17. Solstice
SOLSTICE
Days passed, and Aaryn wasn’t as isolated as she had anticipated.
The Tethered proved Thea’s words wrong, as she was tentatively welcomed back into their company.
She’d so graciously been asked to help prepare for the Summer Solstice Ball, and through it all, part of her wished they’d just leave her alone.
Garlands were hung. Flowers were dangled. Banners were fitted for the dragons’ necks that would fly in patterns over the streets.
Dresses were chosen and made, as a gift from the prince to all the Tethered. The light pink, shimmery fabric chosen for her was the prettiest she’d ever laid eyes on, but it did not appease her. She stood on the edges of the room with Rose and the other Tethered, and seethed.
Aaryn missed Starspark. And Aaryn was angry about it.
"Do you think the prince will ask you to dance?" Rose asked.
Aaryn shivered, lip curling at the thought. "What gives you that idea?"
Flowers spilled from the ceiling, bursting with bright green hydrangeas and wrapped with dangling chains of marigolds that sparkled in the soft torchlight. Romantic, some would say.
Rose smirked and nodded over her shoulder. "Oh, I don't know, maybe the way he's staring at you?"
Aaryn refused to look, and fought the urge to grind her teeth. "Eh."
Rose gasped and swatted at her. "Tethered Aaryn, watch yourself."
"Why, when the prince is apparently doing it for me?" she drawled.
Rose laughed loudly, drawing the gaze of a few suitors dispersed around the room.
Aaryn heard not from Thea, and the rare times her dreams slipped into Starspark, it was all soft grasses, glowing flowers, and peaceful nature with a giant moon overhead. She wanted to be with him. Wanted to soothe his irritation, but she couldn’t.
So leave.
She blinked out at the lavish ballroom as the thought occurred not for the first time in the passing days. She noticed the knights and guards lining the walls.
The party was in full swing. Musicians’ fingers danced across string instruments to fill the space with soft music.
Tables lined the walls with refreshments and bouquets and little foods, while several couples swayed together on the dance floor.
Rose was eying a handsome young man, trying to appear unflattered by his attention, and fondness swelled in her chest, chasing away the ever-present anger.
With a giggle, Rose leaned into her. "Tonight is going to be a good night, I just know it. And I really enjoyed spending time with you again these past few weeks,” she rambled endearingly.
“I knew I was right. When the prince reminded us you wanted your peace, I thought, ‘Well, that won't do.’ We're practically sisters, after all, and I wanted to be there for you. "
Aaryn paused, staring down at her wrist, at her brand, at the priceless jewels. "The prince said… what?"
Rose waved a hand. "Well, you know, when Starspark was first taken, he told us you were so devastated you needed space. And When Carissa… left, he said you were so disturbed by the turn of events that we shouldn’t bother you.
" She spun to face Aaryn. "But I’m glad he was wrong.
A girl just needs her friends, you know. "
Rose hugged her, the gems of her wristlet cold against Aaryn's shoulder.
Aaryn smiled weakly, and fresh fury flared to life in her breastbone that she tried to stamp down.
Thea was right after all. The prince had isolated her. Or he’d tried, anyway.
Aaryn was very grateful for Rose.
“Shall we?" Rose asked, and offered her arm.
Aaryn spied the young man finally making his way toward them, eyes on Rose. “You shall,” Aaryn said, and nudged her toward him. "Go have fun," she told her.
The ballroom was in the east of the castle, on the ground floor, and the large windows let the fresh night breeze in. The huge doors in the center of the right wall were open to the gardens, where couples could stroll to escape the dull noise of the dance floor.
Aaryn avoided the prince’s side of the room, and carefully made her way toward the small group of other Tethered. Maybe she could hide while this frustration broiled.
As she arrived, a woman was sweet-talking Wilma, and she led them, blushing, to the dance floor. As the others gossiped in their wake, she felt out of place next to the tables decorated with more flowers and tall candles.
Then their whispers hushed in an instant; her attention leapt from face to face.
"What is it?" she asked.
If the prince approached her, why, Aaryn would—
A masculine voice spoke before anyone could answer her. "All of this couldn't have been done without the Tethered's hard work. Shall you not enjoy it from the dance floor?"
—Politely accept his invitation, rather than cause a scene, of course. But the audacity made her teeth itch. He expected her to be grateful, excited for such an event, when Aaryn was still without her dragon and he had tried to keep her friends from her?
