epilogue

It turned out that Zared wanted to keep the manor until the end of the month because he planned for it to be the perfect wedding venue.

Daida sprouted rose bushes all along the edges of the garden and sprinkled the most beautiful rose petals down the aisle. Thea's sisters walked down first as her attendants, each looking stunning in their soft pink gowns and braided crowns.

Thea waited at the back of the aisle for her cue to step out, her heart hammering as she tightened her grip on her father's arm.

"Just look at Zared," her father murmured with a loving pat on her silk sleeve. "Then nothing else will matter."

"Thank you, Father," Thea said as she let out a nervous sigh. "You're right."

"If you can walk bravely into a cursed labyrinth, then I'm certain you can walk down the aisle to its beast." Father winked, and Thea fought back a giggle .

Everything was perfect. The skies were a striking blue, and the air was filled with the sweet scent of roses. Thea never imagined having a wedding in Olympia, but it just felt right since that was where she and Zared first met. Technically speaking, they first met in the labyrinth, but that wasn't exactly a location they could return to anymore. Not to mention, the skeletons would make for some odd decorations.

"Please rise for the bride," Flora's voice echoed past the crowd, followed by the shuffle of all the guests rising to their feet.

"Are you ready?" her father asked, his eyes twinkling at her with the widest smile a father could wear.

"As I'll ever be," Thea replied. "Like you said, it can't be as scary as entering a labyrinth."

Except, it was.

Thea's heart hammered with each step, growing more anxious the closer she got to having all eyes on her. Her long satin train trailed behind her, collecting rose petals along the hem with each step. Her veil fluttered in the wind, catching flashes of light as the sheer fabric danced in the sun. She squeezed her bouquet of roses so tight, she feared she might break one of the stems, but when they finally stepped up to the end of the aisle, it only took one glance up for all the fear to melt away .

Those eyes never cease to make everything else disappear...

Zared smiled at her, flooding her body like a fresh breath of air as her father guided her to the tempo of the strumming harp. Her steps felt too slow now. She wanted to be closer to him, wrapped up in his arms, and by his side for the rest of their days.

She caught a quick glance of the other guests, smiling to herself when she noticed King Hayden and Queen Priscilla in one of the back rows. Her sisters were all misty-eyed, each one clutching a silk handkerchief in their hand as they watched Thea cross in front of them in a rich white gown instead of a blood-red frock.

"Who gives this woman?" Flora asked, smiling down at Thea and her father.

"Her sisters and I," Father said proudly as he passed Thea's hand to Zared's, immediately sending sparks across her skin.

Father joined her sisters in the front, and the ceremony began. Flora gave a beautiful speech about how their love triumphed over curses, but to be honest, Thea couldn't remember much of what was said. She and Zared locked eyes the entire time, their hands entangled in each other's as they anxiously waited for the final moment to arrive. They exchanged vows and rings, but the true tension between them was left unspoken as they inched closer and closer, waiting for Flora to finally pronounce them as one.

"You look eager," Zared whispered to her, careful to keep anyone else from hearing.

Thea smiled. "As do you."

"What can I say, I'm ready to get lost in those pretty brown eyes forever."

"Be careful exploring places you can't get out of," Thea said as Flora wrapped up the end of the ceremony. "Not every key goes to a door, remember?"

"That's fine with me..." Zared inched closer, their faces only inches apart as Flora gave them permission to kiss in the background of their whispers. "Because it's a place I never want to escape from."

And then he kissed her.