It was Kingston’s turn to chuckle, a sight that had become so normal since he finally forgave himself and proclaimed his love for Willow, that I could hardly remember—no, never mind, I could still remember the special way he growled just for me.
Glancing at the panels tied to my hips, he became pensive for a moment, and then swiveled them until the open part faced the front, revealing the slim pants I wore under it. The skirt was a different material than the pearlescent white sacred Dragon skin, similar to silk but kind of see-through, shimmering under the light with the same aqua hue the skin had.
His brow furrowed a bit more as he reached for the long wrap on the bed, and I helped him extend the sacred skin to its full length. Part of it fell to the floor, widening at the bottom and somehow reminding me of a veil. After a few minutes of turning and flipping to try and make sense of it, his eyes finally brightened.
He took the narrower end, lifting it to my body. “Arms up.”
The moment I lifted them, he wrapped the sacred skin around my waist, securing it on the left side with tiny hooks I hadn’t even noticed. It reminded me a bit of the wide fabric “belt” men wore with tuxes in the Mirror World, except this had a load of extra material. Turning it again, he flipped the wrap from my left hip and draped it across my chest to fall over my right shoulder, securing the longer end to the back of the “belt” and finally letting it fall in place behind me.
It wasn’t a veil; it was an imperial cape.
The ancient Devenish outfit seemed a cross between an Indian royal suit and samurai robes, and I never thought I would love wearing a skirt as much as I did.
Kingston smiled at me and stepped back, a certain honor capturing his features before he nodded towards the standing mirror.
Taking a deep breath, I turned to face it, my breath halting from the sight.
That couldn’t possibly be me, but my back still straightened with the wave of duty that swept through me in that instant. The man who stood before me, was not the young man who grew up experiencing only hardship, loss, and pain. Not the one who secretly sought tiny wisps of hope in the solitude of his life, clinging to them desperately until they burned before his eyes.
That young man was gone.
The man looking back at me now was a destiny chosen warrior. A warrior who gladly carried the weight of the future on his shoulders, and the hope of his people in his heart. The true king of Caelisium, who would return freedom to this world alongside his rightful queen.
The Dragon King.
Grinning, I turned to face Kingston. “Thank you, Chief. I truly appreciate you being here with me, especially today, when my dad can’t be.”
“Nothing could stop me from being there for you and Evanna during your unity ceremony.”
Reaching behind him, he pulled something out of his back pocket and showed it to me. A long, leather braid that coiled several times sat on his palm.
“I am not familiar with Devenish traditions, but this is a lost custom from the old Cresting Sun Empire. I never saw it performed because I grew up in the Hollow, but it is said that on the day of the prince’s wedding, an elder of the royal family would weave this bracelet and tie it onto his wrist. Each knot represented ten years of wealth, health, prosperity, and happiness for him, his new wife, and the people under his rule.”
His kind eyes lifted to me, powerful emotion gleaming in them.
“You are the only other person who has ever meant as much to me as Evanna does, Braxton… That is why I want you to have it.”
Lifting my hand, he began to wrap the long leather braid around my wrist slowly, tying it together with a knot after every loop until a wide cuff made of ten knots engulfed my forearm.
Emotion clung to my throat, and I placed a hand on his shoulder. “Thank you, Kingston. I can’t tell you how much this means to me. And I’m glad to hear you say that, because I’d love for you to take my father’s place today. If that’s okay with you.”
The feelings constricting my chest reflected in Kingston’s eyes when he nodded, pulling me in for a fierce hug. “It will be my greatest honor.”
“I’m sorry to interrupt this beautiful moment,” Willow called from the door—surprisingly enough, without an ounce of sarcasm—“but our future queen is ready.”
Patting my back, Kingston pulled away. After composing ourselves, we walked out of the room, and I stepped onto the hallway to find Evanna standing there, in her wedding gown.
Holy shit.
Tiny hairs stood on end along my body with the chills capturing my entire being. Evanna had never looked this stunning, and I was helpless but to stop before her, cradle her cheek, and claim her lips as mine.
“You look absolutely beautiful,” I breathed over her lips, pressing my forehead to hers while the kind of happiness I never thought I would experience coursed through me, accompanied by magic.
“So do you,” she whispered, stealing another kiss, and making me grin.
“Thank you. I don't think anyone has ever called me beautiful.”
Chuckles came from all around us, and we glanced away from each other to find my guard dressed in their new gold and black armor, the same colors my dad’s had, which was now mine. Even Asher, my commander, bore a brand-new arm shield, gauntlet, pants, and boots, perfectly matching Imogen’s black and golden suit. They stood tall behind me, while Harper and the rest of Evie’s guard stood in impeccably polished armor behind her.
“I’m going to need a twirl.” Taking Evanna’s hand I lifted it and spun her around slowly, taking in every moment.
Her dress was unlike any other wedding gown. Thin panels of the ocean guardian’s sacred skin crisscrossed around her neck, traveling down her torso, and cupping her breasts beautifully before crossing towards her back, only to come forwards again draping along her waist. Thin golden chains intercepted the panels, extending along her back and keeping the material tight and in place.
Softly flowing down her legs, like a waterfall, a full skirt fell from her hips, all the way to the floor. A few panels of the same see-through silk my skirt had, were mixed with her own, making her look ethereal. Lucky for both of us, the sacred skin we wore was resilient along the shimmery, scaly surface, but soft and very comfortable against our bodies.
Similar to my suit, a wrap also wound around her hips, traveling up to her left shoulder where it fell back into her imperial cape. Hers was made of the see-through silk, allowing for a perfect view of the dress underneath. My gaze, however, focused on her features, and the gorgeous makeup Willow had done. It was soft but sensual, especially the way her eyes seemed elongated by the copper eyeliner, causing more tingles to spread through me.
“Are you ready?” Evanna asked, making my smile widen.
“To be your partner, give you everything you deserve, and love you for the rest of my life? You have no idea…”
Most of the Elevated Warriors left with their Dragons and horses ahead of us, accompanying our people to the ancient arena of the Lost Kingdom where they would be able to witness our union. It was the same place where my introduction as the Dragon Master, son to the Harbinger of Justice occurred, and even though part of it was in ruins, it was the perfect place for this.
A place where the past and the future reunited in us.
It was no wonder that weddings in Caelisium were vastly different from those in the Mirror World. As explained to me by Imogen, the ceremonies used to vary per kingdom’s traditions thousands of years ago, but in essence, they didn’t require any religious connotations, and there were no religious vows. There was no father giving away the bride, or the need to stand before a priest or a figure of power for them to declare the couple united—no throwing of rice or flowers either.