by Talia Jager
“I can’t believe your sister would do that to you.”
“I couldn’t either. Apparently she’s been jealous for all these years and secretly hated me. But now she’s taken care of.”
“And you’ll get to be with Sorin?”
“Yes.” A smile spread across my face.
Artin walked in. “I’ve sent word that you have returned home and the coronation will be held this afternoon. Faeries are already gathering. This is a long time coming. They’ve been without a true leader. The land has been through a lot. Many lives have been lost. The fae need you.”
As if on cue, Rufus, Tannon, and Elara walked in and bowed.
Kailani leaned over and said, “That is going to take some getting used to.”
Laughing, I said, “Thank you all for keeping my loved ones safe and doing what you could for our land.”
Rufus approached me, bowed his head again, and took my hand. “I’m so sorry about your parents, my queen. I tried hard to protect them.”
“I know you did, Rufus. Thank you.”
“May I ask a favor, Your Majesty?”
“Of course.”
“Could I be allowed to have a moment with my daughter? I haven’t seen her in a long time.”
“By all means, Rufus. Go and see Raina, but then send her to see me.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.” He turned and rushed out of the room just as Lumi burst in yelling my name and launching herself at me.
I wrapped my arms around her, tears running down my face. “You’re okay,” I said over and over to myself.
“Oh, Rory. I missed you so much. I fought hard to get the royals to overturn their punishment.” She pulled back and wiped her face. “I told everybody their secrets, but they still wouldn’t do it. They were scared of the Iron Fae. I was ready to leave myself when the wars started. Then I had to stay to fight, and I knew I’d find the right time to send for you.”
“I’m so sorry that this all happened. You did good. Thank you so much. Are you ready for what’s going to happen next? You will be the Winter counselor.”
“I am.”
“Rory!” my little brother yelled.
I turned just as he hurled himself at me “Oh my goodness! Neige! You are so big! You must have grown three feet!”
He giggled. “You’re silly, Rory!”
I laughed, then swallowed to keep my tears at bay “I sure did miss you, little man.”
“I missed you too. I’m six now.”
“I know. I’m sorry I missed your birthdays.”
“Father and Mother are gone.” He twisted a piece of my hair around his finger. The pain in his voice made my heart break.
“I know. I’m so sorry. That must have been hard on you.”
“Are you going to leave again?”
I set my brother on the ground and squatted down so I was eye level with him, then gathered his hands in mine. “I am never going to leave you again. I promise.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.” I stood up and introduced Kailani. “Lumi, Neige, meet Kailani. She’s part of our family.”
“Ky…lan…ee.” Neige sounded out her name.
Kailani laughed. “Good job.”
“You’re darker, and you have lots of markings.”
“That’s right. Is that okay?” she asked with a smile.
“Yeah. It’s cool.”
We all laughed, and then Elara held out her hand. “Let me take Neige and get him cleaned up.”
“You want to take him? That’s not your job. You’re a healer.”
“I’ve been helping with him since your parents…”
“Oh! Thank you so much. That is very kind of you.”
After Elara and Neige left, I filled Lumi in on Kailani being a vessel and how she saved my life.
“Eira really tried to have you killed?”
“Yes.”
“She talked about it, but I never thought…” Tears formed in Lumi’s eyes. “How could she, Rory? We grew up together. We’re sisters.”
“We were sisters. It’s just you, Neige, and me now. She is no longer part of our family.”
“What are you going to do to her?”
“I don’t know yet. I’ll probably need your help to figure that out, but first I need to change.”
“Yeah. That might be a good idea.” Her eyes shone with laughter.
“Maybe you could find Kailani chambers to call her own while I do that?”
“I’d love to.” She put her arm around a surprised Kailani and walked with her upstairs.
I stepped into my chambers for the first time in two years. Nothing had changed. My parents had kept it the same as if I were coming back any minute. Opening my wardrobe door, I pushed the hangers around for a minute. Normally I’d have a dress made up for this occasion, but there wasn’t any time for that.
The door banged open, and Raina stood there. “Rory!”
Tears sprang to my eyes for the hundredth time that day. “Raina…”
Our arms were around each other in seconds. “You’re really here.”
“I am. How have you been? For me it seems like just yesterday that I saw you, even though I know it’s been two years.”
“I won’t lie. It’s been hard. To have someone you love that much taken away, well, it was life changing. Lumi and I worked hard trying to get you back. It was harder when nobody was talking, and then the fighting broke out…Your parents, Rory. I’m so sorry about them.”
“Thank you.” I looked away. “Help me find a dress?”
Raina took a step back but hung onto my hands. “What are you wearing?”
I looked down at my ripped blue jeans and blue racerback tank top. “Jeans,” I answered.
“Jeans?” she repeated. “Take them off.” She searched through my wardrobe and then said, “What’s that?” She took a step into my wardrobe and then brought out a beautiful shimmering pale blue dress.
“Where did that come from?” I had never seen it before.
“There’s a note,” Raina said.
“What’s it say?”
