Chapter 33
Glass
Damien walked Evelyn downstairs when it was time to leave for King Gerard’s funeral. Odette had twisted Evelyn’s hair into a loose braid to restrain her curls. Evelyn kept swatting Damien as he tried to pull strands of hair out of place without her noticing.
King Tristan was waiting in the entryway with Hannah. She wore a one-shoulder black dress that flowed nicely to the floor. There was nothing inappropriate about it, so she obviously hadn’t pissed off Gabrielle. Her bright copper hair was braided into a coronet on top of her head.
She can’t even wait a few more days until she gets a real crown?
Leo wore his crown, which someone must have rescued from the garden. His mother was in a long, black, lace dress and a veil. Evelyn’s heart broke for both of them, even though she also wanted to set Leo’s eyebrows on fire.
Several closed carriages waited outside the palace to transport everyone. Leo and Queen Camille climbed into the first one. King Tristan and Hannah took the second. Evelyn and Damien sat across from each other in the third.
“How far are we going?” she asked.
“It will take about an hour,” Damien said. “We’re headed for the southwestern coast. The Royal Cemetery is in the Vision Court’s territory.”
“Why there? Why not have it closer to the palace or on military grounds?”
“After the land was split into courts, the first king had Vision magic. Before he died, he requested that his body be returned home. He was laid to rest by the ocean, and it became a tradition for kings after him. I’ll warn you, the row of mausoleums overlooking the water is a bit jarring to see.”
“What about queens and children of the royal families?”
“There’s a graveyard nearby for them.”
“Is that where Prince Christopher is?”
Damien nodded. “I didn’t expect to be going back there so soon.”
“Did you know him well?”
“Well enough. He and Leo were close, but Chris didn’t get into as many shenanigans as we did.”
“What was he like?”
“Probably like Hannah, if she didn’t have a stick up her butt. He was responsible and took his position seriously. But he was funny, too. Did Leo tell you about when we burned the stables down?”
Evelyn cocked her head. “No! What happened?”
“Lord Robert was visiting the palace and snuck Leo a bottle of wine.”
“Not surprised.”
“Leo and I hid in an empty horse stall, which was our usual routine for drinking. It was hardly even a secret. King Gerard was probably the only one who didn’t know.
Chris joined us one night with an extra bottle.
He started doing an impression of one of the former guards who startled really easily and would jump a foot in the air at any loud noise.
Like, including someone sneezing. That guy didn’t last very long as a guard.
Anyway, Chris jumped and accidentally kicked the open bottle of wine, which knocked over a lantern, and suddenly everything was on fire. ”
“Oh, shit!”
“None of us were hurt, and we managed to get all the horses out. But the whole place went up in flames. Illusion magic is really fucking useless in an emergency.”
Evelyn clicked her tongue. “I assume the king noticed a building on fire in front of the palace?”
“He did, actually. But Chris lied and said we had just returned after a ride, and one of the horses knocked the lantern over.”
“Did his father believe him?”
Damien shrugged. “King Gerard didn’t directly accuse anyone of lying, but none of us were allowed to ride a horse for a month. Getting to the city on foot is a bitch.”
“At least you learned your lesson.”
“We did not.” Damien grinned. “Once the new barn was built, we went back to drinking in a stall.”
Evelyn shook her head. “Idiot boys.”
“Hey, it wasn’t all on us. Lord Robert thought it was hilarious. He always brought a bottle for each of us after that.”
“When was the last time you and Leo wasted an evening drinking on hay bales?”
Damien’s grin slipped away. “The night Chris died. Leo was a wreck. I brought as much alcohol as I could carry and dragged him out with me. Once we finished a bottle, Leo would throw it against the wall so it shattered, which annoyed the horses. I let him cry and scream and tell stories, whatever he needed to do. We stayed there all night and passed out right before dawn. Magalie had guards dump buckets of water over our heads when she found us, but then she snuck us into the palace to clean up.”
Evelyn remembered holding Leo while he sobbed the night his father died. Damien had done nearly the same thing for him three years earlier.
“Why didn’t you ever go back to the stables?” she asked.
“Things were different after that. Leo changed. Though I can’t blame him.
The trajectory of his whole damn life shifted that day.
