been a welcome relief to him. He looked at the whitewashed trellis for a while and then knew exactly what he was going to do.
Saturday morning, the boys went to Fair Damsels Academy. Most of them had never been there. Lucian had been outside, but had never gone inside the castle. In the early morning sunlight, the gray stones seemed to shimmer. The grounds were similar to those of Charming Academy. As they arrived, Melantha greeted them with a smile. “Welcome to Fair Damsels Academy,” she said as they entered. “Please, find your princess and have a seat for breakfast.”
It didn’t take long for Lucian to find Moira. She was head and shoulders above her peers. He didn’t say anything to her about the fact that there was now a second layer of ruffles on her skirt and she had widened the gap of their height difference. He hoped most sincerely that he would have a growth spurt soon. He didn’t think he could live with having a princess who towered over him forever. “Hello Moira. You look nice today.”
“Thanks,” she said. “I enjoyed your last letter.”
He pulled from behind his back a single white rose from one of his rosebushes. “As promised,” he said, handing it to her as she blushed.
She smelled it and smiled. “Thank you. But, how did you get all the thorns off? I’ve never seen a rose with no thorns.”
He shrugged. “I really don’t know. None of my bushes had any thorns.”
“How unusual,” she said as they walked together into the dining hall.
As they walked, Lucian looked around. “It’s very pink here,” he found himself saying aloud.
“I don’t really like it much either,” she laughed, referring to the pink décor. The first weekend I was able to get to town I bought new bedding to replace all the pink in my room.”
“Really?” he asked, surprised at this revelation. Moira never spoke of herself.
She nodded and they sat down at a table. Soon all of their friends were gathered; except Kaelen who was being pulled to the table Esmé had set up with her friends. Conversation was fast flowing and breakfast seemed to fly. Serving maids scurried between the tables and the kitchens, bringing refills as necessary and clearing plates nearly as fast as they were being used. As one flitted by, she looked vaguely familiar, but he didn’t have time to think on it as he was pulled back into the conversation.
When breakfast was finished, Melantha rose and announced that everyone would be reconvening outside. “We have a very special occasion to celebrate.”
Kaelen got a look on his face that plainly read he knew something the others didn’t. “What special event?” Adrian asked him. “And don’t try to tell me you don’t know.”
“I haven’t the faintest idea,” Kaelen replied nonchalantly. “And if I did, do you think I’d be allowed to tell?”
“In other words, you do know, you’re just not telling,” Lucian laughed as they walked outside. When he looked ahead of himself, he gasped. Over the door was a giant floral swag with roses, larkspur and forget-me-nots, trailing down in ferny tendrils around the doorframe. The railings of the stairs were similarly decorated with garlands wrapped about them. There were rows of chairs set up, some already filled by fairies. Ahead was a trellis, lavishly decorated with climbing white roses and blue morning glory. The top of it was covered in greenery and fragrant flowers Lucian recognized from class. Underneath the trellis, Achilles stood nervously rubbing his ankle with his foot. Instead of the normal loose attire he wore in gym, he was wearing a fresh, white doublet and formal trousers.
As they arrived to their seats, the students didn’t sit. In the row in front of him, Lucian saw Honoria and Raphael standing together. Cradled in Raphael’s arms was a tiny baby, her eyes closed in sleep as the breeze played with a tuft of aqua hair. He saw a look of tenderness on Raphael’s face that he’d never seen before. Honoria whispered something to Raphael which made him smile as they turned their attention to the couple coming down the aisle. Lucian also turned and saw the fairy king and queen walking towards the trellis, their silver crowns sparkling in the light. The queen wore a long gown that matched her pale green eyes. The king wore white, which made a stark contrast to his bright blue hair which was pulled half back. When they reached the trellis, the queen was seated in a large silver throne which Lucian was quite sure hadn’t been there a moment ago. She soon rose again as Tallia emerged from the castle. She had never looked more beautiful. Her turquoise eyes sparkled as she walked, carrying the bouquet Russett had arranged from the boy’s flowers. Her normally loose flowing hair was curled into a crown, wreathed in flowers with blue ribbons trailing down her back. The light turquoise gown she wore shimmered in the sunlight with every step she took. When she reached the trellis everyone was seated.
