Within a week, Lissa and Jill had made plans for Jill to disappear for a bit until Lissa could get the quorum rule changed. I sat in on all of their meetings, along with a handful of other guardians, and a Moroi man that I had never met. It was decided that Adrian and Eddie would travel with Jill to Palm Springs, their new home. Now and then, I caught Jill rubbing her chest as if she still expected to find a knife lodged there.
Lissa got in contact with the Alchemists to help make things run smoothly, omitting most of the details of the attack. On the day Jill was set to leave, we made sure to walk her through the busiest part of Court, a large group of guardians with her. We knew that we hadn't captured all of the dissents, and it was essential that everybody saw that Jill was alive since word had traveled quickly around Court about the attack.
Lissa hadn't accompanied Jill to the plane, but she was waiting on the tarmac to see Jill off. I watched the sisters hug, and then Jill got on the plane with Adrian and Eddie.
Jill was gone for almost a year before Lissa finally managed to get enough votes for the Council to overturn the quorum law. When Jill returned to Court, I wasn't surprised to see Eddie's arm wrapped around her. I also wasn't surprised to see that Adrian hadn't returned with her. Jill had sent enough letters, when it was safe to do so, and Adrian running away with Sydney was something we had all come to expect. Jill insisted that they had joked about escape plans one day and were finally able to follow through on one.
It came as a surprise to no one that Adrian's father cut him off when he ran off with Sydney, and within hours of finding out what had happened, Lissa had set up a monthly wire of funds as a 'thank you' for saving and protecting Jill for nearly a year.
Lissa's twentieth birthday was a week away when Christian approached me.
"I want to ask Lissa to marry me during her birthday dinner," he said as soon as the apartment door shut behind him. He pulled a small box out of his pocket and handed it to me.
I opened it to find a small diamond in the center of the ring with smaller jade colored stones embedded in the silver ring band.
Christian had made himself at home on my couch, but I could see that he was still nervous. "Do you think she'll like it?"
"She'll love it," I said, handing him the ring box back.
The week leading up to her birthday passed quickly. We had rented out the private dining room at an upscale restaurant at Court and had filled the room with everyone important to Lissa. I had managed to get Adrian and Sydney to fly in, and when they walked in, Lissa flew out of her chair and into Adrian's arms.
Lissa hugged Sydney too, thanking her repeatedly for her part in helping protect Jill. If Sydney was nervous about being around "creatures of the night", as she used to call us, then she didn't show it. Sydney took a seat next to me, and I also hugged her. We caught up over the first two courses until it was time for dessert, and Christian stood.
Lissa glanced over at him as he stood and immediately jumped up when Christian dropped to one knee in front of her. I couldn't make out what he was saying over Lissa screaming 'yes' over and over, but since he had practiced his speech in my apartment for the past week, I didn't need to hear it again.
Lissa stayed glued to Christian's side for the rest of the night, and every now and then, the light would catch her new ring. An old pain found its home in my chest, and I retired early from the celebrations. The bond was still only one-way, but as soon as Lissa saw my face, I knew that she knew what I was thinking.
She hugged me, and I slipped out of the restaurant and back to my apartment. Once there, I let myself relive the pain of Dimitri leaving that day, two and half years ago. I curled up in my bed and let the sobs consume me. It wasn't often that the pain hit me as hard anymore, but it was still there, always lingering. I wasn't confident that it would ever fade completely, and tonight, I let myself mourn the love that we could have had.
The year leading up to Lissa's wedding was the most hectic. As queen, her wedding was expected to draw a large crowd. It was known that Moroi, royal and non-royal, would be traveling from across the globe to Court for the chance to see Lissa be married. Three months into planning the wedding, Lissa put her foot down and demanded that the ceremony be held at a place outside of Court with a limited guest list. She didn't want her wedding ceremony to be a massive event with royals fighting non-royals or dhampirs to secure a spot.
Court guardians debated the logistics for nearly a month. I wasn't allowed to sit in on the council debating the decision since I was biased toward giving Lissa everything she wanted. It was finally determined that Lissa's request could be accommodated with the amendment that the ceremony was held less than two hours from Court. Lissa and the guests would all be transported via helicopter to and from the venue to cut down on time outside of the wards. Lissa would have a large group of guardians nearby during the entire ceremony and would come immediately back to Court following the ceremony. Lissa accepted the restriction and threw herself into searching for a perfect venue. She had decided early on that she wanted an outdoor wedding, which led to another handful of arguments about safety.
