Queen of Stone and Iron (Celestia Book 1): An Arranged Marriage, Opposites Attract Romantasy

1. Alessia

Istand tall, hold my shoulders back, and confidently point to the man at the very end of the row.

“Him.”

He’s the one I’ve been staring at all evening, the perfect one for the role I have in mind.

Bright, lovely brown eyes.

Jet-black, messy wavy hair.

Average build, lean muscle structure, and a rather attractive jawline.

Cute dimples framing his charming smile, and a swoon-worthy laugh to accompany it.

He is confidence, popularity, and quick wit wrapped up in a nice, neat package called Aurelio Autumnspell.

Yes, he’ll do nicely; in fact, he may play the role so well, I’ll stop guiding him altogether.

The role?

My husband, the charming new prince of the Holy Nation of Celestia—and a certifiable airhead that will stay out of my way, please the people, and keep prying eyes off my private time as I tend to my royal duties.

Finally, I have the authority to do what I’ve always dreamed of, and no royal advisor, aging father, or overzealous servant will get in my way. My lifelong dream will come to fruition shortly after I play my role of Princess Alessia Moonbreaker, the proud, strong, and benevolent leader of the nation of Celestia, reveling in the wake of her big day: Coronation Day.

Specifically, I have to get through the last hour of my Coronation Day, which is this annoying Wedding Ball that I’m forced to attend.

No queen may be crowned until she finds her king and changes his last name. I must parade around the central hall of the palace, speak with all twelve of my potential suitors, who the royal advisors have pre-approved for their strength, intellect, and aristocratic bloodlines, and then choose one from among them at the very end of the ball.

That moment has come, and I’ve made my choice.

Aurelio is the one.

I will bring my kingdom the glory it deserves, and for that to happen, I need the people’s eyes to be elsewhere, on someone as distracting as this man. Especially with him standing here in his finest tailored suit, the black of his suit jacket darker than night, and the white of his undershirt brighter than pure sunlight, he appears as the finest gentleman in all of Celestia. The light in his eyes matches the bright grin on his face, and the slight tinge of pink in his cheeks gives him just the right touch of humility. Judging by his copper suntanned skin and the way he fills out his clothes, he trains hard as a knight. The men will look up to him, and the women will swoon over him.

He’s perfect.

“Princess Alessia has chosen her husband!” one of the royal advisors, Gemma, announces.

A great applause goes up around the hall. Aurelio, surprisingly unfazed by my decision, approaches me with the same expression as he’s worn the entire night: a slight smile, bordering on an empty-headed grin. When he stands beside me, I realize he’s only a few inches taller than me, likely an inch shy of six feet tall compared to my five feet, eight-inch frame. He doesn’t attempt to put his arm around my waist; a good choice, as I would punish him for it later if he dared to touch me. We just met, after all.

I stare out at the crowd from my vantage point at the top of the raised platform, called the Protestation Stage. Behind me, the Queen’s throne, an ancient hand-carved chair made from the wood of a tree that has long gone extinct, sits in its gilded glory. Pure gold fills in the wood designs of the throne, causing it to sparkle under the light of the seven glass chandeliers equally spaced out across the ceiling above. The enormous stained glass windows that line the walls, depicting scenes of our country’s ancient queens, heroes, and founders, remain faintly lit by the moonlight outside. The marble flooring, walls, and pillars that remain a staple of this palace’s architecture make the room appear unnaturally bright, even in the dimmer warm lighting of the chandeliers.

There are people gathered all across the hall below, some sitting at the three long tables spaced out on the main floor, and others standing in the aisleways on either side of the hall. All of them resemble Aurelio and I’s dress, sporting either a three-piece suit or an elegant ball gown. A few of the women wear a suit coat overtop of their gowns.

How I envy them. I”ve been struggling all night with this obnoxiously red, glittery monstrosity they forced me into. It shows far more of me than I appreciate, with a low A-line and a wide slit starting at my left hip, but there’s nothing I can do about it now. The royal advisors insisted on it, and what the royal advisors say, goes—or, at least, that’s how it did go before.

Now, I’m calling the shots.

