Avangelique de Sahar stood at the edge of the castle she'd called home for her sixteen years, and she sensed the judgmental stares on her back. They'd been there her whole life, but now that she was a fairy, they whispered more. It practically crawled up her spine and into her ears like spiders and bugs. 

It had been months since she'd been to the castle in Cyra. The fairy isle still needed a lot of work. She'd managed to recruit a few new fairies, and they'd repaired most of the fairy palace. 

Time seemed to spin faster and without consequence the moment she became a fairy. The voices in her mind of the past empresses pressed into her head, occasionally giving her advice. It was strange because they'd always been a part of her, but at the same time, they'd never been this vocal. 

She'd needed time to settle. She didn't think she could do that in Sahar or Cyra. Neither place was really her home, after all. Even though it had been hard, leaving was one of the best things she'd done. 

Now that she had returned to Cyra, and all her emotions were back. Fletcher was king, and she'd seen him dance for the first time in her life. It brought tears to her eyes. He was like her big brother, and she cared about him just as much as she did about her own siblings. 

And Lorenzo...

Seeing him made her heart ache. She didn't quite understand what it was, but Lorenzo was different now. They'd always been close, but she'd seen him try to burn down the world on her behalf. That changed something between them into a mix of pain and longing. 

They were something broken and strange now. The former empresses all screamed that she should be worrying about wishes and restoring the isle, and she dreamed of Lorenzo. He was always there like a haze, reaching out his hand and drawing his sword to protect her against invisible foes. 

She understood that leaving broke his heart. As the fairy empress, she could feel each person's deepest desires. It was clear to her that Lorenzo craved her devotion and friendship more than his ability to breathe. He loved her with every drop in his soul. 

Avangelique had asked Rillian about his own mother. She wondered how the former empress Cressida had balanced her love for her son and partner. He'd looked sad and almost wistful when she brought it up. 

"My mother strayed from her duties once," he said. "My father was someone whose desires and wishes captured her fully and in a way she'd never experienced. He died when I was eight after he grew sick and refused any magic from my mother. He thought he was distracting her, and she despaired after his death, but in raising me, she found she could keep him with her."

"But how is falling in love straying?" Avangelique asked. 

"You can love," Rillian said. "In fact, you should, but as the fairy empress, your duty cannot solely be to one person. My mother was able to balance it in time, but it wasn't easy. That's why the empresses all caution against it. It's why the order always lets those who fell in love go. The sacrifice and compromise is more than most women can take."

That had taken a long time to set in. Since she was the empress, everything was expected of her. It seemed almost impossible that she could have more. After all, there was no one else with the capability to revive the fairies. It was all up to her, and if she failed, no one else had the ability to do the duty. 

She didn't want to stay away from Lorenzo. She had to for the good of the isle and the order. In time, she hoped he'd forget about her, or maybe he'd understand. 

Avangelique had been nervous about helping with Fletcher and Elowen's wedding. It was her duty as empress to crown the kings and queens of Cyra. Unfortunately, it brought her back home, and she'd seen Lorenzo's pleading eyes in the crowd during the ceremony.

She tried to block it out. Still, his look haunted her and followed her around. She couldn't get him out of her head. His desires beckoned to her. It lured her in like a fish on a line. 

She snuck out of the ball after the wedding and into the gardens. The cool ground swept into her bare feet, and she knew exactly how much magic was around her without even trying. All the guests were enjoying the party, and it was quiet except for the humming of bugs. 

Avangelique slumped against a bench near the center of the garden. She took a breath in to let in a puff of fresh air. Lorenzo's face appeared every time she closed her eyes. Groaning, she put her head in her hands. 

She heard footsteps, and her heart sank. The new fairies in her order seemed to follow her moods almost magically. They came when she was distressed and upset. She'd only brought Elowen's step-stepsisters to Cyra for the wedding because she wanted them to see Elowen. 

She turned her head, and her traitorous heart sped up at the sight of a golden-haired boy. The dark shadows beneath Lorenzo's eyes tore her apart. He was broken, and it was all her fault. The guilt ate at her soul, but she couldn't be his everything. Not and also do her duties. 

"Zo," she said. "It's good to see you."

He snapped to attention at her voice. "Is it Ava? You've been avoiding me all night. How is it fair that everyone got a goodbye from you, and I heard you were leaving from your sister? I thought I meant more to you."

"You do," her heart broke. "But saying goodbye was one of the hardest things I've ever done. Saying goodbye to you—I couldn't do it, Zo. It would have broken me. I wouldn't have been able to leave."

"I never wanted you to," Lorenzo said. "Things were moving so fast after the balls. All of a sudden, you had to be in Sahar, and the next thing I knew, I was attending a coronation, and your sister was telling me that you had left. That broke me, Ava. You're my best friend, and you were gone."

"The fairies needed me," Avangelique said. "I have a duty and a legacy. Everything got complicated all at once. The empresses of the past are with me, and they aren't big on attachment."

