Chapter 6

“Spring?” Livvy scoffed, tightening a thick shawl around her shoulders. “More like winter. It’s frigid, and my head is pounding. An utterly miserable combination.”

The morning was colder than normal. A light frost had settled over the outside world, and the chill seeped into the estate, despite every lit fireplace.

“It’ll warm up,” I said, looping my arm through her elbow.

“Goddess, I hope so,” she muttered as we strode through the hallway.

The estate was old but nice, the hallways lined with an intricate carpet, the walls decorated with sconces, flickering with small flames. The floor creaked under our steps—a sound I’d always found comfort in.

We passed few people as we made our way to breakfast, but as we rounded into the room, Godrick and Emma greeted us, already seated at the table, their plates full and smiles bright. The early morning sunshine bathed the room in warm yellow, its light sparkling off the ice visible through the large windows.

“Morning, girls,” Godrick hummed, lifting his mug to his lips.

“Morning.” I snagged a piece of toast from the plate as I walked around to take the seat beside him.

Alivia shuffled around Emma and sat next to her. “I’m cold.”

“It is quite chilly this morning.” She peeked up with a satisfied gleam in her eyes. “But ice is a good omen. It means the meeting will go smoothly. No heated heads today.” She clicked her tongue before taking another sip from her steaming mug.

With that, she nodded once and went back to eating her multitude of pastries. How the dainty woman could eat so many cinnamon rolls, I would never know, but it was one of many things I loved about her. She could eat, and she had never been shy about it—had never let us be shy about it.

Alivia reached for the silver kettle and poured a cup of tea, the light scent of peppermint wafting over. After taking a hesitant sip, she sighed and sunk into her chair, hands wrapped around the mug.

“El, are you nervous about your first meeting with the King of Ravaryn?” Godrick asked, wiggling his brows before shoveling another bite of eggs in his mouth.

I rolled my eyes, a smile curving my lips. “You say that like I don’t live with the royal family of Auryna.”

He nudged me with his shoulder, Emma laughing.

“You are part of the royal family,” she said. “That doesn’t count.”

Warmth flooded my chest. That statement never ceased to fill me with a sense of comfort, because I knew she truly meant it. She had always treated me like a daughter; she held me, read me to sleep, braided my hair, and laughed and played until our bellies burned. She raised me alongside Alivia without hesitation or complaint or favoritism.

But most importantly, she taught me how to bake, as her mother taught her, and hers before that. Our recipes spanned back hundreds of years, and I had craved that connection. When I whipped up a cake, it wasn’t just a cake; it was a woman from a hundred, three hundred, five hundred years ago guiding my hands.

“Although…” Emma continued, her eyes dipping to my bodice. “Should we wear something more appropriate?”

My brows furrowed as her mouth ticked up in a suspicious smile.

“What are you up to?” I asked slowly.

She shrugged her shoulders, grinning down at her plate, but Alivia and I both stared at her, waiting.

When she didn’t reply, Alivia groaned. “Well? What is it?”

“Oh, you two spoil everything,” she sighed. “It’s just a dress. I had a dress made for each of you.”

“Thank you.” My eyes burned, and I blinked the sting away, swallowing hard. “I can’t wait to see.”

“Of course. This is a special day for you.” The second the words left her mouth, she paused, her eyes flitting to Godrick, but it was replaced with her usual mirth so quickly, I almost questioned if I had imagined it.

She sipped her tea again, her eyes falling back to her plate as Godrick cleared his throat and reached across the table. He grabbed the biscuits and a small jar of honey, the golden substance inside catching a ray of sunshine.

Suddenly, an image of the beautiful Fae with amber eyes from the night before flashed in my mind, and my eyes darted to Alivia. She was pecking at a dry piece of toast, her breakfast barely touched.

The cure worked. I felt fine—no nausea, no headache, no parched mouth, and no death. I was alive. Hell, I was better than alive. I felt great like I’d gotten the best sleep of my entire life. I smiled to myself and turned back to Godrick to find him pouring gobs of honey onto his biscuit. Then, he turned and stirred a heaping spoonful into his tea.

“And this is why I call him honey,” Emma said, pointing at him with her fork.

“I do believe I was a bee in a past life.” He lifted the biscuit to his mouth and moaned as he took a huge bite.

“Or a bear,” I muttered with a chuckle and took a gulp from my mug filled to the brim with warm coffee.

Alivia snorted, her eyes flashing to her father. “Definitely a bear. I think your past life lingers even now. That’s probably why you’re so hairy.”

Godrick’s warm brown eyes found hers. “It seems you’ve inherited that.”

Coffee came out of my nose. I covered my face as I choked on a laugh, my sinuses burning. Emma released a sound halfway between a cackle and a scream, and Alivia gasped dramatically. Then, like the true spitfire she was, she launched an entire boiled egg at her father, the King of Auryna.