Leo wasn’t really Leo anymore. He was Prince Alexander.
And then you showed up.” Damien gazed at Evelyn with an expression she couldn’t read.
“You made him smile again. For the first time in almost three years. I couldn’t believe it.
Literally overnight, Leo had hearts in his eyes over a girl who set the garden on fire. ”
“I didn’t—”
“I don’t give a shit what you did,” Damien interrupted. “Leo fell in love with you that night. I knew that much before I ever met you, even if he didn’t say it. Prince Alexander was finally Leo again. You brought my friend back, Evelyn. That’s why I’m so protective of you.”
She couldn’t stop the tears from falling. “I don’t think he’s Leo anymore.”
“I hope you’re wrong, Princess,” Damien said quietly.
When they arrived, Damien helped Evelyn out of the carriage and looped an arm around her. The road separated the graveyard from a large grass field. At the far end of the field stood the line of mausoleums, beyond which the land dipped down into sand dunes and the ocean.
“Do you see the house at the top of the hill way over there?” Damien pointed to the right. “That was the original manor for the Vision Court, the first king’s home. It’s been empty for centuries. Nicolas lives in a different part of the territory.”
“Have you ever been in the old house?” Evelyn asked.
Damien winked. “Once or twice. It’s not a bad spot for privacy, if you aren’t allergic to dust.”
Evelyn rolled her eyes and returned her attention to where they were going. The oldest mausoleum was closest to the former manor, so King Gerard’s final resting place was the left-most structure. Rows of chairs had been placed in front of it, facing the ocean.
As they drew nearer, Evelyn noticed the coffin on display. The bottom half was gold, but the top half was clear glass.
She stopped abruptly, nearly tripping Damien. “I didn’t know we would be able to see the king!”
“Of course,” Damien said. “Monarchs are always put under glass.”
“But… his eyes! And his chest!”
“You won’t be able to tell anything is wrong. I promise.”
“I still don’t like it.”
“How do funerals work in your kingdom?”
“The body is covered in a shroud and placed on the pyre,” Evelyn explained. “It’s the same for everyone in Carrowmore, royal or not.”
“I don’t like the idea of being burned any more than you like our tradition.” Damien urged her forward. “It’ll be all right.”
They made their way to the seating area. Evelyn could view the king properly now.
He looks like he’s sleeping. Damien was right about not being able to see his injuries. But I’m not comfortable with this, and the smell of all the roses around the coffin is making it worse.
Queen Camille was openly weeping. She sat in the first seat on the right with Leo beside her. Next should have been King Tristan, but he had traded spots with Hannah so she could sit with her future husband. Evelyn clenched her fists and sat on her father’s other side.
She caught Damien’s wrist when he started to walk away. “You’re leaving?”
“I can’t sit in the front row, Princess. I’m not part of a royal family.”
“But I need you!”
Damien heard the panic in her voice. He leapt over the chair beside her and took the seat directly behind Evelyn in the second row. The action earned him a glare from General Savatier.
Leaning forward, Damien put a hand on Evelyn’s shoulder. “I’m right here. I won’t go anywhere.”
It took about ten minutes for everyone to be seated. Then a man with short white hair faced the crowd. He looked old, which was very rare among the fae.
“That’s Henri Caron,” Damien whispered. “He’s the High Chaplain for the Royal Army.”
The chaplain lifted his hands. “May the gods bless us all on this day of mourning.”
Instead of listening, Evelyn fidgeted with her skirt to make the material sparkle in the sunlight.
I hate funerals. I didn’t even like King Gerard and I can’t lift my head without seeing his body. I should’ve stayed in the carriage. I’m going to set the roses on fire if I have to smell them much longer.
When Evelyn glanced at Leo, he was holding Hannah’s hand.
Of course he fucking is. He’s going to marry her. If only he had the decency to tell me that instead of kissing me.
Eventually, movement caught her eye and she jolted back to the present. The front row was standing up. Evelyn copied them, unsure if everyone had been given directions or they just knew what to do.
Queen Camille and Leo approached the coffin. The queen put her hands on the glass and wailed, while Leo stared up at the sky. Once his mother quieted, Leo led her off to the right side of the assembly.
King Tristan and Hannah stepped forward next, but the king paused when he realized Evelyn wasn’t moving.
