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1
Béke Day One
Light blinded me momentarily before pain speared through my middle, tearing me apart from the inside. I took a staggering step forward, plunging my foot into the ankle-deep snow in the courtyard of Ryza Citadel in the Iron Realm, as I laid eyes upon the male I had loved first.
Kazimir was haggard, with a thick beard and grown-out black hair that made him look like he’d been living in the woods since we’d parted. His deep emerald green eyes held none of their prior sparkle, even when our eyes collided across the snow-dusted ground and the rest of the world dropped away. The bruises that marred the spaces beneath his eyes were not the most alarming change in him; it was the oily aura that surrounded him, as if he’d fallen into a pit of tar and not quite managed to free himself of the sticky substance when he’d escaped.
The Goddess’s Prophecy came screaming back to the forefront of my mind, and doubt threatened to drown me as the words played like a haunting tune.
“The ones that are part of all will be born under a full moon
Her white light will fill the land
But her mates darkness will rise
Kings will fall
Rivers will run with blood
There is a choice
Follow the light
Descend into the dark
The harrowing pass decides it all”
Darkness bled through every pore in Kazimir, and as I reached my empath magic out to brush against his mind, I beheld thickly coiled black ropes caging it in. With horror, I recoiled in on myself, shifting toward Ruslan instinctively, and returned to the present moment.
The guests arriving for Béke, a two-week celebration of peace between realms, had dismounted, handing their reins to waiting stablehands, while a handful of footmen trotted toward a carriage, opening the door and assisting four females down the steep steps.
“Liliana!” I cried out when the long chocolate-brown locks of my best friend peeked out of the carriage. Her seafoam green eyes popped up in recognition of my voice, a wide grin spilling across her face as she dropped the hand of the Iron Fae male helping her onto the snow-packed ground and sprinted toward me. Forgetting the two males whose eyes were locked in a staredown, I threw my arms wide and embraced my friend.
“Izidora! I’ve missed you so much,” she breathed in my ear, her bubbly voice hitching.
Ruslan hummed his amusement beside me, causing me to hold my friend at arm’s length and look at the second male I loved. Her eyes shone like a mirror of my own, and I quicklyintroduced them. “Liliana, this is King Ruslan of the Iron Realm.”
Her greedy eyes drank in his frame before she dipped into a polite curtsey. “Pleased to meet you, Your Highness.”
Ruslan's signature smirk returned, his smoky eyes dancing as he looked at the Night Fae female. “The pleasure is all mine, Lady Liliana. I hope to get to know you better in the coming weeks.” Then, he turned his attention to our other guests, and my cheeks flamed as I realized Liliana and I had forgone all protocol in our excitement.
“Welcome to the Iron Realm. I am King Ruslan, and this is my mate and future queen, Princess Izidora of the Night Realm. We are glad you could join us, not only to celebrate Békebut also our upcoming wedding and coronation, taking place the day after the end of the feast. We hope you’ll extend your stay to celebrate with us.”
If the news shocked any of the attending nobles, none let it show on their bland expressions. Even the Night Fae kept their expressions neural, if not a touch hostile, especially from Kazimir as his attention flitted between Ruslan and me. King Azim had died only the day before, so there was no way any of them knew of Ruslan’s elevated status prior to this very moment. But court politics was a game well played by all in attendance, and I had no doubt that they’d whisper about the changes once they were out of earshot.
Liliana jabbed me in the side with her elbow, and I shot her a look that said, ‘we’ll talk later.’ My attention was pulled by an elegant female with platinum hair flowing loosely over her shoulders who was clapping her hands together. “I do love weddings!”
A lithe male with white hair proffered his hand to Ruslan. “King Ruslan, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am King Airre of the Crystal Realm, and this is my mate, QueenImmonen.” He trained his blue eyes on me, and I offered my hand to him. He grasped it, planting a formal kiss on the back. “Princess Izidora, you are even more beautiful than High Lord Kazimir described. I do hope to learn more about you both in the coming weeks.”
My cheeks flamed, though I offered King Airre a polite smile after a cursory glance to the male beside me. Ruslan seemed unfazed by King Airre’s flattery, his attention pointedly fixed on Kazimir during our exchange. The corner of Ruslan’s lip twitched up as if he was goading Kazimir into saying something about me or his newfound status as king of the Iron Realm.
“As do I.” A dark-skinned female stepped forward, and I curtsied to her as Ruslan lifted her hand. Queen Viktoria’s beauty was striking, her colorful ensemble a bright and cheery distraction from the tension that floated around us like falling snow.
Kazimir’s eyes bored into me, but I kept my gaze firmly on the monarchs of the Day Realm. The tug around my middle became insistent enough that I spared a glance behind them, my gaze colliding with two emerald orbs that held a touch of something foreign, something that made me want to glance away as quickly as I could.
“Queen Viktoria, King Consort Geza, I look forward to making your acquaintance as well,” Ruslan acknowledged with an air of formality. “Drazen will show you to your rooms. After such a long journey, I’m sure you’d like to freshen up before the opening ball tonight.”
