Things were uncertain right now, but I lived with this unshakeable belief the world would get better. And when they did, gods-willing, she would still have him.
The divine power surrounding this joining would bless them with children.
I want that.
I want the goddess to smile on me and heal my womb so I could have a family to raise up in a new age of human equality. To have a child that would be raised in the beauty of a crystal cavern, full of kind people caring for each other ,instead of the harsh life of a moldering home in Zlosa would be a blessing.
It would be a treasure to have someone look at me the way King Teo looks at Estela. In his eyes, it is as if the entire world hinges around her.
Suddenly, a very different time returns to my mind. A time when the wedding ceremony was called acasamiento a la usanza.It was a bond formed after a couple successfully conceived a child in the breeding pens and wanted to live together to raise the babe.
There were no promises made. No priestess. No rings.
Simply the act of moving one’s meager things into a shared dwelling.
When I’d arrived, Daniel had made the bed look so nice. He brought a few flowers, and laid them on the cracked windowsill.
I was prepared to raise a child back then, when the world threatened to tear humans apart.
Now, I knew how much better it could be. If my body was fixed, and I was blessed with a child, I would give them a warm, safehome knowing their parents would fight for them fiercely. They would never have to wonder over their place. They would never have to wait to be chosen. I would give them a home filled with love, and work my damnedest to give them a life worth living.
Swiping bittersweet tears off my cheeks, I look to the side to see a glaring grump seated in direct sight.
Lord Vann is on the other side of the temple in a section unobstructed by citrine columns, watching Teo and Estela with his arms crossed, leaning back in his chair. His mouth turned so far down I almost laugh. His eyes find me, and watch me staring.
I bite my lip, and look away as the ceremony finishes.
Everyone moves, cheers, and shouts loud enough to shake the cavern, and then the festival starts as the happy couple slips away.
The Elf King is silent, only moving when I do. We find ourselves back down at the stalls, though I am not left alone this time. I breathe easy as Lord Lothar introduces him to the various displays.
When the time for dancing starts, King Arion draws me close.
“Be with me, my dear. I enjoy how much you smile, like a pleasant flower opening her spotted petals for me to gaze upon,” he says low. “I find you… appealing.”
My heart doesn’t sing at the words. I feel strange. Sweaty.
We dance a little longer, then he says, “I know I have been forward with you, but I wanted to see your character. Some women snap when they are spoken down to, but you are not so sensitive as to take offense. You are clearly loyal. These are marvelous qualities in a woman.”
I peer up at him. Before me is a man who doesn’t care for little things and is indifferent to the small details I have spent hours combing through to ensure a successful evening educating him on humans.
“Thank you, My King,” I say.
Then he cups the back of my neck, leaning down.
“This has been a most educational experience for me. Consider me convinced,” his unyielding lips brush against my ear.
For a second, my soul soars. This had gone much better thanexpected. King Teo would be pleased. My people would have a second chance.
I grin, about to thank him, but he puts distance between us.He starts pulling me away from the other enduares dancing. My heart gallops as he takes me to the shadowy space in front of a tunnel.
“Your Highness, we should—” I start.
He whips around and the breath is stolen from my lungs. This isn’t good.
“There will come a time when—” his voice is lost in the sound of laughter and chanting from the celebration. I lean forward, trying to piece together the missing phrase.
Then I hear, “For now, just watch.”