Colorful magic spells and stardust fly into the air as the crowd breaks into even louder cheers, stomping against the ground, and drumming with their fists against their armor, the sound bouncing off the walls. It’s deafening and overwhelming, like a whole city were cheering at once.
Outside of this enormous palace, the entire volcanic realm is shaking with the King of Fire’s cheering subjects. They’re happy that Xerxes declared he would not be waging war against the other realms, and they heard it’s all because of his new wife, which means that I’m well-loved outside these walls, too—for now. The leaders of the other realms are still after Xerxes, as he still counts as wanted and dangerous, but no one in their right mind would dare come after him into the Fire Realm, which means that everybody is safe, at least at the moment.
But soon something painful is going to happen, and these people will be robbed of the happiness and blissful perspective of the future that they’re experiencing now. But at least it won’t be war, and they’ll be safe, even though they will hate me forever.
Xerxes and I walk hand in hand along the endless aisle back to the big doors through which I came in. I keep trying to swallow down the lump in my throat, reminding myself that I was forced into doing what I did, I didn’t have a choice, but the more I try to persuade myself, the worse I feel. Xerxes agreed to give up his life goals for me, and I betrayed him to one of his most dangerous enemies, which he is bound to find out soon.
These are the final moments in which Xerxes still harbors beautiful feelings for me. Soon, his love will turn into hate.
A new crowd awaits outside the Hall of Ceremonies. We step onto a golden chariot pulled by stallions made of shadow that takes us through the entire ground floor of the palace. The palace is a monument in itself, so tall that it pierces the clouds, winding upward like a black spiraling tower, its tip in the shape of a pyramid. That’s where a retinue of fire fae girls is taking me tonight to prepare me for my first official union of the flesh with the Fire King.
I’ve never met those girls before, I don’t even think I’ve seen them around. This place is too big. I haven’t met anyone more than once, and I doubt I will from now on. Everybody knows me, but I don’t know anyone. Besides Xerxes, who’s had to stay away from me until the wedding night, the people closest to me are my enemies, Marayke and Kareim. I’ve seen more of them than of Xerxes lately, and it’s taken a bigger toll on my psyche than I like to admit.
I don’t have any friends here, and I’ll probably never have any besides my familiar, Nazarean. When Xerxes asked me to marry him I decided my love for him was strong enough for me to spend an eternity in a realm so hot and full of dark forces, it’s the closest thing to Hell and Tartarus. I should probably take this better than I am, considering that I’m the daughter of Hades and all, but I don’t.
I’m sure everybody can see that I’m completely out of place here, even though no one dares say it. My face glows like a silver moon from my white mage energy, and the shiny white dress with the glittery corset and the vaporous folds aren’t exactly helping me blend in either. My eyes glow like beads of honey, contrasting with the red and black eyes everywhere.
“You’re a white rose in a sea of darkness,” Xerxes told me just a few days ago, while we were gazing out the window at the world of fire and rock all around the palace, thick clouds covering the sky. Daylight never makes it through the blanket of clouds. There’s only eternal night here, and yet the realm is bright from the rivers of magma, and the distant eruptions.
Xerxes wraps an arm around my shoulders, his royal armor cold against my skin.
“Everything all right?” he whispers as magic and sparks fly over our heads.
“Yes,” I lie, managing a half-smile, but I can sense he doesn’t buy it.
We’re almost at the grand stairs, where I’m going to throw the bouquet, and then the retinue of fire fae girls is going to take over, and accompany me up to the master bedroom, where they’ll help me prepare for the wedding night. Xerxes will be spending the next few hours with Duke Draven and his other courts, discussing the future of the realm, now that their plans have changed. I glance at Draven every now and then, not because I’m in any way tempted by his special brand of elegance and mysterious demeanor, but because I never imagined Xerxes having a friend. He never introduced Draven as such, but it does look like he’s the next best thing.
I can already see the retinue of girls gathering by the grand stairs, which is where our chariot is headed. The lady who made my dress instructed me a little in the rituals and traditions of the Fire Realm, and she told me that the unmarried ladies of the courts, who are hoping to marry next, will be the ones attending to me on my wedding night. But there are courtesans in the group as well.
“You’ll need to learn how to please your husband before you lay with him,” the dressmaker said. She smiled in the mirror, like an accomplice. “They will teach you a few things.”
In an ideal situation, this would be our first time making love, but by now many of the people here already know Xerxes and I gave in to our passion while on our quest for the Firestone. I’m not even sure how the info got out, but I think it was Marayke and her brother Kareim that saw to it. The more I look at them, the stronger I feel the one who hates me more is the two-faced mage. Marayke is too heart-broken to hate me. Part of me feels sorry for her.
As the chariot comes to a halt and the fire fae girls finish gathering in the generous space between it and the grand stairs, I think of Nazarean, my familiar. He’s alone in the master bedroom, waiting for me. We didn’t think it wise that he accompanied me to the Hall of Ceremonies, it would have looked like Xerxes were marrying the both of us, but I didn’t have anyone I trusted enough to live him with either.
Sadness overcomes me. I got married without anyone I love or who loves me by my side. Not my brother Zillard, not even my familiar were there. Until yesterday, I was certain Xerxes would be enough, but now, knowing that I’ll eventually lose him, I realize just how much I need the emotional support.
It’s time for me to throw the bouquet.
Some of the fire fae girls giggle, and some of them stare at me from under their lush black eyebrows. Golden skin, red eyes, dark-red lips that seem black. They’re beautiful, like young nymphs of the underworld. A third of them are wearing white, a third black, and a third red, the three colors of my bouquet.
I look down at the roses, sharply aware of Xerxes’ armored arm around my shoulders, and of his love. I can feel it pouring out of him, out of his aura of shadow that radiates from him, and into me, encapsulating and protecting me. I squeeze my eyes shut. Realms, help me.
I turn around and, with my eyes closed, I throw the bouquet over my head. I’m not even sure it’s how it’s done here in the Fire Realm, I’ve only seen these things at the few weddings I attended in the Flipside. It’s also how Arielle the Sea Queen did it the day she married Lysander the King of Frost.
Gasps travel through the crowd around me, and a few of the attendees yelp. It doesn’t sound like they’re cheering anymore. Anguish spears my heart. What just happened?
I turn around to see my bouquet on the ground. A drop of lava spreads over a white petal of a rose, like a speck of blood that catches fire. It eats at the pure white, then spreads to the other flowers. It’s almost painful to watch, but I can’t take my eyes away from the disaster. It’s just like my love for Xerxes—beautiful, but tragic. Tainted with betrayal.