My chest constricted at the sight, and I walked to her, helping her stand.
“Is he alright?” she asked, wiping her tears with the shawl always draped along her shoulders. “I heard him crying.” Her last words were nothing but a whisper, wanting to keep his secret.
I was pretty certain the others had heard him shouting too, but they respectfully stayed inside their rooms. That kind of pain was hard to hide once it was set free.
“No,” I admitted. “But now he can finally start to be.”
A small, appreciative smile curved her lips, and she nodded, dragging her shawl over my cheeks too. “Thank you for being there for him.”
She didn’t even know I had done this for her too.
After squeezing her in a hug, I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and accompanied her upstairs to the seventh floor, walking her to her quarters.
“He loves you,” I assured. “Just give him time to find his way to you.”
A sliver of hope entered her eyes, but she repressed it, probably too used to waiting for him and getting nothing in return. “Should I… help him in some way?”
“Yes, I think you should.”
Hope fully sparked in her eyes then, unable to contained. “How?”
“Maybe keep being sweet and snarky to him. I know he enjoys that about you. And spend more time with him, show him he hasn’t lost his chance.”
She nodded, seemingly filled with purpose again, and I truly hoped it wasn’t too late for them. They truly balanced each other perfectly.
Briefly looking back to the entrance of my room, I regarded Willow for a moment. “Do you think we could talk, privately?”
“Of course.” She motioned for me to follow her into her room.
“I’m going to ask Evie to spend the rest of her life with me, after my presentation on the jubilee tomorrow,” I explained, knowing they didn’t really use the word marry here.
“You are?” A bright grin captured her lips, happiness returning to her eyes when I nodded. She literally jumped from the excitement, clapping her hands. “Oh, I need to make sure she is extra beautiful!”
That made me chuckle. “She is always beautiful.”
Waving my comment away like it was nonsense, she whirled around and hurried to a large armoire in the corner of her room. Swiftly, her hands shuffled through covered garments that contained the new wardrobe she was making for Evanna as queen.
“One of these will do. Although, I noticed the way your eyes twinkled when you accidently saw her in this one the other night. Or perhaps this one. Of course, I’ll have to figure out what to do with her hair since it has to be extra special,” she mumbled, mainly to herself, then suddenly gasped, focusing on me again. “What will your grand gesture be?”
My shoulders drooped at the mention. “I’m sorry. I don’t think I have one yet. Especially nothing as special as what the asshole did for her.”
She made a face, fully understanding my predicament. “I’m sorry, Braxton. I see she told you what Lachlan did.”
Rubbing my face with both hands, I sighed. “I swear the next time I see him my fist is going to push his face in.”
“You should,” she huffed, crossing both arms over her chest in contempt. “That was incredibly disrespectful, and frankly, delusional. Evanna loves you, no one else.”
“I know.” It was a relief to hear I wasn’t the only one who thought it was an insult for him to do that to her. To both of us.
“I’ll help you.” She winked, making me smile again, though I had no doubt she could kick any of our asses. “Do not worry one bit. Whatever you do, I am sure Evanna will love it. When a woman has given her heart, the simplest, heartfelt gesture means the world to her.”
“Thank you, Willow.”
Grinning wide, she turned to inspect the dresses again, pulling out the one she apparently considered worthy of my proposal. “Yes, this is the perfect one.”
Dark fabric covered it fully, so I couldn’t really see what it was. “I’m sure it is stunning, like everything you make.”
“You already have my blessing, Brax, I assure you. You don’t need to grovel.”
Yep. That was the Willow we all loved.
“I have one favor to ask.” I stepped closer to her, pulling out the tiny leather pouch from my back pocket. “I haven’t seen Evie wear any jewelry other than the bracelets you give her for each dress, but I wanted to ask you, do you think she might like this?”
I turned the bag upside down, dropping the little golden wing onto her palm.
The breath lodged in her throat the instant she saw it. “How?” Her head shook as though it wasn’t possible for her to be holding that necklace. “Where did you get this?”
“The Truth Teller gave it to me. I found it in my jacket after I met her. Is something wrong?”
Her eyes glistened when she turned the pendant, glancing at the inscription. “No, not wrong. Just impossible.”
“What do you mean?”
A tear escaped her as she looked up at me, yet a contradicting, wonder-filled smile grazed her lips. “This shouldn’t be here, Braxton. Evanna thought she’d never see this again.” Taking my hand into hers, Willow placed the wing on my palm with extreme care. “This is the necklace her father gave to her mother when he asked her to be his, after they were free.” She pointed to the letters on its back. “E & S. Ezra and Sienna.”
Holy shit. “That’s insane…” I whispered, appreciating the necklace in a whole new way.
“That is not the reason why this is impossible.” She shook her head again, her expression filling with disbelief. “This was so special to Queen Sienna that she never took it off. Never. Do you know what that means?”
Realization coiled like sinister snakes around my being, until I could barely breathe. “She was wearing it when she died.”
“And their bodies were forever lost to us.”
Damn.
Swallowing, I brushed a thumb gently over the golden wing, feeling Willow’s hand grip mine, squeezing it.
“You have to give this to Evanna when you ask her to be yours for life, Braxton. This is your grand gesture.”
17
EVANNA
The weathered parchment trembled in my grasp as my eyes swept through the lines written in my father’s penmanship. It had been a few days since I last tried to read the letter left for me behind my parents portrait, finding his words harder to hear than I anticipated. Truth be told, I wasn’t even certain I should read it now, but I needed to know.
All I’d wished for since they passed on was to see them one last time. One last smile. One last hug. One last moment to actually say goodbye… And now here it was. This letter was my chance for closure, but it was also the one thing that could finally make me fall apart. It had almost broken me as Braxton began to read it last time, and I could not let emotion ruin me. Not now. Not ever.
Whatever happened, I had to remain strong for our people.
Closing my eyes, I steeled myself. Controlled breaths made their way in and out of my lungs, and I envisioned my walls strengthening around me. Steel replaced the rock that once formed them, not only giving me a way to withstand what was to come but the strength that everyone else expected me, the soon-to-be-queen, to possess.