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She’s deeply asleep when all of a sudden her curtains are drawn and she’s being shaken awake.
“Come on, I let you sleep in as long as I could, now it’s time to get up,” her redheaded best friend who loves to make her imagine the best ways to murder her happily says standing next to her bed.
“Genya,” she groans, “one day I will murder you.”
“You’d simply miss me too much,” Genya smiles.
Zoya rolls her eyes. “What is so important you woke me up before seven bells?”
Genya suddenly looks like she’s gonna burst from happiness. “Remember today’s our day out at sea?”
Right. Nikolai’s latest obsession. He’d come to her two weeks ago insisting she needs a day off. They all did. Between cementing herself as Ravka’s new ruler, making all the coronation preparations, touring the city, everyone was just exhausted. Not to mention the subtle tension around court between her relationship with Nikolai. Genya and Alina weren’t the only ones wondering when the royal wedding would be happening.
They hadn’t actually talked about it. Nikolai had this ridiculous plan of actually carrying out a full courtship. Ridiculous to Zoya, since they were literally sharing a bed every night, it seemed like a courtship was redundant. Nikolai and Genya seemed positively thrilled by all aspects of it.
As far as Zoya goes, she’s still learning what simply having someone there means, so she’s happy to figure it out together. She could do without the external pressure, however. And frankly, the idea of the actual royal wedding Genya has already planned is enough to make her nauseous.
Zoya rolls her eyes yet again and that’s when she realizes the bed feels colder than normal. She looks to her left side and sees his side empty. Genya notices and simply says, “He went ahead to prepare the ship.”
She sighs and gets up. As she’s getting dressed she hears Genya rummaging through her drawers. “What are you doing?”
“Nothing, just tidying up a bit!”
“Don’t you have anything better to do?”
“No, today I am all yours,” Genya smiles at her as she re-enters the bedroom, and clutches the bag on her shoulder, while extending her hand towards her friend. “Shall we?”
Zoya sighs and grabs Genya’s hand. “Sure.”
Sturmhond was waiting for them aboard the Volkvolny, wearing his blue coat and a huge grin on his face. “Welcome aboard, your Highness,” he bows as she and Genya step onto the deck. She wants to roll her eyes and demand they let her go back to the palace, where there’s a country that still needs to be run today, but that blue coat. Her traitorous lips turn upwards, because that damn blue coat is her weakness, and he knows it, so she settles for a sharp nod and walks right behind Genya, trying to ignore his knowing grin.
The next thing she knows, they’re off sailing and she’s at the prow of the ship, basking in the sea air and sunlight. She’s busy thinking about how she will never admit how thankful she is for her friends convincing her they need this, because she really does need the break, when Genya comes up to her.
“It’s beautiful out here,” she mumbles.
“Mhm,” Zoya agrees, her eyes closed.
“So,” Genya starts and hesitates. Zoya turns to look at her, her eyes narrowing, but Genya is staring straight ahead. “I know you’re not much for surprises, but–”
“What have you done?”
Genya laughs at her. “Can you relax? It’s a good surprise!” she says as she turns around and Zoya follows, noticing two people stepping out of the cabin. The white-haired girl lets the shawl wrapped around her head fall to her neck as she runs towards them and first embraces Genya and then Zoya in a warm hug.
Mal smiles as he follows after his wife, quickly bowing to Zoya, a grin on his face. Zoya rolls her eyes and lets herself be hugged by the couple.
“Sweet,” she deadpans, while Genya is grinning mischievously.
“Oh, they’re not the only surprise.” Zoya looks around the couple to notice none other than Nina Zenik stepping out of the cabin. Genya rushes to her and hugs her tight, while Zoya can only stare at the people around her, who are all anxiously awaiting her reaction.
“What is going on?” she asks loudly, narrowing her eyes at her friends. That’s when she notices Sturmhond is still around and frowns. He usually switches back to Nikolai when it’s just them on the ship. “Why are you still tailored?”
The group surrounding them seems to have fallen silent, as Sturmhond grins. “The groom can’t see the bride before the wedding. It’s bad luck.”
Zoya’s eyes widen and she’s suddenly feeling very anxious. “What are you talking about?”
He takes a step towards her and all of their friends turn and leave them alone at the prow of the ship. He grabs ahold of both of her hands.
“I know that people talk, and I know that it’s never mattered to you what they do or don’t say. But I am honestly tired of not being able to call you my wife.”
“Nikolai,” she sharply whispers. “What are you doing? You know there’s a certain procedure for this, what if someone saw us leave the docks together?”
“Zoya, my love, light of my life, can you please stop being a general for two minutes while I propose? I’m trying to be romantic here.”
Zoya rolls her eyes. “I’m not only a general but also a queen. Things aren’t as simple as a yes or no question.”
