CHAPTER III
GOLDEN
I can’t stop looking at myself. Or rather yet, I can’t stop looking at Gail’s velvet emerald dress now resting on my body.
It’s stunning, curving over my chest and down the full length of my arms, the fabric covering all the way to my wrists.
My full shoulders, upper chest and neck are bare, the only thing covering them being my golden brown hair that falls straight to just above the swells of my breasts.
My green eyes shine back at me in the mirror and my tanned skin glows against the gold of my earrings and the two rings on my fingers.
My smile is beaming, lips red and full as my cheeks curve up in genuine happiness, truly unable to stop looking at the ensemble.
“You’re ready,” Gail’s own eyes are wide as she stands behind me, also looking in the mirror.
I nod and smile at the girl, running my hands down the front of my stomach and loving the feel of the velvet.
Everything about this outfit is giving me so much confidence, but I still can’t quell the heavy anxiety that’s trying to rear its head.
“We’ll meet back here after?” I ask, taking a deep breath.
“Yes,” she smiles, eyes sparkling, “whenever the ceremony ends. I’ll find you.”
“I truly can’t thank you enough, Gail,” I reach an arm around the girl’s shoulder and squeeze her tight. “Thank you for everything.”
“You’re very welcome,” she grins before waving to her sewing kit on my bed. “I’m going to head back and get ready myself. Do you mind if I leave my stuff in here?”
“Not at all,” I reply, running my hands over the front of my stomach again.
“Hey…” Gail reaches out with a soft smile. “This is a beautiful day, and your beauty matches it. Don’t be nervous, Alexis. Everything will be perfect for our Prince.”
“It will,” I take another deep breath and squeeze her hands. “Let’s get going then. You ready Storm?”
The Bird of Ash spreads his wings and glides into the room, landing on my wrist before I bring him up to my right shoulder.
The three of us move out of my room and towards the staircase at the end of the hall, taking it down until the sound of muffled chatter starts to permeate the air.
My heart nearly stops when we finally reach the first floor, the conversations now so loud that they carry through the grand entry.
Every space of the entry is completely filled with people. The Great Oak is surrounded with coronation guests, so much so that the crowd spans all the way to the double doors of the castle.
“Ancients, this is a large crowd,” Gail breathes next to me, the two of us standing side by side in the hall and looking over the bustling crowd.
My eyes widen. There has to be over two thousand here today.
The double doors at the front of Castle Bardot are completely open, allowing for the guests to stand in the afternoon sunlight that’s shining brightly into the room.
Thousands of patrons and visitors all wait in their best attire under the Great Oak, the combination of all three colors of Disce’s courts truly a sight to see.
The chatter is lively and loud, a mixture of excitement and slight nervousness as everyone greets their neighbors, waiting for the ceremony to begin.
I’ve never seen Castle Bardot host so many people in my life— didn’t even think it had the capacity to.
The room is jam packed, with everyone standing diligently under the Oak and letting the sun shine down on them through the vaulted ceilings above.
Gail’s eyes are as wide as mine when she turns in my direction.
“I need to get back to my room, but I’ll find you after?”
“Sounds like a plan,” I smile, watching as she turns in the opposite direction of the crowd to head down the hall. I take a deep breath and set my shoulders straight, then head right into the crowd towards the Great Oak.
My walk is strong as people turn to look at me in their conversations, their eyes bouncing between me and Stormfall as they openly stare.
I navigate quietly through them all and ignore the small whispers behind their hands, my gaze trained solely on the large tree that’s been decorated for this event.
The Great Oak is alight in a way that I’ve never seen before.
It’s breathtaking, the full of it ready to host the ceremony in the perfect center against its massive trunk.
A small dais has been lifted from the ground, the roots from the Oak summoned so that they curve strong and tall around the platform and encircle the sides in a steady wood.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of lanterns of bottled moonslight are hanging from the limbs above it, the lights sparkling with the sun and giving the whole area a glittering haze.
An elder Discerni man stands on that platform wearing a long robe of deep emerald green and white, his hands holding a plush golden pillow with a dark crown resting on top.
My eyes widen at the crown and the stark differences between it and the one Keane’s father used to wear.