All the women giggled at the prince's words, and Aaryn placed a smile on her face as she turned toward him. "Prince Jarrick, I trust you're enjoying the ball."
He held a hand out to her. "I think I would enjoy it more were you to join me for a dance."
Behind her, the Tethered downright gasped. Aaryn applauded herself for keeping a straight face. She couldn't turn down his offer, not without drawing attention to themselves, but Aaryn didn't relish the idea of spinning in the prince's arms like her mother would.
"I'd love to," she lied.
He pulled her onto the dance floor to join the swirling jewel tones of the other couples. It felt brighter and warmer here. Her temples felt tight, her feet heavy. Was everyone staring, or was she imagining it? Aaryn focused on putting her feet in the right spot, instead of on top of the prince's.
They fell into a group dance as the music melded into new melodies, and she breathed easier, but eventually, she made her way back to the prince himself.
His hand was warm against her back, and the music slowed again as the couples drew close. The prince smelled like cotton and metal and a man who had been dancing in too many layers.
"It's been a while since we've had a ball like this," he said. "The Tethered truly did a wonderful job on the decor. Such attention to detail."
Aaryn offered him the smile such words were expected to earn. "Of course. We also worked closely with the kitchens and the other staff to make it all come together. We don't deserve all the thanks."
The prince nodded. "I'll be sure to pass it along. How are you doing? And the others, under the unfortunate circumstances?"
Aaryn shrugged and waited while he spun her. The jewels from her wristlet dug into her palm around her scar. "I'm thankful we had the ball to prepare for, to fill our days," she hinted.
He had to know the Tethereds’ patience would run out eventually. They could not live like this forever. Or at least… she couldn't.
"Maybe we'll just have to have more of these celebrations." He leaned closer. "Give myself an opportunity to dance with you again."
The distance between them was polite, and yet the breath Aaryn drew in wasn't nearly deep enough anyway. She managed not to frown as anger struck, maintaining a neutral expression, though inside she felt anything but.
Why would she want to dance with the man in charge of their imprisonment? No matter how innocent his intentions.
"The conflict is not any closer to resolving?"
Aaryn met his gaze as she asked him, and she noticed the lines around his eyes, the tension held there. They seemed to tighten. "I do not wish to discuss matters of war tonight."
War?
At his sharp dismissal of the subject, she wanted to—why she wanted to push him away! To shout and scream at him and ask where he got the audacity, to part her jaws and let loose a breath so fierce—
The world around her seemed to stop as Aaryn recognized this bone deep rage not as her own.
Oh Starspark, she wanted to cry.
"As you wish," she replied emptily, and let the prince dip her.
As she was suspended above the floor, she caught sight of the crowd milling about the room, the stares locked on the prince… on her, the woman in his arms.
The attention filled her with dread, and her head spun just like the room as the prince pulled her back to standing.
She gripped his hand tightly to steady herself and they swayed to the ever-changing music. Her wristlet was sharp enough to outweigh the dull ache blooming in her temples, to narrow her focus.
Aaryn was sure women dreamed of the prince's cologne, but just then, the note of it seemed too much for her sudden sensitivity.
As soon as the song came to an end, Aaryn stepped back and curtsied to the prince.
"Thank you for the dance. I think I require just a moment to myself if we're to continue. You'll wear me out," she added, smiling, and she hoped it showed none of the cracks she felt, none of the fury she harbored.
"Of course, Tethered Aaryn," he said, and bowed. It felt stiff coming from him. Good.
Aaryn excused herself, and made for the doors to the garden. Lit with torches and oil lamps, flowers and shrubbery trimmed to perfection gleamed in the night. Her steps clicked softly against the stone pathway.
The last time she'd run through these gardens, it had been the night Starspark was taken.
Her long dress fluttered around the toes of her shoes, and she was grateful the walkway had been cleared of dried leaves. Everyone would have enough to gossip about after her dance with the prince; she didn't need to drag leaves and a twig back into the ballroom to provide further entertainment.
It was quieter out here, the low chatter and string music spilling from the wide doors absorbed by the night.
The cool air dried the sweat beneath her fringe and on the back of her neck as she walked, she calmed.
And as she came back to herself, she picked out the ire she’d become so familiar with.
It was tangled, a part of her in the same way she was a part of Starspark during her visions. This was what Starspark felt.