Chapter 217 SURPRISE

Chapter 217 SURPRISE
By the time the sunlight outside the windows guttered to a softer gold, the throne room might as well have been a dream, the memory of chains and judgment already receding into the stone.
I'd peeled away the heavy gown hours ago and slipped into a cotton short and a cropped tee that bared a sliver of skin to the cooling night air, grateful for the softness after the weight of ceremonial brocade. The bed sighed as I crawled onto it, settling cross-legged amid rumpled sheets that still carried Sargis's scent. I let it soothe me as I pulled the tablet onto my lap and opened the group call.
The familiar trilling rings echoed once, twice. Then the dark screen fractured into light and laughter, my girls appeared one by one, each framed in the intimacy of their own rooms.
Maelis's feed snapped on first, her hair bound up in a satin scarf, laughter spilling out before the image even stabilized. "Finally! We thought you'd forgotten the little people now that you've got a throne to warm."
"Speak for yourself," Mirenya chimed in as her square lit up, a stemmed glass of deep red wine in her hand, her grin sly and knowing. "If I had her crown, I wouldn't remember any of your names."
Rhalia appeared mid-chew, a spoon still raised defiantly. "Don't get comfortable. I'm not putting my food down for anyone, not even a queen."
I couldn't help the laugh that broke from me. "Gods, I missed you all."
"Narine!" Liora squealed, her voice cutting through as her screen came alive. She leaned close to the camera, eyes bright. "Crop top? Palace walls finally softening you?"
I snorted and tucked a stray curl behind my ear, lifting the hem a little higher in mock display. "I've survived coronation, courtroom ghosts, and a king with entirely too much self-control. A little bare midriff won't scandalize the realm."
That sent Maelis and Mirenya into fits of giggles. Rhalia almost choked on her spoonful, muttering something about writing that down for later blackmail.
Then, with the chaos already bubbling, Soraheneth's square blinked alive. Her camera jolted wildly, showing flashes of polished stone and silver light before steadying on her face, breathless, strands of silver hair sticking to her forehead. Behind her, two other fae darted in and out of view, blades gleaming in a sparring ring.
"Sorry, sorry," she puffed, pushing hair back and adjusting her angle. "We're mid-duel. I didn't want to miss this call, but I also can't let Miriel think she can outmaneuver me." A clash of steel rang sharp behind her. "See what I mean?"
Maelis clutched her scarfed head, laughing until tears spilled. "Only you would join a call while trying not to get skewered."
"Multitasking," Soraheneth said primly, though her grin gave her away. "Okay, guys! I only have about five minutes to spare before I'm killed," she added.
Laughter rippled through the screens, wrapping around me like the kind of blanket no throne could ever give.
Elenwyn's square blinked alive with her usual dramatic flair. She squinted at her camera, then nearly shrieked, "Oh my goodness! Maelis, you don't need to flash us your titties every damn time. We know they're perfect!"
That sent Liora into a wheezing cackle. Maelis, completely unbothered, angled herself deliberately toward the camera and gave a wicked, unapologetic wink.
"You should be used to it by now, dumbo," Ilyra muttered dryly, chin propped on her hand as if she'd been waiting for the chaos to start.
"I'm just jealous!!" Elenwyn shot back immediately, staring mournfully down at her own chest before crossing her arms with exaggerated indignation. "Flat as a damn table. Not fair."
The call dissolved into another round of laughter, overlapping voices filling the room like a choir. For a heartbeat, it felt like we were all in the same place again, tangled up on one bed, talking until dawn.
Rhalia's face popped up next, and I nearly choked at the sight, she'd joined in her kitsune form, ears flicking, her nine tails weaving lazily through the air behind her like silk ribbons caught in a breeze.
"I live for days like this!" she exclaimed, eyes bright, practically vibrating with energy. "Oh my gods, hi guys!!" She waved at the camera so enthusiastically that one of her tails knocked something over with a clatter.
"You're ridiculous," Mirenya snorted, lifting her glass in a mock toast. "But I'll admit, the tails are a whole mood."
"Oh, please, tell me one of you is recording this," Soraheneth chimed in breathlessly, still ducking sword strikes in the background. "The world deserves to see this circus."
"Correction," I said, grinning as my cheeks warmed from laughing too hard, "the world can't handle this circus."
