Page 125 of Enchanted Throne


Font Size:

“You will exit out these same doors,” she gestured with an arm, “and there are refreshments waiting for you and Prince Krewan in the same side room he got ready in as the two of you wait for the guests to filter out.”

I already knew that, from one of the numerous meetings, but the reminder was appreciated. “Thank you.”

“You look lovely,” she added.

“Thank you.”

The next three minutes dragged on for what felt like years. And then finally, with a nod from Celine, I ascended the stairs.

As soon as I reached the top stair, the massive doors creaked open.

My first thought was how much sunlight was in the chapel, stained glass windows providing as much color as the varying gowns before me. I noted the people. More people than I had seen at even the busiest of balls I had attended. Yet somewhere in the mix of pretentious looking gowns and tailcoats were my two best friends. I took a deep breath that somehow wasn’t deep enough to fill my lungs, and then my eyes landed on him.

My dark prince. The love of my life. Krew.

I felt Krew’s voice down the bond.I love you.

I love you.

I took my first step toward my husband. The crowd, the king perched up front with Nara standing behind him, it all just blurred into the background.

I would walk towards him this moment and every moment after.

* * *

Havingto get through my vows was a feat all by itself. The plan for the sword had made all of this even more emotionally raw than it already was. And whether or not we were successful in that endeavor, whether we confronted the king tonight or another night, I knew it was in the near future either way. So that festering in the back of my mind while I promised again to love Krew all the days of our life had my voice cracking.

“No matter what this cruel realm may throw at us, I stand steady next to you,” I repeated from my original vows to him. I left the next part about the darkness never standing a chance because the king was a smart enough man to pick up on that part, but I knew Krew remembered it anyway.

Krew broke the protocol and reached over to brush a tear off my face.

My eyes never strayed from his grayish blue ones. “I vow to love you and protect you, all the days of my life.”

I slid the new ring I had picked out for him onto his finger, and then he again broke the rules by bringing my hand up to brush a kiss to it.

But what were they going to do, not allow us to get married?

It was a little late for that. We already were. This was just for pomp and circumstance, for them. Not for us.

“I give you this ring and I gave you my magic both,” Krew began as he slid my ring onto the top portion of my finger, “every piece of me that I can give to you, I do freely, none of them in any effort to change you.” He paused, his eyes tearing into my soul. “But to protect you.”

Knowing the first time he had said those words, moments later he had attempted to hand over all but a drop of his magic to me, the weight of those words hit differently this time around.

Another tear spilled over as he added, “Because getting to love you has been the greatest surprise, but also the greatestgiftof my life. I am honored to get to love you.” His voice cracked and more tears slipped out of my eyes as if in direct response to it. “For as long as my lungs find breath and my veins flow with blood, I vow to love you both fiercely and relentlessly. No matter the distance, from the bottom of the sea to the very peak of this mountain, from the darkest of nights to the lightest of days, I will crawl, fight, and claw my way back to you. Always. I love you. And I vow to love you and protect you, always.”

The same sage who originally wed us was there, one of three working the ceremony. Now that the songs were sung, the vows repeated, the rings on fingers, all that remained was for the king to remove my veil and place a crown on my head.

We were almost done.

The king was there as we turned forward and stepped up two steps onto the raised portion where I would be crowned.

“Jorah Collete Demir Valanova,” the king’s voice boomed. “Daughter of Nerede. Daughter of Wylan. Long may you live, justly may you serve as princess of Wylan.” He placed a crown I hadn’t seen before on my head. It, of course, fit perfectly. “From this moment forward until your last, Princess Jorah Collete Demir Valanova.” He paused. “Long may she reign.”

The crowd repeated back in unison, “Long may she reign.”

I closed my eyes and felt those words travel all the way down my spine. The king had crowned me. He could take this life from my lungs. He could take Krew from me. But he would never be able to erase this moment, the fact that I, Nerede born, wore a crown.

As the crowd repeated the phrase two more times, the king leaned in and leered at me. “Not bad, Jorah of Nerede.” He gave his head a shake. “Not bad at all.”