Page 148 of Crowned By Roses

Not underfae. Children of the Elderblood. The people of Airaleth.

Rosalina lowers to the ground. Quickly, I rush over to steady her.

She opens her eyes and gives a shy smile, staring straight at me, as if she’s afraid to look beyond. “Did it work?”

“It worked,” I say. “How did you know you could do that?”

“Well,” she says with a smile, “I had a theory.”

Her joy is infectious, and I pull her into a kiss. Her fingers coil in my hair, and in a moment, we’re lifting off the ground. “I like when you fly us up,” I say.

“Me too,” she whispers against my lips, “but this is all you, my love.”

That’s when I feel it. Feel them. I strain my neck to see two beautiful wings growing from my back, swirling bright orange and yellow and gold.

“W-what? How did you… How could—” I blanch, quite at a loss for words.

Rosalina pushes my glasses up my nose. “Well⁠—”

“Another theory?”

“Another theory.”

She smirks and begins to draw me toward her when a voice squawks, “Rosalina!”

A tumble of petals runs up to us. I squint my eyes. Just what is this thing?

Rosalina lowers us to the ground and opens her arms wide. “Heidigog!”

The goblin jumps into her embrace, but she’s a far cry from the creature Rosalina dragged up from the Below. Her skin is pastel yellow, the color of sunshine, but everything else is covered in flowers, from her headband to her dress.

“You gave me bloomies all over, you did,” Heidigog says, clutching tight to Rosalina. “We all love them, we do. It feels better in here.” She taps a hand to her heart.

“So you’re not planning to attack us anymore?” Wrenley’s voice is wary as she stands beside her sister.

“Nope.” Heidigog shakes her head and looks over her shoulder. The newborn creations stand in their separate squadrons, but it’s not menace in their eyes. There’s confusion…and joy. Our armies eye them warily, but these creatures seem more interested in their own appearances than war.

“Rosalina not only granted them freedom by destroying the rose,” I say, “she gave them life. They can feel the magic of the Vale, the pull of the light.”

The same light and magic that had turned Caspian and Wrenley to our side. Rosalina has a way of making the world see someone the way she does.

“What are you going to do now?” Wrenley asks.

“Live.” Heidigog smiles, looking back at a group of goblins. “You know, you could try it sometime, Nightingale lady.”

Wrenley wrinkles her nose as if the very concept offends her. But her gaze drifts to where Ezryn and Kairyn embrace. Strangely, Jack, too, has his arms wrapped around them.

A unit of Elderblood steps forward, each with wings stretching behind them. They’re led by Aquila. The hairs on the back of my neck rise, despite knowing they had joined our side.

But Aquila drops her spear and net and kneels before Rosalina. “You saved us. Saved us twice over.” When she gazes up at Rosalina, her eyes are glassy with tears. “I’m beautiful again.”

Rosalina pulls her to her feet and then into a hug. “You’ve always been beautiful.”

Aquila’s happy expression turns somber. “There’s something you should see.”

She leads us through the newly grown grass, and the other princes and Wrenley fall into step at our sides.

“So these are cute.” Dayton grazes a hand along my wings, and a shiver runs all the way through me. He raises a brow and dips his head to kiss my neck. “Oh yes, we’re going to have fun with that.”