Chapter 26
I was waiting for Liam in the dayroom, a room that was kind of neutral ground and looked out over the garden. He showed up right on time.
If I said that Liam was merely good-looking all decked out for the ball, it would be a gross understatement. He wore a dark silver fitted shirt, laced at the top with black leather strings and black trousers tucked into his black boots. A deep green cloak hung around his shoulders, lending him a mystical air. His black hair hung just below his chin like it always did, making the pale green of his eyes a near impossible color, like something that just couldn’t exist in the natural world. Liam always looked good, but let’s just say he absolutely cleaned up nice.
Implausible green eyes appraised me carefully. “You look beautiful.” He said as he offered me a single rose stem lacking a bloom.
I grinned as I took the stem. “Is this the one you shot?”
Liam nodded. “I thought you would prefer that one to one that had a bloom.”
Laughing I confirmed his words. “Absolutely. This one is much more sentimental to me.” I looked up at him, color crawling along my cheeks. “You don’t look bad yourself, by the way.”
Looking to the ground, his reaction was almost shy, unbelieving.
I scoffed. “That can’t possibly be the first time someone has told you you are good-looking.”
A strange look passed behind his eyes, almost sad. “No, no I’ve heard it before…just not from anyone who mattered.”
Brow furrowed, I studied him in an attempt to decide if that was a conceited statement or if it was just sad.
Liam shook his head. “Before,” he thumbed over his shoulder like before was right there behind him, “no decent lady would come within a thousand paces of me. And, the ones who did…they were hungry for darkness…for power and wealth and beauty, no matter the cost. Compliments mean little from such a person.” He gazed a crystal vase filled with beautiful golden roses until his gaze found mine again.
Not conceited, this was sad. Definitely sad.
“I daresay that’s all about to change.” I twirled a lock of my hair around my finger, unable to hold his gaze and the pressure that came with it. I back peddled. “I mean, you’re a Hawkeye now, a Knight of Castle Lux. You’ll have to beat the girls off with a stick.”
“I do not believe I can be moved by any other girl.” He moved closer, pinning me to the spot with his green eyes, stroking my face with his fingertips.
I closed my eyes. “Liam, please…”
He tipped my chin up and I opened my eyes. “I know what you would say, I know you think I am a fool for pursuing you…” Liam paused, considering his next words. “Do you know that gifts can be passed down through the generations?”
I studied him cautiously, unsure of where this conversation was going now. “Yes…”
He pressed his lips together, considering again, then blurted the words like he may lose his nerve if he didn’t get them all out quickly. “I have seen it, Dani. I have seen us…we will be together. As sure as the sun shall rise, we shall be.”
Blinking rapidly, breaths coming quickly, I stood unable to produce any other movement. “What?” I whispered.
Liam continued. “My mother,” pain flashed across his face at the mention of her, “she had a gift for visions, I have the same gift. It is how I knew where to find you, I saw it…I saw you asleep on the earth. And, I see us…together. Flashes in my mind, your hand in mine, we are laughing. We are happy.”
My heart stopped. I’d seen that too…only I thought it was just my own wishful thinking at the time. I couldn’t speak.
Liam sighed, a defeated sound. “I have frightened you. I am sorry, I will not speak of it again.”
I rubbed my hands over my face and turned away, unable to look into his eyes and see the hope there. “No, it’s just…it’s all very overwhelming.” Every time I thought I’d adjusted to this whole crazy situation, the earth shifted all over again.
“Then we shall speak of it no more.” He walked to where I’d retreated and offered his arm. “I believe its time you learned to dance properly.”
Smiling half-heartedly, I snaked my arm through his and let him lead me to the Grand Room where the ball was being held.
Music drifted through the air as we approached my parents in the holding area as I decided I would call it. It was an anteroom just outside of the Grand Room from which we would enter down a massive staircase into the festivities. I was accustomed to being a wallflower and here I was about to be announced to a room of hundreds of people. It was disconcerting to say the least.
My father immediately made his way to us as I did a quick scan of the room looking for Nikolas, but once again, he was absent. “My sweet girl, you look lovely this evening.”
I shoved down my disappointment and put on my best smile. “Thank you, Father.”
He drew me into his thick arms and kissed the top of my head, somehow avoiding the tip of the crown.
My mother took my hands in hers, smiling cheerfully. “Are you ready, my child? Half the kingdom awaits your arrival!”
My stomach churned unsteadily at her words. “I…I guess so.”
She rubbed her thumbs over my fingers reassuringly. “Do not fret, my dear, you will be wonderful.”
A man dressed impressively looked to my parents, then to me. “Are we ready?” He asked in voice made for narrating stories.
My father grinned broadly. “Aye.” He turned to me and guided me toward the thick curtains that hung between the anteroom and the Grand room. “We shall be right behind you.”
The impressively dressed man drew the curtains with a thick gold threaded rope. “May I present, Sir Liam of House Raythen,” an audible gasp rang out over the low playing music, “and Princess Danica Celeste of House Connolly.” An even louder gasp sounded then.
I tightened my grip on Liam’s arm and scanned the view before me. Women dressed in opulent jewel tones and men in muted metals stood staring as we descended the stairs. I searched the faces again, unable to help myself, for Nikolas.
Nothing. Again.
Even with my disappointment weighing on me heavily, the beauty of the room could not be overlooked. Massive guiled mirrors, some cast in gold and some in silver, hung on the walls. Mounted to the front of each mirror were large globes filled with what I’d deemed firefly light, hundreds of them floating inside the glass, casting an ethereal glow over the room. Larger globes hung from the ceiling, encrusted with gemstones in deep blues, purples, reds, and yellows, twinkling and flashing.
