The soft wind rustled my hair. I tied my hair in a bun before venturing onto the roof. The wind didn't seem to like that fact. It tousled it out of place. Despite the fact, I kept my focus on the ground. Royals from the other Kingdoms arrived below. The roof allowed me a full view of the Bailey and the driveway coming up to the palace. Colors from the other Kingdoms danced along with the normal soft blue and white of the Ice Kingdom. Symbols and flags flew high. The wedding of the century. That was how they referred to this sham.
Four thousand guests of monarchs and nobles from the other Kingdoms along with the Cordal. Commoners from the other Kingdoms arrived to get a whiff of us as we traveled down to the large religious building in the City. Rumors had it that the streets were aligned with such spectators. Some people even slept on the streets, trying not to get their spots taken. I would have been flattered if this were something I wanted.
No sudden take backs even if I was tempted to. People traveled far and wide. Commoners expected to see me happy. I had to give them what they came to see. Had to make their trips worth it.
I tilted my eyes to the sky. The light drizzle of snow did nothing to wash away my anxiety. My brothers were yet to arrive. I didn't want to greet everyone, pretending to be happy. Not until I saw Anubis and Baron. Not until they could tell me this was okay…this was not a mistake.
I rested my hands on my knees and planted my chin on my hands.
I hadn't seen Thaliah since the day in the courtyard. She kept herself busy with arrangements for the wedding. I couldn't say it didn't fill me with relief. Regardless of her lack of attention, she sent tailors and embroiders my way. If it was not my Fire Uniform, it was my new King's uniform. I had to represent both the Fire and Ice Kingdoms. Things had to be perfect. Like the red, white, and blue themes didn't already give way to our separate Kingdoms.
"There you are," a soft feminine voice alerted me.
I snapped my head around to the edge of the roof, near the open window. An unfamiliar female pulled herself up on the roof and perched next to me. She maneuvered her dress like a pro. The thought brought a smile to my lips.
She held out her hand to me. "Lady Lethonel of Noar. Daughter of the late Marquess and Marchioness of Noar and the late King and Queen of Cordal's advisors."
I shook her hand. "Nice to meet you, Lady Lethonel. I'm Prince Arson of—"
"Oh, everyone knows who you are." The specks of white sparkled in her turquoise eyes. "You're the first Fire Prince to wed a royal of the Ice Kingdom. You are a history in the making. People will know who you are long after you are gone. Your wedding is so grand that lower nobles have come to witness it. All Kingdoms are interlocking their powers to have the ceremony broadcast. Like that has never happened before. I didn't even know we could do that."
Neither did I. The other Kingdoms had never come together like this before. We were either at war or dealt with our crap separately. Sure, we helped each other when the time was right, but nothing too serious where all Kingdoms came together in harmony.
I knew why everyone was interested in the wedding. It didn't mean that this was safe or not concerning. Fire and Ice were never meant to collide. We could coexist in separate Kingdoms, not one. I was a bit on edge, thinking how our kids would turn out. It was one thing to have either power but what would happen if they had both?
A frown tugged at my facial muscles. "Yeah, right."
She must have sensed the lack of enthusiasm in my response because her smile vanished. "The whole palace is searching for you. The servants are starting to freak out. They haven't told the Queen or other nobles but it's a matter of time."
I wished a smudge of sympathy crossed my mind. The servants shouldn't be blamed for my cold feet. Yet, I couldn't care less. What did that say about me? I called Thaliah selfish, but the truth was times like these made me the most selfish of the two. She loved her Kingdom. I loved…me. But I couldn't help it. Loving a kingdom was never going to bring me happiness. A crown was invisible chains holding the king down from true happiness. My parents went through it. They never slept in the same chambers in the latter days before my mom died.
Father didn't even seem that heartbroken when she passed away. What was there to lose if he didn't have her in the first place. Anubis's marriage was a ruse to stop an ongoing war between two Kingdoms. They pretended to be happy in front of others, but the fire court knew they hated the sight of each other. Two enemies forced to couple to bring forth heirs. I knew my brother and he was the most spiteful man on this globe. I could more than tell how he handled his wife in bed. He wasn't gentle or kind. Yet, Rhia was forced to tolerate him enough to have heirs.
I didn't want to be like them. Yet, there I was, about to be wed to the most annoying person in my life. If there was even a speck of sexuality between us, then I would have been a little ardent about our situation. We would use that frustration to get us heirs. Fast production.
I chuckled at my silly thought.
Lady Lethonel watched me through the corner of her eyes.
