Chapter Fifteen
“Isaid red roses, not coral, not scarlet, not carmine, not cerise, and not cherry. Red!” The offending roses were promptly thrown out the window. “Now!”
“Yes, ma’am,” the servant cried, taking off running.
Another problem dared enter the room. The man carrying in the ice sculpture pulled up short when a swirling thundercloud of stress bore down on him.
“No, no, no. This is an elegant affair. Think swans, peacocks, and butterflies. Not dragons!” She sliced the rearing ice creature’s head off without blinking. “Take it away!”
Eadaoin made a harsh noise in her throat. “You’d think she was the one getting married.”
All I could do was nod in agreement, watching Aeris flit about the ballroom—making everything perfection, and tearing to shreds anything that wasn’t.
Everyone was excited when we announced we were getting married for the third time, but no one was as excited as Aeris. She immediately took over the wedding planning—finding little need for my input. I simply sat back and left her to it.
It was safer that way.
“Take note, Bradach.” I winked at him. “This is your future.”
His smile shone upon Aeris. He didn’t mind that at all.
The three of us walked the length of the ballroom, watching the wedding prep come together, but staying out of Aeris’s way.
“I never imagined anyone could love my lord so much, they’d marry him three times.” Bradach eyed me. “Are you certain you weren’t also struck by that love spell? Or is this more of your stunted sickness?”
“Quite certain, and no,” I returned, voice flat. “I love him. I want to marry him for real. A true ceremony where neither of us is being tricked, blackmailed, or plotting to kill the other.” I eyed him right back. “Bradach, can I ask you something?”
“Yes?”
“Why do you call Alisdair ‘my lord’ instead of ‘my brother’? Actually, why didn’t you tell me from the beginning that he was your brother?”
The ever-present, affable smile evaporated, shocking me so much that I came to a halt. Bradach didn’t.
“I lost the right to call him my brother a long time ago. When he needed his brother, I was... lost,” Bradach replied. “I will live with that shame for the rest of my days.” Then, he was gone. Bradach walked out the side door and didn’t come back.
Eadaoin whistled. “Complicated history there, and that’s the most I’ve ever heard him speak about it.”
“That was?”
She nodded. “For all Bradach’s joking, flirting, teasing, and tumbling—he’s the most closed-off man I’ve ever met. Even more so than Lord Lumenfell.”
Now that was a real shock.
“No one knows a thing about his life before Wind and Wild. The man is a vault of secrets.”
I fiddled with my bracelet, chewing my lip. Should I try to talk to Bradach? Tell him that Alisdair told me the truth about his history with Constance, and all that led him to where he is today? Would that make Bradach feel more comfortable doing the same?
“Where are the utensils?” Aeris squawked. “We will have a neat, civilized wedding feast tonight, or none of you will eat!”
Sighing, I let it go. That wasn’t my place. Alisdair opened up to the woman he loved and trusted. When Bradach was ready, he would do the same.
“I can’t believe the ball is tonight.” Eadaoin jumped up and down, clapping and squealing. “We’ve never had a ball here, Lady Ana. Never. I’m so excited to wear a beautiful, flowing gown and spend all night dancing with Keefe.
“You really have brought hope back to these lands again.”
I followed her gaze out the window. The snow had been melting all week. That morning, I put on my shawl and had my coat sent back to the wardrobe. It was too hot for it.
I didn’t know what to think seeing the melting snow. There’d been celebrations in the village every day and every night—rejoicing the coming end of the beast curse, and my alnihaya. But how had we lifted the beast curse? Assuming it was even something Alisdair and I did.
I still didn’t know how the curse came to be, or where his heart was.
Due to the silence that ensnared every cursed tongue, that was no surprise, but it did make me wonder.
Did Alisdair do what Meallan claimed? Did he rescue his heart from its hiding place, and begin the process of destroying it, so that he could love me fully?
Was that his choice—to reign as a strong, all-powerful beast, or love as a regular man?
And he chose me.
The doors opened and I turned—the smile already on my lips. I didn’t have to see to know it was my Alisdair.
He walked inside wearing loose linen breeches, and a shirt unbuttoned to the waist. My heart picked up speed soaking him in. He was all mine. No matter how many times I told myself that, pinching myself barely made me believe it.
“It’s coming together nicely.” He came over and dropped a kiss on my forehead. “Aeris. I’m certain I have you to thank,” he told the servant.