Gemma approaches Aurelio and I, a broad smile on her face. She’s the only one of the royal advisors that’s ever respected my wishes, and she’s going the extra mile to hurry this ceremony for me now. I shoot her an appreciative smile as she places the simple ruby-studded gold tiara on my head. Then she hands me a silver and sapphire bracelet, and I turn to Aurelio, gesturing to his wrist.

“Last chance to back out,” I say unceremoniously.

Aurelio shakes his head. “Why would I deny you on the night of your great day, my lady? If this is your will, then I gladly accept.”

I roll my eyes. “There’s no need to be so formal. Save it for the public addresses. Those are exhausting enough.”

“Noted,” Aurelio laughs.

I almost drop the bracelet as I place it around his wrist. His laughter catches me off guard. It’s sweeter than honey, but smoother than the softest melody. I’ve heard him laugh a couple times tonight, but never like this, with his whole heart in the reaction.

I like it.

I frown. That’s an entirely unnecessary thought. It doesn’t matter if I like Aurelio’s laugh or not; he’ll serve a purpose, and he’ll serve it well, regardless of who he is and how tolerable his personality is. I need the crown’s authority for the good of my nation, so I will do whatever is necessary to receive it.

When the bracelet is on, I take his hand, lift it high into the air, and turn to address my people, exactly as I’ve been taught. Gemma recites a line from our ancient language, one that has been lost to the world. It roughly translates to “Praise be to the Celestials, our Founders, and our ancestors!”

The people chant the line back to her seven times. Their voices echo across the space, swelling in volume with each chant, until it feels as though their voices may bust through the windows. Their final chant rumbles in my chest.

Then, it’s finally over.

I’m officially queen. Awesome! Yay! Woohoo!

It’s time to leave.

I tug on Aurelio’s hand, and I lead him down the seven steps of the Protestation Stage and into the crowd. I’m praised, greeted, and congratulated as I fight my way through the crowd—which, in my terms, I call noble harassment, since they have no consideration for my time or personal space, but such is the life of royalty.

At long last, I reach the ten-foot pair of oak doors that lead out of the central hall. I pull Aurelio around the corner, run down the hall, and careen around another corner, finally disappearing from view of the guests. I let out the huge sigh I’ve been holding in all day.

“Thank the gods, I thought I’d never get out of that stuffy room,” I say.

“Do you not enjoy being queen?” Aurelio asks.

“I do. I just hate formalities. And crowds,” I grumble.

I duck into a tower, run up the spiral staircase, and exit at the third floor. Passing by the suit of armor from three hundred years ago, I run to the end of the hall, then open the doors on the left. I hear a tiny gasp from Aurelio as we enter my room. I turn back to look at him and find his eyes wide with wonder.

“This shouldn’t be anything unfamiliar,” I remind him. “You’re an aristocrat. Your home must be just as impressive as the palace.”

Aurelio shakes his head. “No, it’s not that. It’s just…I’ve never seen this many books in my life. I wish my home had a room like this when I was growing up.”

I turn back to look at my room, shrugging. I’ve made it my own; although the marble and limestone patch worked walls remain the same as ever, I’ve built bookshelves upon bookshelves that stack to the top of my three-story tower suite. There’s a spiral staircase that moves via telekinetic magic so I can reach them all. My bed, dresser, and shelves full of plants sit on an overhang one story up, right beneath a giant glass window that provides a beautiful view of the sprawling palace and city below. My bathroom is an enclosed room at the top of my tower, only the wooden flooring visible from down here. There’s another spiral staircase in the far right corner of my room that I use to get up there, although this one is permanent and unmovable.

Magically secured to the bottom of my bathroom flooring are several vining plants that trail halfway down to the floor. In fact, there’s so many windows in here that my room is always bright, no matter the time of day, so I’ve put in at least one hundred vining and flowering plants from across Celestia. My room resembles a greenhouse-library more than a princess”s bedroom.

Princess.A tiny smile lights up my face. Not anymore. I’m Queen Alessia Moonbreaker now.

I feel a small tug on my hand when I try to move. My thoughts vanish in a millisecond when, to my horror, I realize I’m still holding Aurelio’s hand. I immediately toss it away, a jolt like lightning zipping through me. Aurelio looks at me with a frown.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“No, not at all. I was being unprofessional, that’s all,” I say curtly.

