Chapter 17
Leon and I dance all night.
The celebration of Nueena’s upcoming coronation has no end in sight.
Music and revelry fill the rooms of the Ellovian palace.
We renew our energy periodically, stopping by the many tables displaying gilded trays of roasted meat and sugared fruit on each side of the marble ballroom.
Fountains of deliciously sweet blackberry wine are ever flowing.
Eventually Nueena, Hiliyah, and Tavien join us on the floor and together we dance for hours.
Nueena and I spin each other around to the rapid melodies, weaving between the other dancers.
When the music switches to a slow rhythm, giving everyone a chance to catch their breath, Leon tugs me near, his arms tight around me.
Viella pulls Lillian into the ballroom. Lillian is not nearly as threatening in a dress and a soft smile only for her love.
We all watch the two Zemras dance for a moment.
Vi’s dancing is graceful and fluid, a gift that has always come naturally to her.
She spins and sways, her passion for the art of motion is beautiful to watch.
Lillian’s less so, but she looks happier than I have ever seen her.
Their eyes sparkle with joy as they dance with their Zemra. Soulbonded. Forever.
Nueena and I share a giddy look. I’m sure she wishes to rush over and congratulate them, as I do, but we give them their time together. They will find us later.
After all the wine, my face is heated and I seek out the crisp night breeze, the scent of rain in the air.
I grab Leon’s hand, and he follows me to a blissfully empty balcony that wraps around the ballroom.
One side overlooks the city center and further down, the Merawood Forest on the other.
Leaning into the railing and twisting my hair up in a bun to try and cool myself, I relax against the carved stone.
“Hello, Della, dear. I heard Kole was quite the prick this evening.” Camarra’s musical voice stands out among the revelry, growing louder at her approach.
Word spreads fast. “That he was, but thankfully your son handled him.” She may be Everett’s mother, who has always been kind to me, but I am still weary of her for withholding information about the harvest from Nyvenah.
Along with the potential of her sensing the crown, I will only stay and speak with her for a few minutes.
Any more than that, I will need to politely excuse us.
She joins Leon and me on the balcony, staring up, and we follow her gaze. No stars shine down on this joyous night. The sky is filled with storm clouds threatening our evening. “What horrid weather this is, and with fireworks ready to entertain,” she muses.
We both turn to smile at each other, her yellow canary on her shoulder. “We are quite fortunate to have a cloudkeeper as a Guardian,” I say.
“How right you are!” Camarra walks to the edge with a laugh, her hands rising with each step.
Lightning flashes above us.
I take Leon’s hand and tug him back, giving her all the room she needs.
He opens his mouth but closes it again when a brilliant wind swirls around her.
She flings her hands forward, bracelets jingling, and the twisting wind flies upward into the dark sky.
Her bird flaps its wings, holding on to her for dear life.
Clouds shift as she sends more and more gusts, her hair whipping around.
Her cloudkeeper’s magic pushes back the storm.
Massive gray clouds roll away, stars blinking back at us.
She lowers her hands and smooths out her hair with a bit of magic. “There. All is well.”
“Thank you!” I add. “I will tell Nueena how helpful you have been tonight.”
The Court of Green’s Guardian just waves her hand. “It was nothing, enjoy the celebration.” She gives us a polite nod as she leaves.
“That was quite impressive,” Leon says.
“It’s a rare gift.”
The view is spectacular now and we can see smaller celebrations happening all over, fireworks exploding off in the distance.
He whispers in my ear, “Do you remember the day we met?”
“Of course I do. Two years ago, this month. How could I forget?”
I had thought it was going to be a night just as boring as every other bazaar. Rude courtiers, a crowded ballroom, greed fully on display. And then he was before me with wide eyes and a stunned smile.
“You looked beautiful. You wore a blue dress.” He pushes a loose piece of hair behind my ear.
“And you had on little diamond earrings. I’d never seen anyone so beautiful.
I still think that. I was devastated when one of the other vendors told me you were married.
Taken by another who wasn’t me. The cruelty of it all. ”
“And yet, here we are, together.”
He nuzzles my cheek with his. “Together.”
The spires of Adreania’s castle and the mountain range leading to Kalvorn catch my attention.
“Do you think Kalvorn is still looking for the crown?” I whisper.
