Chapter 63
MORRIGAN
The ballroom sounded just as lively as it felt when Dez had hosted his masquerade.
With Azrael at my side, we made our way to the stairs, and I saw all seven men standing at the end of them.
Tristan, Kaiden, Naaz, Dez, Eris, Cassius…
even Dormius stood there with them. But positioned behind D was a familiar guard—though, now, he wore handsome attire that matched the same blue that Dormius had on.
I smiled to myself as I took them all in.
My guys.
“Are you ready?” Azrael asked, looking up at me.
“I am.” We walked down together, and Azrael handed me off to Tristan.
“We thought this would be the best way to introduce him,” Dez whispered. “People might feel a little more at ease with him at your side. They trust you.”
I lifted my gaze to Tristan. “Are you ready to meet them?”
Though I couldn’t see the nerves in his eyes, I felt them in my core. But Tristan nodded once at me before we all walked forward together, the rest of the guys right behind us.
When the guards opened the doors, the crowd fell into a deafening silence. The attendees stared at Tristan first, parting as they created a line that led straight through the ballroom. But as their eyes traveled past Tristan, they landed on me.
Whispers began as we walked through the parted crowd. They were not only seeing the glow in his eyes, but mine as well, and no one seemed to know what to think at first.
“…his eyes…”
“…a god?”
“…look at her…”
We reached the end of the room, and both of us stepped onto the platform together, stopping in front of the throne—Dez’s throne. But as Dez jogged up to us, he took my other hand and turned me to face the crowd.
“There are a lot of questions you all have,” Dez announced, his voice bellowing against the loud silence before us. “They will all be answered in time. But for now, I would like to reintroduce you to your princess, Morrigan. The chosen queen of Andonia, and beside her…”
Tristan stiffened in my hand, but he kept a neutral face as he stared out at the people, a daze glazing over his eyes.
“Tristan, the son of Ryuk and Rosina.”
Gasps rang out through the crowd, and even I grew a little nervous. No one spoke or moved. We stood in silence, frozen in time, for what felt like hours. But then, one by one, the attendees began to… kneel. The entire room began to kneel.
“What are they doing?” Tristan asked with a worried tone.
“They’re kneeling for you, Tristan,” I whispered to him.
But Dez shook his head at my words. “Not him.”
Suddenly, I heard the whispers breaking through the silence.
“…she’s returned…”
“…her eyes…”
“…princess…”
I swallowed against my dry throat as I tried to understand what was happening right now. “Why are they bowing for me?”
“You left a mortal, Morrigan, and came back a goddess,” he said quietly. “It’s no longer just Tristan that has a claim to that throne. You were the prophesied queen in their eyes.”
I whipped my head toward him, eyes wide. “No, I’m not—”
“Princess!” someone shouted in the crowd.
“The prophecy has returned!” yelled a man on the other side.
Soon, everyone stood, breaking out in applause as the room erupted in sound again.
Dez took my hand and moved me back toward his throne, offering me a small bow before kissing my knuckles. When I looked at Tristan, he was smiling at me.
“Dez and I had already visited a few of the villages these past couple of months to spread the word. It was his idea. Tonight isn’t about me, Morrigan.”
“I don’t understand,” I said to both of them.
“They’re here to celebrate you.”
After the shock of it all had passed, everyone seemed to relax into a comfortable routine of dances and chatter.
Tristan kept a little bit of distance most of the night, remaining near the throne as he sipped his wine.
Malakai was the complete opposite. He had grabbed at least twenty different girls for dances, and I could see the small sense of normalcy in his usually crazed eyes—like memories were returning from his old life.
Dez and I spent most of the night dancing together. I was able to convince Naaz, Cass, and D to join in at some point, but Kaiden and Eris remained on the other side of the ballroom, watching us.
Eventually, Cassius had way too much to drink and decided to retire for the night. He gave me a soft kiss before leaving, and I realized that the ballroom had become far too hot for me.
I walked toward Tristan, giving him a quick kiss on his cheek. “I’m going to get some air really quick. Did you want to come with me?”
To my surprise, he shook his head. “I’m… kind of enjoying just watching it all, if that’s okay.”
With a smile, I nodded and pranced through the ballroom until I reached the doors that led out onto the courtyard. The air felt brisk against the heat that slicked my skin. I didn’t even need a cloak against the chilled, spring air.
