Page 194 of Night's Fall
Great.
NowIwas also fighting tears.
Safe to say, the king didn’t give good first impressions, but he was totally growing on me.
I couldn’t do anything but nod.
Aleksei drew me closer.
KingFillionlooked to his son and then returned to his wife.
The king’s words helped my lungs to breathe, and my legs to be stronger beneath me.
This was a good thing when we walked into the enormous, intimidating but nearly empty throne room.
It was painted daffodil yellow.
Straight ahead, there was a line of massive rectangular windows dressed with extravagant goldenrod curtains replete with silk fringes.Theyexposed a view of the colorful but austere beauty of the formal gardens of the courtyard.
To the left, against the wall, there was a dais dressed in plush, amethyst carpet, which shone stark against the bright yellow all around.
Atop this, were two thrones with royal-purple velvet upholstery.Thelarger one was framed in gilt fashioned to look like scales with spikes jutting out dramatically, the smaller one, the same gilt, but this was fashioned as feathers.Adorningthe back and sides of the dais, there were sumptuous velvet curtains of amethyst and gold, pulled back with thick silk cords ending in tassels.
And there were two gold chairs situated ten feet in front of the dais, in which my parents were sitting.
My heart squeezed asIwatched them come to their feet.
My father bowed.Mymother curtsied.
And neither of them did it correctly.
Something about that penetrated my anxiety, calmed me and made me feel…
Well, dang.
It made me feel likeIbelonged.
The king and queen strode to their thrones (KingFillion, spikes,QueenCalisa, feathers), sat, andAleksei,AleeceandIarranged ourselves standing around them.Aleeceon the queen’s side.Alekseion the king’s, with me at his.Hehad his hand curled firm on the dent in my waist.
“You may sit,” the king said.
My parents did this, both of their gazes darting around, taking in the show before them and adjusting to it when they thought they’d only be dealing with the king andAleksei.
It was then,Iunderstood whyQueenCalisaset it up like this.
This was not only a statement of family; it was a statement of status.Itwas a show of power.
It was intimidation.
It was putting my parents in their place.
Struggling to keep my expression neutral,Itook them in.
It was clear they spent money on maintenance.They, like the king and queen, looked much younger than their years.
I had my mother’s coloring, my hair honeyed like hers and unlike my father’s dark blond.Ihad my father’s body, proportionate with long legs (my mother was petite).
And seeing them after this long,Iwas struck with whatIfelt.