“But they are as simple as a yes or no answer.” Before Zoya can retort to that, he pushes on, “Can you please just let me do this? Please?”
Zoya takes a deep breath and tries to ignore the group of people around them, who are only acting as if they’re not holding on to every word they say. Some people are better at hiding it than others. Tolya seems completely engrossed in a book, while Tamar and Genya are simply staring at them and bickering. “Fine.”
Sturmhond takes a deep breath and goes on one knee, keeping a tight hold of her hands, “Zoya Nazyalensky, I could go on forever telling you what you mean to me, how I would not be the man I am were it not for your steadfast love, support, and the complete peace and security you give me every single day simply by breathing, but something tells me if I did do that, I’d end up on the other side of this railing.” Zoya lets out a wet snort, because damn him, she is tearing up, and she will kill him for this later. He lets go of one of her hands and reaches into his pocket to take out a black velvet box. He opens it and in it lays a simple silver ring, shaped like a dragon circling its own tail, holding a heart-shaped sapphire in its mouth, with a crown on top and three tiny diamonds on it.
Zoya finds she’s holding her breath.
“Zoya Nazyalensky,” Sturmhond’s voice trembles. “Will you marry me?”
She can’t speak. If she speaks she will start crying and she can’t do that right now. She simply nods her head as she goes on her knees and hugs him, hiding her face, her tears, on his shoulder. He hugs her back, fiercely, silently understanding she needs a second to compose herself.
After a beat she pulls back, and he holds her left hand and slides the ring on her finger. She kisses him while all their friends clap around them.
The next thing she knows she’s surrounded by hugs and tears, and she’s being pulled in one direction while Sturmhond is being pulled in the opposite direction. She frowns. “What’s going on?”
Genya grins. “You didn’t think we’d done all this simply for an engagement, did you?”
Zoya gapes at her. “You mean to say-?”
“You’re getting married!” Genya laughs, bouncing up and down in excitement.
“But, the royal wedding,” Zoya starts.
“Oh, we’ll have a royal wedding too, we’ll have to for court purposes, but your real wedding should be your own.”
She’s dumbfounded, and suddenly Sturmhond is there again. “I know the idea of an official royal wedding is not exactly your cup of tea, so we figured it might be best to have our actual wedding like this. Small and surrounded by the people we love. The court can have their whole show later, but we’ll know what our real wedding was. It’s ours.”
Zoya smiles tearfully up at him, full of gratitude. “‘We figured’?”
Nikolai looks at Genya. “It was Genya’s idea.”
Zoya turns to look at her friend. “You turned down the opportunity to throw a royal wedding?”
Genya laughs. “I did no such thing, I did still plan a royal wedding, simply one catered to the bride and groom, as all weddings should be. Just because I enjoy a ball and a spectacle doesn’t mean I will force that on you.” Zoya extended her arm, holding her hand out to her friend, and Genya smiled and held it. Zoya squeezed, trying to communicate all her love and appreciation for her friend in that small gesture. She knows Genya gets it when she squeezes back. “Besides,” Genya carries on, whispering conspiratorially, “just because it’s a small wedding, doesn’t mean you don’t deserve an amazing gown.”
Zoya chuckles, trying to hide the sudden dread she feels at the prospect of wearing a wedding gown again, and the next thing she knows she’s being carried away to the cabin by Genya and Nina, where Alina is waiting.
She needn’t have worried. They help her change into the gown Genya had designed, which is not at all what she expected. Rather than a formal gown, she finds herself dressed in a unique kefta. It’s blue silk and with silver accents, just like her regular one, except this one has gold accents alongside the silver ones. Genya seemingly catering her gown to her wishes as well, knowing she’s always felt the most at home in her kefta.
After they did her hair and make-up, Genya reaches into her bag. “One last thing,” she says as she pulls a blue ribbon and ties it to her hair.
“How’d you–?”
“Nikolai told me to grab one from your vanity this morning,” Genya smiles.
Zoya smiles at her reflection, lifting her left hand to simply touch the ribbon, but Genya’s hand grabs her hand first. Zoya thought she was just going to scold her for messing up her work, but she’s simply holding her hand staring at her ring. “Genya?”
Genya smiles as a tear drops down her cheek and takes a deep breath. “David made the ring.”
“What?” Zoya’s eyes widen. “How’d he even–?”
“Neither you nor Nikolai are quite as subtle as you think you are. We’ve all been waiting for this day for years, and David was doing some reading and found this story about this special ring, I think it was from an old Kaelish text. The heart is supposed to symbolize love, the crown represents loyalship, and there’s supposed to be two hands holding the heart, which represent friendship, but David kind of tailored that aspect,” Genya finishes with a wet laugh. “He said he thought that ring would look perfect on you whenever Nikolai finally gathered up the courage to ask and you gathered up the courage to say yes.”
