At six, I stared over the balcony as the guests arrived. All of the women wore veils, but they also wore some of the most exquisite dresses I'd ever seen. One dress looked like an actual waterfall on a lady's body. It escaped being scandalous through a heavy hand with the foam. I gaped at all the finery and felt envy rise from me like an adder.

"So not fair..." I whined.

As I moaned about all the finery I couldn't wear, Emerlee appeared like a vision in a dress made of a thousand iridescent scales. She felt my scrutiny of her and looked up at me. Her lips curled into a sinister grin as she entered the archway to the right. 

I clattered down the steps as I tried to run after Emerlee, but Luke caught me by the hand before I could go charging after her.

"Why's she here!" I pointed towards the archway with a hiss.

"Do not make a scene, My Lady," Luke murmured into my ear. "Your grandfather insisted that she be allowed to come. I did not have enough evidence that she was responsible for trying to kill you to block it. I will make sure to keep an eye on her."

I turned to glare at him, then noticed that he was wearing a dark green tunic that made his copper hair glow. With the bronze-colored cape, he was stunning. It took me a few minutes of staring before I remembered my outrage. "Can't you uninvite her?"

"I cannot because she has the right to appeal to the high priestess. She will not win, so hold your head high."

I straightened my posture and nodded as I pulled my hand away. Although my heart raced the minute Luke's hand had held mine, I was angry that Emerlee could stroll around after trying to assassinate me.

More footsteps sounded on the stairs, so I turned from Luke. The guys were resplendent in velvet tunics and darker leather breeches in the same hue. Shining black boots were on their feet, and capes of complementary colors draped around their shoulders, fastened at their necks with my crest. Luis's attire was all black, except for a design down the front of the tunic that was reminiscent of icicles. Adrian wore a white tunic and a teal cape that brought the green out in his eyes. Dominic wore a blue tunic and a darker blue cloak. Erick was unhappy in yellow, for it did nothing for his skin.

"Oh my gosh, guys. You all look like studs!" I cried, forgetting about Emerlee for a moment.

Dominic grinned, and I noticed that the blue tunic made his gray eyes look just as blue. He tamed his hair by slicking it back, which made him look debonair. "Thanks, Matt. But, why are you wearing that?" He waved his hands up and down at my gray gunny sack.

"Rules," I said with a sulk.

"I'm sorry. I know how much you love color." Dominic patted my shoulder, and I put my hand over his. Cotton candy affection settled over me, and I smiled up at him.

Adrian brushed his tunic down as he stood next to me. "I rarely wear white."

"Well, it looks great on you," I gushed. "It makes your skin look amazing."

He blinked at me before grinning. "Thanks, Matt. You keep piling compliments on me, and I might get a colossal head."

I grinned back. "Well, we can't have that."

"Please," Luke said as he held out his hand. With a grumpy face, I took his hand and let him guide me forward.

My banmuinen followed like navy shadows behind us as we entered the archway and found the ballroom. My eyes searched the room for Emerlee, but I didn't see her among the crowd.

The footman saw us and stood at attention. Then he announced to us. "The Elect Madeline, daughter of the lost Brigid, and her Court."

There was a smattering of applause, but no one came to greet us until a young woman stepped forward. Instead of a full veil covering her face, her eyes were the only thing covered by a strip of semi-transparent lace. She had a pale, elfin face and her hair was a mass of auburn ringlets that shivered like aspen leaves when she walked. She was wearing a midnight blue robe and had a crown of silvery thorns and oak leaves on her head. It looked like an uncomfortable hat.

"Your Holiness," Luke said as he kneeled on one knee before her.

"Rise, devoted of Duir." Valenia's voice was whispery, as though she were constantly surprised.

She faced me with a smile. "The Brigid's daughter."

All the rules Luke had given me in that notebook crumbled from my mind like a sandcastle at high tide. I wasn't sure what to do, so I went down on my knees until she chuckled. "No... you and I are on equal standing. Rise, child."

Was I of equal standing with this goddess? Right, the notebook said that I had equal status. I closed my gaping mouth and rose.

