Chapter 32 Little Star
Verena
C haos surrounds me. Cries of anger, screams of pain, clashing of metal upon metal reverberates throughout my head. Where are familiar faces? Everyone around me is covered in dirt, sweat, and blood. Bodies litter the ground. My chest rises and falls in quick succession, panic swelling within me. A cry of war sounds from my left and as I jerk my head to look, I note Hadeon fighting off a soldier of Zorya. Further back is Esmeray and I can’t move my legs to help as a Zoryan stabs his sword through her torso. I try to scream, but no sound comes out.
Where is Eryx?
I glance around me, tears filling my eyes. I hear his pained groan from behind me and when I twist around in haste, I have no choice but to watch as his life is stripped away.
A scream leaves my throat as I jolt upwards in bed, my breathing erratic as blood pounds in my ears and I hold my chest with my hand. Gaining my bearings, I look around to pull me back to reality. The sweet smell of brown sugar floods my nose as Eryx jerks awake with me, holding me close to him as I press my face into his chest.
“Shh.” He soothes, running a hand over my hair while he holds me tightly with the other. Tears brim my eyes and I blink them away, letting them fall down my cheeks and onto the sheets covering us. “It’s a nightmare. You’re safe.”
“It felt so real,” I choke out softly, allowing him to keep me close. “I watched you die.” My heart clenches at the thought. I feel him tense at my words but he continues rubbing my hair and back.
“I am safe. Nothing is going to happen to me, love.” I nod, trying to force the thoughts away. “Let’s try to go back to sleep.” He lays down while pulling my body on top of him. The thrum of his heart fills my ear as it presses against his chest, the warmth from his body heats mine, and suddenly I am falling back asleep while his hand traces circles around my bare back.
Waking up hours later, the sun shines through the windows, casting the room in a warm glow. A knock sounds at the door before Mama Zen waltzes in with a cart full of food.
“Good morning, you two.” She smiles before stopping the cart by the bed. I cover myself with the comforter but she doesn’t seem to mind or note our naked bodies. “Happy Wedding day! Eat up so you don’t feel weak.” Then she leaves and Eryx slips out a light laugh at my red tinted cheeks and chest.
“Is she always like that?” I question, smiling.
“Zenaida is an actual mother and helped mine raise me and my sisters. She’s seen it all so she doesn’t mind. That’s why she knocks, to give you a warning that she is coming in.” He starts pouring tea for me, knowing it’s my preferred drink for mornings before buttering a biscuit and adding a berry jam to it.
How does he know what I prefer for food?
“I pay attention.” He says as if reading my mind. We spend the rest of the morning eating and talking, simply enjoying each others company.
Until Ruelle, Calanthe, and Esmeray burst into the room. “You’re still in bed?” Ruelle exclaims. “Come on! We have to get you ready! You’re gonna spend the rest of your lives together, you can go a couple hours apart.” The women laugh excitedly and I can’t help but join in, moving to slip from the bed.
Eryx reaches out, stopping me by my arm before pulling me in for a long sensual kiss, slipping his tongue in to brush mine that made me not want to leave .
Esmeray made a playful gagging sound as if she were disgusted by the act but when I look at them, Calanthe is smiling and Ruelle slaps her sister.
They finally are able to pull me away and out of the room, leading me down the hall to Ruelle’s room.
We laugh as we rush in but I stop short in my tracks once they close the door and I look around. There is a rack to the side holding four clothing bags, her vanity is littered with makeup and hair accessories, and there stands a couple maids waiting for us.
“What is this?’’ I ask, turning to the females of my soon-to-be family.
Ruelle steps forward, grasping my hands in hers. People have been doing that a lot lately. “You are family. And this is your wedding day. This is for you. Our dresses are there and my mother has offered to help you with putting yours on since your mother can’t be here today. And we have a sparkling wine mixed with juice, it sounds weird but its delicious!” She thrusts a glass of the fruity and bubbly concoction toward me and I take a drink. She definitely wasn’t wrong. It was divine.
She squeals in excitement, clapping her hands together and leads me to sit with her mother and sister as maids walk over and start on our hair and faces once we were sat.
It is a weird thing, being doted on like this. I did everything by myself on my wedding day.
“I didn’t even pick my dress out.” I tell them after two hours of sitting still, laughing with them and just talking. “Should I be worried?” They look at each other with knowing smiles.
“Are we done?” Esmeray asks the maids, who nods in return, and she stands, pulling my dress to the front and unzipping the garment bag.
I stand in shock as she brings it into view.