The guardians acquiesced to the outdoor wedding with the agreement that wards would be placed around whatever venue she chose. It had been a year and a half since Tatiana had been killed outside of Court, but it was still fresh in the memories of the guardians that had survived the attack.
Lissa originally wanted a wedding at sunset, but the guardians refused the request as soon as the words left Lissa's lips. They refused to budge on her safety. They argued that sunset was too risky and the risk of a Strigoi attack was too high, even with the wards. I had to agree with them.
Lissa finally relented and requested a sunrise wedding instead. A sunrise ceremony fit better into the Moroi schedule, and while there were still some concerns about a Strigoi attack, it was reasoned that an attack was less likely to happen in the morning than at night.
With the ideal time settled, Lissa turned her attention to finding a venue and with that, picking a date. She wasn't set on a specific date but was hoping for early August. After multiple conversations, she was able to secure a contract with a venue not far from Lehigh for August 3. Lissa and I made a daytime trip to visit the venue and ensured that it would work for her needs. The outdoor patio where the ceremony would take place was made of stone and overlooked mountains in the distance. An arch was set up at the end of the patio and could hold 140 seats, which was more than Lissa would need. Her guest list was barely reaching fifty people at the moment.
Once Lissa had that setup, the venue's wedding coordinator took over the planning and secured the rest of the vendors that would be needed. Traditionally, the venue would hold the reception as well, but Lissa worked to adjust the contract so that the reception could be held at Court, where it would be open to everybody.
Lissa's dress-making took up most of the remainder of the time before the wedding. She was constantly finding new inspiration pictures to send to the dressmaker, but the dressmaker was able to put together something that included everything Lissa wanted. The gown had sheer sleeves, with a floral overlay etched into the sleeves. The bodice of the dress was also floral etched lace over a satin material and form fitting. A long train would trail behind Lissa as she walked, making her look more queenly than normal.
The bridesmaids' dresses that Lissa chose were jade green and sleeveless. The bodice was a lace floral overlay that matched Lissa's bodice, and the skirt was a smooth satin material. There were pockets hidden in the dress, which made it my favorite out of the dresses that Lissa had considered. I would be serving as her maid of honor and wouldn't be on duty, but I was still planning on having a stake in my pocket.
The day of the wedding quickly approached. The wards around the venue had been set up a couple of days previously. Lissa, Christian, their guardian team, and their wedding parties were flown out to the venue just before midnight. Sunrise was at six, which gave us plenty of time for Lissa to get ready.
Once at the venue, Lissa, Jill, and I sequestered away in the bridal suite along with two guardians. I knew more were in the hall outside. I helped Lissa get ready, moving around the beauty team that was working on her hair and makeup. Her crown had been delivered by guardians thirty minutes prior, and I pulled it out of its box, ensuring that it was perfect.
The beauty team moved onto Jill once Lissa was finished and managed to tame her curls into a gorgeous updo. When it was my turn, they pulled my hair back into two braids before pinning them up at the back of my head.
When Lissa stepped into her dress, she almost cried. I wrapped my arms around her, holding her for a moment.
"You look gorgeous, Liss," I whispered.
She sniffled. "I wish my parents and Andre were here."
"Me too."
I gave her another hug before I finished zipping her into her dress. Jill and I were both already in our dresses. The only thing left now was her crown. Jill already had a small tiara placed in her hair.
Lissa was almost finished getting ready when there was a knock on the door. A guardian standing watch opened the door a crack, and I could barely hear whispered conversation as I crossed the room to grab the crown.
"Your Majesty, Tasha Ozera is here to speak with you," the guardian stated.
Lissa turned with a smile. Neither of us had seen Tasha in years, and as Christian's aunt, she had made the cut for the guest list. "You can let her in."
The guardian opened the door to reveal Tasha standing there in a stunning blue dress. She walked into the room, and I smiled at her. Then my gaze flicked behind her, and I froze, glad that I hadn't picked up the crown yet. Lissa followed my gaze, and I heard her soft gasp. Standing behind Tasha was Dimitri Belikov.
