It has been a week since I confessed my feelings to Maelor. Before I could even recover from the heartbreak, I was to be wed to Draius Ironvein. Everyone in Emberwake was delighted. He was a young king, that was all people talking about. They said I was lucky to marry a king. But not lucky enough to marry the one I wanted.
Why would a king choose a commoner like me? The thought gnawed at me. Perhaps he was ill. Perhaps he was dying. Or perhaps they needed someone to blame someone they could accuse of poisoning him, of casting a spell, of bringing misfortune upon the crown. Maelor, of course, was pleased. "I'm so delighted you're marrying a king," he had said with an easy smile. "It's better than the life you imagined with me, I suppose." I said nothing. I only smiled and nodded, as if something inside me had not just broken. It would have been easier if he had never served in the kingdom at all. My life is ruined anyway.
No one from Emberwake had ever gone to Wynmere Castle. It was as distant and secretive as our own village. I did not know how the king had even found this place. I suspected I never would. "zass, you can run away" Said liz. Alder and Fen laughed, but I only managed a faint smile. At least I had three people who cared enough to worry. "What? I am serious," Liz insisted. "It's fine, Liz. Calm down," I said. "Maybe being away from here… is what I need." Fen suddenly sat upright, eyes lighting up as if she had discovered something. "You'll see Maelor every day," she said, laughing. "How will the king feel, knowing his wife is in love with a soldier?"
Before I could respond, she sprang from the bed, snatched the knife from the apple on the table, and in one swift motion pressed it lightly to Alder's throat. "I'm going to kill you," she said dramatically. "Her eyes should always be on me."
Alder rolled her eyes. "We still don't know anything about the king. No one does."
"What if he's old?" Fen continued. "Or worse what if he only looks young? Maybe he's a beast who devours his wives at night."
"So you're saying he's been married many times and eats them?" Liz said dryly. "And that's why the royal family kept him hidden all these years?"
Fen shrugged. "Maybe."
"Stop creating ridiculous rumours and help me with this dress," I said.
The gown burned in deep crimson, but it was the gold that held its secret. At first, the thread work seemed like nothing more than delicate vines curling across the bodice and hemornamental, royal, expected. But to my eyes, something was wrong.The lines did not wander.
They coiled.
A hidden dragon.
Wrought in fine gold thread, it seemed too deliberate to be chance. When the light touched it just right, the pattern flickered like scales alive for the briefest moment.
"Do you see this?" I asked.
"What?" Fen said, leaning closer.
"The dragon."
"Where?" all three of them asked at once.
"In the gown.....it's here, see? It's a dragon." I pointed to where I saw the dragon's head woven into the gold. "It's just a design," Fen said, frustrated. "We should go check on the guests. You need time alone to prepare your vows. We'll see you at the altar." The three of them stepped out. Just before closing the door, Liz looked back at me. I could tell what she wanted to say.
Don't get married.
"It's fine," I said quietly.
She hesitated, then shut the door. It had taken only an hour to get ready. That was all the time I had. My father's words echoed in my mind. A tall man came. He wants to marry you. He holds the royal stone. only the king holds the royal stone. You are getting married today. He haven't even asked if I was willing. It could be a fake stone. And what kind of king comes alone to be wed? No soldiers. No carriage. Not even a horse. Did he walk? Or… did he have wings? They said the royals had given their blessings, but where were they?
I hoped my brothers would come. About my brothers, it had been kept secret for so long… but if they weren't there I would leave. I don't care if the royal guard hunted me down. I don't care if they killed me. "Ember, we're here." I turned, relief breaking through the heaviness in my chest. It was the only good thing that had happened all week
Thimblewyn stood first.....small but steady, no taller than a child of two. His silver hair was neatly combed, his gaze far too serious for someone so little. He looked at me not with wonder, but with quiet understanding, as if he knew this day was not as beautiful as it seemed.
Beside him, Piprith peeked out shyly, his tiny fingers gripping the edge of a chair. His wide eyes shimmered as they took in my gown. "Pretty…" he whispered, Hearing him say it made me feel… okay.
And then
a soft shuffle.
Lirrelune.
He came forward last, all warmth and mischief, his face lighting up the moment he saw me. He didn't hesitate. He ran small feet quick against the floor and wrapped his arms around my dress as if that alone could keep me here. I let out a breath I didn't realize I had been holding. Kneeling, I gathered them close, my fingers brushing through their hair, memorizing them as if this moment might be taken from me just as quickly as it came.
"Don't go," Piprith murmured.
My smile didn't break but it trembled.
"I have to."
And then Lirrelune shifted slightly, and I saw it.
His ear. Small. Pointed. Unmistakable .Peeking out from beneath his hat. Too visible. Too dangerous.
Gently, quickly, I reached out and pulled Lirrelune's hat down, covering the pointed edge of his ear, my fingers lingering a second longer than necessary. He only grinned up at me as if it were a game, as if nothing in this world could ever harm him, and I don't want to go.
The door burst open and my father stumbled in, the sharp scent of drink clinging to him. "Ember, sweetheart, it's time. Let's go." His voice was warm until his eyes fell on the boys, and in an instant, it hardened. "I told you these elf creatures are not allowed at the wedding. If anyone sees them, our family is finished." The three of them shrank behind me, trembling, and something inside me snapped. "No," I said, my voice steady despite the fear rising in my chest. "they are your kids to remember, my own brothers."
"They are coming to my wedding. If they are not, I will leave.....with them."
For a moment he said nothing, only stared, then slowly exhaled, stepping forward, his expression softening into something almost gentle. "Come here," he said, beckoning them. They hesitated, then stepped forward, trusting him, and it happened in less than a heartbeat, steel flashed, a breath cut short, and crimson spilled where it never should have. There was no warning, no mercy, only the sickening sound of bodies falling, and suddenly Thimblewyn was still, Piprith's breath unfinished, and Lirrelune's hand reached for me and then fell away into nothing. The world seemed to shatter and then snap back into place, leaving me standing before the mirror, my reflection pale beneath red and gold, my fingers trembling once before gripping the fabric of my dress. But I could still see it, the blood, spreading, swallowing everything. "It's my present for your wedding," my father said behind me, his voice calm, almost pleased. "Take their blood with you."
I wanted to scream, to tear him apart, but I could not even move, could only stand there as he seized my hand and dragged me toward the altar. "Don't worry about your dear friends," he murmured. "They are with me." "Why?" The word broke out of me at last, my tears falling unchecked, but he only smiled faintly. "No questions, darling." At the altar, he released me as if nothing had happened. "There is your man. Go. Don't keep him waiting." The music swelled, the guests smiled, and though they looked at me, they act like they did not see me, did not see the blood staining my dress, did not ask, did not care. My mother stood among them, greeting guests as if nothing were wrong, as if her didn't see the blood in my dress on me or knows about her sons just died, and I could not tell if she knew, or acting like nothing happened.