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“I can’t remember the last time I wore a dress,” I said, pained. “It feels…weird,” I admitted.
“Come on!” she laughed. “This dress is SO you!”
I supposed she was right.
This was not the traditional coronation or wedding gown. It was black leather and lace with a corset pulled tight around my chest.
Still, it was a dress.
“My mother wore dresses,” I said. “She always tried to get me into these cute feminine numbers that I could barely walk in.”
Elisha laughed and I laughed with her.
The wedding was taking place at Castle Grey and all the most prominent people had been invited. Security was tight and Lucca had insisted on keeping numbers down to control the situation.
But a councilor getting married was a big deal and required certain ceremony. The castle had been done up with fairy lights and candles and it looked very romantic. My feelings towards it had changed somewhat over recent weeks. I no longer thought of it as cold and impenetrable, to me, it now seemed like a fortress and a stronghold, a place where I would always be safe.
Lucca had insisted on finding us a house near the Capital, a grand old place with rolling lawns and trees but I found myself enjoying the silence at the castle. Like Lucca, I liked being in the highest rooms, and looking out over the valley, over the rolling green hills that would soon be mine too. I had been given my own rooms at the top, and these also had wide views of the mountains.
I was coming to get to know my new life, to feel my new powers. One of the changes I was aware of, was that I wasn’t as restless as before. I had found a kind of peace that I had never known possible. Perhaps because I had finally found the home I had been looking for ever since my own was destroyed when Chakrat killed my father. Perhaps I accepted my new life in a way that wasn’t even possible with my old one because I had chosen this one.
After I got dressed, Elisha came to do my hair and fix my make-up.
She tried to apply blush and put down her brushes, laughing. “You look beautiful the way you are, I don’t think you need any make-up!”
Lucca arrived in the doorway and Elisha slipped out.
“I couldn’t agree more,” he said, his eyes filled with love. “You look ravishing.”
I scolded him gently, “You aren’t supposed to see me on our wedding day! It is bad luck!”
Lucca smile at me, looking dashing in a beautiful wedding coat and a silk shirt. He came up to me, kissing my cheek.
“I think our streak of bad luck is over, don’t you?”
I clasped his hand tightly and nodded. “Yes, I do.”
We looked out over the courtyard, where cars were gathering as guests arrived for the ceremony. There was a festive atmosphere in the air and Lucca took my arm in his as we walkeddown the stairs to the garden, where a red carpet had been rolled across the courtyard from the castle to the grounds.
Chairs had been placed around and there was a bower of flowers where we said our vows. Afterwards, Finn arrived with Lucca’s senior counsel and Ragnar, carrying the crown on a velvet cushion.
“Queen Izzy,” he murmured as he reached me. “Doesn’t sound quite right, does it?” I nudged him with my elbow, suppressing a smile. Part of me agreed with him. Then the crown was placed on my head and a few murmured words of ritual meant that what had once belonged to Simonis and Tanata, was now mine.
It didn’t feel strange at all, the crown nestled comfortably into my hair. I barely noticed it.
At the reception afterwards, I saw Dominic and Joe in the crowd and made my way over to them. They congratulated me and Joe winked mischievously at me.
“Didn’t I say I thought there was a new role for you?”
I smiled at him. “Yeah, I recall that you did.”
“I think this will do nicely,” he said and grinned.
“We need you at the Capital,” Dominic started seriously. “There is talk of some of the unhappiness with new regulations and they are strict of course, but necessary…”
Lucca arrived and interrupted, “I hope you are not bothering my new queen with matters of business?”
Dominic laughed and hung his head in mock shame.
