The Heir's Bargain (Of Fire and Lies)

Chapter 42

FOUR MONTHS LATER

”Sylv,are you sure this isn”t too much?” I asked, running my hand over the rough fabric that made my arms itch every time they brushed it.

”Too much of what?” Sylvia asked, fixing their hair in the mirror after the handmaidens had spent the past half hour pinning it up.

Sylvia wore an elegant lavender dress that was simple yet beautiful. Meanwhile, I was covered in layers of tulle, lace, and whatever other fabric and embellishments the royal seamstress, Everly, was forced to add at my mother’s request. The dress was beautiful—a true piece of art. It should have been displayed in some marbled hall for people to gawk at and admire—not to be walked or danced in.

However, this was my wedding. A royal wedding, my mother had reminded me time and time again. And she insisted that everything be big—including this godsforsaken dress.

Over the past four months, my mother and Esmeray had spent copious hours planning our wedding. The very moment my mother discovered Fynn and I were soul bonds, she spun into action. Even though I had opposed the extravaganza, my mother insisted. So, when I wasn”t training, she forced me to attend meetings about napkins and glassware—long, tedious, tiresome meetings that seemed to have no end.

I didn”t care about the minuscule details that only my mother would notice. All I cared about was placing my hand in Fynn”s and his in mine as we exchanged the golden rings our parents forged from the isle off the coast.

At one point, I even tried to persuade the mothers to forgo the wedding entirely. The wedding was only a symbolic representation of the bond that connected Fynn and me. We could have exchanged the rings alone in a field of lilacs under the moon and stars. It didn”t matter to me.

My mother, however, would hear none of it.

Yet when I did offer my opinion on the cutlery or the flowers, she ignored me. When I would turn to Esmeray for help, the queen looked at me with amusement and sympathy.

The queen was of no help, to say the least.

The dress was the one item on the list I was excited about, but my mother had taken that away from me, too. And now I was stuck in this giant ball of scratchy fabrics that irritated my skin.

I couldn”t even see a remnant of who I was in my reflection. I picked up the heavy skirt and swished it as I looked in the mirror. The dress scratched against the hardwood floors, producing a horrendous sound.

”Too much. . .fabric, lace, diamonds?” I asked, my voice raising. ”Too much of everything!”

Sylvia placed a hand on their hip, cocking their head to the side. ”Dani, you are marrying a prince. What did you expect?”

”First, I expected to be wearing something—I don”t know! Something I liked? But this ball of fluff and organza has my mother written all over it.” I tossed the skirts from my hand. When I tried crossing my arms over my chest, a jewel knicked me. I groaned, throwing my hands out wide. ”Second, I”m marrying Fynn, Sylv.”

”Fynn, the man who is going to be our king one day,” Sylvia said, stepping forward and grabbing my shoulders with a firm grip. ”Major, you are going to be queen one day. It only makes sense that your wedding is extravagant. Did you know that people across the kingdom are celebrating your marriage tonight?”

”You”re exaggerating.”

”I am not, and you know it. Your marriage is special. Not only because the two of you are soul bonds, but because your unification symbolizes a hope for the generations to come. The rebellions in the southern kingdoms have only increased in the past few months. This wedding is a reminder to everyone that even in the darkness, we need to hold on to the good that comes in our lives. These moments—the moments of happiness and love—are the ones that will get us through the upcoming war. Fynn is a master at charming the hearts of the people, and you are a skilled, selfless leader. Today is a promise not only between you and Fynn, but between you and the people. That you will vow to protect them, lead them, and guide them to a better tomorrow.”

Sweat coated my palms. When I tried to wipe them on the dress, the gemstones woven throughout the embroidery did little to help. ”No pressure, then, huh?”

”By the gods, you truly are perfect for him.” Sylvia shoved me in the shoulder, laughing. ”But I”m serious, Dani.”

I grabbed Sylvia”s hand and squeezed it. ”I know, Sylv.”

”The title of queen might be a ways away, but it will befall you, nevertheless. This is your wedding day. Nothing is too much. The dress is beautiful, even if it”s not. . .you”

I gasped, shoving her. ”See! You hate it too!”

Sylvia pursed their lips. ”My opinion does not matter.”

”But your opinion is the same as mine.”

”It”s. . .” Sylvia groaned, unable to hold back the lie or the laughter. ”It”s a lot, all right? Beautiful, but a lot.”

I sighed and stared at the ceiling. With a huff, I said, ”Everything about today is a lot.”