Where Zander’s was a solid gold, fashioning itself into golden tree limbs that rested intricately around the top of his head, Keane’s chosen a crown that is a solid and glittering black.
There’s no jewels or crystals in it, just the black of its entirety resting strong under the Oak like the proud yet modest man I know him to be.
As I step closer to the Oak, I notice a deep green fabric that rolls down from the dais, the emerald walkway heading in the direction towards the cave at the back of the castle.
The bulk of the crowd is aligned on both sides of that carpet, all of their faces turned towards the Oak and the front entry steps farther behind it.
I maneuver through the crowd and finally notice the royal family standing at the front, the lot of them engaging in their own small talk with the various Lord and Ladies around them.
I’m about to find a place to stand where I am when a Knowledge soldier walks up to me, his Discerni features polite but giving off no emotion.
“Lady Alexis,” he nods.
It’s the same soldier that grabbed me from Chef’s kitchens.
“What is your name, Sir?” I smile in greeting, watching as his eyes flick just briefly to Stormfall before they fall back on mine.
“Canon,” he gives me a small nod, then turns to the green walkway. “I’ve been asked to escort you to the front, to stand with the Prince and Princess of Pyre.”
“That would be lovely.”
Canon leads us through the crowd, through the groupings of black from the Court of Warriors to the patrons in green and gold from Knowledge.
We even walk by a large number of those from Woodlands, their pale skin and golden hair all complimented by the soft greens and whites of their court.
Humans and Discerni alike are all mixed in as well, everyone standing proud in themselves as shared beings of the Kingdom of Disce.
There’s a few younger children in attendance too, most looking around in awe as others run through the crowds, their laughter filling the room as they give chase with their friends.
The representation today is truly phenomenal, and I can’t stop the grin the forms on my lips as I watch everyone interact.
The familiar red hair of the Pyrenese finally comes into view, with McQuoid and Clair standing together alongside a few of their own delegation and their large snow tigers.
Both Lord Daniel and Lord Alexander are in conversation with them, the men grinning at something the Prince says just as Canon and I walk up to greet them.
“Lady Alexis Deveren of Bardot,” the soldier announces.
Stormfall spreads his wings behind my back, causing the immediate crowd around us to turn around with curious gazes. My own glance immediately finds Lord Daniel’s, watching as he takes a small step forward and reaches for my hand with a smile.
“Beautiful as always, Lady Alexis,” he nods, bringing my hand up to his lips for a chaste kiss. I smile at the Lord and the way his light brown eyes look back at me in small affection, glad that things have begun to warm between us.
“And you as well, Lord Daniel,” I nod in appreciation, smiling at the strong black of his outfit and the proud stance he takes representing Warrior as the new Leading Lord. “Congratulations on the new title.”
“So much for staying out of the politics, huh?” he whispers.
I chuckle and raise my brows. “So much.”
I turn from the Lord and curtsey in greeting to both Clair and McQuoid. “Your Highnesses.”
McQuoid nods from besides his wife as Clair steps forward and reaches her arms around in a hug.
“You do look beautiful, Alexis. Absolutely radiating.”
“Thank you, Clair,” I smile. “As do you.”
Both regals are wearing dark maroon in their attire, with Clair’s gown a shimmering silk of deep red that has two large straps falling over her shoulders.
The dress flows down to the ground beautifully, hugging the top of her waist and small belly before it lands on the floor.
The bottom of her dress, like mine, is stitched with the great wings of the Tarragons, the expanse of them strong and as they all form a ring around the bottom.
Her red hair is twisted in the front with a small crystal diadem that rests on top, the rest of her hair falling thick and long behind her back in hundreds of different twists and braids. She looks positively stunning.
Prince McQuoid stands next to his wife with his hand on the small of her back, his own being strong and broad in a thick maroon tunic and black pants.
His tunic also has etchings of Tarragon wings running down the sides, perfectly matching his wife’s attire as the two of them stand side by side.
He also wears a crown, one that is thick and silver with black gems resting in the middle all around the base.
Something soft brushes against my hand and prompts me to look down. Alba’s nose is pressing gently against my fingers in greeting, her yellow eyes locking onto mine.
“Hello to you too, Alba,” I smile at the snow tiger.