Daughter of the Red Dawn (The Lost Kingdom of Fallada) (29 page)

Eldalwen had assured her that she was making progress. Now, she was able to get onto the balcony railing and jump without fear. She just couldn’t make it back up without her
father or brother catching her. Frustration swept through her and Selena left the tub with a sigh.

Two more days to turn into Wonder Woman
, she thought as she toweled off and reached for the soft pink, luxurious, silk robe Axonia had
given her. She combed through her hair with her fingers as she moved back into the bedroom, deciding to focus on something a little happier than fighting wars and her failures at human flight.

She moved over to the armoire and pulled out a pair of soft, cotton pajamas, and pu
t
them on. Then she went about choosing an ensemble for tomorrow night’s celebration.
Axonia was planning a huge party right at the center of town; a welcome home party of sorts, she’d explained, as well as a celebration of the Red Dawn. Everyone in the entire kingdom would be
there,
many of them would be seeing Selena for the very first time. She wanted to look her best.

After a few minutes of rifling around in the closet, she found a deep red, silk outfit with the signature harem-style pants and jeweled midriff top. A pair of gold slippers matched the gold thread embroidering the top. Sheer sleeves were slit to reveal her arms, so Selena laid out a pair of gold arm cuffs and a beautiful piece of jewelry that looked like a three-roped belly chain with a diamond at the center. Zoe would be green with envy if she could see the getup. Selena topped it off with a ruby-encrusted, gold headband and a pair of gold hoop earrings.

A knock at the door sounded just as she’d laid the entire ensemble out on the window seat. Selena frowned, wondering who could be coming to her room this late. She crossed to it anyway and swung it open, finding Wilhelm Grimm standing on the other side. His hair was windblown as if he’d just stepped off the deck of
The Adrah
, and his wrinkled, weathered face was split by a wide smile.

“Well, look at you.
What a difference your time at home as made. Look at you
,
girl, you’re stunning!”

Selena smiled and opened the door wider, motioning him toward the sitting area of her cavernous room.

“I will admit that coming here has worked wonders,” she said as she took a seat across from him. “It has been interesting.”

“I am certain it has. Jake and I have just returned from seeing your grandmother and friend home. They’ve sent back letters for
you 
expressing
their
love.”

Wil removed a few folded sheets of notebook paper from one of his many vest pockets. She clutched them close to her chest and closed her eyes, missing home more now than she ever had. She knew that Damu was her true home, the place where she would live out the rest of her life, and she truly wanted to be here. But the little house in Twin Oaks with the sweetest old lady in Texas and a cat named Freckles would always be home.
She lowered the papers into her lap, deciding to read them when Wil had gone.

“Thank you,” she said, clearing her throat to rid it of the thick, emotional rasp. “I am surprised to see you,” she continued. “I would have thought you’d be out looking for the other girls.”

“And miss the Day of the Red Dawn? Not a chance! There’s nothing a Grimm brother likes more than
an
adventure. Well, really, there’s nothing Jake likes more than to write about said adventure, but you know what I mean.”

Selena nodded. “It’s nice to know there will be familiar faces there.”

“Are you ready?”

Selena shrugged. “As ready as I can be, I guess. I’ve been training a lot with my father and brother. I think I’ve done pretty well.”

Wil nodded, bracing his hands on the arms of his chair to stand. “I know you have, girl, I know you have. I’m going to get out of your hair now. Jake and I will be staying here until after the big day, so I’ll see you around. Good night, Princess.”

“Good night, old man.”

After he had gone, Selena walked over
to
the bed and spread out Rose and Zoe’s letters, deciding to read her grandmother’s first. Both letters put a smile on her face,
reminded her of what she was fighting for. If staying in Damu and fighting kept the people she loved from being enslaved, then she would do it, even if it meant possibly never seeing them again. Selena dove beneath the blanket, clutching the letters to her chest. She fell asleep with them there.

~*~

The day of the celebration came and training passed quickly. Eldalwen decided to keep it light, just a few wind harnessing exercises and some sparring. Selena was relieved that he didn’t push her to try flying again. Today was supposed to be about celebration and she hated the thought of letting him down. After training, Axonia sent Selena to her room to dress
. She sent one of the handmaidens along to style her hair as
well. When Selena emerged from her room, she decided that Zoe had been wrong about redheads wearing red. Not that she was the conceited type, but she had to admit she looked pretty good. Her hairstyle, consisting of a mass of coiled and twisting braids adorned with the jeweled headband, was flattering as well.

She was surprised to find Titus waiting for her in the front steps of the palace. He was stunning in an all black get-up shot through with silver thread. His dark hair was gleaming in what was left of the waning sunlight, and his eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled. He extended one hand to her and she took it, wondering how just a single touch could make her feel so many things at once. She smiled back as he kissed her forehead.

“You’re back,” she said.

“I wouldn’t miss this. Besides, tomorrow will be our last day together before the Dawn.”

“Where did you go?”

“To Goldun.
My mother and sister are there, safe and sound.”

“That’s wonderful! Are they here?”

Titus shook his head. “I left them in Goldun. It is safer for them there. I did bring over a hundred
Werewolf
warriors and twice as many
Elves
and
Fae
. They are all here to celebrate with you, to fight with you.”

