81. Elianna

After the ceremony, I waltzed down the aisle, arm in arm with my mate, husband, and now king, as our court leisurely followed behind us. We walked through the throne room doors and out the front entrance of the castle, my Nyra girl trotting playfully around our feet as we made our way to Isla’s streets.

Nox sat atop the stone battlement, his favorite spot to perch in recent weeks, and chirped into the air at the sight of us approaching. Horses were at our sides, preparing to take my court through the awaiting crowds, as I was to be shown to the rest of the city as queen for the first time.

I looked up at Nox, who stared down at me, waiting for the command to descend to the ground, but I gave a slight shake of my head instead.

“As if you have never flown in a gown,” Jace teased from my side.

My stare moved back to the horses, where Matthias waited with the others. “I won’t be seen by the city from the skies. They will have plenty of chances to watch me wreak havoc through the clouds.” A smile formed on my face. “Landon,” I called over my shoulder. “Will you please bring Matthias to me?”

The castle’s former stable hand looked as if he would burst with joy as he ran up to my old mount and brought him to me, placing his reins in my hands.

“Hi, boy,” I greeted my warhorse and pressed my nose to his snout. “What do you say we have some fun, like old times, huh?”

More horses were brought for my entire court, and they mounted their steeds in unison with me. Veli used her magic to drape my gown gracefully along Matthias’ back while I sat upon my horse as I always had—a warrior.

Peering over my shoulder, I was met with the gazes of our dearest friends—my rebellion-leading sister and kind-hearted brother, a stable hand turned soldier, my aide, who was now High Witch, and my mate’s two fearless co-seconds. The Velyran Rebels turned the noble court of the rightful queen.

My stare lifted to Nox a final time, where his golden eyes were locked on me intensely. My usual smirk tipped my lips, right before I menacingly whispered, “ Ignystae .”

Without hesitation, my wyvern shot a blast of flames high into the sky above, earning awe-like noises from those surrounding us. And then, with a powerful roar, Nox shot into the sky, launching himself off the battlement.

The castle’s gates opened toward the city, and we all began the walk to our new beginning as my wyvern’s shadow loomed over us from above.

The celebrations for the new queen and king of Velyra lasted days, with endless parties, food, and mischief of all sorts—my favorite things.

When the festivities came to a close, and the lords returned to their cities and ports, life in Isla resumed to how it had always been under my father’s reign. However, the time had come for decisions regarding the rest of the realm.

Although we understood that changing everyone's beliefs and habits would take time, we started by spreading word throughout Velyra, emphasizing the importance of diversity and developing a sense of community between humans and fae in every city, port, and village. This started with the joining of our armies.

Standing in the living room of our new chambers, I looked over my court—where half of them would now live in the Valley as we remained in Isla.

I caught tears slipping from Avery’s lower lashes with the tip of my finger while she stared at me beneath Gage’s shadow as he hovered close to her—a constant guardian of the former princess and her now fiancé.

A giggle slipped from me at her expense, and she rolled her eyes at me, swatting at my fingers as she tried to wipe her tears.

“You do know that I can see you tomorrow, Avery.” I leaned in closer to her. “That’s why I keep the High Witch happy.” I winked.

Veli scoffed and crossed her arms from beside us. “I heard that.”

I shrugged. “Among other reasons. ”

“I know,” my sister answered with a laugh. “I will just miss you.”

“Shh,” Gage said. “We need to get out of here before they realize placing us in charge of Alaia was a grave mistake.”

“You think you’re the only one in charge?” Zaela taunted from across the room. “You’re not the only newly appointed commander, Gage.”

Two bickering co-seconds turned co-commanders of Velyra’s northern armies. We wanted more than anything for them to remain right here at our sides with us, but someone had to oversee the north—and it was their true home.

They would, once again, work to rebuild Ellecaster and clear the passage that was blocked to the valley from its devastation. Bruhn had even offered the assistance of the Sylis creatures, provided I officially named him Lord of the Wood, as he had introduced himself so long ago, and as I had promised when seeking his aid.

Finn and Landon would stay here in Isla, where they had always been. Jace planned to appoint Landon as a general in the king’s army and couldn’t wait to surprise him with the promotion. And Finnian, with Veli’s assistance, planned to reopen the House of Healers in the city.