“You wear a very powerful object on your head, and many will want it if it is discovered, but you do not need to fear Kalvorn or its king.”
I wrap my hands around his neck, and he holds me tight. “How do you know?” I ask. The desperate hope in my voice is as clear as the night sky.
He stares at me with the softest smile. “The rulers of Kalvorn are kind and just. It’s part of why Grayden hates them so much: they are beloved by their people.
King Zilas won’t risk any of his citizens’ lives to get the crown back the way Grayden would.
Even if the traitor knows you have the crown here, Kalvorn does not. ”
“What do you think their queen is like?” I ask, picturing someone like Queen Erenia.
“I hear she is a lovely woman and beloved by her husband. They have one child, a prince. Married two years ago, around the time we met.”
“I just want this damn crown off, so I don’t need to worry about kings and their quest for power. To return to my cottage and the peace it holds, never to think of the crown again.”
“We will find a way to remove it. There must be a key to unlocking it.” He sounds determined and I almost believe him.
That is a worry for tomorrow.
I stand on the tips of my toes and kiss him, slipping my fingers through his hair.
He kisses me slow and lazy, like we have all the time in the world, his lips soft and patient, tinted with longing.
Our tongues meet and he tastes like blackberries and hope.
One hand roams slowly over my back but the other one has firmly planted itself on my hip, his grip uncompromising.
The jubilation is all around us. Cheers and toasts to Nueena’s future reign.
More vibrant purple fireworks go off closer to us, and we break apart to look at the sparkle-filled sky.
Leon’s hands slip around my waist, and he pulls me to his front so we’re both facing the celebrations.
From our spot we can see so much of Lavencia below. The dancers moving to the music of the street musicians, children running around the city center. Most of the shops and homes have removed their own courts’ flags to fly Ellova’s crest, a sea of purple blowing in the wind.
As I lean back into Leon, he turns his head, and his soft lips meet my temple. We stay like that for a long time, gently swaying to the music that has followed us out. I reach up with one arm and hold his face, and he presses more kisses into my hair.
Shattering noises on either side of me draws a deep sigh from me.
I know exactly what I will see. Enormous strawberry bushes reaching towards the sky have grown out of the flower planters on either side of the balcony.
The purple roses that had been there before are now smashed at odd angles under the newly grown shrub demanding the space.
A few more juicy strawberries have broken off, meeting the flowers already on the stone floor.
I should probably be embarrassed by now but I’m not. Smiling, I lean back again against his chest.
“Time to calm down, Strawberries,” he says into my hair with a laugh. “Nueena is here.”
Nueena steps out onto the balcony to join us. They each carry elegant crystal goblets filled with sparkling violet wine. The light from the ballroom behind her gives her an ethereal glow.
“Not a single planter is safe from you, Del.” Tavien teases me.
I lightly slap his massive forearm.
“Truly,” Leon’s grin is mischievous, “I take full responsibility.”
“A toast,” Nueena declares as we each take our glasses, “to new friends and new beginnings.”
We all agree in unison.
At the bottom of our glasses are frozen pearls to keep the liquid chilled, and they chime as we bring the crystal together. The wine is crisp and tart and I feel lighter after every sip.
“I'm going to get some food. Would anyone like something?” Leon asks.
“Yes!” Nueena and I say together. “Everything!”
“I will accompany you, then,” Tavien says to Leon with a laugh. They walk off together back into the merriment of the ballroom.
I watch Leon leave before turning to my oldest friend. “The ceremony was beautiful. Did you see how Lillian was smiling?”
Nueena laughs at that. “I did. We will have to bring it up as much as possible, preferably in front of her sentries.” We giggle at the thought. “Tonight was perfect.”
“Feels like we were just dewlings running around the throne room, wishing it was the real event, and here it is.”
She leans on the balcony, looking down at her vast realm. “Seems strange they’re all celebrating me. I haven’t done anything yet.”
“They are all excited for a bright future with you at the helm! They love you.” I lightly knock my shoulder into her, and she returns the tap.
“To Ellova’s future.” She holds up her glass, and the echoing clink joins the joyous chorus just below us.
Leon and Tavien return, each with a bottle of wine tucked under their arm. In each hand they have a plate covered in sliced meat, fruit, mini lamb pies, and fried potatoes. We all eat and drink straight from the bottles.