“It’s the perfect gown to wear to become a princess,” Dora said.

Cass twisted his head around to catch her eyes. “Little bean, she’s always been a princess and now she is queen.”

She peered up at him and replied, “I know, Cass. But today, she becomes a princess.”

He saw this had some meaning for her he did not understand.

But from the moment the knowledge he had a daughter cut through his grief at losing his wife, he knew there would be many things he would not understand, and he’d reconciled then to let that be.

So, in that moment, he let that be and simply smiled at his girl.

She pressed her cheek again to his back and Cassius looked forward to the looming Combined Cathedral that rose grandly at the top of the cliffs opposite the Sky Citadel, its five, high, black spires spiking into a clear, blue sky.

It was called thus, for unlike other temples that were sanctioned for a certain god, the cathedral was where those who went to worship could worship any Airenzian god they needed.

There were lesser ones, but most all worshipped the greater ones, some of them more than others, but at some point, everyone cast their prayers to all.

There was Jupiter, the sky god, Summanus, the thunder god, and Sol, the sun god.

There were also Lune, the god of moon and night and Aurorus, the god of the dawn.

But in olden times, Lune was Luna, a goddess, and Aurorus was Aurora, also a goddess.

However, since Airenzian men refused to worship female deities, they’d been changed.

Which meant their gods were a farce too, for if they were real, they wouldn’t likely thrill to the idea of changing their gender.

Though, as Cassius thought it, this was why the female gods cast the pall Airen lived under, for such hubris and blasphemy from man deserved punishment.

Cass did not know of any Airenzian king that had been married at the cathedral.

This, too, was Ellie’s idea, for Airenzian kings married in a small chapel at the Citadel, or in the throne room, such was their desire to share this event mattered little.

Though, he reckoned, with this spectacle occurring in the “New Airen,” marriage ceremonies would enjoy a resurgence.

He sighed, held his daughter close, listened to the clop of many horses, the cheers of the crowd and watched the wisps of color drift through the air as the basilica came closer.

And through this he thought, she was his already, but after this day, she would be his officially.

Plus, their daughters would enjoy the day.

So indeed, yes.

He could put up with it.

And a bonus, they neared the cathedral, so it would be over soon.