I just laughed and shook my head at the gleaming weapons as she dropped the skirt of her dress. It trailed behind her on the floor like a shimmering pool of molten lava.
“I’m ready.” We linked arms and left her chambers, walking through the hallways and down the grand spiral staircase until we came to the double doors that led to her throne room.
Two servants stood on either side of the doors and threw them open.
I gasped at the room, which had been completely transformed from the last time I’d seen it.
Long tables stretched between the columns, filled with roasted fish, oysters, mussels, salmon, crab, and lobster. Bread, cheese wedges, pastries, cakes. My mouth watered at the sight.
Blue streamers wrapped around the columns, twinkling in the light.
A huge waterfall fell from the ceiling, right in the middle of the room. I studied it as people walked through, not getting wet. It was some kind of illusion, the water shimmering, almost translucent.
“How did you put this together so fast?” I asked, taking it all in.
“We do this every year. Not to say it was easy, but I think everyone was excited to do this. To have this distraction...”
Her words trailed off as she stared at something, and my gaze followed hers. I let out a soft gasp. There stood her mother, surrounded by people, talking, laughing, wearing a gorgeous blue gown, her gray hair piled on top of her head.
Gabrielle’s mouth hung open. “I told her about it, but I never expected she’d come. She hasn’t been out of her chambers in months.”
I placed a hand on her shoulder. “Go to her. Find the joy.”
Gabrielle lifted her skirts and strode toward her mother, the two of them embracing.
I walked over to one of the tables and grabbed a goblet of wine, sipping and observing. In the corner of the room a band played music, and people started dancing, laughing, conversation bubbling over. At least I’d been right about one thing: Apolis had needed this. I was glad I could contribute something.
My gaze strayed back to Gabrielle, now surrounded by a group of people who chattered away. It all felt so informal, so personal.
I doubted my father knew the names of any of the townspeople in Elwen. The earth court might have been much, much bigger, but I wanted this kind of relationship with my subjects. My father told me it was important for leaders to separate themselves from their people, that getting too close made it harder to remain objective when faced with hard decisions. But Gabrielle was close with her people, and she’d still made hard decisions. And it was clear everyone still loved her, smiling at her, ooh-ing and ahh-ing over her dress. They respected her. Her relationship with her subjects wasn’t a liability. It was a strength.
I took another sip of my drink and turned to find Penn staring at me from across the room. His hair hung above his shoulders, golden and gleaming. He was freshly shaven, showing off that strong jaw. He wore a white chiffon with gold trimmings and an emerald green sash that was draped over his shoulder and came down across his body. He looked... magnificent. Like a king.
He strode toward where I stood, never taking his eyes off of me until he was right in front of me, and his gaze dripped down over my body, slow and languid.
“You look...” he started, at a loss for words possibly for the first time in his life, or at least since I’d met him. “You look stunning.”
I set down my goblet and gave him my own assessing gaze. We were supposed to be betrothed, so we needed to act like it, and like I’d told Gabrielle, tonight was about finding joy. I couldn’t think of any better way to do that than dance with Penn.
Like he’d read my thoughts, he placed his hand in the small of my back and led me to the dance floor.
The music, the people, the weapon, everything faded away as I pressed myself against Penn’s body and felt every inch of him against every inch of me. My hands rested around his neck, while his gathered around my back.
“Careful, Lilypad. Looking like this people might start to mistake you for a queen.”
We whirled around, never taking our eyes off each other.
“I can’t be a queen without a court, without people willing to bow down to me.”
“There’s not a single person in the earth court who wouldn’t kneel in front of you and vow their allegiance.”
I tilted my head further up. “And would you be one of them?”
His voice dropped low. “There are many reasons I’d get on my knees for you. And I’d enjoy every one of them.”
My breath caught in my chest, and Penn dipped me low, then lifted me back up, but the heat spreading through me was quickly doused by that little voice questioning if this was once again just for show.
“You’re looking a little flushed,” he noted, grinning.