I sniffed. “Only because she’s been barking and screeching over me all morning. I did not ask or approve of any of this, Alisdair. Send it away!”
“I quite like it,” he mused, voice calm and relaxed. “Elegant, but understated. It pleases me, and it makes me want to carry you into an empty room and spend all night pleasing you.” The corner of his mouth curled up and it did funny things to my insides. “Still want me to have it taken down?”
“Well, I... It’s of no surprise to me that you have horrible taste just like that bird woman, but she did get one thing right. As long as everyone eats like civilized fae tonight, I guess it can stay,” Emiana said grudgingly.
“Are you ready?” He flicked over my shoulder. “Eadaoin is supposed to whisk you away for a day of pampering.”
Emiana disappeared, throwing me back at the reins. Relief flooded me. That was only a short episode, and thankfully Alisdair defused her before she could destroy the wedding of my dreams—again.
She’d been inserting herself all week—overriding my decisions, pissing off my helpers, degrading my friends, and all around making everyone wish I cracked my jaw falling down the stairs that day.
I finally had to write a list of everything I wanted, hand it to Aeris, and tell her to ignore me if I told her to do anything in contradiction.
I had to make those kinds of strange declarations more and more, because Emiana was taking me over more and more. The only way to stop it was for Alisdair to declare his love to Cliona? Etain? Bedelia?
Fuck’s sake! What is my name!
“Lady Ana, let’s go.” Eadaoin tugged me away.
Alisdair and I barely had time to kiss goodbye before our lips were pulled apart.
“First, you’ll have a long, hot soaking bath in the finest bath oils in all of Elva.
Then, we’ll do your hair and nails. And finally, your dress will grace your body.
Ah!” she cried, making me jump. “You’re going to swoon when you see it.
It’s the most gorgeous thing in creation. I swear I wept.”
Eadaoin whisked me away. As excited as she was for me to enjoy a day of pampering, she almost shed out all her fur when I insisted that she join me.
I offered the invitation to Aeris too, but she gave me an exasperated look, said she had too much to do to be lying around in a bath all day, and if I was late for the ceremony, she’d come and fish me out of my oversized, oily soup pot herself.
Sometimes I wondered which of us was the queen of Wind and Wild.
Despite her rejection, Eadaoin and I had a great time soaking, not only because halfway through the bath Bradach returned—his normal, affable self—and joined us, taking the place of his lover.
I had long since given up on keeping this man away from my bathroom. Especially since he was smart enough to bring glasses of spiced mulled wine, so my usual order to get out faded at the sight of them.
Bradach jumped in—splashing us both. “Ahh, lady and my lady, forgive me for my abrupt exit earlier, I had to put the finishing touches on your wedding gift.”
My brows shot up. “Wedding gift? I get gifts?”
“Of course.” Eadaoin bumped my shoulder. “Just like you got tributes when the people accepted you as queen. Your wedding tributes will be even better.”
“Wait, no,” I said, rising up. “The people of Wind and Wild already have so little. I felt guilty enough when they gave me the food off their tables. Please, spread the word that I don’t need wedding tributes.”
“Of course, Lady Ana,” Bradach said, bowing as deep as the water allowed him. “We will be doing no such thing.”
I nodded until the rest of the sentence penetrated. “What, why?”
“It’d be a terrible insult,” Eadaoin hissed. “These are our customs. The tributes are the people’s way of saying they accept you and your marriage—well, third marriage to our lord. Rejecting their tributes says you piss on their acceptance.”
I sighed. “Okay, okay. I wouldn’t want to offend anyone, but dare I ask, what is your gift to me, Bradach?”
“It is a manual on different sex positions and acts,” he dropped.
“You have to perform your wifely duties tonight, and you still blush at a man’s naked body.
Figured it wouldn’t hurt to brush you up on your sexual education.
If nothing else, the illustrations I drew in that book will banish the remains of that wide-eyed innocence right out of you. You’re welcome.”
“Hmm. How about I save us both a lot of time, and piss on that right now!”
Eadaoin and Bradach burst out laughing. I shook my head at the both of them. It didn’t surprise me Bradach would give me such a gift. What surprised me is that Eadaoin didn’t think of it herself. The kingdom of Wind and Wild was truly nothing like the borrowed memories of the Crystal Palace.
Wind and Wild was as harsh, brutal, cold, and unforgiving as its name, and still Alisdair was able to create a small community of happy, hardworking people—all of them as different as the day is long—but all of them working, living, and loving together while they patiently wait for the snow to melt.