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“OUT! OUT! OUT!” DELLA ushers Will and Archer out of the room, and they don’t even try to argue. It’s coronation day and if bossing us around helps her to forget about her brother and how he died then I’m happy and I know everyone else is too.
I sit on a chair, chewing on a bit of grass, watching the bustle of getting a Queen ready for her coronation, glad I’m not in Everleigh’s position.
“I wish you wouldn’t do that in here!” Della says, batting me out of the chair. “Come on, you’re first in the bath.”
“What? No!”
“I don’t care what you wear,” Everleigh says, kissing my cheek, “but you need to be clean.”
I spit the grass in the fire, wishing I’d left the room with Will and Archer. “Fine. No petals, though.”
“They’re already in there.”
They are all in hysterics at the look of disgust that comes over my face. I can’t help it. Why would you want soggy little flowers in the water with you? It’s just strange.
“I won’t make you wear a dress, though.” Everleigh pokes her tongue at me and I make a face at her.
“Funny. But I want to.” I absolutely don’t. I would look like a boy dressed as a maid for a play and I know it. I’m too ungainly, too flat footed, too much of a tomboy to wear a dress without looking stupid and I don’t want to look stupid. My boyish clothes suit me.
“Really? I think you’d look great all dressed up in a velvet gown.”
I am appalled, joke gone too far. I have visions of Della forcing me into velvet to look pretty, to not spoil the lovely day. I spoke to her yesterday and told her about Finn. How upset he’d been at his betrayal, how clever Millard was at manipulating people. Look at all of us believing that Ginata hadn’t been duped into falling in love with him. I feel bad now, her death wasn’t pleasant.
I think there are more conversations to be had, but there’s time enough after today.
“I think I’d look horrific.”
“I made you something...” Della hands me a new face mask – a swatch of material, not leather. “It’ll make it easier for you to breathe – it won’t be so hot and you can wash it.”
“Wash it?”
We all laugh, but I am touched more than I let on. After what happened yesterday, finding out that I lied about Finn, I’m surprised she didn’t throw it in the fire. “Thank you, Della, it’s lovely. Here-” I pass her my dirty clothes and hop into the bath.
“Thanks!” Della throws them into a pile on the floor, at least cleaning them won’t be her job.
Everleigh has moved Addyson from her old room and given her a suite of three interconnecting rooms. A receiving room and a bedroom each for her and Della. I’m so pleased that Della is staying at the castle. We make a good team, all of us that are left. I need to cry for Weaver, and I will. I know he won’t be coming back, not like Archer did. It’s too sad. He was the best of the three of us and though I’m excited for today, I don’t know how we’ll get along without him.
Everleigh decided to keep her old room, despite all the bad memories. And I think she’s right. This battle between her and her brother has changed too many things. This castle is her home now. Home of a Queen and she has to call the shots.
The courtyard’s full already, with visitors from all over the Realm and my old pal Kenneth is crowning Everleigh today. He’s been pacing around all morning trying to remember the words he’s got to say.
It’s got to be a good day. To make all that has gone before worth it, it has to be a good day.
And I reckon it will be.
My face hurts from grinning and that’s definitely never happened before. I’m a pretty grumpy girl, really. I don’t like a lot of people and I enjoy having something to whinge about.
Weaver used to say I was only happy if I was miserable.
Oh, Weaver. I know he wouldn’t have had it any other way. We knew we would fight side by side with Archer, for any cause he chose. But I don’t want him to be dead. I miss him, but I can still hear him, the funny things he would have said, his dry observations.
We were lucky to know him. If I could have died in his place I would have. The world was better with him in it. With me, not so much. I don’t have much to offer.
And yet, here, in this castle, people seem to like me.
Archer’s always liked me. I think I’m a refreshing change to a lot of girls. I’m blunt, smelly and sweary, though I smell like I’ve been rolling around on the floor of the rose garden at the moment.
Everleigh likes me, Addyson likes me, Della likes me, and Will...
I feel embarrassed thinking about it because what if I’m wrong? I used to imagine Archer taking my hand and telling me he loved me like I loved him. Sometimes he’d smile at me and I’d think, yes, look at him, he likes me, but I was way off.
What if it’s the same with Will? He likes to sit by me and we like to hold hands, but after the horror of the fighting yesterday, I’d have even held hands with Ginata. Sometimes you just need comfort, warmth, touch.
Is that what it is?
And anyway, I’m not for falling in love. I’ve got the devil’s mark on my ugly old face, and besides, I fight much better than Will. Could he really fall in love with someone who’s better with a sword than a saucepan?
I doubt it.
I’m ready for the coronation, dressed in a clean version of my every day uniform, and I know I look like a boy, but for now, I’m okay with that.