Chapter Twenty-One

"THANK YOU, YOUR HIGHNESS!" THE woman cried, continuing to bow at the waist.

Keeping my grin in place and hoping my face didn't hint at how awkward I really felt, I said, "Really, Mary. No thanks necessary. Anything I can do for you and everyone here, I will."

After thanking me a dozen more times for offering her a job as a chef in the palace, she finally made her way off the dais where Rune and I stood with our guards flanking the floor and beside us. I immediately released my breath and wiped my clammy hands on the skirt of my dress.

Mary had to be nearing the hundredth or so person that had come to see Rune and me, and there were still countless more faces in the sea of mingling Water Fae. So far, everyone had been cordial, and only a handful had questioned my intention of marrying a Land Fae, though they did so as respectively as one could in that situation. I figured having everyone exposed to the Land Fae by means of the move-in crew made it far easier for them to accept Rune and the others spread throughout the room.

"This isn't too bad," Rune noted as his eyes scanned the packed room. "No fights or assassination attempts have been made yet. I'd say that's a good sign."

Laughing, I lightly smacked his chest. "Not funny, Rune."

He chuckled and tucked a strand of his white hair back from where it had fallen loose from his half-up-half-down bun. His shoulders had relaxed the more we talked with people, and the haunted look had mostly disappeared from the set of his eyes and mouth. I think we were both feeling better after actually having interacted with the Water Fae here.

"Your Highness."

I turned at the sound of new voices. A couple, seemingly in their forties but no doubt centuries old, stood at the edge of the platform. The man with curly chestnut hair stood rigidly, and his harsh stare kept flicking in Rune's direction before ultimately finding me again. The woman's vibrant green eyes were clouded with something akin to sorrow, and she offered me a weak smile. The more I looked at them, the more something in the couple seemed vaguely familiar.

Sensing their hesitant displeasure, I tried to put on a mask of civility. "Hello, there."

"Bria," Angus called from near my right. He stepped into view and dipped his head slightly toward the couple stepping onto the platform. He leaned in and whispered, "These are Dax's parents."

It took everything in me to keep the surprise off my face. Looking back at the man and woman, I could definitely see the resemblance. The green eyes and dimples of his mom, the brown hair and sharp jaw of his father. He shared many features with his parents, and fresh nerves prickled inside me as I wondered if they all shared the same attitude.

I nodded my thanks to Angus for the heads-up. He stepped back to his previous post, leaving nothing between me and the fidgeting couple.

I offered them a smile. "Forgive me. I'm afraid I haven't been acquainted with the two of you yet."

"No," the man replied with a tight-lipped smile. "Just our son. I'm Leroy Knightly. This is my wife, Helda Knightly."

"Please," Helda suddenly begged, clasping her hands beneath her trembling chin. "Please let Dax go. There has to be a mistake. He loves you. He's always loved you. He'd never, ever do anything to hurt you or his people."

His people. Ha. As if Dax was already King and ruling beside me. They weren't his people, and they never would be. Everything she'd just spouted was laughable, but maybe she didn't know the full extent of what Dax had done. Imani had informed Dax's family of his crimes, but this was his mom. She could be in denial.

Rune stiffened beside me as he realized who stood in front of us.

Keeping my own face calm and cordial, I consoled, "I'm sorry, Helda. I really am. I know this can't be easy for the two of you."

"Our son is not a traitor," Leroy protested, his voice growing sharper, and his jaw tensing. "He—He must've been framed. This honestly is a misunderstanding. He should be here, enjoying the festivities with you."

"He's a good man," Helda added with a vehement nod.

Rune chuckled low beside me, his sharp canines glinting in the light. "Did you know your son at all?"

"Don't you dare speak about my boy," Helda hissed. Her sulking eyes turned hard with anger, and she glared at Rune. Her fingers tightened where they were still folded beneath her chin.

I placed a hand on Rune's arm, because I could practically feel him shaking with building rage beside me. Rune loathed Dax with every fiber of his being, and for someone to act as if Dax were an innocent man left him fuming on the inside. The composure he'd built up was quickly succumbing to his protective, territorial Fox, and that was an animal we needed to keep calm for the time being.

