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“Let’s see how things go at the wedding tomorrow, shall we?” she said. “If your human wedding goes without incident, I believe I’ll be convinced.”
Then we could only hope we had no issues. How could we? We’d thought of everything.
“Come inside,” she said, turning.
We followed her into the foyer, but instead of going straight to the front parlor, her favorite spot, she paused by the stairs.
“The jewel room is ready,” she said. “It’s time we rectified your lack of a ring.” Her pointed gaze fell on my hand, but I sensed her message was for Tylik. “I’ll see you at the top?”
At Tylik’s nod, she rounded the staircase to take the lift installed behind it. Since it was small, we’d use the stairs.
I linked my arm through his, and we climbed the enormous staircase that spiraled all the way to the top of the multi-story structure.
“Just want to say that this place makes me nervous,” I whispered. “It’s so . . . grand. And big. And . . .”
“Too opulent, right? I completely agree,” he said softly.
“I’m glad we live in your hobbit house.”
“Ourhobbit house,” he said with a grin that made me love him even more.
We left the stairs and proceeded along a wide balcony overlooking the great hall below with rooms on our left. At the end, an elf guard bowed and swept open the door to a room spanning the front of the castle. It overlooked the lawn, the enormous fountain shaped like a dragon coiling toward the sky, plus the long, sweeping driveway. Far below and on a clear day, I bet you could see the entire town, as if Finni oversaw everything going on in front of her.
“There you are,” she said, waiting inside the room. Her attention fell on me, and the skin around her eyes crinkled. “I neglected to mention, Kate. You look lovely, my dear. Simply lovely.”
“Thank you,” I said, grateful she was so kind.
“Shall we pick out your engagement ring?” she asked.
Without waiting for a reply, she took my arm and led me through the room with an inner wall made up completely of dark glass. In the center, she waved her hand, and a click rang out.
“I do love the tiny bits of magic we were allowed to bring with us,” she said, shooting me a smile.
“You use magic for security?” I asked,
“We do.”
I sent Tylik a bemused look.
“The estate Tylik grew up in is three times the size of this one, and magic swirls everywhere,” Finni said. “Here, sadly, we only have access to a speck of magic, mostly charms and spells that are barely worth the effort. Tylik provides the ingredients to cast those spells in his business.” She waved to the long room in general and the cabinets lit from within, showcasing endless velvet cases holding jewelry. “Feel welcome to look around. You can touch anything you’d like without receiving a shock.”
Shock? Lovely.
Cabinet after cabinet took up most of the walls.
Finni beamed at my amazement. “A bit startling, isn’t it, dear?” She put an arm around my waist and gave me a quick hug. “Don’t let it intimidate you. This jewelry had been collected over many generations. Most of it is much too gaudy to wear. Once you’ve finished looking around, I’ll show you the rings and you can pick one. Oh, and then we’ll find some pretty baubles for you to wear with your beautiful dress.”
Overwhelmed already, I slowly walked around the room while Finni and Tylik chatted about who was attending tonight’s dinner. From the endless list of names, I suspected my version of a small affair was much different from theirs.
“And your sister has deigned to attend,” Finni finished with.
“Isirell will be here?” he asked with excitement. “I haven’t seen her in so long.”
Finni snorted. “That’s not always a bad thing.”
“She’s fun.”
“Mischievous.”