Everything was silver and gold, tapestries, walls, cutlery, the dinner service, chairs…everything. And I would’ve never thought it, because I wasn’t so big on metal hues, but it was gorgeous, it was a fairytale.
Liam steered us toward a raised balcony reserved for my family and their guests. Soleil was already seated there, looking at the spectacle below as if it amused her.
“His royal highness King Elias and Her royal highness Queen Isla of the House Connolly.” The announcer man said.
My parents came down the steps, both smiling and waving graciously. They were old pros.
Taking their places at the table on the balcony, they stood opposite of us, facing the crowd below. When we were all in place, my father raised his hands and everyone clapped and cheered.
When the cheers died down, my father spoke. “After many long years, our only child has returned to us. It is with grateful hearts that we celebrate with you tonight. In the world, there shall always be good and so there shall be evil. Difficult times lay ahead. We must remember that no matter how dark the night may be, the morning comes still. And so I ask you, raise your glasses and join me in a toast.” He plucked a golden goblet from the heavy wooden table and lifted it high in the air. “To the coming of the dawn.”
“The coming of the dawn.” Hundreds of voices echoed my father’s
words.
The toast signified that the speech part of the evening was over. My father took his seat and tipped his cup back and around the room, others did the same. Some chose to take to the dance floor and soon there was blur a rich colors spinning and circling slowly on the dance floor below showing off graceful dances I wouldn’t be any good at even if I knew the steps. It wasn’t like I had two left feet or that I was particularly clumsy…I just got so nervous that I became stiff as a board and resembled a reanimated corpse whenever I tried to dance.
The music wafted easily through the air, the tune happy and bright, flutes tooting out the melody with their high and joyful notes.
A mass of golden curls caught my eye as I watched the people standing around the dance floor. There she was, subjecting one of the knights and his wife to her nails-on-a-chalkboard-laugh, Brigitte. I scanned the immediate area around her, no Nikolas.
Where could he be?
“Would you like to dance?” Liam’s silky voice plowed into my thoughts.
I turned to look at him, plastering on my best smile again. “Sure.” Taking the hand he offered, I let him pull me from my seat and lace my arm through his.
The music had changed to something a little slower, but still happy and sweet. Liam placed a hand at the small of my back and guided me through the dance that involved a lot of spinning. Me spinning by myself, me spinning with Liam and another couple like the spokes of a wheel, Liam and I spinning around the floor together. I prayed I wouldn’t get sick and also that I wouldn’t accidentally flog the head of some poor innocent bystander in my attempt to keep up with the steps…and then I wondered if I could get close enough to purposefully flog Brigitte.
Liam looked so happy, more and more frequently it was happening. And it was such a good look on him, happiness was a good look on anyone. I found myself considering a relationship with him, trying to push my heart in that direction. After all, I’d been all for it before the entrance on the scene of a certain blued-eyed knight. Maybe the best thing to do was to stop fighting this and let it happen. Of course, I’d still do anything I could to ensure Nikolas didn’t hitch himself to Brigitte for the rest of his life, but it seemed kind of sad and pathetic to keep clinging so tightly to something that wasn’t clinging back.
All at once, I felt the tiny hairs at the back of my neck stand on end. Something in the air was changing. “Did you feel that?” I asked Liam as we spun some more.
He nodded toward one of the large windows, but looked unconcerned. “Charges fill the air, a storm approaches.”
“Oh.” I had spun back around to face the window and could see a flick of lightening in the distance. “How is the girl? Annette?”
Liam’s face clouded. “Not well, I’m afraid. She still hasn’t spoken, aside from saying her name. She sits and stares, empty and lifeless.”
“Does she eat?” I asked, worried she was going to starve.
“She does, but only if she’s fed. She swallows, that is all.” Liam shook his head, disturbed by the very thought.
“That’s awful.”
“It is.” Liam said.
Neither of us spoke as we headed back toward the balcony, heads and hearts heavy with concern for the broken girl. We made our way back and my mother drew us into a conversation about Liam’s skill with an arrow and eventually we came out of the funk we gotten in by talking about Annette.
My father had been absent from the table since we’d returned. He stood by the dance floor now, talking animatedly with one of the guests. Occasionally, I could hear his laughter even over the music and chatter.
“Will you honor me with a dance, my queen?” Liam asked. I looked over at him where he was standing with a hand outstretched to my mother.
She smiled at him. “It will be my great pleasure.”
As he led her away, she shot me a strange smile, like she knew something I didn’t.
I watched them make their way down the stairway and out onto the floor, smiling to myself at the way she welcomed him into the fold so willingly.
The music morphed from its happy and light notes to something deep and beautiful. The strings picked up the melody, sweet and heartbreaking. A violin solo wove its haunting notes in the air, sad and lonely and exquisite.
Then, I saw him. Nikolas.
His blue eyes were on me, wild and fierce and beautiful…time slowed to a crawl. I watched him as he slid through the crowd below, the way he moved lithely between the bodies, the way his hair swayed back and forth at his temples, the way the fabric of his pale silver tunic glided over the taught muscle beneath. My heart nearly exploded inside my chest, desperate to be near him.
He was the only thing that existed then, the only thing that breathed, moved, shined.
My heart twisted, a sweet and violent sensation. He never tore his gaze from my eyes as he ascended the stairs toward me. He didn’t say a word as he extended his hand for mine.
Without a second’s hesitation, I placed my hand in his and my skin hummed at the contact.
He led me down the stairs, my hand in his just the way he’d held it when he led me to the overlook to view the Valley of Light for the first time.
Lighting flashed in the distance and I watched as it reflected in his eyes.