Sylvia held up a hand. ”Hold on. Do me a favor and keep your panic at bay.”

”I”m not panicking,” I argued.

Sylvia started walking backward, heading for the door.

My heart thumped, and my eyes widened. I took a step forward. ”Wait, where are you going?”

When they reached the door, Sylvia grabbed the handle and held up a finger. ”Give me one minute. I know just the thing that will fix this.”

The door cracked open.

”Sylv!” I shouted, but Sylvia was already running out of the room.

The door slammed shut behind them, and I stomped my foot on the pine floors, exhaling a frustrated groan. Did doing so make me appear like a child and the opposite of a queen or a major? Perhaps, but I didn”t care.

I was alone, and I was most certainly panicking.

With nothing else to do, I turned back to the mirror and peered at the dress, narrowing my eyes as if, by merely staring at it hard enough, it would burn to ash. When nothing happened, I turned my attention to the dainty tiara sitting atop my head.

The tiara was made of thin, golden arches that twisted together. When Esmeray brought it with her that morning, it took my breath away.

As she set it down on the vanity, she cleared the room of the handmaidens.

The moment the door was shut, she turned to me and grabbed my hands, saying, ”The night of the solstice, I didn”t tell you this, but I had always hoped it would be you.”

”What do you mean?” I asked, my brows drawing together and my heart hammering in my chest.

Esmeray smiled. ”That you were the one he had been looking for, his soul bond. When the two of you were growing up, I saw how he protected you, and you him. The way he would help you up when you fell.” Esmeray chuckled, her gaze growing distant as if she was reliving a memory. ”You, of course, would shove him down whenever he did. You have always been stubborn, but so has he. I knew how much finding his soul bond meant to him, and I had never wanted Fynn to give up that hope. But on the day of the crowning ceremony, I had to make a choice—as queens often must. Soul bonds come to us when we need them the most, when we are not looking.” Esmeray cupped my cheek, her touch light and delicate. ”Sometimes they are right in front of us, hiding in plain sight. I saw Fynn losing hope. But you never did, did you?”

”Your Majesty?”

The queen quirked a brow. ”You have a big heart, Danisinia, but you do not hide it as well as you think. You”ve known Fynn was your soul bond before the attack, didn”t you?”

”I—” My tongue twisted. Esmeray squeezed my hand, and I took a deep breath. ”I wasn”t sure, but I had a feeling.”

Esmeray hummed in understanding. ”Your instincts have always been beyond most, my dear. I am simply sorry that my son took so long to realize it himself.” Water glistened in her eyes. She blinked, and it was gone.

Releasing my hand, she turned toward the vanity and picked up the tiara. ”I wore this when I married Marc. His late father, a great metallurgist, crafted it.”

I stared at the golden tiara shimmering in the sunlight. It was magnificent. Despite its age, the metal did not appear worn or tarnished.

”It is beautiful, Your Majesty.”

Esmeray pushed the tiara forward. ”It is yours.”

I took a jilted step back. ”I cannot possibly?—”

Esmeray shook her head, and I snapped my mouth shut. ”It is a tradition in my family that the groom’s mother passes on a family heirloom to the bride to welcome them. While I do not feel that I need to welcome you into our family because you have been a part of it since the beginning, some traditions are worth keeping. May I?”

Unable to do or say anything else, I nodded.

Esmeray took a step forward and placed the tiara atop my head.

I held my breath in anticipation, but when it made contact, the tension vanished quickly. I had thought it would hurt, that the metal would feel cold, but it didn”t.

Even hours later.

As it sat atop my head, pressing into my perfectly woven curls, I understood Fynn a little more.

A knock on the door pulled my attention away from the mirror. ”Sylv—” I began, but I cut myself off as my gift hummed in the pit of my stomach and the soft, sweet song grew louder.

Relief washed away the tension.

”Dani?” Fynn asked from the other side of the door.

My heart thumping in my chest, I pressed my ear against the door. ”What are you doing here, Fynn?”

”Sylvia said you were having some sort of”—He coughed, and I could hear the amused lilt in the noise—”meltdown?”

”I am not having a meltdown.”

”But. . .?” Fynn prodded.

My shoulders sagged, the dress becoming heavier as the train turned to lead on the floor. ”But I don”t know what I was thinking when I agreed to wear this dress.”

”What”s wrong with the dress?” he asked.

”It”s too—ugh. It”s too much.”

”So you keep supposedly saying.” He chuckled. I heard him shuffle on the other side of the door, his weight leaning against it. ”Dani, would you do me a favor?”

