  &quot;Oh, Aerys,&quot; Juniper sighs dreamily as she drops my veil into place. It's the big day, the day my life changes forever, the day I exchange my family name for the name of a family I did not know existed a year ago.
  The day that, if everything goes according to plan, changes everything for my grandmother, as well.
  I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous, and it has very little to do with the wedding. I couldn't care less how I look right now. I'm more worried about tonight, and dealing with Xenia de Poitiers, and how this will affect the war.
  &quot;You look absolutely beautiful,&quot; Juniper continues, trying to shake me out of my reverie. Kyla, Malina, and Torcuil's sisters stand nearby, voicing their agreement while making the last minute adjustments to their own dresses. Kyla comes up to me with tears in her eyes and crushes me in a hug.
  &quot;I'm so glad I get to b

  Deafening silence. Where is Dmitri? Anxiety floods my consciousness, which has been set quite ill at ease by the disappearance of my necklace. Within me swirl shards and broken fragments of things I used to remember. My arms are around Kyla, whose face looks like she's feeling the same thing I am: Something just broke. I gently release her and rise unsteadily to my feet. I have to find Dmitri.
  &quot;Aerys?&quot; a warm, velvety, anxiety-tightened male voice questions. I turn towards the voice and my eyes are captured by a pair of flaming orbs.
  &quot;Dmitri,&quot; I breathe, relieved that he is close by. For a moment, we just stand staring at each other, taking each other in. There's a hole in his tuxedo shirt, which is stained with blood. His eyes reveal tightly coiled anticipation, desire, anxiety. All I want is to set him at ease.
  The next moment, we're in each other's arms, cl

  &quot;DMITRI!&quot;
  My own scream scares me out of slumber. Heart pounding, breathing ragged. Where am I? What happened? My terrified eyes drink in the darkness of my room with a heady mixture of relief and confusion as remnants of my nightmare flit through my mind on spectral wings.
  Wedding bells
  Wild-eyed gunman
  Bullet too quick, can t stop time
  Bloodstained smile
  Bloodstained tuxedo
  Broken necklaces
  Broken love
  Dark purple clouds
  Old man with a vulture s leer
  &quot;Aerys?&quot; Dmitri s concerned, sleep-heavy voice calls from my doorway.
  &quot;Aerys, are you all right?&quot; Kyla inquires, pushing past my fiancé to come to my bedside. &quot;I could hear you screaming downstairs, sister. What s the matter?&quot;
  &quot;I m sorry. I didn t mean to disturb you, either of you. It was just a nightmare,&quot; I reply slowly, my eyes darting back and forth between 

&quot;Oh, Aerys,&quot; Juniper sighs dreamily as she drops my veil into place. It's the big day, the day my life changes forever, the day I exchange my family name for the name of a family I did not know existed a year ago.
  The day that, if everything goes according to plan, changes everything for my grandmother, as well.
  I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous, and it has very little to do with the wedding. I couldn't care less how I look right now. I'm more worried about tonight, and dealing with Xenia de Poitiers, and how this will affect the war.
  &quot;You look absolutely beautiful,&quot; Juniper continues, trying to shake me out of my reverie. Kyla, Malina, and Torcuil's sisters stand nearby, voicing their agreement while making the last minute adjustments to their own dresses. Kyla comes up to me with tears in her eyes and crushes me in a hug.
  &quot;I'm so glad I get to be here to see this,&quot; she whispers in my ear.
  &quot;I wish I could have been present for yo

Chapter 62 The Wedding