Forever Fae (Forever Fae #1)(7)
“Calista, where are you?” Xylia calls from the bedroom. “Oh yeah, let me guess, you’re in here.” Xylia pokes her head in through the library door and sees me holding a book. She gives me a grimace, but then quickly switches it to a smile.
“I thought you would be in here. Happy Birthday, Princess. Why are you in here reading when you have your own story that’s about to be made? It’s a totally romantic story that doesn’t involve cutting down precious trees and involves half naked, hot warriors.” She jumps up and down with excitement and rushes over to me. “Aren’t you excited about tonight? I wish I was a royal and had hot warriors fighting over me. Who do you want to win?”
Leave it to Xylia to think a bunch of men fighting over a person is hot.
I roll my eyes at her and say, “Oh Xylia, I don’t care who wins because I think all our warriors are honorable men. I would be proud to have any one of them by my side. It’s just the ceremony part that I’m a little nervous about.” I look at her with a sly smile and ask, “Do you think you’ll dance with Conall tonight?”
“Yeah, if Merrick doesn’t kill him first,” she jokes. Conall is one of our warriors and will be fighting for the title as my guardian. Xylia has had feelings for him forever and I think he might have feelings for her as well.
Meliantha sighs loudly and rolls her eyes at Xylia while pushing her off to the side playfully. It’s kind of hard to get a word in when Xylia is around.
“Sister, I think it’s exciting. I can’t wait to get my guardian next year. The whole reading minds thing is going to be kind of awkward, but that’s one of the ways they can protect us.” She comes over to lean down and gives me a hug. “Happy Birthday, Calista.”
I hug her hard and turn to look back out the window. This little alcove I’m sitting in is my favorite place to sit and think. I’ve pondered over the Guardian Ceremony for days sitting here. The sharing of blood is the final step in the ceremony where all we have to do is take our special dagger and run it across our palms. Once my guardian and I have done this, we join hands and our blood will join together in our bodies and form the special bond. The dagger that is used in the ceremony is made by the dwarves, and each royal has a dagger specially made for them and their guardian. Durin, the leader of the dwarves, has made my dagger personally and I feel honored that he has decided to do it.
My guardian will always carry the dagger with him after the ceremony is complete. The dagger is magical in itself because it absorbs both mine and my guardian’s blood during the ritual and with that combination it makes the dagger a very powerful weapon.
After completing the ceremony, we also get the ability to hear each other’s thoughts. There’s nothing sexual about the ceremony, but the intimacy of being in each other’s head is going to be different. The ritual is very sacred and we have followed this tradition for hundreds of years. I’m nervous about my guardian being able to hear my thoughts because some things I think about can be very embarrassing.
I stand up and move away from my little alcove and run my hands down the dress I’m wearing. My floor length dress is strapless and emerald green in color. Diamonds are encrusted around the bust with an intricate pattern of silvery thread along the back and down to the train. My train is not too long, stretching only five feet. I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it. I turn to look back at my sister and I notice how beautiful she looks tonight.
“Your dress is absolutely gorgeous, Sister,” Meliantha swoons. Her wide-eyed gaze roams over my dress and she traces her fingers along the patterns stitched into it. Her eyes then travel down to my hand and she notices the ring I’m wearing.
“Where did you get the ring? It’s lovely.”
I smile at Meliantha, noticing how grown up she looks in her pale pink evening gown. Her silky, auburn hair is stunning, but what makes her different from the rest of us in the family is that she has amethyst colored eyes.
We don’t know how she came to get that color, but they are strikingly gorgeous. She’s only a year younger than me, but I feel like I have to protect her. Meliantha is timid and very tender-hearted. Her magical ability is for nature and animals and she loves to tend to the gardens. Our beautiful gardens outside are the work of her wonderful capabilities. She loves animals as well and when she steps outside they all flock to her, vying for her attention.
I look at Meliantha and smile. She’s still holding my hand looking at the ring when I say, “Your dress is magnificent as well, Meliantha, and Elvena gave me the ring. She thought it would be a great birthday present.” Meliantha looks up and lets my hand go.
“Do you know what Ariella is wearing tonight? I haven’t seen her today. She hasn’t been bothering anyone has she?” I ask curiously.
At the mention of Ariella, Meliantha and Xylia both try to hold in a laugh by covering their mouths with their hands. This is not good. Meliantha looks at me, takes her hand away from her mouth and laughs.
“Oh no, she’s been bothering people alright. She’s been bothering people so much that she’s been banned from attending the ceremony tonight.” She shakes her head in disbelief. “Serves her right, and Mother and Father were furious with her after what she did today.”
Intrigued at hearing what my sister said, I had to ask. “What did she do now, blow down a house with her wind capabilities?”