The Wright (Friday Updates)

Ch. 38 Bath

I wasn't sure which was more intimidating. Too consumed with thoughts whirling around and spattered to the walls like a centrifuge, the reality of being Kinnut's mate had not dawned on me. I would be Queen. Not a Consort, but a true High Queen.

I could change the world for the better. No longer sidelined by the lack of magic, I could help those that needed it, go where he had not. We would do it together, because I would be his wife, though that seemed too small of a word for it.

A wedding? My pulse leapt and jumped.

My mother and grandmother...Would they be furious about our pairing or excited by their new status as royal family? Would they still harbor the feelings they had bled into me over the years?

I wanted to tell Kinnut to wait, that we should keep the news to ourselves until I could figure out what to do, but it was useless. If the spirits of the deceased were truly watching at all times, they would send word back home regardless. There was no way to hide it now.

Kinnut was talking to Dandair and moving his hands excitedly. I had never seen him so animated and felt guilt that his waiting had only been prolonged by my actions. I still needed answers, ones I thought I knew already, but wanted to be exposed just the same.

"...and we will have the Wrights transform the grounds as well to accommodate the number of guests. Or should we hold the ceremony elsewhere? What do you think, Clia?"

"Hm? I...don't know," I mumbled, still thinking, planning, organizing the puzzle pieces. My heart continued to thump hard as I arranged every last bit of information at my disposal.

"Perhaps we should give her some time to absorb things. This is a big change," Dandair said wisely. "I'll begin sending out letters."

"Yes! Yes, of course. My mistake. I'm sorry, my love, for getting ahead of myself. Do you need to lie down?" He worried his hands together.

My love. Things were moving. As the final choice had been made, the table was set and the pieces would begin their dance. "No...no. I'm okay. I need to pack Toddy's things."

"Right. And yours as well. You will be staying here now as it only makes sense. Bells, I have waited lifetimes to hold you at night," he said, eyes conveying nothing short of adoration. It was undeserved. "I'll come help you."

I could only nod, mustering up my bravery. I would need every last drop. Trancelike, I led him to my hallway where Toddy's room was adjacent to mine. He had the ability to open her locked door and we entered, our presence like an invasion of her privacy.

"If you could just...collect her sketchbooks?" I didn't want him getting her clothing and set to work filling her trunk as he organized them in a satchel. She had a few mementos from home, but neither of us had brought much with us.

It seemed like minutes later that we were setting both the wooden box and a rucksack in the hall, ready to pack up my own things. I watched Kinnut walk into my space, filling it with his size, and remembered the night he had kissed me.

His eyes drank in the window ledge crowded with plants and the desk with its orderly selection of quills and paper, the made bed, and color-organized closet. It was so unlike his room. I would give him the structure he needed.

Kinnut moved the trunk away from the bed, a long white feather fluttering to the floor, splashed with a few bars of black. He stared at it, eyes narrowing imperceptibly, just a flicker of tightness at the edges.

"What would you like me to do?" He asked.

"My plants, perhaps?" I suggested, lightly.

Nodding, he strode to them and scooped two pots into each arm. "I'll be back in just a moment, then."