Lorenzo stepped forward, and she allowed him to put an arm around her. He slid onto the bench beside her, and she reveled in his strength and warmth for a moment. Her head buzzed with voices of descent. Louraline was the loudest, begging her to stick to her duties and forget about the boy in front of her. 

"You're a child," the fairy chided in her mind. "You lack understanding of the matters of the heart not to be led astray from your mission."

It wasn't fair. She was only sixteen years old, and she had years left to live and restore the fairies. Lorenzo was her closest and oldest friend. He was right. She couldn't just cut him off. 

"I know nothing is fair, Ava." Lorenzo brushed one of her micro braids from her face. "But I don't want to be parted from you. I'm not sure if it's possible to be your friend. I think we're more than that. Even more than family. You're my soul, Avangelique, and I'll chase you my whole life if I have to because that's how much I love you. I wish... there has to be a way..."

Tears filled her eyes as the magic flared up around her. Lorenzo reached up and wiped away her tears with the calloused pad of his thumb. There was something here between them, more intense than any magic she'd ever felt. 

He didn't need to set stones to capture her attention. She'd encouraged wishes across the kingdoms lately, and she'd answered each one personally. This was Lorenzo, though. 

She could read his soul as easily as any book. His desperate intent was singularly focused, and he was right. He would spend his entire life chasing this—chasing her. 

"I know this is what you desire," Avangelique said. "And as a fairy, I can grant your wish."

Lorenzo's eyes widened, and it looked like he was slapped in the face. He released her and stood in a state of shock. She rose beside him with power thrumming through her veins, and her wings rose in the air. 

"You don't have to—" he held up his hands. "I'm not worthy, Avangelique. It was selfish of me."

He fell to his knees, and she felt the magic around her wane. She helped him up and threw her arms around him. His entire body shook, and he cried into her shoulder. 

"I love you too," she murmured. "And I've given this a lot of thought. I want you to come with me back to the isle."

"W-What?" He unburied his face and looked her in the eyes. "I thought... only members of the order can stay on the isle and men... they were never a part of the fairy order."

She smiled softly. "I'm the empress, and I'm not sure all the old ways should all come back. I want you beside me, Lorenzo. Even if you decide to leave later, I need my friend now. Please, come with me."

He held her close as if she were an apparition that might vanish at any moment. She helped him to his feet and held his hands tightly. Then he brushed a kiss on her cheek like a ghost of things that might come to be. 

It made her smile. After all, Lorenzo was always hers. He'd been the first person to make her feel like she belonged in Cyra, and he'd always been by her side. 

"I want to show you something," she said. "Then you can decide."

A warm glow surrounded them, and her wings pumped three times. She didn't need a portal to get home. Magic bent around them, and then they stood together on the beach of the fairy isle. 

"It's..." he looked around at the glowing plants in the jungle and the chirping of the frogs. "How did you do this?"

She blushed. "It all came back after I unlocked my magic. The isle practically sings now. It's taken a lot of work to get the palace up and running again, but I've been doing my best. Recruiting has taken up a lot of my time, too. Cressida had over a hundred fairies in her order. I've recruited seven."

"It'll take time," he squeezed her hand. "But I believe you'll find the right people for the job. You're Avangelique, the fairy empress. There's nothing you can't do."

She led him down the beach and through the jungle. Lightning bugs lit the way, flitting from leaf to leaf. He gasped as a glowing blue and purple butterfly burst out of the trees and flew in front of them. She laughed as it landed on their joined hands. 

"The whole isle comes to life when I'm around," she said. "It still gives me a rush every time."

"I love it," he said, and the butterfly took off again. "You're amazing, Ava."

Her face heated at his words. They continued up the path and up to the palace. He marveled at the restored stone and all the work she'd done to repair the inside. She ended her tour in front of the massive mirror.

The water was like glass and twinkled off the candles around the room. Lorenzo looked from her to the pool, and a shard of sadness crossed his face. She set her head on his shoulder, and he leaned against her.  

"The last time I was in this room, I wasn't sure if we could save you," he said. "And I wanted to do anything in my power to restore you. I couldn't let you suffer a fate worse than death. I would have rather died myself."

"I know," she said. "I saw you here from inside the mirror. My heart broke for you all. Now, we have a chance to make things right. You can be here and stay."

"You'd allow that?" Lorenzo asked. 

"Please stay here," she said. "We'll see if this works together. I need you, Lorenzo. I never wanted to leave without you, but the old empresses thought it was for the best. I'm deciding it's not. Please stay."

 Lorenzo looked into her eyes. It was a long shot. He was a prince, and he'd be giving up his family. Still, she knew his heart and his desires like her own. 

"Thank you," he said. "I understand I'm not old enough to make an official wish, but I promise that I will do anything to help you, Ava."

"I know you will," she stared at her friend, her love, her heart, and her soul. "And you have thousands more wishes until forever, and we can make them all come true."

He smiled, and she pushed onto her tiptoes to kiss him. The moment her lips caressed his warm ones, she knew this was right. Wishes were meant for everyone, even a formerly headache-ridden prince and an empress.