Dream Weavers

Chapter Seven

Aline waved goodbye to Quill, watching him dart away to the male side of the ballroom, and took Hallee's hand in hers. Giving it a small squeeze, she could feel her gentle tug.

"You good? Your hands are sweaty," Hallee remarked as she fluttered over to their spots. The chair were set up with names written on folded pieces of paper. She let out a laugh when Aline tried to pull away. "It's fine, honestly."

Aline nodded, watching the fae still trickle in from outside. Some seemed nervous, others seemed confident, and some didn't even show. "Do you think that my family will be waiting outside?" she whispered, watching fae start to settle into the ballroom.

Hallee looked pained for a moment. "I think so. They seem to be really supportive of you."

Aline looked over at Hallee and frowned. "If your family doesn't come, my family can celebrate you and me, okay?" she promised, smiling. "They'd be missing out if they didn't come."

Hallee smiled at Aline, a little sorrowful, before looking toward the stage. "Thanks, Aline. That means a lot."

Aline fluttered her wings, looking up at the stage. She watched in awe as Queen Maeve stepped out. Her tail twitched from nerves and she wrapped it around one of the legs of the chair. The cold sent a shock up her spine, making her shudder.

Queen Maeve pressed down her fluffy dress, fixing the crown atop of her head. She sat with her hands in her lap, waiting for the murmurs to die down. Looking patient as ever, her sharp pink eyes scanned over the crowd.

Aline could see fae pointing to her and whispering before it died down. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see fae with lunar moth wings fluttering around, silencing those who still spoke in hushed tones.

Queen Maeve stood. "Fae children of Somnium. You have no idea how much joy this brings me to see so many new fae in the workforce. Although we might have lost a few along the way," she said, pausing to take a deep breath, "it does not matter. Those who have stayed and followed the rules will be rewarded."

Another pause as a fae with white hair fluttered in, a smaller crown atop of her head. She handed a list to Queen Maeve, giving a wink to her as she fluttered back offstage. Her curled tail twitched, showing that she was just as nervous or more than Queen Maeve was.

"That's Princess Wen, Queen's Maeve's soon-to-be bride," Hallee half-whispered, watching her fly offstage. A royal shushed her and Hallee apologized, scratching her head.

Aline just nodded, half-listening. She kept her eyes on the queen instead as she listed out names. Aline's wings practically vibrated with nerves and she leaned against the back of the chair to make them stop moving.

"It brings me great honor to read off the names of the two fae that have shown outstanding effort among the entire class of Travelers," Maeve cleared her throat before reading the list, smiling slightly. "For the male Traveler class, please welcome Quill Lyons for the male valedictorian."

Aline almost burst into tears, clapping her hands furiously along with the other fae around her. She cheered for him, waving her hands as Quill found her and Hallee in the ground.

Quill waved back, speaking to the queen. He seemed flustered, but nodded. His face was red as ever, coral hair slightly messy from the male fae ruffling his head as he passed by. Shaking her hand, he was truly shining with happiness.

Once the cheering and clapping had gone down, she cleared her throat again and looked across the crowd. "For the female Traveler class, please welcome Aline Roux..."

Aline felt the blood rush into her ears as Hallee shook her, almost jumping onto her shoulders. Her heart soared as she pushed past fae, feeling them pat her back. Stepping onto the staircase, in her mind, it went silent. Each step was loud, echoing through the ballroom over the noise. Her hands were shaking.