Chapter Twenty-Eight
If the shadows ever decided to take on the form of a fae, it would be the female who stood before me then.
Her ebony skin seemed to glow despite its rich, dark shade.
Her black hair was done up in a hairstyle called locs—something my time observing the Southerners and Islanders back in Cairnyl had taught me.
Almost every loc was adorned with a gold cuff or colorful jewel.
And if the gold and jewels weren’t enough, atop her head sat a crown made of a mixture of gold and that black metal I’d noticed before on the soldiers.
A deep violet gown hugged her luscious curves, leaving little room for open interpretation.
Confidence seemed to be etched into her very bones, but when I met her eyes—which were so dark they seemed to absorb light—all I could see was the outrage she was obviously feeling.
“Well?” she pushed, demanding answers.
Byn bowed his head. “Queen Rividian, it’s great to finally meet you—”
“Save the pleasantries, King Thorntier. You forget that my last memory of you was when you were still a snotty nosed hooligan.” She waved him off. “Now, answer my question, before I lose my patience,” she said through clenched teeth.
An arm looped through hers, and for the first time, I noticed King Rividian.
The male, while handsome in his own rights, was eclipsed next to his wife’s beauty.
His soft brown skin had an olive tone to it, and his eyes were a warm, earthy color.
He had a head of thick dark curls, and the shadow of a beard growing in along his jaw.
He, too, wore violet, his silk shirt matching his wife’s gown.
His pants were black and his entire outfit was without a single wrinkle—something I couldn’t relate to after our long journey.
At the contact of her husband, she seemed to calm ever so slightly as she took a deep breath and awaited our answer. I couldn’t help but wonder if they, too, shared emotions somehow.
“King and Queen Rividian, it’s my immense pleasure to introduce you to my wife and Queen of the South, Aviva Heartshire Thorntier,” Byn announced, his voice strong and confident despite the whirling emotions I knew he was feeling.
Stepping forward, I dipped my chin slightly in an act of respect. “Aviva Heartshire Ashford Thorntier, Your Majesty,” I corrected, my voice kind but unwavering. “Thank you for coming to our aid recently.”
At that revelation, the royals before us lapsed into a stunned silence. I stood perfectly still as their eyes took me in, though what they were searching for, I didn’t know.
Seeming to finally notice her own children at our sides, her gaze landed on Callum and Caelia.
“They speak truth?” she asked her son and daughter.
Callum stepped forward, that weight from before seeming to drag him down.
I wondered if his parents had ever noticed it.
“Yes, Mother. Aviva is Queen of the South—and an incredible one at that,” he said. I had to hold back my grin at his words, though I hoped he knew I appreciated them.
The queen’s head swiveled towards Caelia next, her eyes still holding the same question in them.
“My brother speaks nothing but truth,” Caelia agreed, holding her head just a tad higher than before.
At that, the queen seemed conflicted at best as her eyes narrowed.
Though I supposed that was better than the fury she had harbored before.
Suddenly, her eyes began roving about our large group. It was obvious she was looking for somebody specific, though I wasn’t sure who until she locked eyes with one of the fae behind me and repeated her question to them.
Then Rayven’s deep voice rang out from the middle of our group. “Yes, Your Majesty. I apologize for using your lack of knowledge to my advantage when I came seeking your aid, but Queen Aviva is not the threat you seem to think she is.”
I cringed internally as I realized what, exactly, it had taken to get the Ocrein Isles to come to our aid in the Battle of Shadows.
We’d only told them what they needed to know, it seemed.
Upon hearing those words, Queen Rividian seemed to deflate ever so slightly. “I see where your loyalties lie, spy,” she said to Rayven.
The queen turned to look at her husband then, and an entire conversation seemed to pass between them within a handful of seconds.
Facing us again, the king said, “We will hear you all out, as we imagine you all wouldn’t have traveled this far without good reason. Follow us, and we will ensure you all have accommodations in the castle.” He turned to address his children. “And you two have some explaining to do.”
Caelia and Callum shared a quick glance, but didn’t object to their father’s statement.
The tension in the air was still electrified as we headed toward Castle Avyer as one.