Keeping my hand on Rune, I looked at Helda. "Rune only means that the Dax he and I know is much different than the one you're describing. I know it's hard, but—"

"It's all lies," Leroy argued, stepping closer. "Everything he's been accused of are lies ."

"Would you like to see the footage for yourself?" Rune asked coldly. "The video where he admitted to hiring someone to kill Bria?"

Helda sucked in a sharp gasp and covered her face with her hands. Leroy stared unblinking at Rune, and his entire body locked up like a statue yet seemed to vibrate with hatred.

Trying to diffuse the mounting tension, I looked between Dax's parents and said, "I've ensured Dax won't be put to death for his crimes. I'm hoping the time in his cell will make him rethink his actions. When he's ready to change, I will gladly release him."

Helda's tear-filled eyes peeked at me as she lowered her hands. She looked up at her husband, who still hadn't moved from his stare-off with Rune.

Finally, Leroy mumbled, "Our family deserved better. Dax deserved better."

He wrapped an arm around his wife and quickly led her off the dais.

I took a deep breath, relieved to be rid of the Knightlys' angry presence. I wasn't sure if they truly believed Dax was a "good man," or if they were just pleading a futile case. Either way, they were wrong. Dax was a warped, vile man, and he'd never stand beside me.

"God, I really fucking hate Dax," Rune growled with his fox ears pinned firmly to his head. He turned to stare at the wall behind us so that the Water Fae in the crowd couldn't see the sheer outrage hardening his features should they glance up here.

I placed a hand on his tense back and agreed, "He really does suck. His parents must have some rose-colored glasses on to believe otherwise."

"Or they're just as sick as he is," Rune pointed out and looked down at me.

Before I could respond, another voice called, "Hello, Your Highness."

Rune and I faced forward again and found what looked to be a family of three Water Fae bowing at the base of the stand.

Shoving the discomfort from the previous interaction away, I smiled and greeted, "Hello, everyone. Please, rise and step forward."

The trio raised their heads, and as they climbed onto the platform to speak with Rune and me, something strange seemed to hide behind their plastered on grins. The hair on my neck immediately stood, and unease prickled in my gut.

The man—a short and slim gentleman with salt and pepper hair and a goatee—watched me with guarded gray eyes. The older woman—a tall and thicker lady with a black bob and green eyes—surveyed Rune and me cautiously as though she expected us to bite. The girl with black curls who looked about mine and Rune's age didn't even try to smile as her dark eyes scrutinized Rune.

Shit. Not again.

Forcing my apprehension back, I greeted, "I don't believe I've had the honor of meeting you all."

The man's smile tightened. "My name is Tommaso Ricci. This is my wife, Emilia," he said as he gestured to the woman on his right. He waved a hand at the other girl and finished, "Our daughter, Bella."

Bella's rosy cheeks puffed out as her eyes narrowed more, but she seemed to dip her head by way of greeting to hide it.

"It's nice to meet you all," I said as evenly as possible. "I'm glad to have you all back in Morardia. This is my fiancé, Rune."

Rune, now back to appearing calm, bowed slightly, but I noticed the stiffness in his posture and fox ears remained. He must've also sensed the hostile energy coming from them.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Rune said, and I was impressed by how steady and calm his deep voice sounded.

Tommaso's smile cracked slightly, and his eyes bore into Rune's. "Your last name is Beckett, right? As in the high-ranking Fox Fae family?"

Rune nodded. "That is correct."

Tommaso's air of forced friendliness suddenly vanished, and his eyes turned into thin slits. "So you've killed Water Fae then?"

My nerves immediately coiled tightly, but Rune didn't hesitate to answer honestly. "I have."

Emilia's green eyes squeezed shut as she covered her mouth to stifle a gasp, and Tommaso's fists clenched tightly as his sides. Bella's rosy cheeks darkened until her entire face matched, and her shoulders shook with what had to be rage.

"How can you stand here, acting like our future King when you've murdered our brothers and sisters?" Bella spat.

Rance closed in on Rune's side, and his brown eyes darkened in warning. It looked as though he was about to intervene, but Rune held his hand up to keep Rance in place.