There before me was the prettiest dress I had ever seen. It is more of a golden nude tone over all. The boning and bust cups in the torso firm and form fitting from the looks of it. Then, the puffy skirt drops to the floor in a puddle of soft tulle. Throughout the tulle sprinkled iridescent stars and sparkling gems that were so tiny you couldn’t see anything other than the gleam and shine when the light cast upon them. The sleeves were off shoulder, drooping in puffed detachable forms from where my biceps would sit, flitting to my wrists.
“Eryx had it designed for you. Our seamstress wanted to add color but he said you were enough color and he didn’t want to pull away from your natural beauty.” Ruelle spoke softly, as if in awe of it all.
Tears well in my eyes at the thought of him doing this for me. It is better than I could’ve had made for myself. I can’t wait to marry him.
Esmeray, Calanthe, and Ruelle dress in their stunning midnight blue silky dresses and then the princesses of Khyrel left the room.
Calanthe pulls my dress down from the hanger with delicacy before motion me over to step into it.
We stand in front of a full bodied mirror and I look in awe of myself. My hair was wavy, as it was when we met at the coronation ball for Dryston. It flows down my back like water. The blue standing out now more than ever from the pale blonde my hair fully embodied. My indigo eyes popping brightly with the smoky colors they dusted onto my eyelids before lining them with black coal. She helps slip the dress up, zipping it into place. It’s a perfect fit. Snug in every right place on the bodice before flowing down to the ground.
“It’s fitting, is it not?” She asks in such a sweet motherly voice.
“The dress is very fitting for the court. It’s so beautiful.”
I see her brows furrow and I look at her with a questioning gaze, “I meant your nickname. Seren Fach?” When I gave her the same look, she continues. “It means ‘Little Star’.”
Realization sets in but I don’t know what to say. I just gave her a smile.
“Shoes?” I ask Calanthe, excited for what her son might’ve chosen.
Her all-knowing smile gets brighter, “He said no shoes.” My heart clenches in love. Gods this male will be the death of me.
I nod and she rests a supportive palm on my shoulder. “She’d be so proud of you. I know I say it a lot but she wanted your happiness above all else. You are so beautiful, Verena, and having you become part of my family is such a blessing from the Gods.” She tears up too, both of us wiping away the drops of salty solution from our eyes before we ruin our faces. “Are you ready?”
I nod to her and she walks to the door, opening it and allowing Hadeon to see me in full view.
An audible gasp flows from his lips, “Wow.” Is all he says and I can’t help the small smile gracing my lips. Calanthe leaves us, I am assuming to join her daughters in the throne room. “May I?” He asks, holding his arm out for me to grab. “Maybe let’s keep this marriage, yeah? Two is a good number.” He jokes and I gasp in surprise at it before laughing.
“You are an ass.” I state between fits of giggles as we make our way to the throne room. As we walk, I can’t help myself from getting emotional again. “Thank you, again, for walking with me.” He only responds by tapping his hand on mine that’s resting in his arm and nodding as if speaking will choke him up.
We make it to the doors and they open when I nod to the guards who are usually stoic but today smile at me in an endearing way. Esmeray had told me that saving Ruelle and bringing her home bought me a lot of respect from everyone, especially the royal guard and soldiers. Any who might’ve second-guessed my intentions with Eryx or as queen were dissipated now.
I just hate that the price was both of us almost dying for it— for if I were a male, it would’ve been automatic respect.
Once the doors fully open, all eyes are on us— or me , for that matter.
I take a quick glance around, noting all the faces in attendance before my eyes meet his.
Dark as usual but the sun beams through the window, shining a bright light upon them to make them lighter. I almost think I see a sheen from tears but he blinks them away in haste as soon as I start moving. Light music plays from the back corner, reverberating around the space as we walk down the aisle separating both sides of chairs in rows. They’re filled with people I haven’t seen before. I keep my eyes on him, though, not wanting to trip. And being unable to tear them away.
Again, as usual, he wears a black suit. His shirt holding a few undone buttons from the top and he stands there with his hands together in front of him. It looks like a normal suit but the closer we get, the more I notice the shining glimmer of iridescent color on his shirt, barely visual. He sees where my gaze is transfixed and the corner of his mouth twitches up before he flattens it back out.
We arrive to the front of our guests and as I look around the building, it’s magical. Drapes in hues of purples and blues are strung on the beams, golden stars dropped from invisible string as if they’re floating through the air. The entire place is so beautiful.
Eryx steps down a step, reaching his hand out for me to take. I place my small hand in his much larger one and he helps me step up to stand in front of him.
In his way, this entire wedding is showing me how he loves me as if I was his kingdom. I mean more to him than it does. The stars, the nickname, the sacrifices he’s been through with me here, the trust he’s put in me? It’s all one big sign from the Gods to me. He is mine and nothing will change that.