Chapter 30
Ara
The day wasa blur of flowers and silk and mountains of pastries. The kitchens made as much food as they did for the Choosing, only this time, it was for a celebration.
Sophia took over, just as Ophelia would have, making sure that everything was going to be beautiful. Even Ryvin and Vanth joined in, helping to build a platform for the bride and groom to stand on during their ceremony.
The only thing missing was Cora. I hadn’t seen her since arriving and every time I tried to make my way to her rooms, I was given another task to complete. She’d been completing as much of the pre-wedding traditions as she could, but I hated that she was doing them alone. She’d traveled with Argus to make offerings at the temples, and I knew Lagina had sent some of the special oils their mother had used for her to bathe and prepare for the ceremony. When we were nearing sunset, I finally made my way to her room to check on her.
“Come in,” she called in response to my knock.
I entered the room and found her sitting in her undergarments, staring at a pile of gorgeous saffron colored silk. I brushed my fingers over it. “This is beautiful. Did your mother set it aside for you?”
“It was a gift from Bahar. Apparently, he had it brought when he first arrived, but asked Lagina to store it for me so he wouldn’t scare me away.” She looked up at me and fixed a diplomatic smile on her lips. “How are you? I haven’t seen you enough lately.”
“Don’t do that, Cora,” I said. “Don’t entertain me. I’m here to check on you, not ask you to play hostess.”
She hummed, then returned her attention to the dress. “I know she wasn’t the best mother, but I miss her. I wish she was here.”
I moved closer so I could put my arm around her. She leaned into me, resting her head on my upper chest. “I’m sorry she’s not here. I’m sorry for everything you’ve had to endure the last few weeks. You shouldn’t be doing this so quickly.”
She sat up and turned her stunning blue eyes on me. “I think I feel the mating bond.”
I lifted my brows, surprised by the change of topic. “Oh?”
“He wasn’t going to marry me. I might have used some of my… special skills to change his mind,” she confessed.
“He was going to marry you eventually,” I replied. “That was why he came here in the first place.”
“I know. But when he returned and said he’d wait, it was like it changed something in me. I don’t know how to explain the sensation. I know he cares about me. Which makes no sense. We don’t even know each other,” she said.
“Mating bonds are …” I struggled to come up with the correct word, “different.”
She chuckled. “That’s one way to put it.”
“I think he’s a good man,” I added. “He has demonstrated that he cares for his people, and he’s been helping Athos to show he cares for you.”
“I thought I understood men. I thought I knew what they wanted. I thought I was there to look pretty and fill their beds. I don’t know how to be a queen,” she said.
“You’ll learn,” I said.
“Will you? You never wanted to be queen, and now your mate is next in line for Konos while we actively try to kill their current king,” she pointed out.
My mouth felt dry. “That’s complicated.”
“Tell me about it,” she answered with a heavy sigh.
We both sat in silence for a long moment. I wished I could say something comforting, but I wasn’t sure which of her concerns I should address.
Suddenly, she stood. “You’ll help me dress.”
I rose. “Of course.”
She picked up the shimmery saffron fabric, then passed it to me. I took it from her and noticed that it was embroidered with small orange flames along the hem. A fiery dress for a future Queen of the Dragons.
I helped her into the chiton, draping and pinning it as I went. When I was finished, I stepped back, taking her in. “It’s stunning. A perfect color for you.”
She smiled, but it was a tight, tense smile.
“Would you like me to help you with your hair?” I offered.
“Please.” She sat down on the small stool at her vanity.
The servants were either helping with the influx of people we had on our grounds, or they’d left to be with their families. A pang of sadness made my chest ache as I recalled all the times Mila had helped me with my hair. What I wouldn’t give to have her back with me, just so I could tell her how much she meant to me. We’d had so much loss and I knew there would be more before this was over. I wondered if the ache in my chest would ever fully cease.
I did my best to twist and pin her hair. I added pearls and gold beads to add some sparkle. Carefully, I applied shimmery pink and gold powder to her eyes and cheeks, then lined her eyes with kohl before helping her paint her lips a deep red.
When she stood, I took a step back to take her in. My lips parted. With her gold hair, icy blue eyes, and perfect curves, she was always the most beautiful of the four of us. With the stunning chiton dress, shimmery makeup and sparkling hair, she was ethereal. She was the embodiment of what royalty was supposed to look like. “You look like the Queen of Drakous.”
She gave me a skeptical look before peering at herself in the mirror.
“Are you ready for this?” I asked carefully.
When she turned to look at me, she seemed taller. “You did your part, Ara. Now, this is how I do mine.”
A gentle knock sounded on the door. “I’ll get it,” I said as I crossed the room. I opened it just a crack, unsure if Cora was ready for anyone else to see her dressed for the ceremony.
“The Dragon King sent me with this gift for his bride,” a dragon soldier who’d come with the king held out a wooden box. “He would be honored if she’d wear it for the ceremony.”
I accepted the box. “Thank you. I’ll make sure Cora receives it.”
The soldier bowed, then left. I closed the door, then returned to Cora.
Her brow furrowed as she accepted the box from me. She took a seat, then wordlessly opened it. We both gasped as we stared at an intricate crown. Gold flames were carefully crafted and connected in a circle, making the whole crown look like it was burning. Along the base of the flames were red garnets, orange amber, and yellow citrine. The shining stones helped give the illusion that the flames were burning, made even more pronounced by the excellent craftsmanship of the varying sizes and shapes of the overlapping flames.
“This is too beautiful,” Cora said. “I can’t.” She held it away from her as if it might actually burn her.
I took the crown from her, surprised that it was much lighter than I thought it would be. “You can.” I lifted it, moving slowly, in case she objected. Instead, she closed her eyes and tilted her chin.
