Grounding the Storm ✓

Chapter 37

The day has come. Tonight is my engagement ceremony to Renit Marron, prince of Esaria and personal weapon to the king. After tonight, everyone in this kingdom will know who I am—they will whisper my name in the street and stories of my appearance will spread as the newest member of the sinister royal family.

Stomaching the thought of becoming known is enough to drown my appetite. In Arego, the citizens knew me. Here, the entire kingdom will come to the same conclusion and not only will I become loved by those faithful to the crown but I will also be hated by those who know I am not the princess they wanted.

After tonight, my life is on the line.

The rebels might make me their target, too.

There are mere hours left until the celebration. For the past few weeks, servants have prepared the Great Hall for the event—complete with long, lean tables and a talented band for dancing music. I hadn't known we had to dance until a week ago when Renit led me into the training room but didn't teach me how to defend myself. Instead, those late-night adventures were to learn the dance routine.

Every evening, after the castle fills with ghosted snores and the stars bleed white against the black sky, we've mastered the complicated dance routine together—without the watchful eye from one kingdom to the next. They've watched us, particularly me, and that puts a damper on our already difficult training sessions.

Guests filed in one by one a week ago. Every few hours, carriages find their way down the winding stone street leading to the glass castle. I watched from my window and waited to see the faces of those arriving—only to ask Renit if they were familiar. No one important he said: lords, dukes, courtiers. No one I should concern myself with.

This past week has been one of the most boring since arriving. Neither Renit or I have bothered to leave our chambers to avoid those prying eyes and to others, we're merely readying ourselves for the celebration. In our minds, we want to avoid speaking to others in the mood to hand us backward insults on a silver platter.

We've busied ourselves; I help Renit with his workouts; he helps me learn basic maneuvers to defend myself. Sometimes Silas sneaks into the tower and shares an hour of entertaining jokes. Celestine does too, but she's so busy with the gardens that she doesn't have time for her little sister. But I've never seen her so proud.

Out of insane boredom, insane enough to risk it, I went through Renit's armoire and daggers. He really has no other colors than black or greys or a white undershirt I've never seen him wear. And he wouldn't give me the satisfaction of trying it on, either.

The complexity of his daggers strays much farther than the one I've considered to be my favorite. I've found another, a dagger with a silver handle carved in the shape of a dragon and the blade, bright red, twisted into a spiral. Renit gifted it to me for the engagement ceremony and now, I wear it proudly at my hip at all times.

A few hours away, I look through the mirror at the golden sheath on my nightstand. The dagger hides within the leather and I try to keep my eyes on that familiarity instead of the impending doom in front of me.

Mani moves quickly, adjusting the sleeves of my gown with brutal efficiency.

Instead of choosing a gown made up of spring colors or one to show off my feminine beauty, Mani designed a gown of ash, the darkest black he could find. There are two layers of that gown, the underskirt made of fine, obsidian silk and the top layer—the true beauty of this dress—is sheer lace.

On that black sheer, gold flowers glitter over the entirety, dotting the way a garden would separate itself from one to the other. The lace high neck and sleeves to my wrists remind me of flowers growing over my skin, over my shoulders, over my flesh. To ensure I was comfortable, Mani instructed for the boned bodice to be relaxed and the skirt tight-fitting but loose enough to twist.

Pressed against my chest, I run my hands over my mother's necklace and then the necklace binding Renit and me together. My only three pieces of jewelry in that one place, my two necklaces and Renit's initials on the gold band around my finger. My stomach churns.

The gown is the final piece of the puzzle. My hair is already done, Mani curled the strands into gentle waves. Against the dark line of kohl over my eyelid, gold glitter blends into my skin and fades into a shade of murky shadow to the outer corner. I've never seen myself so...royal. Anyone in this castle has the chance of mistaking me as a true princess.

Mani steps back and surveys the gown. "My bright star, look at you." He clamps his hands together in front of him. Silver lines his eyes. "I would hug you but I don't want to ruin the ensemble."

I can't lie. I do look amazing. The gold accents make my amber eyes glow and the high collar not only hides what is visible underneath but what lies within the skin. The power of ground.

A soft knock sounds at the door and Mani turns, shoulders back to usher Renit away when Celestine pops her head in. "Ah, my other shining star!" Mani exclaims. He gestures for my sister to come in as he finishes pulling on the tight waist of my gown. After I've spent the month here, nearly two, my body has finally filled out to what it should be. My curves are noticeable in a gown like this.

My sister's grin is wide. She flows into the room like an angel, wearing a charming V-neck gown with a wide skirt. Mani immediately makes adjustments, mainly to a rumpled bit of tulle towards her feet. The tulle is black, blended to a subtle shade of pink. I notice it's the same as Celestine's cheeks and the glossy surface of her lips.

"You look amazing," Celestine compliments. "I remember all those days I tried to get you to wear frilly gowns like this. She put up a fight every time."

Mani giggles. "I can see that; I almost had to pin her down to get the bodice on."

I place my hands on my hips, rough lace scraping against my palms. "I don't know why I bother with you two."

But I know why. I love them both. My sister is more of a princess than me. Her auburn hair is delicately curled and braided into a crown around her head and pink earrings dangle from her pale lobes. White gloves, courtesy of Hallie herself, stop at her freckled forearms.

"It's because, without us, there is no joy in your life," she mocks. "Mani and I make life fun." She places her hand against her chest and bats her eyelashes.

"No catfights before the celebration, darlings. We have a crowd to impress and this is your chance to find a prince for yourself, Celestine. There will be many from distant lands and if a prince does not want you, a lord will drool over your beauty. No matter what, you're leaving this party with someone on your arm." Mani finishes smoothing out the fabric and takes two steps back.

"No, all eyes will be on Roux. Every prince and every lord will be jealous to know she belongs to Renit." Celestine winks at me.

Both of us know Celestine will be the center of attention tonight. She's always been beautiful and every man that ever got close to her was drawn in by not only her presence but by her personality. All the eyes, glittering with hope, will be on her. More whispers will be shared about the mysterious girl with bright eyes and freckled cheeks.

I take one last look in the mirror and smile at the golden earrings shaped like daggers. They're almost long enough to reach my shoulders and hide within my hair but when they're given the spotlight, they glisten. Just like me, same as Celestine.

The nerves inside me are settled until a guard arrives, retrieving me from my chambers. My stomach roils with fear as I walk, arm in arm with this nameless man. I try to calm that fear inside. This is it, there's no coming back from it.

Tonight, the kingdom will know.