Making it past the grounds I’d found so calming before, we began filing into the main entrance of the castle.
Upon entering, King Rividian instructed Lyra—the soldier who had been paired with Margo before—to lead us to one of the guest wings.
Callum and Caelia, though, parted from our group as they fell in line behind their parents, heading deeper inward.
After stepping inside, I noted that the crystals making up the structure weren’t actually the color of a sunset—it was simply reflecting the colors of the sky outside.
Now, as night fell, the castle was shifting from hues of orange and pink to deep blue and silver, the light from the moon coming through and energizing the Northern zirilium running through my veins.
Once Lyra had led us to what felt like the farthest wing in the entire structure, we divided into pairs again, having been told most rooms would only fit two—some with one large bed, others with two smaller ones.
Quinn forced Byn and me into the room farthest down the dead end of the hall, just like our arrangement back in The Haven.
I supposed it made her feel a bit more comfortable, knowing that if anybody ran into trouble, we’d likely be farthest from it.
Though Byn tried to argue with her anyway, we all knew Quinn didn’t take no for an answer.
“The king and queen will see you all in an hour for dinner,” Lyra announced down the long corridor just before Byn and I shut ourselves into the room picked for us.
Byn leaned against the back of the door, resting against it as he took a deep breath.
“That could’ve gone worse,” he said quietly, though I couldn’t tell if he was attempting to reassure me, or himself.
The room itself was spacious—almost too spacious.
There was one large bed in the middle of the room, a small breakfast table with two chairs in the left corner, and two wardrobes.
Besides that, the space was mostly empty.
I supposed they didn’t exactly get a lot of visitors, but the space itself felt cold—and not just because the walls, ceiling, and floor were crafted of earth and crystal.
Fortunately, the crystals were foggy enough in this area of the castle that we couldn’t see through the walls into the next room, though I still spoke quietly, just in case there were listening ears.
“So,” I began, “how long have you known about Rayven’s abilities?”
“Years,” Byn admitted as he rubbed the back of his neck.
“But he made me vow that I’d never tell a soul.
I didn’t know Titan Wolves could be turned to shadow, either, until he returned from the Isles so quickly before the Battle of Shadows.
He’d used a mixture of Willow and hastening the two of them to make it there and back in time to come to our aid. ”
“And I guess when Rayven came asking for aid, he didn’t mention that you’d taken a Northern wife?” I inquired.
I wanted to be upset about it, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. The Rividian royals likely wouldn’t have sent their aid if they’d known about me, and Byn had been under a vow.
“There wasn’t another choice, Avi,” Byn sighed, standing straight and peering down at me. “We both know we would’ve lost that battle without the Isles’s help.”
Though I didn’t enjoy the sour taste of manipulation left in my mouth, I understood that sometimes sacrifices needed to be made.
Even if it was a part of ourselves we were sacrificing.
“I get it, I really do. But you could’ve warned me.”
“I wanted to, truly. Callum and Caelia thought it’d be better to orchestrate an organic first interaction with their mother. And since they know her better than any of us, I trusted them.” Byn hung his head. “It won’t happen again. And before you ask, yes, we’re on the same page now.”
I nodded, deciding to let this one go. At the very least, we needed to present as a united front—now more than ever.
“We should probably freshen up. Care to join me, my love?” Byn motioned toward the door off to the side, which I could only assume was the washroom.
I could hear the teasing in his voice, and a small smile crept onto my lips as I realized how much more comfortable he was when it was just the two of us.
I quirked my mouth to the side, acting as though I was pondering, when a mischievous smirk overtook Byn’s lips.
Before I could take a step, he reached down and slung me over his shoulder in one quick move.
Squealing, I wrapped my arms around his torso as my hair fell into my face, my circlet falling to the floor.
“Thorntier! Let me down!” I got out between laughs as he headed toward the washroom.
“If you insist, m’lady.” Byn gently placed me back on my own two feet within the confines of the smaller room. Playfully, I shoved him away from me. His smirk only grew, and I couldn’t ignore the fire growing in my core.
Logically, I knew now wasn’t the time. But it’d been over a week and a half since I’d last been alone with my husband, and suddenly, he was all that mattered to me.
