20. Hall of Memories #2
Princes . So Darien had been telling the truth about who he was. And Anara was a Princess? Larissa would never have guessed that one. She looked into her familiar younger face, wishing she could deny the similarities. “What happened to you? To us?”
Instead of answering, Lovisa skipped down the hallway.
Larissa rose to her feet, compelled to follow her. “Hey, wait.”
Lovisa was surprisingly quick as she passed through a doorway. Larissa darted after her, only for her world to tilt and swirl.
The door led to a grand sitting room with a set of large swinging doors left open to the balcony beyond. The moon, which looked double its usual size, could be seen through the open doors, and its light reflected off a frozen lake below.
Jóltide , the voice in her mind informed Larissa, when we celebrate the turning of the wheel and the renewal of the year .
Laughter and revelry came from below the balcony, but Larissa focused on the four occupants of the room.
She recognized Anara on the couch closest to her immediately, but her eyes lingered on the handsome boy beside her.
Darien was dressed formally in a sharp navy suit with silver buttons and a large rune sewn onto the shoulder.
Even as he pulled at his tie and ruffled his curly hair, making it more wild than before, Darien looked, well, princely.
He twisted the ring on his finger, his gaze locked onto someone else.
Larissa forced her eyes to follow that gaze, finding herself, or more accurately, Princess Lovisa.
The young woman leaned against the balcony, looking down at the people below, but turned, as if sensing Darien’s eyes.
Though she looked to be the same age as Larissa, Lovisa appeared different in every other aspect.
The Princess oozed regality with white hair that cascaded down her back in loose waves.
A small band of pearls set in a golden net pulled the hair away from her face.
The gold in her eyes was accentuated by the pale gilded edges of her gown that hung off her shoulders.
Dozens of pearls dripped like waterfalls down her bare back.
When she moved, the gown came to life. Runes sewn into the fabric a thousand times over glowed with a strange power.
“You look stunning, Princess.”
It was not Darien who spoke, but another young man whom Larissa was sure she’d never seen before.
He sat next to Darien on the couch, dressed in a crisp black suit, lined with brilliant gold accents that complemented Darien’s silver.
His hazel eyes drank in Lovisa’s presence.
Short strands of his dirty blond hair were braided back above clean-shaven cheeks, but there was something odd about his face.
As hard as Larissa tried to make out the boy’s features, it was like looking through a fogged-up window. Besides his eyes, the face was distorted. Even so, Larissa could not deny its familiarity. Only, it wasn’t a pleasant familiarity. His very presence struck a discordant note in her mind.
He tapped his fingers in an idle rhythm against the arm of the couch. On his right hand, he wore a ring with a large blue stone in the middle. Similar to Darien’s, except that his band was golden instead of silver.
Princess Lovisa’s gaze flickered. “Thank you, Aeron.”
Darien’s brother , the voice reminded Larissa.
Darien leaned forward, relaxing his hands on his lap. “He’s right, Lovisa. Truly stunning.”
Larissa didn’t miss the look between them. Neither, apparently, did Anara, who rolled her eyes. “Freyja help you both.”
Larissa blushed right along with Lovisa at Anara’s call upon the goddess of love. Darien took it in stride. “Anara, you’re as beautiful as your tongue is wicked.”
She smirked. “Then I must dazzle you all.”
Anara was indeed beautiful, dressed in vivid red fabric that clung to her torso and arms, the edges laced in bright, silvery gems. Her dress fell in three layers around her legs, held together by a sash and embroidered with petals and runes that Larissa had never seen before.
The sash wrapped around Anara’s waist and fell over her left shoulder.
Dangling red and silvery gems sat atop her forehead, matching the jewelry at her ears and throat.
The bangles on her arms clicked together when she moved.
None of the jewelry shined as bright as the ruby at her throat. Her copper eyes contrasted against the dark kohl outline as she smiled at Darien’s compliment. Her teeth were needle sharp.
“Always practicing, aren’t you?” Lovisa asked, a smile on her lips.
When Lovisa turned back to the balcony, Larissa joined her.
Together, they surveyed the groups of people in the courtyard below, waiting for their turn to enter the palace.
The guests were so small; Larissa guessed she was several stories high.
Naked cherry blossom trees filled the courtyard, and their fallen petals lay strewn across the ground.
Even the lake’s icy surface glowed white and pink.