"Excellent. Would you please get to know the nobles, dear child? I must confer with Luke about the lack of members in your court."

"But, your Holiness, I must protest! I should not be —"

"Nonsense, Luke. Come this way."

"Being apart from Elect Madeline would be —"

She glared at Luke, which quelled his arguments. With a final bow of defeat, he followed her.

As I watched her commandeer Luke, I felt possessive jealousy that made me question my sanity. No, it wasn't jealousy; it was just outrage that she could make Luke obey her even though he was the king.  My emotions must have traveled to him because he turned to look back at me with a look of surprised concern.  I drew in a breath and looked away.

The ballroom dazzled with festoons of glittery ribbons decorating the walls. Punctuating the ribbons were sprays of gilded flowers. The decorators spangled the ceiling with constellations made of tiny lights against a canopy of black velvet. Pillars of white provided support for the fabric. In the center of the room was a dais lifted by kneeling sculptures of broad-winged fairies with their heads thrown back and their long hair pooling around their feet. Seven broad steps made of solid amethyst allowed access to the dais. Set upon the dais was an altar that held a large gray stone that was square. Upon the stone were a plain silver goblet and a jeweled dagger. Behind the altar were three magnificent thrones that rose slightly above the altar.  The first throne was made of a silvery-white metal that was shaped into spindly branches. Golden oak leaves and acorns made of large rubies capped in gold clung to each branch. That must have been Duir's throne. There were two smaller thrones, both done in a similar style but without leaves or jewels.

The party guests were scattered throughout the ballroom. Some walked together, deep in conversation, and others sat alone at the tables that banked the outer perimeter of the room. Some stood in groups, laughing softly and murmuring. Most of the guests were willowy, ornate Sidhe that glittered in their finery. Most of the women had veils, but they'd decorated them with colorful jewels and shiny beads. A few women had no veils, but they seemed to be accompanying some dazzling Sidhe, so I assumed they might be servants. Mixed among the fashion-mag perfect beauty of the Sidhe were other races of the Fae. I saw a few satyrs, and the woman with the waterfall dress had blue hair and gills. The women from other races also wore no veils, and I wondered about that.

Off to the side, a tall, stick-like Fae raised his voice in a heated debate with a three-foot-tall man who was wearing a green hat. I wanted to know what they were arguing about, so I moved forward, but someone pulled me back by my hand and spun me around. Ciaran had me encircled with one arm and held my hand up as if he were about to dance with me.

"Hello, Princess," he crooned. A slender, ghostly root traveled from Ciaran and me. I felt that peace settled over me as something within me acknowledged that he was mine. My hand lifted and touched the side of his face as I gaped at him.

Not knowing what to say, I stated the obvious "I see you're already dressed to be part of my court." He was dressed all in silver, including the cape with my insignia at his neck. Multicolored beads broke up the monochrome look. 

"Of course. We made a deal."  He was looking at me with glee as he bent his head forward slightly to whisper in my ear. "Princess, what a naughty thing to do to me, connecting me to you. I never agreed to this when I asked to be in your court."

 A shiver ran down through my body and made me draw up on my toes as if being pulled by a string.

"W-what? I hadn't-hadn't meant —" I sputtered. I was staring into those ever-changing eyes of his as I tried to form a rebuttal, but a strange delirious feeling passed between our connection, and I closed my eyes.

"Oh my..." His breath held then flowed across my ear in a whispered laugh, then he clutched me tighter to himself.

"What's going on?" I gasped as my body froze in shock. The sensation flowing between us was like trying to read the Akashic record from end to end in one night. It was living electricity, and I felt as though some force had inserted me into a communion of many souls all in one person. I opened my eyes and his gaze caught me in the storms that flashed within his eyes. I had felt within the immensity of thousands of interconnected roots his delight. I staggered, and he hauled me up and steadied me.

"Careful, Sweet." he purred.

