Page 117 of Of Dust and Stars
As our reign stabilized, and we surrounded ourselves with loyal lords and ladies, Kalen and I were able to spend more time in Aesir. Toryn and Nellie had married, and they lived in Endir now, as did Gaven. It was during one of our many visits that Kalen said he had something he wanted to show me.
He led me across the lush emerald carpet and down the grand staircase. Candlelit chandeliers splashed light onto the new portraits that hung along the walls. I smiled as we passed them. There was Nellie, looking regal in a green brocade coat and glittering necklace. Toryn’s portrait hung beside hers. The painter had originally brushed out his scars, but Toryn had insisted he be captured as he was now, rather than how he used to be.
Just below their portraits hung those of their three children: Fiadh, Fenella, and Ruari. The portraits had been painted when they’d been chubby-faced youngsters, but all three were fully grown now. I’d never seen Nellie so happy.
And all around them hung the portraits of everyone we’d lost over the years. Some had to be done by description and memory. Fenella and her brilliant blue horns had a place of honor high on the wall, where everyone could see her.
I brushed aside a wayward tear. Even now, after all these years, I grieved for her. I would have loved to see the look on her face when I’d taken Talaven from the corrupted king. She would have laughed so hard.
“What are you thinking about, love?” Kalen said, noting my silence.
I nodded toward Fenella’s portrait as we passed beneath it. “I wish she’d been there when we won, that’s all. I wish she was here now.”
“She probably would have chopped off the king’s head herself.”
I smiled at the familiar banter. This wasn’t the first time we’d said these very words. Sometimes, I wondered if we repeated them enough we could make them true.
“Come.” He tugged me down the corridor. “Let’s talk of happy things.”
“Like the library?”
“You’ve noticed where we’re going, then.”
“I memorized the location of this library the moment Fenella first showed it to me.”
“That’s right. She was the one who brought you here. Wasn’t it after threatening to throw you into the dungeons?” We reached the double oak doors. Before he pushed them open, he paused. “Are you ready?”
I cocked my head. “You’re acting very mysterious. Yes, I’m ready to go inside the library. What have you done to it?”
“You’ll see.” He shoved the doors. They swung wide, and orange light spilled across my face. I gasped. A hundred gemstone lanterns filled the room. All the dust motes and cobwebs that had plagued the stacks for decades were finally gone. Books crammed the towering shelves, and scrolls filled baskets that sat in a row along the far wall. The ceiling was high—shockingly so. But it had always been so dark in here that I had never fully appreciated the vastness of it.
I felt my cheeks ache as I took it all in, trying to count even a fraction of the books. There were thousands of them.
“That was the smile I was hoping to see,” Kalen said fondly.
“Books are the boards beneath our feet,” I whispered. “Without them, we risk wading in mud. When did you have this done?”
“I did it myself,” he said, surprising me. “The last time I visited. You were busy with some trade route issues, and I thought I’d do something special for you. I know you have the library in Talaven, but—”
“This is my favorite one. It always has been.”
“I’ll admit, I don’t understand. It’s never been particularly impressive.”
“Because I knew what it could be. It just needed a little love.”
He held out his hand once more. “Come. There’s one more surprise.”
I laughed. “What more could there possibly be?”
He led me through the stacks. Now and then, I stopped to grab a book. By the time we reached the back of the room, I balanced seven volumes in my arms rather precariously. Some space had been cleared, the shelves shifted to stand along the walls. In the center of the floor sat a small, crackling hearth surrounded by several comfortable armchairs.
“Fire in a library?” I asked with a laugh. “Dangerous combination.”
“You have the power of seven gods, love. I’m confident the books are safe in your hands.” He winked and started to back away. “Enjoy your time reading. You deserve a break from being queen for a day.”
“Wait.” I motioned to the nearest armchair. “Sit with me. You did all this. Don’t you think you should get to enjoy it, too?”
He arched a brow. “I thought you liked utter silence when you got into one of your books. No distractions. No chatting. Nothing but the words on the page.”
“Well, you’re just going to have to be a very comfortable pillow, then.” Grinning, I tugged him toward me and nudged him into the chair. He opened his arms as I climbed on top of him, curling into his lap and resting my head against his chest. Without another word, I cracked open the first book and inhaled the scent of parchment, ink, and leather. The warmth of the flames caressed my skin, and Kalen’s powerful arms encircled me.
I released a full-body sigh. I enjoyed being queen. Ruling had not come naturally to me at first, but I’d settled into it. Helping my people had become my life calling, and I took pride in it. I felt fulfilled and happy, as if I was where I’d always been meant to be.
But ruling was nothing compared to this. To listening to the steady rhythm of my mate’s heartbeat. To tasting the remnants of his lips on mine. To smelling the crackling, freshly chopped wood in the roaring hearth.
To feeling the rough parchment between my fingers when I turned another page.
I did not know where the next adventure would lead, but I would embrace whatever the story had in store for me.
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