ELRETH

Her mother smiled at Elreth, her eyes welling slightly again, but she swallowed and wiped them and shook it off. "There's one other thing I want to give you for when the time is right."

"Oh?" Elreth couldn't take her eyes off the dress in the full-length mirror that they'd brought in the day before so it would be there for their preparations.

Her mother took a deep breath, then pulled a deep blue scarf from her back pocket and straightened it out with her hands, pulling the soft fabric through her fingers over and over again as she spoke softly. "This is the scarf I used to offer my throat to your father. Now, I'm not suggesting you do that with Aaryn yet. You'll know when the time is right. Get through the Flames and get your rule established first. But I can see in you two what your father and I had."

Elreth flinched at the past tense but her mother went on.

"I want you to hold on to this. It was given to me by Aymora, who used it when she offered herself. Then she gave it to me to use with Reth. And I did. It was the most… love-filled day of my life, El. Now this is yours. Use it when you know for certain there's nothing of yourself you'd never give. And if you're ever blessed with a female offspring, maybe you can pass it on if she finds a True Mate. But I want you to have it, okay? It's yours now."

She offered the scarf, draped over both hands to Elreth.

Elreth, overwhelmed with emotion again, just stared at it for a moment, trying to comprehend the sheer amount of love this scarf had been used to signify.

Then she reached out to touch it, "Mom, what's—"

A grunt sounded behind her and her mother's head snapped up, her face going pale.

Elreth turned to find her father standing in the doorway, staring at her, his jaw slack.

When she gaped back at him, he just blinked several times as he scanned her from head to toe, then finally met her eyes. "El… you're so beautiful," he rasped.

"Dad!" Elreth squeaked. "Don't—"

Then her father turned to look at her mother, his eyes deeply pained, weary, and… afraid? "Nothing you wouldn't give?"

Her mother's face crumpled. "Nothing."

"But—"

"Reth, you have to understand… there's nothing I wouldn't give. It's… there are reasons—"

Her father growled and flapped a hand at her. "Not this, not now. Our… Our daughter is here and she's so beautiful and… we can discuss it later."

Elreth was heartbroken to see her mother deflate like a blow up skin that had been popped. But she nodded and held the scarf out again. "Please, El. This scarf only ever speaks of love. Real love. The soul-deep kind. Take it and hold onto it until it's your turn."

Elreth did take it, with trembling fingers. Then she ran the soft silk through her fingers and around her hand several times, marveling at the sensations it brought to her skin. "Could I… use it today as a remembrance, and as a promise?" she said quietly, still desperately aware of her father standing behind her, watching all of this. Of the tension between them. "Look."

She twisted the scarf around and around her wrist, like a cuff. The blue in it brought out one of the blues in the dress, and she shook her head at the beauty she was being given. "What if I tied it here and… you and I would know what it symbolizes. And I can tell Aaryn later. It's like a… a promise that we have more to come?"

Her mother covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes shining. But it was her father who stepped forward, coming around to where Elreth held out the wrist with the scarf looped on it.

He took her hand gently and turned it over so the underside of her wrist was bared. Then he found the ends of the scarf and, despite his massive fingers, began to painstakingly tie the two, small ends together.

"Tomorrow, when you're dressing for the final time, I'll come and I will tie this on you," he said, his voice gruff with emotion. "For me it will be a promise to you, El. A promise to you and Aaryn, too. That I'll never stand between you. That I know you two are meant to be together, and… and that I understand that you still have to grow into the love you have. Your mother and I were able to just fall in love and be together, despite the hate and conflict around us. But that is what galvanized us. We knew we wanted to be together, through anything, because they were constantly trying to tear us apart, and we couldn't bear it.

"You two have a much more normal life to lead—I hope. I pray. I promise not to be a barrier to your love. But also… I pray you don't take each other for granted, either. What you have is special. Protect it. Protect it with your dying breath."

He finished tying the scarf and Elreth threw herself into his chest and he hugged her, holding her while she shook, trying not to cry. "Thanks, Dad," she whisper-sobbed into his chest.

"I love you, El," he whispered back, his own voice a little choked.

"I love you, too. And I won't… I won't take it for granted. I promise."

He nodded, then pulled back, stroking her hair, letting his eyes scan down the dress again. He blew out a breath and shook his head. "You're almost as beautiful in that as your mother was," he said, his voice wistful in a way that would usually have made Elreth squirm. But now… now she yearned to see that side of her parents again. Where they hid in corners, kissing, and disappeared from gatherings when they thought no one was watching.

She ached to see them dance, their eyes locked on each other, moving in step so unified, it was as if they were truly one.

Then her father looked at her mother over her shoulder and his face fell.

A tiny, gasping sob came from behind her, but before she could turn, her father squeezed her hand and said, "It's going to be amazing, El. Don't let anything get in your way. Anything." Then he turned on his heel and fled the bedchamber as if something was chasing him.

Her mother took a few steps toward the door, then halted.

Elreth felt like she was witnessing her mother's heart break and she wanted to scream.

"Mom, go after him!" she blurted.

Her mother turned, tears tracking down her cheeks. "He doesn't want me to."

"Yes, he does. He's heartbroken about this. Make him listen! Tell him whatever you need to tell him. But don't let him stay away from you anymore!"

Her mother blinked, then looked out the door where her father had disappeared. "You're right," she breathed.

"Yes, I am," Elreth growled. "Now, I'm going to take this stuff off then go find Aaryn and remind him why we're doing this. So go!"

As if her words were a starting gun, her mother took off running. Elreth sighed and threw up a silent prayer that her parents would finally find their way past whatever this lie was. Whatever this canyon of space was that had appeared between them.

Elreth needed to know that it could be done. That no matter what, love could win.

*** URGENT INFO RE GOLDEN TICKETS -- STARTS TOMORROW! ***

This message was posted 17 August AFTER publication so you are not charged for the words:

The new App update which opens all of this up is supposed to land tomorrow (ish) so keep an eye out for it. We learned new details about the gift system. Please read below carefully and do NOT give multiple small gifts in the hopes of earning Golden Tickets. This new system does not work that way:

You can earn Golden Tickets in the following ways:

1. Spend over 300 coins in the previous month and earn 1 ticket. (So, all those small gifts will earn you a ticket for next month!)

2. Have a membership and earn 1 ticket each time the membership renews.

3. Buy a gift worth over 300 coins IN ONE PURCHASE for a book and THAT BOOK will automatically receive a golden ticket. (Big gifts, like a wand, or a crown, will give the book multiple tickets.)

4. Every 500 coins you spend on unlocking chapters or privilege tiers will earn you a new ticket to be given to the book of your choice.

THANK YOU for all your support. Once we have gotten through August and I can see what QUEEN needs in terms of tickets, I will provide a reward system for you to gain a mass release or other rewards in gratitude for your Golden Tickets! Watch this space!