Page 72 of A Storm of Fire and Ice

One more tug. “There!” Iris finally declared proudly and admired her handiwork.

Gwyneira walked around to face me as well. She pressed a hand to her mouth, eyes misting over at the sight of me.

I just grimaced, scrutinizing my reflection. Gilded edging lined the scarlet red dress, with red and orange tulle fanning out from one shoulder while the other remained bare. The bodice hugged my form elegantly, and its intricate gold embroidery depicted a magnificent phoenix rising from the flames. The tight lacing compressed my ribs despite the ornate gold cord crisscrossing up the gown’s back. An unavoidable sacrifice for the beautifully dramatic hourglass silhouette it created.

After adorning my fingers, wrists, and ears with jewelry that shimmered like molten gold, Iris crowned my fiery locks with a glinting golden tiara sculpted with even more flames. The ensemble was truly a mesmerizing masterpiece that epitomized the essence of fire. But the vivid crimson hue was a far cry from what I’d imagined for my wedding day.

“It’s so . . .red,“ I said with a half-frown.

“Of course, it is!” Iris laughed. “It’s a Fire Kingdom royal wedding dress. Every kingdom has their own traditional dress like this.”

“You look beautiful,” Gwyneira offered kindly.

But uncertainty still gnawed at my confidence. This opulent dress felt like a movie costume, the corset like a torture device. Hardly the ethereal elegance I’d envisioned.

The door creaked open, and Aria glided in, her own ruby gown swishing over the smooth quartz floors.

“How is our bride doing?” she asked with a sing-song voice.

“Your Majesty.” Iris bowed reverently at the Fire Queen.

“Stop it, Iris.” Aria waved her hand dismissively. “I told you not to call me that!”

Iris smirked. “Never can be too polite.”

Aria finally turned to get a good look at me. “Wow, Helena! You look amazing!”

I managed a weak smile. Though tinged with sadness that I wasn’t as enthusiastic as everyone else was on my wedding day,their awe sparked a small ember of faith within my chest. Maybe I was just making a big deal out of nothing.

Noticing my ambivalence, Aria rushed over and grasped my hands supportively. “Talk to me. What’s going on, little sis?”

I chewed my lip, avoiding her searching gaze. “I just . . . This isn’t exactly how I pictured myself as a bride.”

“What do you mean?”

I shrugged. “I-I don’t know. I always thought I’d be wearing white.”

“White?” Gwyneira asked confused. “Like an Ice Kingdom wedding dress?”

“Yeah.” Aria nodded at me knowingly. “In the Unenchanted Realm, where we were raised, brides usually wore white wedding dresses, even if they weren’t royalty.”

“Oh, I see.”

“But here, you’re a princess,” Iris reminded. “You have to represent the Fire Kingdom.”

Aria ran a gentle hand over the voluminous red and gold skirts and smiled lightly at me. “This was our mother’s wedding dress, you know.”

My breath caught in my throat. “It was?”

She nodded. “Yeah, we found it stashed away in an old attic of the Fire Castle after I had already gotten married, so you, dear sister, are the first one to wear it after her.”

Our mother should have been here to see this. To hear me tell her how much Fannar meant to me. To plan this crazy royal wedding to the future king of a kingdom that they once considered enemies.

As I twirled from side to side, the skirt billowed and rippled, revealing layers of sheer red, gold, and orange fabric embellished with thousands of tiny crystals. As they caught the light, they created an illusion of flames licking at my heels, making me truly resemble the embodiment of a living phoenix.

I reverently traced the embroidered phoenix, imagining our mother walking down the aisle inside the Fire Castle in this very gown, and touched the phoenix pendent around my neck as I peered into the mirror again.

But . . . she is here now. With me.

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