It hit his forehead with a slap, and he stilled, his fork halfway to his mouth with another bite of biscuit. The egg bounced and rolled under the table, but no one moved for at least ten seconds.

Hysterical laughter erupted from every single one of us. The room overflowed with the sound of pure merriment—echoing down the hollow halls, I was sure, as it did every time we sat down to eat a meal together.

“In all seriousness,” he said, gasping for breath as he leaned under the table and scooped up the damned egg. He tossed it back to Alivia, and she caught it, smiling ear to ear before setting it on an empty plate. “If we did have another life, I wouldn’t be a bee or a bear. I believe I would’ve opened a tavern or an inn, or maybe both. I’ve actually thought about this quite a lot, what we would do if I hadn’t been born a king.”

The smiles around the table shifted from humorous to soft as he continued.

“I imagine that in another life, one where we didn’t bear such heavy responsibility, we’d have lived a small life, cozy and safe.”

“What would you have called this mysterious tavern-inn?” Emma asked with an amused lilt in her voice. She peeked over her mug at him as she sipped from it again.

He grinned, meeting her gaze as he took another obnoxiously massive bite. “Honeyed. I would name it Honeyed, as everything would be sweetened just to my liking.”

The dress was morethan beautiful, soft pink and delicate, the sleeves two matching pieces of lace swooping over the top of each arm. The corset was white, speckled with pink flowers and laced with rose-colored string.

It wasn’t something I would normally wear, but it was so feminine that I felt…womanly, which was odd, because I had never felt anything different. This dress made me want to run barefoot through blooming fields and sing songs with a group of girls; I suddenly needed to braid a crown of wildflowers, as it would suit it perfectly.

No, not just wildflowers.

The soft pink reminded me of apple blossoms.

I dropped my gaze to the corset, leaning down to study the flower. They were apple blossoms. My cheeks flushed warmly, and I stood straighter.

“It’s beautiful,” Emma whispered. “You’re beautiful.”

“Thank you, truly,” I said, glancing once more in the mirror. “I love it.”

Wryn would’ve loved it, too. The flush in my cheeks deepened furiously, and I quickly turned away from the mirror, taking a slow, deep breath as I strolled to the shoe rack. I skimmed my fingers over the few pairs of boots and sandals, feigning indecision. “What does Alivia’s look like?”

“Similar, but where yours is pink, hers is blue.”

I peeked at her, my mouth agape, one eyebrow raised. “Are you sure you didn’t get the dresses mixed up?”

She smiled gently and closed the distance between us, taking my hand in hers. “No. This one is yours.” She lifted a strand of of my auburn hair, hanging past my waist. “You know I love you in pink. It suits you, brings out the color in your cheeks.”

I nodded, giving her hand a quick squeeze. “I know.”

A knock sounded on the door.

“Ready?” Godrick’s voice sounded from the other side.

My eyes flitted from the door to Emma and back, my brows furrowing. “What?—”

“Yes, she’s ready,” Emma replied as she lifted my hand to her mouth and kissed the back of it. Her eyes were brimming with unshed tears, and my heart leapt in my throat.

“What? What am I ready for?”

Godrick opened the door slowly, peeking in before opening it fully. He stopped short when he saw me, a fatherly grin on his face, but when his eyes also went misty, my mouth fell open.

“What is going on?” I asked with a slight chuckle, but it sounded hollow as confused trepidation undercut it. “Why are you two getting all emotional on me?”

He extended an elbow to me and tossed his head toward the door. “Come on. Why don’t I show you?”

I nodded and slid my arm through his, even as adrenaline poured through my veins and my thoughts raced through every possibility.

Was the dress a part of this suspicious surprise? The peace treaty meeting wasn’t for hours, so we couldn’t be going there.

Then, he led me outside. The air had heated tremendously, the sun high and warm on my exposed skin. I closed my eyes and titled my face to the sky, letting Godrick lead me away from the estate.

“Where are we going?” I finally asked. “Can’t you at least tell me that much?”

“I suppose…” He sighed dramatically, but his wide smile revealed his teeth, off-white against his thick beard. A bear for sure. “The orchard. We’re going to the orchard.”

I tripped over my feet, stumbling a step, and he caught my elbow. My heart thundered, my pulse nearly painful, my throat tight.

“W-what? Why are you taking me to the orchard?”

“Nervous, are we?” He wound my arm back through his, as if worried I’d trip again, but then he paused. “Aw, no, did someone spoil it for you?”

“No one has told me anything at all,” I said, a bit of exasperation bleeding into my tone. I slid my arm from his and planted my hands on my hips, attempting to act like I wasn’t about to explode on the inside. “But you are. I’m not going another step until you tell me what is going on!”

He sighed, running a hand down the side of his face. “I told him you didn’t like surprises.”

This wasn’t just a surprise. It was teetering on my most kept secret, one I did not care to unveil today. “It’s not—” The words stopped in my throat as I processed what he’d said. “Him?”

