“Your attention is more appreciated here,” I said and smiled at her, taking her hand back into my hold. She slowly chuckled, losing a bit of the tension and allowing her figure to be swayed.
“My feet have missed you too,” I added, “but not more than my eyes.” I felt the need to continue. “Who am I kidding, every single part of me has missed you,” I voiced and she chuckled, her feet now following after mine onto the dancefloor.
We continued moving in silence, Anwen pressing her lips tightly together, she wanted to hold back the words before they could erupt from her mouth. There would be time, once the song ended. For now, all I wanted was her. Her breath on my neck, her hand in mine, her body spinning by my side in that dance. We were wrapped together in a moment, one that felt like an outburst of sunshine after a full month of terrors. She was here. And I swore to never let her go again.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
I leaned into his shoulder as I craved more of that touch. We had been dancing for so long, flowing through songs both cheery and slow, each allowing us to lean into each other in a different way. Even though I had him back, that, through some miracle I ended up back in his arms, I found myself unable to let him go. Each time a song ended and he wanted to walk away from the dancefloor, which was more a mixture of moss and petals rather than an actual floor, I would stop him and ask for one more dance. He always accepted with delight, as though that part of him that was connected to mine shared the same fear. We couldn’t let each other go.
“The King and Queen are retiring for the evening,” a voice announced. It was close, right next to us, invading the trance we had been caught in. When I turned my head to follow the sound, I met Vikram’s gaze and to my surprise, they were not as harsh as I remembered them. A smile curved his lips and stared at us, with pride.
Ansgar barely acknowledged his brother, his look still caught in mine, captivated by my gaze when he replied, “We’ll be there as soon as the song ends.” Vikram nodded and made his way back, sensing that we were too absorbed in each other to be able to simply halt our connection. So there I remained, basking in his touch, his warmth, the feel of him that both my body and spirit had missed so much, too much.
Once the final notes of the flute turned into a whisper, Ansgar’s feet paused, forcing me to imitate the gesture. Then he smiled and without letting go of the hand he had been guarding into his own like a treasure, he invited excitedly, “Come meet my family.”
I did not expect him to utter those four words, I thought that he’d rather ask for me to wait until the members of the royal family were gone, not go and introduce me to his entire family, whom not only were celebrating their youngest prince, but also the arrival of a grandchild.
“Ansgar,” I murmured softly, just as he started leading me into the crowd and back towards the dais they had been sharing for the evening. “Do you think it’s the best idea?”
I followed the trail Ansgar drew for me, squeezing his hand tightly, since any form of protest was in vain. I was going to meet the Earth Kingdom’s royal family, and my only explanation for being there was that I’d crashed their son’s celebration. That would go well.
I tried to act normal, but the young prince passing through, holding hands with an unknown woman, was no common news and all the faeries turned their eyes on us within an instant. They even parted the gathering for us, to allow the prince and me to squeeze through easily, more to their benefit, so they’d have a better view at our passage. I kept my head low, thinking that my face would give me away if they had enough time to study my human features.
We rose straight onto the podium, Ansgar planting determined steps towards the thrones and the table that had been prepared for them, but I knew that all the attention focused on me. I wondered if they knew who I was, if Vikram had broken the news and tried to reason with them to avoid confrontation. By the way he sat carelessly at the table, drink in his hand, I thought not. That's what I got for stepping on his toes.
“Mother, Father,” Ansgar started speaking as soon as we reached the table, “this is Anwen.” He allowed a second for the King and Queen to find me, study me from head to toe, before adding softly, “My mate.”
The braided strands of his beard jiggled lightly as the King moved his attention from his son, then back to me and as he studied me, I felt forced to do the same. I saw parts of Ansgar in him, the elongated jawline, that brash way their eyebrows connected when they were caught too deep in thought, even the way he curled his fingers around the rim of his glass.
“Is this the human you told us about, son?” the King’s voice echoed in our ears, rough and commanding.
“Yes, Father,” Ansgar replied, no sign of unease in his tone.
“Did you bring her here?” It was the Queen’s turn to ask questions. As I shifted my focus to her, her gaze pierced so deep into me she would probably know everything I've done today, I found something unexpected in her eyes. Understanding. Her onyx contemplation brushed through every part of my body, my attire, my stance, scanning me, trying to attribute my existence next to her beloved son.
“If I had, she'd have been by my side every moment, Mother,” Ansgar replied, pressing his meaning.
The Queen did not respond, her attention fully focused on me. I knew she was the one to make the decision that would either bind or break us. She was queen over the magic reigning the earth, so when she took a breath in, preparing us for her decision, composure not leaving her features for a second, I squeezed Ansgar’s hand tightly. To tell him that I would fight. Whatever may come, I would not cower, I would not falter, I would fight for him. For us. His gentle squeeze was the reply I needed, a sign of understanding, as the Queen finally spoke.
“When Ansgar told us about you, we did not believe it.” Her onyx eyes stood fixed on mine, and I wasn’t even blinking from fear I might sway her decision. “No one has heard about this kind of binding energy you claim to be experiencing…”
There it was, the rejection I was dreading, yet knew it would come. The Queen continued, “Yet, we trust our son’s knowledge. There is much to discuss, much to assess, and we want Ansgar’s happiness above all else,” she said as I released the breath I held.
“Tonight is for celebrating, we will have the talks another day,” the King added, placing his hand over the Queen’s, offering her, and us, a sly smile.
I murmured a “Thank you” and curtsied to them both as I greeted them by title. “King Farryn,” I bowed low and he nodded his agreement. “Queen Bathysia.” Her stare didn’t leave mine, an unspoken warning.
We wished them a good night as they joined the crowd and made their way through, disappearing into the multitude of faeries.
Ansgar was beaming, as he invited me to the table, in the chair the Queen had sat merely a minute before and introduced me to his older brother and his wife, Damaris and Takara. I understood what Ansgar had told me, that he was the King’s son along with the heir. They both shared the same sun kissed skin and golden locks, whereas Vikram was the embodiment of the Queen, both of them choosing to ornate their adamant skin with silver accessories, making them shine like the stars swirling in the night sky.
“It’s good to finally put a face to a name,” Takara was the first to break the silence as I took the opportunity to congratulate them both. Damaris smiled and nodded in thanks, showing more reservation towards me than both his parents. After a few minutes of small talk, during which we covered the celebration, the story about gardenias and their meaning, and I took the opportunity to taste some of Ansgar’s favourite cakes, he grabbed my hand and squeezed it gently to catch my attention.
“We’ll let you rest, Takara. Brother, take care of your precious wife,” he said and stood from the table, placing a small kiss on her cheek, making her giggle.
Damaris did not abstain from showing his distaste towards our early departure. The party remained still in bloom and Ansgar was meant to celebrate with his people, but he politely bid both of us a good night, then invited his wife to a dance, leaving us alone at the marble sculpted table.
“We’re leaving?” I incredulously asked Ansgar as he rose to his feet and urged me to do the same.
