“Certainly, Your Highness. I’ll take care of it.”
I turned and looked at the float. They’d taken the frame of one of the Christmas floats and adorned it with thousands of summer blooms. It was festive and beautiful, and the scent of the flowers permeated the air. I inhaled, and the clean, sweet smell soothed every piece of me.
Over the walls I could hear the shouts of people who had lined up for this moment. Whatever ways I’d failed last night would be more than forgotten today.
“All right, gentlemen.” General Leger’s voice boomed over the din. “I need you all to line up along the path, and we’ll get you up safely.”
Mom was in the back with Dad, who had picked up a few stray flowers that had blown off the float and stuck them in her hair. She looked at him with absolute adoration as he stepped away with his camera.
He circled the group, snapping pictures. He got plenty of the boys, some of the fountain, and a couple of me.
“Dad!” I whispered, a little embarrassed.
He winked and backed away, still taking shots but in a less obvious way.
“Your Highness,” General Leger said, placing a hand on my back. “We’re going to send you up last. I heard you wanted Henri and Hale beside you, is that right?”
“Yes.”
“Good picks. They’re polite ones. Okay, we’ll be ready to go in a moment.”
He walked over to my mother and relayed something to her. She seemed uneasy, but General Leger made motions with his hands, attempting to reassure her. Dad was a little harder to read from here. Either he wasn’t bothered at all, or he was hiding it very well.
The boys were led up the hidden ladder, and I paced as I waited for my turn. Along the wall, mixed in with a few guards and guests, I noticed Henri’s translator standing, arms crossed, watching the scene. He bit at a fingernail, and I shook my head, walking over.
“Don’t do that,” I started, trying to be firm without being rude. “You don’t want the cameras to catch you with your fingers in your mouth, do you?”
He whipped his hand down immediately. “I’m sorry, Your Highness.”
“Not going up there?” I nodded toward the massive float.
He smiled. “No, Your Highness. I think Henri can wave without interpretation.” Still, I felt the nerves buzzing around him.
“He’ll be right beside me,” I assured him. “I’ll try to make sure he knows what’s going on.”
The translator let out a massive sigh. “That makes this far less distressing. And he’s going to be so excited. He talks about you every waking moment.”
I laughed. “Well, it’s hardly been a day. I’m sure it’ll pass.”
“I don’t think so. He’s in awe of you, of everything, really. The experience alone is big for him. His family has worked hard to establish themselves, and that he finds himself in a place where he can have even a second of your attention . . . he’s so happy.”
I looked up at Henri, straightening his tie as he waited on the front of the float. “Is that what he told you?”
“Not in so many words. He’s aware of how fortunate he is, and he sees so many good things in you. He goes on and on.”
I smiled sadly. It would have been nice if he could say as much to me. “Were you born in Swendway, too?”
He shook his head. “No. First generation to be born in Illéa. But my parents are trying to hold on to our old customs and things, so we live in a small Swendish community in Kent.”
“Like Henri?”
“Yes. They’re becoming more and more common. When Henri was Selected, his family put out a call for a reliable translator, and I submitted my résumé, flew to Sota, and now I have a new job.”
“So you’ve only known Henri for . . . ?”
“A week. But we’ve already spent so much time together and get along so well, I feel like I’ve known him for years.” He spoke with a sweet affection, brotherly in a way.
“I feel so rude—I don’t even know your name.”
He bowed. “I’m Erik.”
“Erik?”
“Yes.”
“Huh. I expected something a bit different.”
He shrugged. “Well, that’s the closest translation.”
“Your Highness?” General Leger called, and that was my cue.
“I’ll watch out for him,” I promised, scurrying over to the float.
The ladder was a challenge. I had to conquer it while wearing heels and holding my dress with one hand, which meant I had to let go of one rung before grabbing the next, and I was particularly proud of myself for managing that on my own.
I brushed back my hair as I went to take my place. Henri turned to me immediately.
“Hello today, Your Highness.” His blond curls were lifted by the breeze, and he smiled brightly.
I touched his shoulder. “Good morning, Henri. Call me Eadlyn.”
He scrunched his face, a little confused. “Say to you Eadlyn?”
“Yes.”
He gave me a thumbs-up, and I patted myself on the back for putting him beside me. In seconds he left me smiling. I leaned behind Henri, looking between the others to find Erik on the ground and gave him a thumbs-up, too. He smiled and put a hand over his heart like he was relieved.
I faced Hale. “How are you today?”
“Good,” he said tentatively. “Listen, I wanted to apologize again for yesterday. I didn’t mean to—”
I waved my hand, stopping him. “No, no. As I’m sure you can imagine, this is a bit stressful for me.”
“Yes. I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes.”
“I would want to be in yours!” I exclaimed, looking down. “I love these!”
“Thank you. Do they work all right with the tie? I like to experiment, but I’m starting to second-guess.”
“No. You make it all work.”
Hale beamed, thrilled to be past his first impression and on to the second.
“So, it was you who said you’d prove yourself to me each day, yes?”
“Indeed it was.” He seemed pleased I remembered.
“And how will you do that today?”
He considered. “If you feel the slightest bit unsteady, my hand is here for you. And I promise not to let you fall.”
“I like that one. You think you’ve got it bad, try this in heels.”
“We’re opening the gates!” someone called. “Hold on!”