Aurelio rolls his eyes. “So unprofessional. We’re married now, Alessia. I’ve already given up my last name for yours. I really don’t mind.”

“Well, I do, so don’t go assuming it’s alright to hold my hand whenever you please,” I snap.

I turn on my heel and head toward one of my bookshelves before he can see my burning face. This is so unlike me; it’s downright shameful to blush from such a simple comment. It’s a fact that we’re married. There was no intention of flirtation in that comment.

Get a hold of yourself, Alessia!

I try to distract myself by watering one of my plants. I summon a bit of water from the rain barrels outside, then pull it through the pipes I built into my walls. In a basin at the bottom of the bookshelf, the water comes rushing in through the pipe, and I grab a handful to sprinkle over top of my ivy plants. It falls from the sphere of water hovering between my hands, plip-plopping on the leaves like a gentle summer rain shower.

“Did you build that system yourself?” Aurelio questions.

I turn to look at him, only to realize he’s standing right behind me. I nearly drop my water, I’m so shocked.

“Personal space!” I growl.

Aurelio puts his hands up in a gesture of innocence, taking a step back. To my surprise, a warm smile creases his face.

“My bad. I’ll be careful to give you space, my lady.”

“Don’t call me that. I’m Alessia. Just Alessia,” I grumble, my skin prickling with irritation.

“Alessia, then.” He glances at the plants sitting on my many bookshelves, then asks, “Would you like me to help you with anything this evening? I’m sure you’ve been busy all day.”

I blink in surprise. His eyes shifted just now, and I could have sworn I’m imagining it, but was that sparkle…intelligence?

I shake my head. No way. He’s an airhead. I watched him act like a fool all evening. He’s probably just trying to be kind.

“No, that’s alright. I’m going to take a bath, then head off to bed. There’s much to do first thing tomorrow morning. Day one of queenhood is full of wonderful formalities and paperwork.”

I dump the rest of my water back in the basin, then head to the spiral staircase, only to stop short on the bottom step.

“Do you need help with something?” Aurelio asks.

There it is again: that flicker of emotional intelligence. I swear he’s reading my mind. He’s only met me just this evening, and yet he’s reading me like an open book. I turn back to look at him, but he has the same kind smile as always, no thoughtfulness behind those eyes.

I must be imagining things. I chose the right one for the job, no doubt.

Shaking my head, I mumble, “I’m alright. I may just call Mina to help me out of this stupid dress.”

When I try to continue up the stairs, Aurelio’s voice halts me in my tracks.

“I can help, you know.”

My grip tightens around the handrails. “We just met this evening, Aurelio. That’s rather inappropriate.”

“It’s just the weaves on the back, right? I can undo them. I won’t undress you.”

I frown, but against my better judgment, I nod. Mina’s probably drunk anyway, judging by the number of empty wine glasses I spotted at her table this evening.

I hear Aurelio’s footsteps behind me, then tense up when I feel him brush my hair aside. His hands are pleasantly warm on my back. He works at the weaves on the back of my dress, effortlessly undoing them, then pauses before the last one.

“Hold the sides of your dress so it doesn’t fall,” he breaths.

My face reddening, I grab the sides of my dress, then Aurelio undoes the last weave. I feel the dress loosen. If he hadn’t told me to grab my dress when he did, I would be completely exposed to him right now.

He saved me from at least a year’s worth of embarrassment,I note, my face burning even hotter.

Incapable of stopping myself, I steal a glance at him. His brown eyes sparkle with a warmth that goes beyond gentlemanliness; there are hints of care in their depths, and maybe a spark of intrigue.

Then those eyes find mine, and my heart jolts in my chest. My breath is stolen away as he searches me with that beautiful gaze, the intrigue growing by the second. I feel as if he’s seeing right through me.

That thought both terrifies and excites me.

And I hate the fact that he’s making me feel things that I swore I’d never let myself feel for a man.

“Thank you. Good night, Aurelio,” I blurt.

I nearly trip over myself running up the stairs. As soon as I close the bathroom door behind me, I let out a sigh of relief.

This loveless marriage thing may be harder than I thought.