Page 71 of To Steal the Sun

CHARLOTTE

Charlotte stared at herself in the full-length mirror. Her dress wasn’t as elaborate as Gwen’s had been, but it was far fancier than the dress she had worn at her first wedding. And—more importantly than either fact—it suited her perfectly. The clean lines of the satin gown exuded an elegance befitting a princess without overwhelming the woman inside the dress.

She met Gwen’s eyes in the mirror, and her friend smiled knowingly.

“It’s hard to see yourself as a princess—or queen—and also yourself. But it’s possible. If I can get there, so can you.”

Charlotte smiled tremulously. Gwen of all people knew exactly what she was going through. She could never have guessed that the woman in the portrait would become her best friend and the most amazing support. She was only glad that the mountains were no longer a barrier between them.

“Promise you’ll come and visit,” she said, trying not to sniffle.

“Of course I will!” Gwen hesitated. “Although I understand you’ll have your sisters with you in Arcadia. You might not have as much need for—”

Charlotte shook her head firmly, turning to give her friend a pointed look. “You’ve met my sisters. While I’m glad I can offer them a new life in Arcadia—the kind of life they’ve always wanted—their presence can’t make up for your absence.”

Gwen’s smile grew stronger. “I’m actually curious to see Arcadia. I’ve read about it in books, and it sounds beautiful.”

Charlotte glanced out the window at the mountains. They were visible from any direction, their peaks white with snow despite the warm sun that shone into the enormous valley housing the mountain kingdom.

“I’m going to miss the mountains,” she said. “I’ve gotten used to having them always there in the distance. There’s something solid and calming about their presence. It was one of the things I liked about my old life in the valleys.”

“Do your parents love the mountains as well?” Gwen asked. “Is that why they’re not going with your sisters to Arcadia?”

Charlotte hesitated. “I don’t think it’s the mountains exactly.” She sighed. “My father dreams of new horizons and new frontiers. He loves the idea of building a life from nothing. So how could he turn away now that a true new frontier has opened up?” She gestured at the mountains outside.

Gwen grimaced guiltily. “I suppose we only made that worse by having the first courier through the new pass go straight to his door with instructions to bring your family here without delay.”

Charlotte chuckled. “Maybe a little. He already has grand plans for the trading route he’s going to set up. But Henry and I appreciated it so much.”

Gwen laughed along with her. “Poor Henry was so impatient. He could barely wait for your family to get here as it was. I almost pulled out the halter to get them here more quickly.”

Charlotte’s eyes widened. “Do not let my father get word of the possibility of riding the wind!”

Gwen nodded solemnly. “Noted.”

Charlotte relented. “My relationship with my family was so broken at my first wedding, and they won’t be part of my daily life in Arcadia going forward. I couldn’t have a second, proper wedding without them. Henry understands.”

“Have you really forgiven them for everything?” Gwen asked, and Charlotte could hear the echo of another question behind it. Had Charlotte really forgiven Gwen for her role in the candle disaster?

Charlotte smiled. “I have forgiven them for everything. I don’t want any resentment hanging over the new life I’m about to start. But I haven’t forgotten. Henry and I have already discussed it, and we’re going to set my sisters up in a comfortable house in the Arcadian capital but not in the court itself. They’re family, and I want to do what I can to support them in building a fulfilling life for themselves, but I can’t build my own new life with them too close.”

“What about your mother?” Gwen asked. “Is she upset your father is insisting they stay?”

Charlotte considered the question. Her family had only arrived the day before—thanks to Henry’s determination to have a proper wedding as soon as possible. But she had spent the evening with them, and her mother had seemed content with the plans being made.

“I think she would like Arcadia,” she said. “But she would never leave my father, despite his flaws.”

She and Gwen’s eyes met, and they shared a look of silent understanding. They were both newlyweds themselves, and they understood what it meant to enter a marriage. It was inevitable there would be times when one member of a couple would have to compromise for the other. That was part of being a team.

“Their new house disappeared, you know,” Charlotte added, trying not to laugh at the thought. “It was created for them by the bell, so when Henry broke his enchantment and the castle and bell disappeared, everything else it had created disappeared with them.”

Gwen’s eyes widened, but Charlotte continued to smile. “I think it worked out for the best, though. They fled to my aunt and uncle’s house, and since the last of my cousins has just become betrothed, my mother and aunt realized they enjoy living together. Henry is going to give them the gold he originally promised, and they plan to use it to expand my aunt and uncle’s house. When my father—and probably my uncle with him—are traveling through the mountain pass, my mother will still have company. I think she’ll be happy enough in that life.”

“And you’ll be happy having some distance from them,” Gwen murmured.

Charlotte grimaced, not denying it. “Some relationships improve with some distance. We’ll be very happy to see each other when we have a chance to visit.” She hesitated. “My family is far from perfect, and they’ve hurt me, but I know it doesn’t compare to your situation. Even if Celandine had been your true birth mother…” She hesitated, shaking her head. “Some relationships can’t be salvaged.”

Gwen’s smile didn’t waver. “Don’t be sad for me. Not on your special day. I have a new family now. Lydia and Jett are already the parents I always wished I could have.”

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