“It’s our turn,” he whispered.
Evelyn shook her head. “I can’t.”
“It’s expected.”
“No,” Evelyn said, backing away from him.
Damien appeared at her side. “It’s okay. You don’t have to.”
King Tristan and Hannah approached the coffin to give their respects. Slowly, and in order of rank, everyone else had a chance to do the same.
Damien walked Evelyn back to the carriages. When they reached the road, Damien leaned down to check on her.
“I just couldn’t,” she told him.
“I know. It’s okay,” he repeated, brushing loose hair off her face.
Evelyn reached up and traced the gold music note on the front of Damien’s uniform. It was only a small distraction, but it was enough. He didn’t stop her.
“Isn’t your family here?” she asked. “You should go see your sisters.”
“They are, but no. I would rather stay with you.”
Evelyn’s heart fluttered. “I thought you didn’t like babysitting me?”
“Well, you do cry a lot.”
“Shut up!”
Damien laughed. “You wouldn’t know what to do if I were nice to you.”
“You could try it anyway!”
“Nah. Teasing you is much more fun.”
Evelyn and Damien waited almost an hour for everyone else to return to the carriages.
King Tristan wasn’t pleased with his youngest daughter. “You embarrassed us, Evelyn!”
“I wasn’t comfortable being there,” she explained.
“It’s not about you!” Hannah interjected. “We are here to support the Ducasse family.”
“I can be supportive without going near a dead body, Hannah!” Evelyn yelled. “I’ve seen enough of them already while you’ve been having tea parties!”
“I have been doing what a princess is supposed to do!” Hannah said, her voice uncharacteristically loud. “You would understand that if you tried acting like a princess for once!”
“At least I have my own opinions and my own dreams,” Evelyn argued. “You would marry a llama if Father told you it would turn into a prince.”
“Enough!”
Evelyn didn’t even recognize the voice until she saw Leo.
I’ve never heard him sound so angry… or so much like a king.
Hannah clasped her hands together and lowered her head respectfully.
Fuck that.
Evelyn stood tall and looked directly at Leo.
He stared back at her. “Can I talk to you?”
“Yes,” she agreed curtly.
Evelyn followed Leo a ways down the road, out of earshot from the rest of the group.
“You left early,” he said irritably. “I’m sorry you felt obligated to be here.”
“I’m not upset that I’m here,” Evelyn corrected. “Gryon’s funeral traditions are just very different from what I’m used to.”
Leo sighed. “That makes sense.”
“Are you mad at me for walking away?”
“No, but I wished you were there.”
“You had Hannah to hold your hand.”
Leo froze. “I wasn’t expecting to sit with Hannah today.”
Evelyn turned around to face him. “Today has been full of unexpected things.”
“What does that mean?”
“Nothing. Never mind.”
“I haven’t seen you all day. Why were you hiding?” Leo asked.
Evelyn kicked a loose stone on the road. “I was in my room.”
“Please tell me what’s wrong.”
“Nothing is wrong.”
“Evelyn—”
“It doesn’t feel right to focus on this right now,” Evelyn said, copying Leo’s words from that morning. “I’m sure you want to get back to the palace.”
“I do, but—”
Evelyn spun toward the carriages, heading for Damien. Her father and Hannah were already gone.
“You okay?” Damien asked.
“I’m a princess,” Evelyn said bitterly.
“Most princesses wouldn’t stomp away from a king.”
“I didn’t stomp.”
“Sure you didn’t.”
“I’d like to see you stomp through grass in heels!”
“Do you want to see me in a dress, too?” Damien asked. “Or just the heels?”
Evelyn blushed, then cracked up laughing. She quieted down once she noticed people staring. “You can’t make me laugh at a funeral.”
“But I love making you laugh.” Damien smiled. “Your eyes light up even more than when you’re scowling at me.”
“Princess Evelyn,” a guard interrupted. “There is a carriage ready for you.”
Damien took her hand. “Come on, let’s get far away from here.”
Evelyn let Damien help her into the carriage. He sat next to her, stretching his legs out in front of him.
Before the door closed, Evelyn realized Leo was looking as Damien whispered something in her ear. She smiled and took Damien’s hand.
If I have to watch Leo with Hannah, he can watch me, too.