I set the crown atop her head. It fit her as if it was designed for her. I didn’t know where it had come from, or how he’d had it made, but it was like it had always meant to be on Cora’s head.
“It’s perfect,” I said.
She grabbed my wrist. “I’m afraid, Ara. What if I don’t ever love him? What if it’s all just lust that fades?”
I knelt down so I was in front of her. “Close your eyes.”
She did.
“Think about Bahar. What do you feel when you imagine him standing in front of you?” I could have reminded her about her duty to Athos. That would have been enough. But I took a chance, certain she was already at the point of no return with the bond.
She took a deep breath, then released it slowly. “I think of how annoyingly self-assured he is.” Her jaw tensed and her lips pressed together into a line.
I worried I’d made things worse.
“I think about his strong arms, and his stupidly handsome face,” she added.
A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth.
“I think of how he looks at me like he might devour me whole, but also like he’s never seen anything as fragile as me. How he cares about his people. How he went from demanding I give him heirs to refusing to marry me…”
She opened her eyes. “Why do I feel so warm? It’s different than how I felt about Tomas. I always thought I loved him, but what I feel for Bahar is not what I felt for Tomas. Is that what it’s like for you with Ryvin? Was it different than how you felt for David?”
My throat tightened as I tried to compare my feelings for Ryvin to David. He was the closest thing I had to someone I loved before Ryvin. The guilt of what I did to him would never leave me, but her words made me realize what I felt for him wasn’t love. It never had been.
“The closest thing I have to what I feel for Rvyin, is what I feel for you and Sophia and Lagina. There was never a true connection with David. Not like I have with Ryvin. It’s like he’s part of me, and I’m part of him. It’s hard to explain.”
She nodded. “I think I understand.”
“I know it’s strange,” I said.
“Sometimes, I’m angry that the fates took the choice from me,” she confided. “Tell me it’s worth it.”
“It’s worth it,” I said, without hesitation.
“Alright. But when I have babies that can turn into dragons, you’re coming to stay with me,” she teased.
“I wouldn’t miss it,” I said.
Another knock sounded, and I returned to the door to find Lagina and Sophia. They were both dressed for a wedding. Lagina in a reserved deep blue peplos, and Sophia in an airy turquoise chiton.
“You’re not dressed,” Lagina chided.
“It’s time, Cora,” Sophia added.
“She can wear one of my dresses,” Cora said, hurrying to the wardrobe. She pulled out a pale blue silk chiton. “How about this?”
Lagina walked over to the wardrobe and selected a deeper blue dress. “This. There should be no doubt that she’s representing Athos.”
“Perfect,” Cora said as she returned the other dress.
My sisters quickly helped me dress, then fussed over my hair and makeup. When they were finished, I was more elaborately dressed than I usually allowed. My hair dotted with pearls, my face shimmered with gold, and my lips were painted crimson.
“If only mother could see us all now,” Cora said.
Sophia winced and Lagina and Cora sandwiched her between them before Cora dragged me into the hug.
“Don’t do that, Sophia,” Lagina said. “Mother would be proud of you, and you know it.”
“Nobody cry, it’ll ruin our makeup,” Cora said with a laugh that was half sob.
Another knock forced us apart, and I had a momentary pang of sadness as we separated. When the fight was over, Cora would leave to Drakous, Lagina would continue to rule Athos, and I had no idea where I would be. But I knew, despite my blue dress and the love I felt for my people, I didn’t belong in Athos anymore.
This time, it was Ryvin and Vanth, along with Argus. Ryvin’s eyes widened when he saw me. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, as if struggling to find words. “Wow.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Cora said from next to me.
My cheeks heated. “I’m not covered in blood and dirt for a change.”
“You’re gorgeous when you’re covered in blood and dirt, as long as it’s not your blood, but I never even imagined what you’d look like as a queen.”
That took away my ability to speak.
“We’re here to escort you to the ceremony,” Vanth cut in.
“It’s time?” Cora asked, glancing to the window.
“We’ll be right there,” Lagina said before shutting the door on the men outside. She turned to Cora. “It’s time for your veil.”
Cora was tense when she nodded, then followed Lagina. I hadn’t even noticed that Lagina had brought a veil into the room when she arrived. It was sitting on the little table next to all the makeup.
Cora sat, then Lagina carefully pinned the veil over her crown. Covering her face and her hair with the sheer, white fabric. When she was finished, Cora stood and it was as if she’d transformed. The veil making her into a bride. My eyes stung, but I held in the tears, knowing Cora wouldn’t want me to cry.
“I’m ready,” Cora said.
“Who would you like to escort you?” Lagina asked, her voice a little choked sounding.
Traditionally, our father would escort her. If not him, the next male family member would step in. We didn’t have anyone for that role. I imagine she’d have asked her mother, but that option had also been stripped from her.
Cora stepped up to Lagina and looped her arm through our eldest sister’s.
Lagina nodded, and I could see the shimmering, unshed tears in her eyes. I knew she couldn’t speak or she’d lose control, so I went to the door and opened it. “We’re ready.”
The men moved aside, letting Lagina and Cora walk first. We followed them. It was an unusual procession. Cora should have had friends in beautiful matching dresses. She should have spent all day yesterday being pampered and making offerings to the gods. She’d had most of the traditional preparation taken from her, but she never once complained. She wasn’t the same person I’d left behind when I traveled to Konos the first time. But I supposed I wasn’t, either. None of us were the same.
We walked to the kitchen so we could use the back door to the gardens. The ceremony would take place in the orchard and everyone who’d sheltered within the shield of the palace grounds was invited. It was just like the Choosing, only this time, we were celebrating life.