I walked toward the garden of roses and plucked one, bringing it to my nose and smelling the sweet, floral aroma that wafted from the flower.
But then, a strange awareness washed over me that had my skin prickling in an instant.
I perked up, looking around, though no one stood directly nearby.
There were people outside talking to each other, and some were dancing to the music that bled out from the ballroom.
Yet, the feeling wouldn’t go away.
I vaguely recognized it.
Instinctively, I turned toward the trees that I had once walked through, and heard the slight hum of a voice on the wind. “Behold…” it whispered.
It was the same voice I heard saying that strange word when Azrael and I fell into the water. The same voice that pulled me onto the pier that day. I followed it, letting my senses guide me, until I found the hidden path and made my way to the beach.
When I stepped onto the pier, I could already see five pairs of eyes staring at me from the water. Once I reached the end, I knelt down, and they all swam closer, stopping at the edge. “Behold…”
“How am I able to understand you now?” I asked breathlessly.
One of them reached out to me, placing their slick hand against my chest. “Light.”
“Ryuk did this to you, didn’t he?” As all five of them nodded, anger slowly crept its way in. “It was you that saved us in the water, wasn’t it?” They nodded again. “How? I don’t understand. Only the gods can—”
“Rosina…”
“To protect the child…”
Of course it was Rosina. She was the one who practically tore open the bridge between our worlds. It only made sense that she did everything she could to keep her son safe.
“What do you want from me? Why did you pull me into the water?"
"Home..."
"Want to go home..."
"Just tell me where it is, I can—”
“Release us…”
I tilted my head. “But I can’t. If Ryuk cursed you, I don’t know how to—”
One of their hands reached up, placing it against my chest again. “Light…”
“Mara…” another one whispered, sending a wave of guilt and shame through my body.
"You want me to... kill you?”
“Release us…”
“Rest…”
“We want to rest…”
I sat on my feet, staring at all five of them as I tried to wrap my mind around it. They were no longer themselves, and they hadn’t been for a long time, but… could I truly…
“Please…”
“I don’t know if I can,” I admitted. “I was angry, and I didn’t mean to kill Mara. I just—”
“Try…”
They were no more than puppets to Ryuk, too.
I understood how that felt. After considering it for a couple of seconds, I dipped my hand into the water between them.
Closing my eyes, I sought out the light that blazed in my core.
It was a lot easier to find now, and I pulled it to the surface, influencing it with my will.
I don’t know if this is even going to work…
When I opened my eyes, my veins were glowing with light, crawling down my arms until it reached my fingers.
Then, it spread into the water, illuminating it and sending out slivers of power toward each of the wraiths.
So many puppets, I thought to myself, watching the thin strands of light as they connected with the girls.
With every ounce of my intent, I willed it into my light.
“No more strings,” I whispered, but my voice came out…
different. It was an echo in the wind, and a strong, cold gust pushed my hair forward as bright light shot through each of their eyes.
It grew until the light completely consumed their bodies, and suddenly, they were gone.
I gasped, splashing the water around to find any trace of them. “What did I do?! Did it work?! I don’t—”
“Thank you,” came a whisper from behind me.
Turning around, I found five women, all bathed in an ethereal white glow. They were beautiful; they were young—possibly even younger than me. The girls wore gowns similar to the one Eowyn had worn when I first met her, and they all held each other’s arms as the girls clung to one another.
“You were her handmaidens, weren’t you?” I asked.
They nodded, smiling down at me.
The middle one stepped forward, offering me a hand, and I took it as she helped me to stand. Before I could ask anything else, she hugged me. A strange sense of peace warmed my body as the rest of them joined in the embrace.
“You were never no one,” the middle girl whispered in my ear. “You are salvation, Morrigan.”
“Morrigan!” someone yelled nearby.
Suddenly, the light grew too bright for me to see, and the girls were gone.
I saw Dez jogging down the beach, and he stopped when he saw me.
“Please tell me you weren’t drowning again. Kaiden will kill me if you get hurt again.”
I laughed, shaking my head as I wiped away the single happy tear that had slipped from my eye.
“I just needed some fresh air.” I ran to him, wrapping my hand around his arm. “Let’s get back to the party.”
Together, we walked back toward the castle.
Home, I hummed to myself. We were going home.