Page 72 of Calling of the Crown

“I’m so glad you love it,” Disha said as she clapped her hands.

“The fabric really made the dress,” Chanwoo praised, and he smiled proudly at his co-creator. “Disha truly makes the best fabric out there. I was absolutely blown away by her skills.”

Disha’s cheeks pinkened, and she waved away the compliment before praising Chanwoo right back. I tuned them out as I became lost in the magic of my reflection again. Chanwoo was right. The light, silky fabric gave the dress the fluidity and appearance it needed to resemble water like we’d planned. As a Silkworm Fae, Disha had the ability to create the softest, most magical fabrics, and with their combined skills, they’d managed to create a dress unlike any other I’d ever seen.

“We’re dying out here!” Akira yelled from beyond the bathroom door. “We want to see!”

Laughing at his impatience, I stepped into the bedroom for my gathered friends to see the final vision, and their chins nearly hit the floor.

Dallas had to cover her mouth with both hands as she fought a slew of fresh tears. My own chest tightened with a sense of love. She and I had been through so damn much together over the years, and I couldn’t believe the day was here where I was basically getting married. It was huge, and having her here by my side just made the day even better.

Akira stared wide-eyed, mumbling a string of Japanese. Imani, Avana, Khalani, and Jayanna seemed frozen with awe.

“Do you guys like it?” I asked, shifting on my feet so that the dress captured the light and moved to look like running water.

“You are gorgeous, Bria!” Avana gushed.

“The dress is the perfect mix of provocative and regal,” Jayanna said with a firm nod.

“That was what we were going for,” Chanwoo stated happily, smoothing down the lapels on his suit jacket.

He and Disha gave me one final look over before we all realized it was time to go. We needed to get downstairs and take our places for the ball, which would begin with the Two Hearts Dance.

Each set of stairs that brought me closer to the ballroom sent my nerves climbing a steep hill. Any minute now, they’d jump off, and I’d lose my calm. Rune was waiting for me. All these Fae were waiting on me, some of whom hoped to see me fail and others who needed me to succeed. I wouldn’t have a chance to talk with Rune prior to the Joining Ceremony, but I hoped the two of us could stay composed enough to get through the dance without issue.

When we reached the closed ballroom doors, we found Jesiah pacing in front of them. As soon as he saw us, he let out a relieved sigh and quickly shuffled everyone except me into the room.

Jesiah faced me, and the stress seemed to ease ever so slightly from his eyes as he cooed, “You look lovely, Bria.”

I smiled and ducked my head. “Thank you.”

“The sun has set, and the moon is high, which means it’s time for the ceremony to start. Everyone is being moved to the sides of the room to create the open space you and Rune will need for the Two Hearts Dance. I’ll go in, announce you, and when the orchestra starts, the doors will open. You’ll walk in, and the dance will begin. When it’s over, the two of you will proceed to the dais at the head of the room, and you’ll each be crowned as King and Queen. After that, you’ll be able to relax a bit. Mingle. Eat. Just have fun and get to know the people more.”

I took a deep breath and opened and closed my clammy hands. My nerves were right on the edge of that cliff now. Fighting to swallow, I said, “Got it.”

Jesiah placed a hand on my shoulder. “You can do this, Bria. You can.”

“We’ve not been able to get it just right in practice. What if—”

He held up his hand. “I’m going to tell you what I told Rune. Don’t think about the what ifs. Don’t think about the people in that room. Focus on each other. This moment is just as much for the two of you as it is the Kingdom. This is about you and Rune. Focus on that.”

I slowly nodded. “Okay. I’ll try.”

He gave my shoulder a final squeeze before slipping into the ballroom. I wrung my hands and strained to listen to Jesiah’s muffled voice as he announced me for the Fae gathered inside. My stomach pitched forward as the string of violins and keys of a piano began to filter into the hallway. The doors creaked open.

Focus on Rune. Focus on Rune.

The doors opened fully to a dim room, lit only by candles lining the space and the moon and stars shining through the glass ceiling. Shapes of over a thousand people lined the sides of the room as I slowly walked inside, and I could hear the gasps over the music as every pair of eyes seemed to lock onto me and my dress.

The rush of anxiety from having so many eyes on me nearly stole the air from my lungs.

Until I saw him.

Rune stood at the other end of the room, and even at this distance, I could tell just how handsome he looked. Like mine, his hair was tied half-up-half-down around his fox ears, with a few stray strands framing his chiseled features. The custom suit he wore accentuated his toned body, and its blue-and-silver design matched the colors of my own gown.

As we slowly walked across the floor to each other, my nerves seemed to stall in their frenzy. Rune’s golden eyes were locked on mine, and they burned with profound love, longing, and devotion. Seeing the adoration embedded in his eyes quieted the storm inside me, and I let the slow, romantic melody guide me to the center of the room where Rune met me. In our places a few feet from each other, the music shifted to a stronger note, which signified the start of the dance.

Rune and I stayed locked on each other as we raised our right hands, calling our elements to us. Flames from a candle rushed to Rune’s upturned palm while water from one of the basins lining the room came to mine. We reached our free hands up as we slowly circled each other, pressing our wrists together in a soft, nearly nonexistent touch. After a few breaths, we switched, our elements arching above our heads to reach the other hand while our left wrists found the other’s.

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