Page 98 of Waves
“Granted!” With a snap of my fingers, I transformed into Stavros, eliciting delicious gasps of surprise from all of them.
Felipe’s jaw went slack, Keelan slapped the wall beside himself and started to laugh at the absurdity, and Mateo just mouthed, “Of course you’re him,” as if irony was to be expected.
But it was Avia’s reaction that stunned me most of all. Her lower lip trembled, and her eyes welled up. Inside my chest, her heart wobbled shakily, and I didn’t know if she felt relief…or something else.
Dropping the smug attitude that was meant mostly for Felipe, I leaned down and said softly to my quiet queen, “I can’t wait for those wedding bells to ring. That is…if you still want them to.”
And then I was rewarded with a radiant smile that was worth more than a thousand kingdoms combined.
Chapter 42
Raj
Avia was the most breathtaking bride in history.
A masterpiece of creation.
Luminous as the sun.
There was a shuffling of feet and fins as she descended from the surface of the ocean on the back of a dolphin, her golden hair free and floating up all around her, making her look like a fierce goddess. That look was only magnified by the fact that she wore a trailing dress made of gossamer in giant gathers that resembled cresting waves. Decorated with pale blue pearls and lined with white gold chains, she was the ocean made flesh.
A tiara made of auger shells framed her face in delicate white spikes, while a golden coin from Evaness—a gift from her sister, sat on a chain around her neck. Her iridescent wings flared proudly, and even the hole ripped through her left wing didn’t diminish her. It marked her as a survivor. A fighter.
My chest ached at the sight of her, growing tight with both painful longing and pride.
All around, the crowd began to clap, the sound growing like thunder. The guest from the land kingdoms applauded politely within the giant domes of bubbles constructed for their visits forthis momentous occasion, but the people of Okeanos smashed their palms together with enthusiasm. With pride.
Six months had passed since the day my queen reluctantly agreed to let me try. Six months of the hardest, most brutal interactions with stupid people I’d ever endured. Helping harvest pearls and seaweed, building bubble bridges made of air that started at the shore of each nation and dove under the waves, extending for miles. Endless chores around the palace. The constant, looming judgment of Felipe—who liked to shadow my every move. And paperwork. All of these egregiously dull tasks that I’d never have completed on land. Tasks that left my back sore and my body exhausted at the end of each day. Tasks that were not befitting a king.
But I was a patient man.
It had taken me centuries to build an empire. Now, I was trying to build something else.
At the command of the royal guards, led by Ugo and Paavo, the crowd parted to form an aisle in front of the castle. An aisle that Avia and her mount could come down to meet with me and the other contestants.
Our eyes connected and her lips pressed together in a hesitant smile that seemed to make all of my bones feel as wispy as clouds. Today, I was going to marry the woman whowasmy heart. Without whom, I'd have remained a soulless disaster ripping through the realms.
My golden hands clenched and unclenched nervously. I was in siren form today. Because Okeanos knew that Stavros had competed, it was Stavros who got to marry Avia. Mateo, Felipe, and Keelan had all agreed that revealing my true identity to the public, and to Bloss and her kings, might not make for the best wedding ceremony. It would stir up controversy, that was certain.
Objections.
Perhaps worse.
Next to me, Mateo also shifted nervously, mer tail swishing, and we exchanged understanding glances. Neither of us was comfortable in our current skin in front of this crowd. But we were willing to do it, for her. Because she was worth this and more.
Nearby, a little squi-shifter girl turned to her mother as Avia paraded down the aisle and people waved long strands of seaweed painted gold for the occasion. Tugging at the woman’s skirts, the chubby-cheeked toddler said, “Mommy, she’s kind of scary. Pretty but scary.”
The child was correct.
My queen was the most beautiful monster who ever lived.
When she reached the open circle in front of the castle doors, where all of her husbands-to-be waited, along with an Okeanos matchmaker, she dismounted from her dolphin. The beast swam off around the castle on cue, as I'd trained him to do. And then, as Felipe had arranged, a magnificent display of bioluminescent comb jellies surrounded all of us. Pulsing blue and green colors turned into darting rainbows whenever a rare beam of sunlight hit the creatures as they danced in a semicircle above our heads.
The crowd oohed and awed as the matchmaker trundled forward on green octopus legs. A middle-aged woman who had adorned her head with a feathered turban, she looked ridiculous to me, but the people of Okeanos all bowed their heads when she spoke.
"Today, we bind our queen and those who have proven they have the strength, will, wisdom, and hearts to help her rule."
With a snap of her fingers, two crabs scuttled forth, carrying long strings of pearls. She took one and then had Felipe hold up his hand as she wrapped it with the strand before handing the end to Avia.