"You're not a Fae. You're some sort of god..." I shuddered and clutched him convulsively as I fell deeper into the sensation. I wanted to live there. In all my years, I'd never felt such a belonging, and my loneliness stretched toward it like a lifeline.

"No, I'm not a Fae." He caressed my back soothingly. "Relax your body, Princess, and pull back."

I belonged there. One part of many, and all parts being one -- a hub that attached many spokes which connected other hubs. It was how it should be. "I don't want to..."

My words brought a low chuckle from Ciaran, but it held a note of worry, "You must, or we might take out half of Aleria from this power building up..." His hand caressed the nape of my neck soothingly.

"I don't think I can..."

"Let me try then..." It felt like a physical touch when he spread out the rootlets from his connection to me and gently pried us out of the collective. Feeling empty from the loss, I tugged away from him and stepped back, then swayed as I tried to reorient myself with reality. His sparkling gaze swept over my face as he reached beneath my veil and wiped a tear from my eye.

"That should never have been able to happen, Princess." Ciaran sounded breathless. Then he lifted my veil, and we stared at each other.

I pushed his hands down, and my veil fell back into place. Even though logic said he did the right thing, I felt annoyed that we stopped. "What happened  to us?" 

When could I do it again?

"Something only The Trees can do, lovely, mystifying Princess." He cupped my chin. "With eyes like yours, why didn't I guess? I believe I know the Tree who fathered you." He laughed again, but I failed to see what was so funny. "What a wonder you are. Our connection changes everything."

"What are you talking about? Who's my father?" My voice was breathless because he still had me captured, but I was coming around. "Speak plainly."

Any further questions ceased when he bent to my ear and whispered things in a language that sounded like wind chimes and rustling branches. I felt the collective sing within his voice, and I clutched him as a yearning to reattach to it rose within me.

I heard my father's name within the chimes and song that was Ciaran's language, and he was a solitary hub named Straif. Ciaran himself was a hub with but a single branch that attached him to me. If I were honest about what the hubs were, I would call them trees.

Ciaran had said what we did was only done by Trees. I'd heard the capital letter in his voice. When he'd stopped whispering, I realized I was back to being plastered against him. 

"The Straif?" I looked up at him. He'd bent his head and our lips were nearly touching.

Ciaran's eyes flashed in surprise again, then he pressed his lips to my forehead, disappointing me, "Understanding what I said seals it. You are one of us, an Edentree."

I staggered out of his embrace in shock, but Luis caught me and prevented me from asking further questions.  My best friend put his arms around my waist, so I could feel his chest rumbling when he growled, "What did you do, you pink-haired K-pop refugee?"

I took in a steadying breath then pinched Luis on his arm. "Chill. Look at his chest." 

Luis looked at Ciaran's chest, where the root was firmly attached and linked to my chest. "Oh." He sounded so despondent that I reached up and patted his cheek.

Ciaran chuckled and put a hand on Luis's shoulder. Luis shrugged it off, which made the... Being, Yes, Being, with the capitalization, laugh harder. "Relax, Puppy. I will not keep you from your favorite toy, but you will have to learn to share."

Oh geez. Was Ciaran trying to make Luis hit him?

After Ciaran walked off to introduce himself to Adrian and Dominic, who were camped out in front of the food table, I had to hold on to both of Luis's arms around me to keep him from going after him. His jealousy scraped against my mind until I winced.

"I said chill, Doofus! If you get into a fight, the one who loses is me!" I tried to pry his hands away from me.

Luis wasn't ready to let go and tightened his embrace. "What was he doing to you, Matt? You don't know this, but you were both glowing. The entire party had stopped because of you two."

"Really?" I said faintly. I'd been in the moment too much to realize that, so I shook my head. "I don't know what he did, but..."

I wanted him to do it again. I liked feeling like I was part of something so vast.  I shook my head to dislodge that desire and looked around. Many people were whispering and pointing. Luke and Valenia were facing me as they stood across the ballroom and discussed something with concern.

"Keep close to me, Matty. I don't trust anyone here," Luis said.

I grimaced. "I don't either." 

Not even you, Luis.