As my laughter died down, I realized his eyes hadn’t left me.
He was drinking me in like I was the only thing he needed to sustain himself.
“I used to think I worshipped the Sun for my gifts, or even the Stars for guiding me,” he said softly, raw emotion in his voice.
I cocked my head to the side, puzzled.
“But my worship of the Sun and Stars is nothing compared to the way I plan on worshipping you.”
My entire face and ears flushed as he stepped forward, cupping my jaw with his hand, tilting my head up towards his. I could vaguely feel myself standing on the tips of my toes in an effort to draw closer.
His lips brushed mine as he said, “I’ll praise you for as long as I breathe, Aviva.”
Then our lips met in an all-consuming kiss, and if I had ever been more than that moment, I didn’t want to remember.
***
“Teagan?” I knocked on the door across from Quinn and Ezra’s, calling for my sister.
“Come in, I’m just finishing up with Margo.”
Sliding into the room and shutting the door behind me, I noticed the space was set up pretty much the exact same as mine and Byn’s room, except instead of one bed, there were two smaller ones.
The crystals that made up Castle Avyer were now a mix of deep blues, whites, and silvers, as night had fallen swiftly over the Isles.
“Do you mind lighting a lantern and bringing it over?” Teagan requested from where she stood behind Margo, who was sitting at the breakfast table in the corner. Teagan seemed to be working on taming the young female’s unruly short waves with countless bejeweled clips.
Upon realizing who had entered, Margo tilted her head my way and smiled. “Hi, Viva! Teagan is letting me wear my circlet tonight!”
“Margo, please sit still,” her older sister sighed in a way I knew that wasn’t the first time she’d asked Margo to stop moving.
Margo, realizing her error, looked straight forward again and sat up as straight and tall as she could. She was still fairly small for eight—almost nine now—but she’d grown a little taller over the past few months.
Grabbing an unlit lantern off the small table by the door, I called a small ball of blue fire to my palm and placed it inside. The blue flames cast a cool glow—so different from the warm light of the other small fires in the space.
Margo’s eyes lit up as I put the lantern on the table before her, but to her credit, she didn’t budge.
Teagan did a double take when I finally entered her line of sight.
I knew it wasn’t my attire she was concerned with.
I’d adorned myself in a deep indigo gown—one with a wide slit running along my leg, so that if I needed to, I could move freely.
The sleeves were sheer and thin, and the entire gown was light.
I’d gone with this one tonight to combat the warmth of the Isles, though it was also because I’d also picked out a pair of trousers for Byn to wear that matched the indigo color of my dress.
No, it wasn’t my attire. It was my damp, limp, wavy hair that had her looking stunned.
“We’ve got to fix that,” she said after a beat of silence.
With only ten minutes to spare before we needed to meet Lyra at the end of the hall, Teagan managed to finish Margo’s hair and secure her small golden circlet to her head, as well as twist my hair up into a firm, elegant updo made of twists and braids.
Some strands hung in short waves, and my silver circlet was placed atop the crown of my head.
Fortunately, Teagan had been ready to go before I’d stepped into the room.
Her hair was in a simple but classy half-up style, with her own golden headpiece adorning her.
For what might be the first time I’d ever seen, she had picked out a long green and gold dress.
It fit her in all the right places, and it matched Margo’s perfectly.
Both green gowns had patterns of suns and flowers sewn into them with gold threading, though in slightly different patterns.
When all of us were ready, I grabbed hold of Margo’s gloved hand and twirled her in a circle.
“You’re going to be the prettiest princess at this dinner, Margo,” I exclaimed.
Margo giggled, using my hand to spin herself again, then curtseyed dramatically.
As I watched her curtsey for a second time to an invisible crowd, I caught sight of Teagan looking our way.
Before she caught my eye, I couldn’t help but notice just how sad the eldest Princess of the South truly appeared.
Her lips were tilted up in a soft smile, yes, but her eyes made it look as though she wasn’t even in the room with us.
She felt far away, like she was trying to outrun something nobody else could see.
Then our gazes clashed, and she looked like the same Teagan I’d always known.
Shaking my head in an effort to clear it, I said to them, “Let’s go show them what fae from the mainland are really like.”