She held it up for me to read. It just said “Rory’s Coronation” in my mother’s handwriting. “She must have had it made for you, hoping you’d come back.”
With tears running down my face—again—I nodded. “It’s so beautiful. How am I supposed to do this?”
Raina put her arm around me. “Your parents loved you very much, Rory. Never doubt that. They never gave up hope. You can honor them by taking your place as queen and healing our land.”
“But all this is my fault.”
“No. Don’t blame yourself. Push all that out of your mind, and focus on what we can do now.”
I nodded. “Will you help me? It’s been so long since I’ve worn a dress like this.”
“You should probably wash up first. I’ll need to do your hair and face.”
“Okay.”
After I cleaned up, Raina held the dress out, and I steadied myself with my hand on her shoulder as I stepped in. “What’s all that?” She pointed at the tattoos covering the sides of my body.
“Tattoos,” I answered. “I still had a thing for snowflakes, except for the sun on my back.”
She turned me around and laughed. “And everyone will see that with this dress.” She pulled the dress up over my hips and handed me the straps. The back was very low, and the gown had a short train on it. The pale blue brought out the blue in my wings and hair.
“I hope they do.”
“Did Kailani do them? I saw she had a lot of these markings on her body.”
“Yes.”
Raina had me sit down before working on my hair, which brought back memories of the many times I did both my sisters’ hair and never knew how much one of them despised me. “Stop thinking about the past,” she said, feeling my emotions. “Tell me about this new girl.”
She opened the drawer of my vanity and took out what she needed. I told her all about Kailani as sh
e put the blue eye-liner around the bottom and top of my eyes, then spread color with eye shadow. She dabbed the brush in the blue glitter and brushed it all over the top part of my face and hair. Then she handed me the sparkly blue lipstick, and I put it on.
Looking in the mirror was weird. Everything felt foreign and familiar at the same time. Having gone so long without much makeup made looking like this seem overdone, and yet, I loved it too. My hair was pulled away from my face and in a high bun to show off the back of the dress.
“So she’s here to stay?”
“I left that up to her. She can stay forever or go home if she wants.”
“I’m glad you had a good friend to help you through. I was worried you were all alone.”
“I think somehow she knew what I was and stayed close because of that.”
“Did you have a boyfriend or anything?”
“I dated a guy for a while, but deep down there was love for someone else. I never knew who it was for, but it was as if I couldn’t move on. I couldn’t fall in love. I couldn’t be with someone else. I had friends and people who I considered family. I had a job, and I learned to surf.”
“What’s that?”
“You remember learning about oceans and waves?”
“Yes.”
“People get long boards and ride those waves.”
“Really?”
“Yes. So I didn’t have it bad, but it wasn’t home either.”
There was a knock on the door. “Rory?” It was Kailani.
“Come in,” I called. As the door opened, I realized this was the first time she had ever seen me like this. I swallowed hard and looked up as she walked in.
“Holy moly!” she exclaimed. “Look at you!”
Blushing, I shifted my gaze to Raina. “Is it too much?”
“No. You just haven’t done it in a while.”
“I didn’t mean it that way. You look beautiful. I’ve just never seen you like this,” Kailani explained.
“Thank you. Did you get settled in a room?”
“Yes.”
I glanced at her clothes. “We need to find you a gown.”
“A gown? I don’t need one.”
“Yes. You do. You’re from the royal family.” Turning to Raina, I asked, “Whose wardrobe do you think she would be closest too?”
“Mother’s,” Lumi said, walking in. “I’ll help her find something.”
“Thanks.”
Lumi led Kailani out of the room.
“You doing okay?” Raina asked.
“Really nervous.”
“You? Why?”
“I haven’t stood in front of everybody in so long. What if I screw up? Or what if they don’t want me as their queen? What if they’d rather Eira be in charge? What if they agree with her? What if they blame me for everything that’s happened?”
“Don’t you cry and mess up your makeup,” she scolded.
I blinked a few times.
“Stop worrying about what the others think. You are the queen. Go out there and show them that.”
By the time I got downstairs, a few faeries had gathered in the hallway. They all quieted down and stared at me.
Artin took a step forward. “When we walk out those doors, the coronation will take place. The kingdom will look up to you to take over and fix everything.”
“We’re going to get that started right away.” I heard the noise of the crowd. “Is everybody ready?”
“Yes,” they answered.
“Hey, Rory, we may have a slight problem,” Lumi said, walking in.
“What?”
“Kailani’s a little nervous. She hasn’t come out of her chambers yet.”
“Come on. Let’s go get her.”
Lumi, Raina, and I walked side-by-side talking as we made our way to Kailani’s chamber doors. I knocked. “Kailani? How are you doing in there?”
“I can’t do this.”
“What do you mean? Yes, you can.”
“Rory, I look ridiculous.”
Lumi chuckled lightly. “I’m sure that’s not true.”
“I’ve never worn anything like this in my life.”
“That doesn’t mean you weren’t meant to,” Raina said.
“Come on. Open the door,” I pleaded.
“No.”
“I’m sure you look beautiful.”
