Author's Note: This chapter is dedicated to the lovely BunnySlipperLove for creating my first amazing cover, which inspired the ending of the book. Enjoy!

Chapter 33

Evera smoothed the ruffled dress the blue eyed servant girl had laid out.

As she waited for her summons by the High Assembly, she nervously looked around her. The room in which she had been given to change into ‘more fitting attire’ was a windowless cave, opened and closed by a single wooden door. Candles flickered on a mirror-less dressing table, filled with papers and ink. The quill lay untouched on the crisp paper. If she had anything to write, she would have loved to feel the tip of the feather scrape over the yellowed sheets.

She turned her eyes to the other side of the cavern and sighed. The young Fae was impatient. The more the silence around her stretched on, the more troubled she became. Any longer and she would open the door and flee.

Her gaze was cast down to calm her anxious mind. Finding nothing more entrancing, she admired the enchanting dress she wore. Being of the green-eyed people, she was given the traditional shades of cooler colors. It might have had the hues of her court but the dress was unlike any that would be worn in Morag’s caves.

A dark blue satin wrapped around her body, covering her chest and waist in a luxurious gentleness. Her wings stuck out just above the lacing, their colors harmonizing with the dismal colors. The base of the skirt flared out to lie a distance from her bare feet. The netting that covered the dress’s bottom reminded her of the light blue flames that danced at the Ownah festivals. To finish the look, on her lower waist, a darkened turquoise bow was tied. It wrapped around her, covering the fastenings on her lower back. It was a wondrous dress, but the darkness that surrounded the colors and the moments to come had made Evera feel as though this gown was to be worn to her memorial.

Material bunched under her fingers when she heard a rapping at the changing room’s door. She rose to answer the call, the skirt scrapping the floor behind her, giving the illusion it was longer still. The door opened a creak before Evera could get to the handle. A young voice called out behind it.

“Miss?” The same servant girl stepped cautiously into the room. Her blonde hair peeked out from the braid wrapping around her head. It gave her the appearance of looking even older than the fourteen years she was. “Am I to prepare you for your meeting with the Four. Are you ready?”

Evera nodded. Setting to work, blonde girl held out lengthy satin gloves, with matching blue flame netting, before starting on the chestnut hair. The green-eyed woman had not been treated this extensively since the eve of her Ownah festival. Even then only her hair was done and her dress was a simple white.

“I do love your curls. And the color is much darker than most find here. It is truly wonderful.” The girl’s cheerful attitude lightened Evera’s mind. Her emphasized words and the way she moved reminded the young woman of a certain Angel she had met in the forest. The blue eyes did not do anything but bring back paining memories and before she could stop, she felt the strain behind her eyes and her cheeks began to heat.

“Oh my.” The little servant placed down the brush and kneeled beside the chair. “What is it Miss? Have I pulled too hard on your hair?”

With no response, the girl wrapped her arms around the blue dress.

Evera cried. Her sobs rang through the cave and echoed into the halls. As much as she had tried to hold them back, her heart poured the unexpressed torture she felt.

Ilayda. Poor, beautiful, gentle Ilayda. She should have never gotten near the fight. This young Fae only reminded Evera of the Fallen Angel.

“I do not know what is wrong, but I must continue. You need to be ready or I will be reprimanded.” With tears forming in her own eyes, the girl set back to work.

Complete sorrow and beauty do not merge well. The girl, named Siyanda, tried all manners of cheering, from humorous stories to distracting chatter of her own life, Siyanda could not make Evera smile. The pain was too strong. Only William had the strength enough to keep Evera’s mind at ease.

It took longer than the girl had wanted. She started over on the tortured woman more than once but when the face was finally painted, she stood back and admired her work.

Blues and violets coated Evera’s eyes while a dark shade of green shined on her downturned lips. The haunted expression she wore only added to the glooming beauty. It was not a natural splendor, but neither Human nor Fae could deny she was striking.

Siyanda took the numbed Fae woman’s hand and lead her out of the room. Climbing out of the cave and back to the damp, Evera settled her emotions as much as she could. The ambiance and spiritual air of Ceilidh had her feeling more and more. It was as if her muted emotions had become whole. Her wings shook at the idea of her mind as she walked through the crowds of Fae youth.

“The Human is waiting for you outside of the gathering. His preparation was much less time than yours.” She giggled at the little joke and pulled her through the groups of blue eyes. Her shoulders were pushed back, with pride in knowing she was the envy of her classmates. Being the eldest Solitary Fae left in Ceilidh, only she was allowed to help the Unseelie beauty.

William saw his childhood best friend and stopped. His breathing stopped, his moving stopped. The world stopped when she walked forward. He felt underdressed in the silk midnight blue shirt and black trousers. Even with a clean shaven face and his shaggy hair cut and styled, he was no match for such splendor.

Evera half smiled at his sight, the torment of Ilayda’s memory still fresh in her mind. She quickened her pace and gently embraced William. His arms wrapped around her and lingered on her waist even as she let go. The young man could see the red lines in her eyes and the swell of her cheeks.

“Head high and wings back,” William said both teasing and sincere. He caressed her cheeks, wary of her spiraling designs, before holding her face to look him straighter in the eyes. “You have done nothing wrong.”

“That is something only you can say William.” The boy opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted but the young blonde who stood behind them. She tapped Evera on the shoulder and motioned with her head to the hallway. Taking her leave, the Unseelie took her arms from William’s shoulders and smiled solemnly. Before she rounded the corner to the hall, Evera looked back at her lover.

“You are the only one who can say that,” Evera called back. “Fae cannot lie.” Confusion was blatant on William’s face as she left to face the High Assembly.

“I will be waiting here for you,” whispered William, more to himself than anyone. He sat down on the handsomely carved stone chair and waited, one of the hardest things for any Human to do.