“Yes, he wanted to plan this all for you.” He motioned for me to continue, but I stayed put, holding his gaze. I had half a mind to deny him and refuse to take another step in any direction. I didn’t know who he was, but I knew someone who loved the orchard as much as me.

I slid my arm back into Godrick’s in a slight daze, allowing him to guide me forward.

There was no possible way it could be Wryn, though. Godrick didn’t know him, nor would he have particularly liked the idea of me spending time with a strange man alone.

There was no way, and yet…

My heart sped up for a different reason—a hopefulness I knew would only lead to painful disappointment because it wasn’t going to be Wryn standing at the end of the path waiting for us.

My mind knew that, but my heart clearly didn’t.

With each step closer, my heart pounded harder. If it went any faster, I feared it might beat right out of my chest, but it was when I noticed the sun directly above us that it nearly burst—high noon.

My stomach clenched, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to run toward the orchard or away from it. It had to be Wryn. It had to be.

It was noon, the exact time he asked to meet.

He would be here.

Godrick glanced down at me with an arched brow. “Figure it out, did you? I knew you would.” He released a deep sigh. I opened my mouth to correct him, but before I could, he continued, “Evander would be such a good match.”

My skin went cold, the foreign feeling that bottomed out in my stomach painful, deafening, and I had to strain to hear Godrick’s next words, even though I desperately didn’t want to.

“His family would make a good ally, great even. They’re wealthy, honest, and have had a long-standing relationship with the crown, long before we were around.” He shook his head with an audible exhale. “But you know, I… I don’t really care about that. I should. As the king, I should have given your hand, but I could never do that to you. The only reason I gave my permission for him to ask is because he’s kind and you two are friends.”

A roaring started in my head at some point, a numbness in my extremities creeping into the rest of my being.

“I want you to understand that this is your decision, Elora. I won’t force you, but…” He raked a hand through his bushy, brown hair. “He comes with financial stability. He may not be the oldest of his brothers, so he won’t carry the family title, but he does carry a torch for you.” He stopped walking and turned me to face him, taking my hands in his. “Look, you are my daughter, and I am your father, blood be damned. You’ve been a part of our family since the day I brought you home.”

A single tear slid down my cheek.

“But the rest of the world doesn’t see it that way, and Evander…” Godrick’s hands tightened around mine, his mouth pressed into a flat line.

I knew what he needed to say but didn’t want to.

“He’s the best proposal I’ll ever get,” I whispered.

Godrick’s eyes met mine, and they were brimming with pity. His mouth opened and closed before he finally said, “I need to know that you’ll be taken care of wherever you end up, whoever you end up with. I need to know that you’ll live the rest of your days in comfort and splendor with someone who is truly kind. I need to know that you’ll be safe, Elora. He can give you that. He can give you a full life of ease.”

Ease. I nodded numbly and forced a smile. He wiped my cheek, his smile mirroring mine, but his was much more genuine.

“But this is your choice. I would never take that away from you, and Evander doesn’t expect me to. He knows you, knows that hard head. He merely asked for my permission to ask, and I granted him that.”

“I know,” I whispered and steeled myself with a deep breath. Running a hand over my hair and down my dress, I swallowed hard and rolled my shoulders back.

Today was the day I was supposed to finally get some answers. A sound slipped past my lips, halfway between a chuckle and a sob. I was certainly getting an answer, but not one I ever expected or sought.

I wanted to make Godrick proud, though, more than anything. I wanted to be as selfless as Alivia, and this would give Godrick and Emma peace of mind. It was time I acted like a part of this family and shouldered the responsibility that came with it.

Would it truly be so bad? I had known Evander most of my life. He was kind and one of my closest friends. Alivia, he, and I’d had several nights of laughter, our friendship spanning back nearly longer than I could remember.

This could be a suitable marriage, even if it wasn’t a love match—although, most matches weren’t for love, right?

They were for advantage, based on logic. This was logical.

Why, then, did it make me feel like I was being stabbed in the chest with a white-hot poker? Wryn’s face flashed in my mind with that same heartbroken expression he wore as he strolled off the first day I saw him.

No.

I swallowed hard and stalked toward the hill leading us to that familiar white fence.

Wryn was a dream, an exhilarating ghost I rarely saw—one I had to stop chasing.

He wasn’t a husband.

Evander could be. He was steady and predictable. Safe, if only for Godrick’s sake.

And Godrick mattered more than my feelings because they were just that—mine. They could be felt and handled and managed by me, without ever hurting those I loved, but to know I let Godrick down, that I caused him worry or, Goddess-forbid, disappointment would be enough to end me. I couldn’t bear it.

I wouldn’t, which was why I descended the hill with my chin held high, shoulders rolled back, and Godrick on my heels. I saw him then, Evander, leaning on the open gate with a bouquet of crudely plucked flowers.

Apple blossoms, I realized. Wryn’s apple blossoms.

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