The screens flickered with overlapping banter, giggles, and a chorus of playful insults, and for a moment, it was as if time itself had bent to give me this small mercy, a sliver of life untouched by crowns, shadows, or judgment. Hasmik joined last. " My favorite bitches!!"
We fell into easy chatter, just like the nights before the world shifted, arguing about Maelis's hopeless crush, debating recipes, teasing Ilyra for accidentally charming yet another guard. I found myself leaning on an elbow, smiling so wide my cheeks hurt.
Soraheneth leaned forward, strands of silver hair catching in the faint light. Her gaze sharpened as if she were peering straight through the glass. "You look... different," she said slowly. "Freer, maybe."
I shifted, letting my shoulders sink into the headboard, the cotton cool against my skin. The tablet balanced easily on my bent knees, its glow catching the faint moonlight that slanted across my legs. "Maybe because the ghosts of my past aren't sitting on my ribs anymore."
The line went utterly still for a beat.
Maelis broke it first. Her grin was quieter this time. "It suits you," she said gently. "I like seeing you without the weight."
I felt the corners of my mouth tug upward.
"So..." Ilyra leaned closer until only her sharp eyes and raised brow filled her square. "Tell us, is the mighty King hovering nearby, brooding like some lovesick guard dog, or do we have you all to ourselves tonight?"
That drew laughter from the others, and I shook my head, tucking a curl behind my ear. "He's buried in work. You have me. For as long as you'll keep me."
"Well then, goddess help you," Mirenya muttered with a wicked grin, topping up her glass.
The mood loosened, spilling into a stream of chatter that came fast and overlapping, the way it always had.
Maelis confessed she'd finally sent that risky letter to her crush, her dramatic reenactment of his bland, stilted reply had all of us howling.
Liora launched into an animated retelling of her latest market disaster in her kingdom. Apparently, some pompous merchant had tried to convince her to buy "authentic phoenix eggs," and she'd spent half an hour explaining the anatomy of a phoenix before throwing the fake eggs back in his cart.
Saela rolled her eyes so hard the screen shook. "I swear, I'd rather wrestle a griffin than deal with half the gossip in those markets. At least the griffin doesn't pretend its claws are blessed relics."
That sent us all into another round of cackling.
My hand toyed absently with the hem of my cropped tee as their voices tumbled through the speaker, overlapping, interrupting, teasing. The sound was so achingly familiar, it was like stepping back into another lifetime, the nights before war when we sprawled across each other's beds as contestants, whispering plans for futures none of us had believed we'd ever see.
And yet, here we were. Still together.
The call had dissolved into laughter about Saela's latest kitchen disaster while cooking for her subjects after the war, about confusing salt for sugar and nearly poisoning half her guard, when my phone pinged with Sargis's name.
A single line flashed on the screen.
I have a surprise for you. Meet me in Velariad.
I blinked, pulse skipping in the quietest, most treacherous way. A surprise? Now? After a day spent with ghosts and crowns and endless eyes watching us? My lips tugged into a grin before I could stop them.
"Well?" Mirenya leaned toward her camera, glass of wine sloshing dangerously. "Who's making you smile like you've just been handed a crown of chocolates?"
I tilted the phone, letting them see the message.
The reaction was instant and loud. Shrill shrieks, gasps, and laughter tumbled over each other until I had to lower the volume.
"Go!" Soraheneth demanded between peals of laughter. "Royal summons! Forget us mortals, we release you."
"And wear something cute," Maelis added with a wicked wiggle of her brows.
I pressed a dramatic hand to my chest and let out a groan. "You're all terrible influences."
"We're efficient influences," Rhalia corrected, her nine tails flashing behind her as she made shooing motions straight at the camera. "Go, Queen. Go see what your king is plotting."
Their goodbyes chased me even as I ended the call, the room suddenly dimmer without their chatter.
I swung my legs off the bed, padding barefoot across the cool floor to the wardrobe.
Comfort, I decided as I yanked the door open.
I slipped into soft gray sweatpants and tugged on one of Sargis's enormous black shirts, the hem grazing mid-thigh.
I twisted my hair into a lazy bun, a few strands falling loose to frame my face. The mirror across the room caught my reflection in clothes far too big for me, and I snorted aloud. Not regal. Not even close.
But something about it felt right.
I pressed a hand to my chest, steadying the restless flutter there, then reached for the door.
Velariad awaited. And so did he.