Chapter 39
Lark
Lumi glides into the room, drifting serenely through the open doorway as if celestials appear at small town hearings every day. Gasps ripple through the room. More than one person who just spoke for me now begins whispering frantically behind their hands, pointing, or outright gawking.
“Oh, drown it,” Talvie mutters. “I knew I forgot something. Lumi, Lumi—”
“Lumi prefers to remain out here, thank you.” The little moon’s voice carries clear and calm through the hall, triggering renewed awe. “Lumi is done hiding. Valkie should be too.”
And just like that, her disguise melts away. Starry blue hair and pale skin shift to iridescent white and warm brown, her bright blue eyes deepening to their true aubergine hue. A very real, very stunned-looking Princess Talvie stands in Val’s place.
Now that sets off full mayhem. Voices overlap in startled exclamations. Daria’s on her feet, hands raised, but it’s hopeless. The entire room is talking at once. Realization hits in waves, and I catch faces lit with astonishment, recognition dawning as they put the pieces together.
There’s a princess in their midst. More than that, she’s been among them all along. Shock and fear mingle with their surprise.
To add to the already fraught situation, Queen Taynia strides in with Beron at her side.
“Oh, thank the Deep you’ve abandoned that ghastly disguise,” the queen says at Talvie’s appearance, her voice as regal as it is cutting, “though your clothing still leaves much to be desired, darling.”
Then she seems to register exactly where she is. A handful of townsfolk dip into curtsies or awkward bows. Most just…stare. I nearly drop my head into my hands.
Daria coughs, turning her head away with a flush burning across her cheeks.
When Beron steps behind Taynia, I suddenly remember.
Oh, sweet souls of the Deep, the love potion!
At least she’s not throwing herself across the room with wild flirtations, so I can assume her dose wore off around the same time Taynia’s did.
Daria must be furious, though. Just what I needed—more reason for her to judge me lacking and irresponsible.
I try to catch her attention to mouth a huge, “Sorry,” but she merely lifts her chin and refuses to meet anyone’s eye.
Talvie follows the direction of my gaze and blanches all over again.
Even her darker skin pales, and when her head swivels, it tosses rainbows across her white tresses, so much brighter now that I can finally see them unmuted by the starry blue illusion.
Any hope of hiding the full extent of our lies is long gone.
Abandoning any effort at addressing the confusion, she comes straight to me, skirts swishing through the crowded aisle.
“What’s going on, Lark? Why are all these townsfolk here?
” She’s distracted by Eevi lurching toward her from Katja’s lap, little hands reaching.
She scoops Eevi up like she never left, breathing her in.
“Hello, my sweet.” Happy giggles as she buries her face in Talvie’s neck.
Even without the disguise, she knows her.
Talvie lifts her head and looks at me, fire in her eyes.
“I’m sorry I ruined everything, Lark. I was trying to get to you, I swear, then Beron came— And then Taynia— Well, you know what happened.
Then I was stuck, and it was horrible. All I could think about was letting you down, and now I’ve missed the hearing and messed up the disguise, and it’s all my fault if this goes wrong.
If these people are saying anything bad about you, I’ll set them straight.
I’ll speak for you. Having this face again has to be good for something. ”
I don’t even know where to start, so I capture her cheek with my palm, just to look into her eyes and see them gazing back at me, full of life and vigor.
“I’m just—” My voice catches. “I’m just glad you’re awake. I’ve never been so scared. Not that I thought I’d get to keep you, but to lose you like that…”
Her expression softens. “Hey, I’m here now.”
“I knew Queen Taynia could wake you.”
“She did. Lumi was with me in the dreamscape, and she told me when Taynia took the potion. I felt her kiss my cheek and finally shatter the dreamworld. But Lark, it should have been you. I think I scared them when I bolted upright and ran out the door after you.”
“You—you did?”
“Of course I did! And I heard you, Lark. I heard everything you said, from when Lumi came to me to when you left. It was maddening to lay there and have to hear you doubt yourself when I wanted to scream Kiss me, already!
“How could you have doubted that it would work with you, when the spell called for true love? Do you really believe I couldn’t love you back?
I wanted to scream, or shake you. But no.
I couldn’t move or speak or—” She huffs a breath, then keeps going, words tumbling faster.
