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Rosalina

Itake a few deep breaths as I sit on the bed in one of the palace rooms I’ve claimed for my own space. Over the last two weeks, while Ezryn has been busy at the forge, Dayton and I decided we’d had enough camping. We swept the floors of centuries-old dust, cleared fallen branches and rubble, cleaned blankets in the streams, and stuffed new mattresses with leaves from a cloud tree Jack showed us.

Keldarion saw what we were doing and helped as well, dragging beds from other rooms to create one large enough for all of us.

Caspian and Farron went to a nearby field of wildflowers to help brighten the place up, though I think they got distracted, because when they returned, Farron had a very suspicious line of bruises along his neck.

Wrenley found herself a high tower overgrown with a wisteria-like plant the color of rubies, and Jack has taken to the first room we brought him to.

This place isn’t starting to feel exactly like home but more comfortable. Though with the weapons complete, we won’t be here much longer.

The Bow of Radiance—the new Bow of Radiance—leans against an ornate dresser, gleaming with its own inner light.

Tonight, we’ll have a meeting about our next steps, but for now, I revel in a moment of stillness. I don’t know what awaits us in the Vale, but I have a feeling quiet moments like this will be few and far between.

A gentle knock sounds on the door.

“Come in.”

Ezryn steals inside, lithe and graceful despite his armor. The starlight silver suit, adorned with floral designs, suits the Above. “Sorry to interrupt you.”

“Not at all.” To me, Ezryn is the epitome of stillness. He slips into my bubble without a single ripple. I stand and walk over to him. “What’s going on?”

He clears his throat, helmet turning to the side as if he’s afraid to look at me.

Slowly, I reach up and guide it back to face me. “Ez?”

“A gift. I made you something.” He holds up a small wooden box.

“You’ve already given me so much.” I glance at the Bow of Radiance. “What more could I ask for?”

“Not something you’ve asked for but something you’re deserving of,” he says softly.

I raise a brow and take the box from him. With careful hands, I lift the lid.

“Oh,” I whisper. “Oh!”

It’s a necklace. The token, hanging from a silver chain, looks like the last blush of daylight: rose gold in color, both strong and soft. The metal forms a circle, and within is the delicate form of a tree. Its branches unfurl every which way, as if reaching for something out of sight. The trunk twists around itself, the roots forming the circle that encloses it.

This is no ordinary piece of jewelry. Where the metal should be cool, it is warm against my palm, humming with power.

“We all have a token from the queen,” Ezryn says. “It only seems proper you have one too.”

“Will you put it on me?”

He nods, and I turn. A shiver runs over my spine as his hand grazes the back of my neck, moving my hair aside. I’m bathed in warmth as the necklace slips over my head, like stepping out onto a dawn-drenched balcony.

“It’s connected to your bow,” Ezryn says. “When I forged Caspian’s new rapier, I wove its magic with the moonstone rose. So now this bow belongs fully to your token.”

I scrunch my nose and look to the Bow of Radiance. But there’s no effort required. My mind lights with the presence of the token, reaching out and summoning the bow with the mere thought. The bow shimmers—then disappears.

“Now think of it,” Ezryn urges.

I hold out my hand and take a breath. Rose-gold light twinkles by my outstretched palm, then materializes into my bow. It feels similar to my wings, able to be summoned or dismissed with a thought.

“That,” I breathe, “is really fucking cool.”

He laughs. “Will certainly make transport easier.”