Rune's eyes never wavered from Bella's. "I've done many things I regret, Bella. I've hurt innocent people, and that's something I'll always live with. It doesn't matter that I did it in the name of what I thought was right for my kind. Those were still lives lost, loved ones stolen. I can't change what's been done, but I can change going forward. That's what I plan to do here by Bria's side. I plan to make sure no more Water Fae are lost to the war between our kinds."

"That's not good enough," Bella hissed.

"It's not," Rune agreed. "I understand that. But it's a place to start. If you have suggestions for how I can make up for my past in the war, please share them. I'll do what I can."

Bella bared her teeth, and tears sprang to her eyes. "You could bring my dead husband back."

My brow furrowed at the impossible demand, and I said, "That's not fair."

"Not fair?" Bella seethed, whipping her head to glare at me.

Dallas immediately stepped close to my side, but Bella didn't seem to notice as she barreled on to say, "What's not fair is that our Princess has chosen the side of the very people who slaughtered us. I won't stand here and pretend to support such a treacherous decision!"

Bella quickly turned on her heel and shoved her way through the confused crowd, stampeding for the doors. Her mother ran after her, but Tommaso was rooted in place as he narrowed his gray eyes on me. "So you intend to stand with Land Fae?"

Bella's dramatic exit had garnered us attention, and the room was suddenly silent as all eyes bore into me expectantly. They were all waiting to hear my answer, and I felt the weight of each and every stare like bricks stacking on top of me, pushing me further and further down, yet I had to keep fighting against the pressure. I had to fight to stand.

I held my head high and answered, "I stand with Fae . I stand for Water Fae. Land Fae. All Fae. I stand for what's right and what will be good for us all ."

Taking a deep breath, I spoke louder so that my message was clear and heard by all. "It is my wish and goal to strengthen Water Fae as individuals, as a Kingdom, and as neighbors to Land Fae. Right now, Ambrolia feels the strain of two warring peoples. You have surely felt that same strain through loss. Grief. Anger. It has been those emotions that have driven Water and Land Fae to continue our war. A war that has hurt far more than it has benefitted either Kingdom.

"Leaving behind orphans," I said, placing a hand over my chest. "Ripping away mothers and fathers," I continued and placed a hand on Rune's arm. My eyes found Akira and Jesiah's at the base of the dais. "Tearing apart lovers." I stared back at the crowd and continued, "It's caused nothing but pain for everyone, and the wounds left behind are deep … but not scarred. They can still be mended. They can still be healed with time, care, and effort."

I notched my chin higher and finished, "Today, I stand before you with a promise. A promise to end the fight with Land Fae. It's time that we end the era of war and hostility to replace it with one of peace and healing. The journey to get there will be a long and trying one for both parties, but I am confident that when we come out on the other side of it, we will see a better version of ourselves and our precious home. We will see Ambrolia as it should be. Prosperous, lively, and whole."

Silence descended over the room, and as I waited, the knots in my shoulders only seemed to tighten. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to say or do something else, but as the seconds ticked by, I feared that I'd failed. My speech, my tone, my poise—it was all a disaster. They didn't agree, and everyone here was about to turn on me.

But then Khalani moved. She dropped to her knee and bowed her head, calling out, "For Ambrolia, I shall heed your wish, Princess."

Jayanna and Ardley, who stood on either side of Khalani, were quick to smile as they followed her down onto their knees and shouted in unison, "For Ambrolia, I shall heed your wish, Princess!"

Slowly, the room fell, bowing their heads and holding a hand to their hearts. Some remained on their feet, staring at everyone else in bewilderment. Some watched me with open disbelief or venom, including Tommaso. But most of the Water Fae bowed in reverence before shouting, "For Ambrolia, I shall heed your wish, Princess!"

My heart swelled with pride, but most of all, it swelled with hope .

Hope for a better tomorrow.

Hope for a better future.

Hope that I was worthy of their trust.

The battle was far from over, but seeing that most Water Fae were willing to accept my goal felt like the first of many hurdles jumped.

And yet, there were still countless more that remained.