“Silly is what I look. Rory, this isn’t me. I’m Kailani, the laidback, tattooed, surfer girl. Not a princess.”
“How ready is she?” I asked Lumi.
“She’s in the dress and shoes—she insisted on wearing shoes. But once we got to her hair, she freaked.”
“Let us girls finish helping you get ready, and then we’ll see if you can say you look ridiculous,” I begged again.
“Come on, Kailani,” Lumi urged. “We’re family. Unlock the door and let us in.”
A few silent minutes passed as we waited for an answer. Finally, the door unlocked. I went in first. Kailani stood there in a sparkly, silver dress that hugged her body and fanned out on the floor around her feet. Her hair had been washed, dried, and brushed but not styled yet.
“You definitely don’t look ridiculous. You look beautiful.” Knowing she had a problem with anyone touching her hair, I said, “Let me finish your hair. You trust me, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll do it, but Raina and Lumi are excellent at makeup. Let us work our magick.”
Kailani mashed her lips and gave me a hard glare but then nodded. Raina took her hand and led her to the chair in front of her vanity. “Sit back and relax.”
Lumi hung a scarf over the mirror so Kailani couldn’t see what we were doing. I got to work on her hair, styling it up into a knot. To finish it off, I stuck a rhinestone snowflake hair comb on the right side of the updo.
As soon as I was done, Raina and Lumi took over, applying foundation, purple eyeliner, shadow and, finally, a deep purple lipstick. It didn’t take long to finish.
“Are you ready to see?” I asked.
Kailani answered, “No, but okay.”
“Stand up, and we’ll lead you to the full-length mirror.”
She obliged, and I walked with her. She kept her eyes down as if she didn’t want to see.
Taking a step back, I said, “Okay, Kailani, look.”
She looked at me first, and if looks could kill, well, I’d be in trouble. But then she looked in the mirror and froze. Her breath caught, and she slowly turned her head, taking in all angles of her face as if she were making sure that her reflection was her own. She raised her hand and let her fingers gently graze her face.
“Like I said, definitely not ridiculous, just different, but a good different.”
She lightly smiled. “Definitely a good different.”
“Let’s do this,” I said and led them downstairs and out the door.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Aurora
The crowd quieted down as soon as I stood in front of them. There were guards at the stairs and around us. That wasn’t common. Maybe they were afraid not everyone wanted me to be queen.
Usually there would be a practice before the actual ceremony. I had never been to a coronation, but I had heard about them. Rufus stood in front of me and whispered, “Breathe.”
I took a deep breath.
In a loud voice, he said, “Do you, Aurora Nieve, solemnly promise and swear to govern the fae of Winter Land according to our laws and customs to the best of your ability? Will you, in your power, pledge to uphold the law, serve justice, and show mercy in all judgments you make?”
“I promise to do so.”
Rufus then placed the snowflake crown my mother had worn on my head and turned to face the crowd. “Presenting her royal majesty, Aurora Nieve. You have your queen!”
The crowd erupted into cheers. I turned and looked over the railing of the balcony, and in that moment, I thought, It’s time for a change. I wasn’t my parents. They were great rulers, but I didn’t want to rule t
he way they did. I wanted to strive for change to make my land, my home, the entire realm a better place. So even though this moment wouldn’t be a huge change, it would be a significant change nonetheless.
A smile formed on my face, and I began to wave to the fae. Some of them were taken off guard since for as long as any of them could remember when the royals greeted their subjects they sat or stood stoically, devoid of any emotion. But as I said, it was time for change.
After a few moments, I motioned for everyone to quiet down. “Fae of Winter Land, I have three rulings I must address. As of right now, the war between the lands is over. We will open our gates and allow Summer, Spring, and Autumn Fae to join us whenever they want. We must reunite and work together as one.”
I saw sour faces in the audience.
“I realize it’s been a while and that maybe some of the other knights or guards are responsible for deaths of our loved ones, but so are our guards and knights. They were only carrying out royal orders. We have to begin to heal somewhere. Let it be here and now. Let’s get our home fixed up, open our arms, and treat all fae like family.”
I motioned for Lumi to stand next to me. “My sister has spent years learning the laws inside and out and studying to be a counselor. That time has come. I officially declare Lumi as the Winter counselor.” I glanced at Kailani while the crowd cheered.
“The third thing I’d like to do as queen is to officially bestow the royal title of princess onto Kailani. I met her during my time in the human realm. We both were unaware of each other’s origins, but we became like family. And in a time of great need, she stopped the assassin sent to kill me and stop me from returning to Faerhaven and taking my rightful place on the throne. Some of you are probably wondering how she stopped him. Well, Kailani is a vessel, with the essence of a Winter faerie. Instinct kicked in and she tapped into her abilities to stop the assassin. It turned out her faerie essence is one from my family line. And it’s time for her to come home, so Kailani, please come forward.”
She slowly made her way to stand next to me. I turned to face her and spoke, “Do you, Kailani, promise to fulfill your duties, responsibilities, and the expectations of being a princess and a member of the royal family?”