Page 5 of Ties of Starlight

His eyes widened, and she heard his breath hitch, but she advanced on him, stepping forward.

“Staring at me all night? Following me here? You think I'm going to ruin this, don't you?” Now she was the one backing him into a corner. “You think I'm going to fail. Or worse, that I’m—I’ll be some kind of Inga? That I'm going to be the reason our people's magic continues to become more disconnected from the comet? That I'm going to be the reason we're weak and fall to the Moon Elves when they set their sights on us?”

Nyrunn’s steps faltered. “What—”

“You couldn't be more wrong!” Idonea’s frenzy increased with every word. “I know exactly what I'm doing, and I'm going to get it right this time. This is the time everything goes perfectly. So your effort is wasted, Your Majesty. Because tomorrow my wedding will go perfectly. The rituals will go perfectly. Everything is finally going to be perfect!”

King Nyrunn had stepped back as she'd advanced until he was the one with his back to a shelf, pinned in by a half-elf half his size.

She heard the echo of her voice bounce off the shelves and she realized how loud she'd gotten in her frantic ramblings.

The book was now also by her feet.

Nyrunn's eyes landed on it as she shifted back, her skirts brushing over it.

“My uncle's account,” Nyrunn said, his voice soft, but it caused Idonea's heart to start hammering in her chest. “I see.”

He did? Oh no. Had she just given herself away in her crazed ramblings?

But he just stepped forward again, coming right up to her before he slowly bent down, carefully brushing his fingers over her full skirts. He carefully shifted them off the book so he could pick it up without lifting them even aninch off the ground. But as he knelt on the ground in front of her, a truly bizarre pose for a king to take, especially in front of someone like her, he didn't pick it up or move to stand immediately. He brushed his fingers over the wordCometa.

His hair fell into his face, and the way the starlight landed on it brought out the dark purple mixed in with the dark blue, and the light reflected off the little silver flecks, making it resemble the night sky constellations when one looked closely. Idonea seethed in jealousy every time she looked at a full elf's hair.

Hers had no shine, no stars hidden in the strands. It was just plain black and boring.

Nyrunn's face was hidden by his annoyingly perfect hair, so she couldn't see his expression, but he did finally take a deep, long breath before rising to his feet and holding the book out to her.

“If this is what you want...” King Nyrunn paused, his grip tightening for a moment. “This is what you want, right?”

He wasn't talking about the book.

“To be part of the Cometa Couple?” Idonea couldn’t help the breathy air to her voice. “Of course this is what I want. The happiest day of my life was when I was selected. You remember, I’m sure—I wouldn't let even you and your needling ruin my mood that day. I've never wanted anything more than this. Not that you should care about my wants.”

Nyrunn was still looking down at the book. “I—I need to be sure.”

“You have nothing to worry about, Your Majesty.” Idonea reached out to take the book from him, but his grip on it only tightened. “I know how much is riding on thisgoing perfectly. I know you need my wedding and the rituals to go perfectly for Adastra. I'm not running away. For the first time, we want the same thing. Nothing is going to make me happier than to get this right.”

He looked up. The other elves were excellent at hiding their true feelings, or maybe she just wasn't good at reading them. Both the Star Elves and the Moon Elves were more reserved than the other elf races.

He said, “This isn't just about the magic.”

Idonea’s grip on the book slackened and her voice dropped to a whisper. His eyes pierced hers, and she couldn’t look away despite the intensity building in them. “What else would you care about?”

His voice was raspy, scraping the air desperately as he asked, “You'll be happy?”

Had he fallen and hit his head? Where was any of this coming from? What… What kind of act was this?

“Nothing changes if my answer was no. I still have to do this for our people even if I'd be miserable, and as king, you know that.” At her words, something shifted in his eyes, and his lips parted, but she finished, saying, “But—even though you shouldn't be concerning yourself with the desires and happiness of one insignificant half-elf—yes, Your Majesty. I will be happier than I've ever been when I marry Olaug tomorrow. I'm going to have a perfect life starting tomorrow with the elf I love. What more could I ever want?”

“Then that's what matters.” Nyrunn let go of the book and pulled away. He started to walk backwards, keeping her still in his sight as he said, “I wouldn't torture yourself reading that, little lily. It'll do you no good. Let the past stay there. What does it have to do with you anyhow?”

Idonea just dropped into a respectful curtsy beforepressing the book to her chest and saying, “Have a good night, Your Majesty.”

She turned on her heel and hurried out of the library, leaving him leaning against the shelf, ready to hide away in her room until it was time for her to marry the love of her life.

Chapter 3

How was a king to sleep the night before the woman he loved married someone else when there was nothing he could do to stop it?

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