Peace stole over Larissa, but she sensed impatience from the Princess beside her.
“Princess Shiko’s coronation is in a few weeks.” Lovisa said, turning to face the others. “I wonder what she’ll add to the Taep?str?s Friearsamningur .”
Darien leaned back, crossing one of his ankles over the other knee and weaving his hands into his hair at the back of his head. “Don’t look at me. Of the four of us, I’m the only one who will never have to worry about that.”
“I assume I’ll do what my ancestors have done,” Anara shrugged. “By the time we are crowned, we usually find our animal form. We sew in the image of our shape as a signature of our reign. Right now, I like the raven, but I haven’t rejected the wolf. What about you, Aeron?”
“A decree,” he said firmly. “Promising a grand future for Safír; one built on prosperity. A land that outshines all that the Safirian Kings and Queens of the past have done before me.”
Darien chuckled. “Come on, Aeron, think big. You wouldn’t want us to think you lacked confidence.”
Aeron smirked. “I know it will only be possible with you by my side, little brother.”
Darien ignored him. “What about you Lovisa? What will you add on your coronation day?”
There it was , thought Larissa, the truth in absolute terms .
A pit of guilt ripened in her stomach, blossoming into bewilderment. How had she gone from palace to farm? Why had the consequences of her past been laid at the feet of her family, her Pappa, Mamma, and Halla? Or could she even still call them family?
Beside her, the Princess seemed to share in Larissa’s unease. Lovisa’s shoulders tightened as she paced. “I have no idea what to add. How could I? My people don’t even know I exist. What could I possibly have to offer them? Nothing.”
“Lovisa, that’s not true,” Anara admonished, not unkindly. “They may not know who you really are, but you know them. I’ve seen you interact with them.”
“Right,” Aeron added. “Who cares if they think you’re just the ward of the King and Queen? They’ll know who you are soon enough.”
“What Aeron means,” Darien interrupted, “is that they care for you now. How much more will they care for you when they learn you are their Princess?”
The toll of a bell echoed through the room. Exhaling, Lovisa released the stress from her shoulders. “That’s our cue. Prince Darien, would you escort me?”
Darien rose without hesitation, failing to hide the grin on his face or to notice how Aeron’s lips tightened. Lovisa must have noticed it, for she added, “Prince Aeron, you know that it is expected of you to escort someone of your same rank.”
Anara rose from the couch, sauntering over to Aeron and looping her arm through his. “Come on, Aeron, I don’t bite.”
Aeron chuckled, unable to hold a straight face when Anara flashed her teeth. “I know you better than that, Anara. I still have the marks from when we were children.”
Anara’s reply was lost as Aeron escorted her from the room. Darien gestured to Lovisa, but the Princess stood in the center of the room, her fingers fidgeting with the fabric of her gown.
“Darien, wait. I want to talk to you.”
Larissa stepped back, willing herself to blend into the shadows. With Anara and Aeron gone, the atmosphere had changed from playful to private. The roaring fire now crackled intimately, and Larissa felt like an intruder in her own memory.
Darien dropped his arm, looking over his shoulder once. Was he checking to see if Aeron was still there?
“What is it?” he asked.
“My sixteenth birthday is only a week after Princess Shiko’s coronation.”
“We’ve been friends since you were six, Lov. I know when your birthday is.”
“My parents are going to announce my heritage to the Perle Kingdom on my birthday.”
Darien exclaimed, “That’s great! You can finally address your people like you’ve always wanted to. Why aren’t you happy?”
She stared back over the balcony where the Perlians gathered below for the Jóltide Festival. “I’m scared, Darien. I’ve been dreaming of this day for my whole life, but what if I mess up?”
“Look at me.” Darien’s hand grasped hers. “You’ll be amazing.”
She shook her head. “You don’t know that.”
“Yes, I do.”
He grasped her chin, tilting her face up to meet his.
A small reluctant smile broke across her lips.
Only the crackle of the fireplace and the murmur of voices below broke the silence.
Heat rushed toward Larissa’s face—or was it rushing toward Lovisa’s face?
She was having a hard time separating herself from her past. She could feel Darien’s hand in her own.
But no, he was holding Lovisa’s hand, wasn’t he?
Darien closed the distance between them and whispered, “Lovisa, I’ve wanted to tell you—”
Lovisa leaned in when he paused, her eyes wide as though she did not want to miss a moment. “Tell me what?”