“Then after Taynia woke me, I realized that if you had stayed, you would have been late for this hearing, and of course this comes first, so I understood. The kids will always come first. So then I was thinking it was good that you didn’t stay and wake me, but storms, I wanted it to be you, and—mmpfh. ”
I kiss her.
The hall is still buzzing around us, but for that moment it’s just her lips, warm and certain against mine.
“You love me too?” I murmur.
Her eyebrows shoot up. “Did I not say that part? I should have said that part. Of course I love you, Lark.”
She passes Eevi back to Kat so she can take my hands.
“I should never have let you doubt it, not for a heartbeat. I thought if I told you who I really was, you would hate me. Being Point Fae, being royalty, I’m everything you ought to despise in this world after how we’ve treated you and the ones you love.
But I should have known you would never hold prejudices like that.
“Lark, there was never a chance that I wouldn’t love you back, you wonderfully funny, passionate, thoughtful man.
You make me feel safe and wanted, and you never ask for anything in return.
You knew who I was this whole time, and you could have turned me in, or used me for my status, or manipulated or blackmailed me—anyone else would have—but not you.
Because you are loving and kind to your core.
How could I not love you for all of that? ”
She brings one hand to my face, drawing me close enough to press our foreheads together.
Her voice drops to a low plea. “I found myself with you, Lark. Before you, before this family, I was a shadow—no more real than one of your illusions. I came to life when you came into mine. Of course I love you, Lark. There was never room for doubt. If you’ll let me, I’ll make sure you never doubt again. ”
I can barely breathe under the weight of her words, and yet my heart is soaring with new life.
She pulls back to search my face. “Drowning Deep! The hearing—what happened? Is it over? Have they decided?” Her gaze darts toward the front of the hall, and she grabs my sleeve. “Daria is your Head Sentry? But, Lark…she knows everything! Oh, no, no, no. She knows it’s not a real engagement.”
“Breathe, kulta,” I whisper, “I need you to breathe.”
“I am breathing. I’m definitely not freaking out. Why? Are you freaking out? I feel like maybe you should be freaking out.”
“No,” I say, and I actually mean it. “I thought I had to be enough, alone, but I’m not alone.
It turns out I never was. Not only do I have the little beasties, but after staying put in this town, apparently I have friends.
These folk all came to support us.” I gesture at the hall, where Ludo waits with so many other shocked and amused faces.
Then I turn back to the one who matters most. “And above all, I have someone telling me I’m worth believing in, worth helping, worth fighting for. ”
Her gaze steadies on mine, and her voice comes out strong.
“Of course you do. Wait…you mean me, right? You’d better mean me.
Because I don’t just believe you’re worth all that, I know it.
Now these people know it too, so there’s no way the board says otherwise.
" She faces the dais. "Right, Daria? Anyone can see Lark is the best person for these kids. He never needed me for that to be true.”
“Oh, does this mean we can finally carry on?” Daria asks. She sounds prim, but she’s still not looking in Beron’s direction.
I need to get the rest of that story, but for now, I stifle my grin. “Yes, ma’am. We’re ready.”
Another sentry speaks up. “Am I understanding correctly that this joint custody petition is not, in fact, a proper engagement?”
Swallowing, I brace myself to tell the truth. “I apologize for the deception. It seemed the best way to improve my chances, but I see that was wrong, and I’m deeply sorry.”
A few of the sentries duck their heads, and my stomach sinks. If I lose now, it will be entirely my fault, all on a technicality. I should never have listened to muskrat face.
Sentry Niemi himself rises from his chair. “If it pleases the board,” he says, waiting for a nod from Daria before continuing, “I believe I may be partially to blame for Mr Hyveri’s mistaken belief.”
Partially?
“As you’ve undoubtedly read in my case file, I’ve found the childlings to be well cared for on each encounter, predating the appearance of Ms Val, er—” He squeaks like Hugo. “I mean, of Her Royal Highness, Princess Talvie of the Hinterlands.”
Talvie stiffens at her full title being announced.
“Yes,” Daria confirms, “we saw that. And combined with our observations as a board and the statements presented to us, this fake partnership does not—”
“Wait,” Talvie interrupts. “It’s not fake.” She turns to face me. “If you meant any of it, Lark, then I meant every bit since I said yes. Including saying yes.”
My heart somersaults. “Technically…you never said yes.”
“Technically, you never asked.” She smiles at me.
“Maybe I should fix that.”