, maybe a little too loudly to drown out the sounds of the distant screeching. Holding hands, Vikram and Amrita returned down the aisle to congratulations and warm wishes.

Arm in arm, Yasen and Zarya followed behind them.

“That was… nice,” Zarya said with a grimace before Yasen gave her a dry look.

“How bad do you think it is out there?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know, but I predict this is going to be a very long week for all of us.”

Guests were directed to another section of the sprawling gardens where the party continued. Vanshaj moved silently and efficiently among them, balancing trays of drinks and small bites along the edges, and in the center of the garden, musicians played, the soft strains of their music floating in the air. Couples gathered to dance around the large central fountain that had been left open for the purpose. All of it conspicuously backdropped by the sounds of their potential ruin.

Zarya was sure she wasn’t imagining the way people were smiling just a little too much and laughing just a little too forcefully. This was supposed to be a happy occasion. One that signaled the next chapter in the queendom’s history, and she couldn’t blame them for wanting to lift the mood.

Vikram and Amrita moved to the center to take up a dance, their practiced steps spinning them in circles.

Zarya’s heart broke as she thought about how neither of them would ever have the chance to fall in love with someone of their own choice. They’d never get to experience the small, insignificant moments that made up a life. Watching the sunset together. Waking up next to one another. Sharing a meal. Touching and holding one another.

Zarya sipped on her wine, looking up at the stars. She rubbed her chest as her ribs tightened. The sensation was similar to how she’d felt before the binding had left her incapacitated. She shook her head and pushed the thought away. She was still recovering, and the last week had been so full of activity. It was evidence of how far she’d come. Just a few short months ago she had been waiting for anything noteworthy to happen in her life, and now she could barely catch her breath.

She wouldn’t have traded it for anything in the world.

Zarya watched Aarav dancing with Lekha. They were laughing about something, and a ripple fluttered in her heart.

Aarav deserved peace, too. Maybe he could fall in love again.

Those deaths hadn’t been his fault any more than hers. Row was the one responsible, whatever mistakes either of them had made. As if he sensed her gaze, Aarav looked over, and she offered him a small smile. He nodded in acknowledgement before turning back to Lekha. If Zarya and Aarav could sort out their differences, then perhaps anything was possible.

Zarya moved to sit at the edge of the fountain, swaying to the music that was doing its best to drown out the rising cacophony outside. Everyone was trying to focus on the festivities, but she saw the way their eyes drifted past the palace. Maybe some of them had loved ones currently on the wall.

Apsara and Kindle were busy conferring in a corner, their heads bent together. Zarya knew they were discussing strategy for the ongoing protection of Dharati. Suvanna approached them just as a guard arrived with a message. She took it and showed it to the other two. While Vikram was busy with the ceremony, the Chiranjivi were busy fielding updates from the front lines and were ready to join the fighting if necessary.

Yasen sought Zarya out, sitting down next to her. She gave him an expectant look, and he growled low in his throat. “I told you, I don’t dance.”

“Please.” She pressed her hands together. “Just this once? The demons might burst through the wall at any moment, and this will be our last night on this earth. Don’t let me die this way.”

“Gods, you are so dramatic,” he said, and she grinned. “What do you need me for? There are plenty of eligible men here.”

Zarya thrust her bottom lip in a faux pout. “I want to dance with you. One time. Please?”

With a sound of exasperation, he stood, holding his hand out. “Fine. One time.”

Zarya jumped up and pulled him into the fray of swirling couples.

“Thank you,” she said, her voice soft.

“For what?”

“For the dance.”

He didn’t say anything for a moment, and Zarya hoped he understood just how much he’d come to mean to her.

“Thank you, too. For being my friend and for understanding me. It’s weird how you get me.” Yasen spoke quietly.

“Does that qualify me for the role of first-best friend, you think?” she asked, looking up.

“Don’t push it, Zee.”

With a half-smile, he rested his cheek against her head as they swayed gently.