Zoya brings her other hand up and holds Genya’s hand tightly. “I don’t know what to say.”
Genya smiles at her. “David would have been so happy for you, for both of you.”
“I wish more than anything that he could be here.”
“Well,” Alina interjects. “He is.”
Zoya turns to look at her and Alina is handing her a bouquet of flowers. Of so many different flowers and leaves. Red sentinel, the carnations she’d planted for Liliyana, white lilies for Lada, some yew and heartleaf leaves even, and they were all surrounded by tiny wildflowers. A sole sunflower, the flower she’d decided to plant for David, was also included, and she notices Genya had included sunflowers into her hair as well.
“Why did you choose a sunflower for him?” Zoya has no words. “Don’t worry, I didn’t go in there. No one did. Nikolai just gave me a list of flowers that should be on your bouquet, and I insisted he tell me why.”
Zoya laughed. “Of course you did.”
“I have my ways.” The two friends laugh together.
“Sunflowers are often used to suck up and clean the air, water, or soil from different toxins and contaminants,” Zoya says. Genya looks up at her, with tears in her eyes. “It always felt like, no matter how engrossed we all got into whatever agenda we were trying to push, David’s presence was a constant reminder of what we should aspire to be, what we were working for. Just a solid, safe country. He helped keep us steady and on track. And–” she hesitates, unsure on whether she should go on. Genya squeezes her hand. “The way sunflowers follow the sun, it reminded me of him and you. How you were his sun.”
Tears fall down Genya’s cheeks and she squeezes her into a hug. “Thank you,” she whispers, as Zoya hugs her back just as fiercely.
“Alright,” Nina suddenly says, her voice thick. “Enough tears, this is a happy occasion.”
“Yes, yes,” Genya says, letting go of Zoya and wiping her face. “Who knew we’d ever make it to this day.”
“The day these two finally realized what we’ve all known for years,” Alina smiles.
“Let’s go get you married,” Nina says as she grabs her hand and leads her outside.
The sun is high up in the sky, and Alina rushes past her to stand next to Tolya and Tamar at the prow. Nikolai is also there, looking like himself, dressed in his formal First Army uniform.
She walks up to him and he holds her hands, both of them holding the bouquet together. “We fell in love as soldiers, it seemed fitting to celebrate that on our wedding day.”
Zoya laughs. “Good choice,” she whispers.
Alina stands in front of them and she looks at Nikolai, giving him the go ahead.
Nikolai clears his throat. “Here, witnessed by our Saints and our friends, I speak words of both love and duty. It is not a chore but an honor to swear faith to you, to promise to love you, to offer my hand and my heart to you in this life and the next.”
She squeezes his hands as Alina turns to look at her. “We are soldiers,” she starts, berating herself for her shaky voice. “I will march with you in times of war. I will rest with you in times of peace. I will forever be the weapon in your hand, the fighter at your side, the friend who awaits your return. I have seen your face in the making at the heart of the world and there is no one more golden spirited, more beloved.”
Tolya sets a thorn-wood crown on top of Nikolai’s head and then one on Zoya’s head, as Alina blesses their new marriage, with tears in her eyes.
Suddenly Nikolai is bending down to kiss her and she realizes she hadn’t heard a word Alina’s been saying, she was lost in Nikolai’s grinning face. She had never seen him so happy. They kiss as all their friends cheer around them.
Zoya pulls back just in time to see Tamar slide money onto Nadia’s hand. “Did you bet on me?”
Tamar shrugs. “I was sure you were going to shape shift into a dragon and fly far away the second you realized what was going on.”
Nina lets out a laugh as she grabs Genya’s arm and walks her over to the table where the wine is. “Let us celebrate!” She pours a healthy amount into everyone’s glasses, before lifting hers and cheering, “To the new king and queen of Ravka!”
Her and Nikolai lift their glasses but Nikolai bends down to kiss her before drinking, to which she interrupts, “Hate to break it to you, but you’re still prince consort.”
Nikolai laughs, “Don’t forget my more favored title. Demon fool,” he says as his lips brush hers.
Zoya laughs as she kisses him fully. Her golden spirited hero. She never would have guessed her life would lead here, to a ship full of people who love her, for exactly who she is. Who would lay down their entire lives to help her, even when she doesn’t want it, even when she doesn’t deserve it. And certainly not to a man who she knows would tirelessly work to make her happy, in whichever way he could.
Saints, she wishes her aunt could be here to witness this. She looks down at the bouquet of flowers still in her hand and smiles. She guesses she is. She brings it up to her nose and inhales. Don’t worry, she thinks. I made it, I’m safe, I’m home. A gentle breeze caresses her face in return.