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I gasped, moving back slightly in my seat as I watched the flame turn from a wildfire into the silhouette of two people, holding each other close and dancing across the palm of his hand, perfectly in time with each other; entirely reminiscent of our first dance together.
Cyrus eyes me closely as I watched his display, a small smile staying on his face as he did so. As the flame fizzled out, he closed his fingers tightly over his palm, finally dropping his gaze from my face.
“Why do my people not use magic?” I asked, my voice suddenly thick, “If they have it, why don’t they use it?”
Cyrus lifted his gaze again, his ice blue eyes lockingmine. There was a level of emotion in them that I had not seen before, and my breath caught in my throat.
“I’m not entirely certain I’m the right person to tell you this story, Sweetheart.” He said softly, the sounds of the ongoing displays in the city streets nearly drowning him out.
“Tell me, please.” I begged, reaching forward, and grasping his hand in mine.
Cyrus sighed, his head falling back against the plush velvet of the carriage seats. The silence in the carriage was almost deafening, despite the cheers and chants coming from the street outside. He kept his eyes focused out of the window for a minute more, before lifting his head and staring at me.
“Someone will tell you,” He nodded, his voice thick, “But not here, and not right now.”
I deflated at his words, sinking back into my chair, but the warm look on his face kept my attention. He looked from me to the window, the performance outside now finished and the street clearing in front of the bakery. He grinned, leaning forward, and tapping on the roof of the carriage, signaling to the driver that he was getting out. The carriage, which had barely moved in the last few minutes, ground to a full stop, and Cyrus pushed the door open.
I watched him curiously as he jumped out, straightening his shirt and then turning on the spot, a wide smile on hisface. He held his hand out for me, and without thinking about it, I took it and let him help me out of the carriage.
Gasps and shouts came from around us, and I tried my hardest to hide my blush as Cyrus shut the carriage door behind us. His hand went to my waist as he escorted me onto the pavement and straight into the now empty bakery. The woman behind the counter looked as though she had seen a ghost when she spotted Cyrus and I, every inch of colour in her face draining. Luckily, the younger woman she was working with stepped forward, and despite the way her hands were shaking, her voice was clear.
“Good afternoon, Your Majesties. What can we get you?”
Cyrus shot her one of his blinding smiles, his hand still on my waist and pulling me closer to him as we approached the counter. The sounds of people gathering outside swarmed into the bakery, and I risked a glance over my shoulder. Faces were pressed against the glass of the windows, and people were climbing onto the backs of those in front of them to get a good look in at us.
“We will take one of everything, please. We’re tasting for our wedding, aren’t we, Sweetheart?”
7
Kira
“Where are we going, Cyrus?”
With our bellies full to bursting, Cyrus and I had returned to our carriage and to the castle. We had left enough gold to set the small bakery up for the rest of their lives, and after a teary thank you, the owner had promised to make our wedding cake — three layers, chocolate fudge, lemon curd, and toffee-caramel.
Now, as Cyrus held my hand and led me through the castle grounds, I felt ready to lie down and nap for the rest of the afternoon.
The grass was crispy as we walked over it and onto the dirt path that led through the small, wooded area inside the castle grounds. I had only been out here once sincearriving and had promised myself I would return to explore it more but had yet to find the time. The trees waved slightly in the barely there wind, and the thickly packed bushes housed more bees than I could count. Twigs and stones cracked and slipped away under our feet.
The sun peeked through the branches in the trees, scattering the ground with a hundred dancing diamonds, making the whole place look like it was from a fairy tale.
Cyrus looked back at me over his shoulder, a smile on his face and squeezed my hand gently.
“There is someone I think you should meet.” His voice had a tone I could not quite place, and I furrowed my eyebrows as I tried to figure out what he meant. Who in the world would live in the middle of a small forest? Let alone in the middle of a forest, inside of the grounds of a royal castle?
I turned the question over and over in my head until we reached a small clearing. The path turned from dirt and stone to cobblestones, leading through an archway built of tree branches and flowers. Through the arch I could see a small, wooden cabin with a thatched roof. The windows were thrown open and the smell of sage and rosemary floated towards us.
Looking up at Cyrus, I lifted my eyebrows, but he just nodded forward, gesturing for me to go first up the small pathway. I released his hand, gathering the skirt of my dress slightly so it did not drag on the ground, and startedtowards the cabin. Once I had passed under the archway, I heard Cyrus follow behind me, but my attention was grabbed by the gardens here. Full of freshly grown vegetables and herbs, they felt alive. Critters both big and small crawled and flew around the busy vegetable patches, and I watched as a butterfly landed gracefully on top of a pumpkin, only to be chased off by a particularly vocal crow.
Turning my attention back to the cabin, I stepped up the first of the stone steps, the hand not holding my skirt taking hold of the metal handrail. There were only three steps, and I found myself on the small front porch, occupied only by a rocking chair and a table with a discarded mug on it. I looked back over my shoulder to where Cyrus was standing, his hands in his pockets, and he nodded his head, the same smile on his face as he had had since we arrived here.
Taking a breath, I lifted my hand and rapped my knuckles against the wooden door three times.
“Hang on!” A gruff voice came from inside the cabin, and I stepped back from the door slightly as it flew open in a cloud of smoke.
The man stood in front of me was tall, and skinny. His eyes were wide, and he had soot dusting up on the side of his face. His dark hair was tied back in a leather ribbon, and his ears pointed upwards, Fae. He took in both Cyrus and I before his face broke into a smile that, if aimed at me directly, would have made me weak at the knees.
“Your Majesties, to what do I owe the pleasure?” He asked, his eyes on Cyrus to begin with, before they flickered to me and the smile on his face became softer. “Hello, Kira.”