Selena eyed the convoy that was gathering within the palace’s courtyard.
Three massive litters, complete with cushions and velvet curtains
,
were positioned at the center of the group. The twelve burly men who would carry the litters into the city were stationed at the four poles at the corners of each litter, ready to carry the royal family into the
celebration. All around the litters, entertainers had gathered: dancers, musicians carrying flutes and cymbals, as well as jugglers, fire
breathers
,
and acrobats. Selena couldn’t wait to watch them in action as they paraded through the streets of Damu.

At the back of the procession stood the
Fae
, dressed in their flowing white garments and shining silver, the
Elves
adorned in their brown and tan leather with leaves and flowers decorating their hair,
the Centaurs with their tattooed bodies, feathered hair and gleaming gold armor
and the
Werewolf
shifters, draped in their deer pelts, furs, and copper jewelry. The Damunians were all at the center of the city, lining the streets and waiting for the procession to come through. Selena knew there would be food, and could already smell the spicy aroma of cinnamon and other spices wafting through the air.

“All of this for little old me?” she joked. Really, her heart felt as if it were ready to burst inside her chest. While she had always hoped to be something—someone—important someday, she could never have imagined this.

“You deserve it. You are their Princess, their hero.”

Titus hooked her arm through his and led her toward the very first litter. Eldalwen and Axonia had already climbed into the first and were reclining against the cushions with smiles on their faces. Thaddeus was just climbing onto the last litter. Titus let her step
on before h
im
and then joined her, wrapping one arm around her as they both leaned back against the purple, red
,
and royal blue cushions.

“This is wild,” she said as the four burly men lifted her litter onto their shoulders. Selena gripped the front of Titus’ shirt and held on for
dear life as the procession began to move, the musicians bringing up the front and the entertainers surrounding them on either side.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to this,” she said as they began to move. The music had started playing, first the hypnotic flutes and then the pounding drums and tinkling chimes. Guitar
s
joined in, and the horns, with notes ranging from deep and low to very high. The dancers moved along beside them, twirling their sheer scarves around their heads and
gyrating
their hips, causing the coins dangling from their hips and ankles to tinkle.

Titus rested his chin on top of her head. “Whenever you need a break from being a princess, I’ll come and rescue you—take you back to Goldun and our little nook beneath the Pixie trees.”

Selena smiled up at him. “That sounds wonderful.”

“Did you miss me?”

Selena’s smile turned coy. “You tell me.”

Titus stared at her a moment, blue eyes flashing as he dove deep into her thoughts. His fingers entwined with hers as stars began dotting the darkening sky. The fire-breathers lit up the night with bursts of flame.

“You missed me almost as much as I missed you.”

“I did. I’m glad you’re back.”

“If I can help it, I won’t be leaving you ever again.”

Usually that sort of talk had Selena ready to run for the hills, but tonight it felt right. The whole evening was alive with a feeling of rightness and Selena knew that she was where she was supposed to be.
She leaned against him and watched the dancers and acrobats as they led the way into the city, which was slowly coming alive as they neared its
center. People lined the streets, shouting and waving to her wildly. Caught up in the moment, Selena sat up and waved back. Flowers flew at her from people following the procession and Titus sat up to help her gather them all. By the time they reached the city center, he had placed a dozen of the fragrant blossoms in her braided hair.

A feast had been spread out right in the middle of the marketplace. Tents and wooden stalls had been replaced by long, wooden banquet tables that stretched on as far as the eye could see. Candle and torchlight kissed the night with a warm glow, and the musicians added to the atmosphere by continuing to play softly along the perimeter of the party area. Food and drink lined each table, so much that some of them seemed to bow in the middle from the weight of it all. Just like in the palace, tons of roasted meat, nuts, fruits, decadent sauces and de
s
serts overflowed and wine and cider spilled from wooden casks.

The big, beefy men set their litters down and the second Selena’s feet hit the ground, she was surrounded by people. They called her name and reached for her hand. They shouted their welcome and their love. Selena tried her best to greet them all, to shake hands
,
smile
,
and accept another handful of flowers, but was grateful when the burly men created a ring around her, escorting her, Titus, her parents
,
and brother to the head table. The table had been erected onto a platform and was draped with silk red and gold tablecloths. Red candlesticks glistened and fine china gleamed. Eldalwen and Axonia took seats at the center, with Thaddeus on their left and Selena on their right. Titus sat beside her
and the Grimm brothers took seats on the other side of Thaddeus
. Everyone else took that as their cue to sit, and soon the tables were filled with
people. All eyes were on the head table as Eldalwen stood, his arms raised.

“People of Damu,” he said, his voice carrying out over the circular center of the city. “Tonight, I am pleased and honored to present to you, my eldest daughter, Princess Eladria, returned to us from the world of men!”

The cheers and screams that went up were thunderous. Eldalwen waited until they had gone quiet before speaking again.

“In a few days
’
time we will mark an occasion that I have only had the privilege of seeing four times within my life.
The Red Dawn!”

More cheers. Eldawen chuckled and waved for silence.

“I know. It is an honor to be alive at such a time. Our people will be blessed with new power, a rejuvenation of our strength. The evil that comes upon us from Mollac will not stand in the face of our power!”

This time Eldalwen
,
encouraged the cheers, raising his hands and working the people into
a frenzy
as they howled, clapped
,
and stomped.