”You want me to do you a favor now?” I cried out, my fingers digging into the fabric. ”Seriously, Fynn? I”m in the middle of having a breakdown! Do you think now is the appropriate?—”

”I thought you weren”t having a breakdown?” Fynn asked, interrupting.

I groaned.

”Go to the closet.”

”What did you forget now?” My eyes rolled back, but I pushed myself away from the door. ”Why do I always need to?—”

”Ferrios, please.”

With another groan, I walked to the closet, shouting at the door, ”Fine. I don”t know what could be so important right now that you need me to—” My words cut off as I pulled the door open.

I blinked, hand frozen in the air.

”Did you find it?” Fynn asked from the other side of the door.

My lips parted, but the words struggled to come out as I stared, mouth agape, at the dress hanging in the closet. ”What exactly did I find, Fynn?”

”A dress.”

”And what am I supposed to do with it?”

”Put it on.”

”But. . .” I reached out, running a hand down the satin fabric, which was void of lace, bows, or over-the-top jewels.

”Dani, I know this isn”t about the dress, but you should at least feel like yourself today. While you have been around Terin, me, and my mother long enough to understand how royalty changes things, you haven”t had to experience it firsthand yet. You never asked for a crown. You never asked for a title outside of the one you have earned in the military. And you most certainly didn”t ask for a big wedding—at least not one the entire kingdom was practically invited to. Neither did I, but it was the hand I was dealt. As much as I hate to say it, this wedding is not for us. It”s for the people—to give the kingdom hope for better days to come. But that doesn”t mean we have to change who we are or that you have to change who you are. Take off that frilly dress that Sorinia picked out and put on the one on the hanger.”

”But it”s?—”

”Perfect? Exquisite? Everything you wanted in a wedding dress?”

”Sure, but?—”

”But what? Don”t tell me I actually chose the wrong dress this time.”

My hand fell from the fabric of the dress hanging in the closet. Immediately, my arm brushed against the pointed jewels embroidered throughout the skirt of the one I was wearing, scratching my skin.

I sighed. ”This isn”t the dress of a princess, let alone a queen, Fynn.”

Fynn released a heavy sigh that seeped through the door. ”A dress does not dictate whether you are a princess or queen. And to be honest? I don”t give a damn about what you wear as long as we walk out of the temple hand-in-hand. You are my soul bond, Dani. In less than two hours, you will also be my wife. I told you before, we could have exchanged our rings at The Splintered Oar over piss-poor ale, and I would have been happy.”

”I thought you didn”t like ale.” A quiet hum rose in my core, the blush heating my cheeks.

”I”ve grown accustomed to it.” I could hear his smile through the door.

I looked at the dress again. It was a simple white satin dress with a slit in the long skirt and a corset bodice. It wasn”t extravagant, but it was elegant. Based on the light, flowing material, it also allowed for movement and wouldn”t weigh me down, unlike the current one. The dress hung from thin, dainty straps.

The dress was perfect.

Somewhere in the castle, a bell tolled, loud and rancorous. Time was ticking.

”Are you going to put the dress on?” Fynn asked after a silent moment passed.

I sighed and lifted the hanger. ”Yes, Fynn. I just have to get this one off first.”

His fingers tapped along the door. ”I could help with that, you know.”

I smirked. ”Ha. Not a chance, Nadarean. I didn”t spend the last three hours getting ready for you to ruin it in five.”

”Five?” Fynn asked, humor soaking his voice. ”We have at least ten minutes.”

”Fynneares,” I hissed, chuckling.

”It was worth a shot.” He knocked on the door, two light taps. Then footsteps sounded on the other side before I could respond.

I love you, I thought as Fynn walked away.

I love you too, Ferrios.

A wide grin split my face as Fynn”s voice floated into my mind.

According to Esmeray, the new development resulted from the bond between our souls, the connection enhancing our gifts. As of right now, he could only speak into my mind. But Esmeray believed that once the vows were spoken and the rings forged from the isle were slipped onto our fingers, he would be able to mind-speak to others as well.

At first, it scared me. Having another person’s voice in my head made my mind feel too small. However, Fynn had been whispering inside my head for four months now. Over the course of those months, it became a comfort I sought out often.

Sometimes, his voice was faint, little more than a whisper. But whenever he was near, it was there.

I didn”t care about why Fynn could now speak into my mind. All I knew was that I never wanted to know what it felt like to be without it.