I asked the first question that came to mind. "Are you new here, Lady Lethonel? I don't remember seeing you before." I would have remembered her. She was not as beautiful as Thaliah but just as pretty. I couldn't tell if she was older or younger. Thaliah didn't look her age and this woman didn't seem old enough.
"Please call me Leth." She flicked her hair over her shoulder. Though she clipped the top, the rest flowed around her. Turquoise melted into light blue to white. Each color complimented each other. It reminded me of the sea. The different ranges of blue from the shallow end to the deep turquoise. "I was a sickly child. My mother never had me engage in court affairs. My brother was the one who learnt everything there is about being the child of a Marquess. My mother's health deteriorated with time. Father sent my brother away to the Loam Kingdom before his death. He never returned upon my mother's request. Then my mother died, and he came to Cordal to bury her. He never left alive. So, I've devoted myself to the life he wanted. And here I am, taking his seat on the Royal Council and hope the Queen will choose me to be one of her Advisors. I heard she hasn't accepted anyone yet. I returned to court a few days ago, so that's why you haven't seen me since your arrival."
I opened my mouth to say something. Anything. No words came out. What could I say to that? The poor woman was alone. She might act tough but losing everyone she held close was heart wrenching. No matter what my brothers did, if they died, it would kill me.
Leth chuckled. "It's okay. I'm sorry to make the mood depressing. I didn't mean to."
I forced a smile; grateful she broke the tension. "You don't need to apologize. I'm the one who asked."
"Yeah," her gaze diverted to the world below.
Servants hustled to get the noble's possessions inside the palace, clearing the way for more nobles.
"So," she drawled, "why are we hiding out here?"
I wasn't sure. Not yet.
"I mean, your wedding ceremony is within three hours," Leth hastily added in my silence.
Two of those hours I would be put on display.
I shrugged. "I need a breather from the circus. The moment I step out into the spotlight, people are going to be on me. I need a breather before then."
Her hair flew with the wind as she bobbed her head. A crimson caught in my peripheral vision. My heart skipped a beat. I whipped my head around and looked down at the Fire Kingdom flags. Happiness surged through my system. They were here.
For a second, I felt like a child again. The kid that waited for Baron to return from war. The boy who awaited Anubis's arrival from his long trips to other Kingdoms with Father. I returned to the third son who anticipated his brothers from their trips.
I pushed to my feet and dusted off the invisible dirt from my clothes. The guards in front of the royal vehicle stopped. I stepped closer to the edge of the roof.
"What are you doing?" Leth asked.
I never took my eyes off the scene below. Excitement coursed through my veins when Anubis exited the coach. The guards dispersed, making a large ring for us. Nobles and servants moved out of the way. Probably wondering what was happening. Anubis walked in the middle of the circle and stared up at me. A huge grin broke out on my face.
"What's going on?" Leth's voice was closer.
I didn't turn around to see if she was near me or not. "He's collecting air."
"For what?"
"Compression."
"What?"
"Remember when you asked me what I was waiting for?"
"Ah, yeah?"
"This is why."
Anubis caught a flame. I laughed when he launched into the air. Only then did I turn to look at Leth's puzzled yet amazed face. Her eyes were on my brother. We couldn't fly but if we used our heat to compress the air around us, it would propel us high enough to seem like flying.
I chuckled and dove off the roof.
All the worries of before vanished with flames. I met Anubis halfway through the air. Fire engulfed us. Our heat merged. I laughed at his smile. He grabbed my upper arm and we spun. We practiced this method for years. It used to make me so happy when we did it. It still did. Fire shot above us and flared like fireworks. More heat kept us in the air longer. More sparks flickered.
Anubis released my arm. Gravity tugged us down. We pierced headway down to the ground. Baron stood in the middle of the circle awaiting us. A symbolic gesture. No matter where Anubis and I went or how far we pushed from him, he always waited for us at the end of each road.
Anubis signaled me. The fire died. We flipped and landed on our feet, crouching. I glanced up at Baron. He pulled in a long breath. The heat in the air pulled into his lungs. The chill from the light snow swept over us. Baron let the air pass through his slightly parted lips.
Applaud wiped the smile from my face. I didn't remember everyone was watching us. Anubis got to his feet, putting back on his King hat. Baron handed him his crown and he fixed it on his head. The smile from before gone. He was no longer Anubis my brother but Anubis the Fire King. I sighed as sadness flickered in my stomach.
Baron clapped my back. "Shall we?"
I swallowed and nodded.
Time to end my chances of ever being happy.