My brother had even promised to build a monument to the once great healer, Ophelia, who had birthed the queen of the realm and sacrificed her life for it. My heart swelled to the point where I thought it would burst when he told me his plan .

Memorials for both the fallen king and his loyal guard were also planned to be built within the city square, right where the rebellion began.

Avery hugged our brother tightly, swinging him as she held him in a death grip. “Avery, I will see you next Wednesday!” he screeched, trying to pull from her grasp.

The night we had chosen for family dinner and game night—where wine would be drank and responsibilities put on hold.

“Well, excuse me for already missing the one person who has been attached to my hip since his birth, Finnian,” Avery scolded, and my hand flew to my lips to cover my laugh.

Gage clapped Finn and Landon on their shoulders and then practically shoved them out of the way as he barreled across the short distance to Jace, nearly tackling him to the ground.

He placed the king of the realm in a headlock and playfully punched him in the gut. “I’m going to miss you, you not-so-boring-anymore bastard.”

Jace’s laugh echoed through the room, his joy and slight annoyance thrumming down the bond as he swatted at his best friend.

Gage released him with a classic shove toward the ground and then stormed in my direction, wrapping me in a bear hug. “Queen of the Realm!” He swung me around in his arms.

Once he settled and loosened his grip, I looked up at him and pinched his cheek. “And soon-to-be sister-in-law.” I winked .

“Cadoria!” he shouted over his shoulder at Jace. “You are no longer the luckiest man in the realm.” He turned to him. “It is I who gets to not only marry a Valderre but also be the queen’s in-law.”

“You do realize that also makes Jace your in-law, too, right?” Zaela sassed him from where she stood in the corner near Veli.

“This is the best day ever,” Gage breathed, and we all burst into laughter.

While everyone was distracted, my eyes drifted to the two blondes hidden within shadows as their whispers traveled through the chamber softly.

“It appears that our time together has come to an end, witch,” Zaela taunted.

Veli offered her a closed-lip smile as she looked Zaela up and down. “I will be just a rift-walk away.”

With a wave of her hand, a portal appeared on the balcony of the chamber we were in, where Alaia Valley sat at its opposite end.

After everyone finished their goodbyes, I finally allowed tears to slide down my cheeks, but it helped to know that, with the help of Veli’s magic, it wasn’t as if they would truly be across the realm. A wave of my aide’s talons and I could appear right back at the Cadoria Estate or the war chamber, where all these plans that we never thought would come true were made.

One by one, our court stepped through, leaving Isla and entering the northern valleys beyond the Ezranian Mountains, where only a year ago, I thought was a barren wasteland. However, there were a lot of things I believed a year ago that held little truth.

Once they were gone, Landon and Finnian left the chamber to head into the city for dinner. Veli sensed the change in the atmosphere with it just being the three of us, and vanished before our eyes, bursting into her shadows that she now adored to no end—the only dark magic she allowed herself to use.

And then it was just the two of us—the queen and king of the realm. Husband and wife, and mates fated by the gods, standing alone in their castle’s chamber as our wyvern circled the skies just beyond its balcony.

“Any plans for us this evening, my queen?” he asked. “Before the realm seeks our services.”

I closed the distance between us and lifted myself on my tiptoes, pressing my lips to his.

When our kiss broke, I gazed into the hazel eyes that had me fall for him that night in the forest, when we thought our attraction was just the euphoroot clouding our better judgment. And, holy mother of the gods, how far had we come since then…

It all felt as if it were a lifetime ago now.

He took my hand in his and led me out to the balcony to summon Nox. We watched as he banked left in the sky and soared towards us until he halted to hover just beyond the rail.

A smile beamed from me, and I climbed over the stone railing and leapt onto my mount. Extending my hand back toward my mate, I said, “Care for another wyvern ride, handsome? I promise this one won’t end in raining hellfire.” I winked, giving him the most innocent smile.

He gave me a knowing smirk right before he let out my favorite breathy laugh of his. “I would be honored, my Lia,” he answered as he climbed atop a saddleless Nox.

Our wyvern shot off into the sky, where the sun was ablaze with the fiery hues of sundown, our laughter echoing through the clouds.

Jace and I had done it. We had created a better realm for all of its creatures, just as we had always hoped and wished for—with him and I at the center of it.

THE END.