Heir of Deception

Chapter 21

Lysandra clasped Della's hand in her own and gave it a gentle squeeze. Della offered her a soft smile still resisting the urge to retract her previous statement.

"Della, I know how you feel. Maybe not exactly but I do know how intimidating it can be here. But please Della, please believe me when I tell you that you are wanted here."

Lysandra paused what she was saying to look at Della. Lysandra seemed to be willing her eyes to convey her sincerity to Della and Della felt tears welling her own eyes at the emotion she saw in Lysandra.

"As far as your childhood and not being a warrior I know for a fact that your father is so overwhelmingly grateful for it. It means you haven't had to suffer through war. And he is grateful that he gets to teach you now in the safety of the castle walls. He and Aelin are so grateful that you didn't contribute to fighting Maeve and Erawan it means that all their sacrifice was worth it. That at least one person was at least partially spared from the misery they incited. Don't view your innocence as a curse, so so so many people sacrificed so much for others to be safe."

Della had not considered that. Annore had isolated herself deep in the mountains for centuries to ensure that evil did not come knocking on their door. And for Della to embarrassed of that sacrifice was nothing short of ungrateful. Annore, Rowan, Aelin and so many others and risked so much to allow her and others to be safe.

"And while it is true that you may not know the inner mechanics of life at court that is perfectly acceptable" Lysandra continued. " Don't be afraid to be seen trying. Growth is made of both success and failure. We have all failed many times in our lives and don't let the fear of failure stop you from ever succeeding. More than that Della you haven't even been here three months, not one single person expects you to be perfect. Not even the people who dislike you expect you to be perfect. Politics is very nuanced and to be the Princess of one and the daughter of the consort to another is a difficult position to be. It will take time to grow and be comfortable in those roles. And your father, Aelin, myself, Fenrys hell even Lorcan are all going to do their best to support you in succeeding. Part of the beauty of having a family whether blood or not is having people who will love and support you while you learn and grow. "

Tears streamed down her face now. Della didn't even have the heart to pull her hand from Lysandra's so that she could wipe them.

"And just like you're still learning how to be a Princess and a daughter Rowan is still learning how to be a father. So just as he is giving you space to grow give him that same courtesy. I promise that he wants you here so don't over analyze each of his movements, Rowan has many talents but expressing his emotions is not one of them. If he didn't like you it would be painfully obvious."

Della nodded. Relief swept through her warm and pleasant.

"As far as Jarret is concerned he is an ass. But if I had to guess I would imagine Fenrys said something to him which makes both of them asses."

She laughed aloud at that. She supposed Lysandra wouldn't be able to fix all of her problems. But she launched herself at Lysandra anyways pulling her into a tight but sweaty hug.

"Thank you Lysandra. You're a great friend."

"You're welcome." Lysandra said releasing Della from their hug. "But you might want to wait to say that until after I have finished chewing you out over not drinking enough water."

Della threw back her head and laughed again. Lysandra was a good friend indeed.

---

Picking up the sapphire earrings, Della held them up to herself and looked in the mirror. Shaking her head Della put them back down on the vanity mirror. Aelin had gifted her them last month  but she'd yet to wear them, they felt a bit flashy for her tastes. While she adored jewelry and dresses and much of the finery that came with being a Princess she found she preferred much simpler pieces than Aelin. The Queen loved extravagance and it suited her as well but Della who much more reserved in personality found that her style reflected that.