The fairy king welcomed them. “Today is indeed special. The spring equinox so joyously celebrated in the form of a wedding; the beginning of a new step in the walk of life. When earth is in balance with time and nature, everything seems more beautiful. A marriage must likewise be balanced, with love, laughter and life.”
He continued for a long time, talking about the joys of marriage and the hardships. Lucian tried to pay attention, but it was such a beautiful day and the scent of flowers was making him feel drowsy. When the king held Achilles and Tallia’s hands together, he focused more. “A union of hands, a union of hearts. Achilles Stardust, do you before these witnesses promise to walk through the seasons of life with this woman? To walk through the newness of spring and the harshness of winter? The storms of summer and the harvest of autumn?”
He looked directly into Tallia’s eyes and smiled. “I promise.”
“Tallia Robinwing, do you before these witnesses promise to walk through the seasons of life with this man? To walk through the newness of spring and the harshness of winter? The storms of summer and the harvest of autumn? To leave behind the name of childhood and take on yourself the name of your husband?”
Tears glittered in her eyes as she replied, “I promise.”
“I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride, Achilles,” the king said with a smile.
A cheer rose as Achilles kissed Tallia tenderly. They turned as the king announced them and soon people were rising from their seats to congratulate the new couple. Tears were in so many girls’ eyes that Lucian decided that it was a girl thing to cry at weddings.
Luncheon was soon served out on the lawn, tables appearing out of nowhere and the chairs that had once been in neat rows, now surrounding them. The friends sat together and chatted cheerfully as they ate. “Doesn’t Tallia simply look radiant?” Eleanor asked brightly.
“I love her hair,” Allegra agreed. “I’m going to do my hair like that when I get married.”
The girls were soon off and running with the wedding topic; except Moira who sat looking nervously thoughtful. “Are you okay?” Lucian asked her.
“I’m fine,” she replied, trying to soften the sharpness of her tone with a smile. “Just thinking,” she added when Lucian continued to look at her.
“You look upset, that’s all.”
“That’s ridiculous,” she scoffed, though her cheeks reddened. “Why would I be upset? We just watched a gorgeous wedding and it’s a beautiful day.”
“Alright, I was just concerned.”
“You needn’t be. I’m perfectly fine.” She spent the rest of the meal ignoring him.
A small band of fairies began playing instruments in a soft, romantic tune. Achilles led Tallia to the center of the garden. Lucian never would have believed their gym teacher could be so graceful. The couple floated across the grounds, twirling and dipping as though swayed by the wind. When the song ended and a new one began, other fairies and some of the older students joined the dance. Honoria and Raphael twirled about, taking turns holding Theodora. She giggled as they spun her and held her close.
After another hour of merrymaking, it was time to leave. They watched Achilles and Tallia leave in a white phaeton, Tallia waving out behind them. “Where are they going?”
 
; “Well, they certainly aren’t going to honeymoon at the academy,” Calista replied, though no one seemed to remember her being behind them. “For the next two weeks you won’t have physical education and Selena will be running the infirmary in Tallia’s absence. I’m sure you’ll miss them.”
“We’ll definitely miss Tallia,” Kaelen agreed when Calista had moved on to the front of the group. “But I’m not so sure about Achilles.”
Lucian nodded. He said goodbye to Moira who merely nodded and walked away, the same slightly sulky expression he’d seen at their first meeting. He sighed. He’d been trying so hard, but she always backed away from him. The most frustrating part was that he had no idea why.
It seemed like no time at all before the boys were studying for finals. Tallia and Achilles returned, and physical education classes resumed. They spent most of their evenings enjoying the beautiful sunshine and spring weather while going over pages and pages of notes. They practiced fencing in the yard with sticks rather than their swords as Raphael absolutely forbade the use of their weapons outside of class. One afternoon, the boys went out to the stables to practice for their dressage final. Phillipa was running out just as they were nearing the doors. “Boys, I’m afraid you can’t ride right now.”
“But we need to practice for the final,” Adrian