Page 101 of Faeling
“Will I really be queen,” she murmured, “just because you say it’s so?”
“Yes. That’s one of the perks of being king, love.”
She huffed a solitary laugh, despite herself. Another kiss was pressed into her cheek, and against her skin, he whispered, “Until you can believe in yourself, believe in me. Today will be a triumph.”
Triumphsounded a little too grand. Ravenna just hoped fornot a disaster.
Reaching back to caress his face, she told him softly, “I do believe in you,azai.” She’d witnessed his reign for too long to undercut everything he was capable of. If he wanted her as queen, then so it would be.
He purred happily. “Then there’s nothing to fear.”
There absolutely was, but she kept that to herself. It was a daunting bargain she’d struck, and now that it was time to uphold her end, her fears and doubts lay with them in their bed. It wasn’t him but she herself Ravenna worried about.
An obnoxiously loud knock sounded at the front door to his quarters, and a moment later, Asta’s voice boomed down the hall. “Wake up! It’s time!”
Vallek’s purr turned into a growl, and he buried his face in her hair. “Unfortunately, there’s but one thing more powerful than even a king, and it’s the schedule he must keep.”
Soon, there was hardly any time or space for her worries. Asta, Eydis, Hilde, and Brynhíl arrived with the force of a summer thunderstorm, dividing and conquering to help ready Ravennaand Vallek.
Asta and Bryn got to work dressing Vallek in his ceremonial regalia while Hilde recruited Eydis to help Ravenna into her gown and all the finery they had chosen. Ravenna suspected she’d need to avoid direct sunlight to keep from blinding any observers, so intensely did she gleam and glitter.
It took over an hour, but by the end of it, she was dripping in gold and jewels. Gold leaf was even applied to her fingernails, and Hilde delighted in applying a thin cream infused with crushed pearls and gold. The resulting effect made Ravenna’s skin shimmer almost like a full-fae woman.
As Hilde brushed her hair, though, a question Ravenna had been dreading did come up.
“What about these wings I keep hearing about?” Hilde asked.
“I say have them out,” said Eydis. “It will leave an even stronger impression.”
“I hear fae wings are iridescent—they’ll shine beautifully in the light of the basilica.”
“Wings stay hidden,” Ravenna insisted. When she saw Hilde beginning to pout in the mirror, she said more firmly, “They stay hidden. They’re only for mates and family to see.”
Hilde winked. “Well, then, I expect to see them very soon. I’ll need to find fabrics to complement their color.”
Eydis and Ravenna shared a grin. “She’s incorrigible,” said Eydis.
Once her hair was brushed to a high shine, Hilde helped her turn to face the long mirror. Ravenna hardly recognized herself.
The gown flowed down her body like liquid flame, glittering gold catching the light. The whole effect made her look alight, a fire sparking to life. The stiff bodice gleamed with gold thread,the intersections of the diamond pattern interspersed with fire opals. With their embroidery and beadwork, the skirts weren’t any lighter, patterns of stars, birds, and roses cascading down the length and gathering along the hems.
Rings glinted on almost all of her fingers, thin, delicate chains of gold were looped around her neck, and rubies the size of grapes dangled from her ears. Eydis added little braids to her hair, as well as pins studded with garnets, while Hilde applied rouge to her lips and a little more of the pearlescent cream to her cheeks and browbones.
It was overwhelming, and Ravenna could easily have been lost under all the finery. Except…the choice of the sparkles helped make her own skin shine as brightly as the gold and jewels. With a dollop of hair oil, her tresses shone, tamed into soft waves the likes of which she’d never managed on her own.
Ravenna looked at herself in the mirror and…smiled.
“There she is,” murmured Hilde.
Her smile grew even wider. Looking between Hilde and Eydis, hearing Asta and Bryn’s chatter with Vallek in the other room, Ravenna’s heart was full. Too full for so many worries to live.
For the first time, Ravenna had friends. Well, two-legged friends, anyway.
“Thank you for this.” She didn’t know what else to say, how else to convey her gratitude. How could she be terrified under all her finery? It would protect her, like armor.
Eydis grinned. “You’ll make us proud,tristah.”
Hilde and Eydis looked up at movement, and Ravenna turned to behold Vallek. He strode from the bedchamber, somehow looming larger in his regalia.
