Chapter Twenty-Six
Elek
She was radiant as she walked up to me, her grin as bright as her shimmering dress and glittering lotus hair piece. The baby blue sleeveless top had a fabric that shifted the shade in the sunlight as her flowing skirt cascaded to the floor. A gloved hand extended towards me, which I readily accepted and bowed low before her to kiss it.
“Your beauty never dulls, does it?” I asked as I began to escort her towards the open carriage that would take us to the large temple on the hill.
She gazed up at me with what felt like confusion.
“I didn’t put that much thought into it.” She said, then looking down at her outfit.
The chuckle came up before I could stop it as I helped her into the carriage. As I climbed up I pecked her on the cheek before sitting beside her.
“That’s the point. You never have to try.”
A flood of pride washed through me as her cheeks turned scarlet. This was something I could become used to.
Even I had to admit that the Temple of Cato was an impressive sight. The frieze depicted their deity rising from the waves, with a storm rolling up with him. It was held up by massive columns, each containing a sea dragon wrapping around them from the bottom and curling up towards the tops. The inside was extraordinary with identical columns paralleling one another from the front to the back of the building. A ceiling high marble statue of Cato stood proud in the back, with a priestess kneeling before it in prayer before she performed the marriage ceremony.
Chairs lay in uniform before the altar with off-white cloth draped over each of them and tied down with sapphire ribbons. The carpet laid out leading up to the place of nuptials was the same shade, with white rose petals littering it. Sun cascaded in from a large circular window behind Cato, as paralleling stained glass windows on the walls allowed for various dancing colors to shine in as they depicted the other deities and the goddess herself.
The goddess herself… I turned to take in my wife, though we had yet to be legally bound. The laws of the gods held more weight than those of the common man or lesser being. And if the soul to the very goddess was standing right beside me then our very union was blessed in more ways than one.
In her eyes was the glimmer of wonder as she took in the same details as I had. It then hit me that she had never set foot in her own city’s place of worship. A pang in my chest threatened to turn into disgust until Huri came up from behind us and ushered us over to a balcony overlooking the altar. It was where the families would watch the merger together to promote the new bond that the union was about to bring.
“We can gawk at the glam of it all from our seats.” They said, pushing us with some urgency to find our places.
“This place is even more beautiful than I dreamed of.” Sera noted once she took her seat, her eyes still wide in awe. I hoped she would have the same wondrous glint in them when she saw snow and mountains for the first time.
“Well, your country is well known for its artisans.” I commented, not caring to admire the architecture anymore, as her naivety to the buildings in her own backyard still had me biting back some resentment towards her family.
Sera gave a soft smile, as if in thought before voicing her next words.
“I suppose that makes sense. The market is a perfect example of the talent that can be found here. I just never really put much thought into it I suppose.”
Huri gave a small huff from the seat directly behind us.
“This is nothing compared to what I’ve been cooking up for the two of you. If you think this is ritzy and glamorous, wait until you start walking down the aisle in Demarcus.”
When my twin sister began her descent towards the altar the entire room erupted in awe. Even the fairies viewed her in astonishment as the sun rolled right off her flowing air, giving her the image of someone blessed and anointed by the gods themselves. Of course, that was the magic that Huri had at their fingertips to cause such illusions, as they were the one who picked the time of the ceremony and designed Celina’s entire image for the day.
Unlike the binding ritual that Sera and I had taken part in, the ceremony before us was boringly traditional. The priestess asked for the gods to bless the union, with particular prayers being recited for Cato and Thanatos. Soon after the blessing came the shared wine that was poured into a golden chalice, and then finally the exchange of commitment bands before the declaration of the new husband and wife. It was almost painfully dull to watch, so instead I fixated my eyes on my own partner as she looked on in wonder and tearful eyes. Reaching over, I laid my hand upon hers.
Hastily she wiped her eyes with a handkerchief before turning to me.
“I’m just so happy for him. He looks so content,” she finally said, pointing towards her own sibling.
It was true, the docile human prince did seem to have an air of bliss about him as he and Celina walked towards the wide open doors at the front of the temple, where a golden carriage waited to bring them back up to the castle for the celebration. And even though I had my own biases towards him, I couldn’t fight the sensation of happiness for my sister as she walked towards the entrance with an expression of pure delight.
Obligations required me to dance with her soon after she had finished dancing with our father. I couldn’t even remember the last time we had danced together.
“I’m happy for you Elek.” Celina said, smiling up at me.
“Isn’t that what I’m supposed to say?”
She shrugged her shoulders slightly.
“Technically you sort of got married before me, so I should have said it before. But I do think she’ll be good for you. Maybe even take your mind off all the tasks you feel responsible for.”
“I keep our lands safe.” I countered.
“And no one can do it better.” She offered.
“But at least now you may have someone to share the burden with.”
It was never my intent to shed my responsibilities onto someone else, least of all the person I was bound to. I began to search for her, wanting to feel her presence, despite the dance not being over.
Once again, she was gliding around the room with that bastard, Anton. The man was as much of a thorn to my side as the fairies. He held her tightly and she laughed brightly at his words.
“He’s her friend, but she chose you.” Celina said, pulling my attention.
“Because I’m a different path. I’m almost as forced of a choice as her being locked away.”
My sister shook her head.
“Destiny may be playing with you but it was still her decision.”
When the music faded I bowed to my sister and went in search of my own bride. However, before I could reach her she had already been snatched away by Kellen. The second thorn in my side.
In such a public setting it would be unwise to snatch her back before the end of the dance. Instead I lingered near a pillar, impatiently waiting and observing from a distance.
“I heard that fairies can undo a dragon’s magic. Is that true?”
Anton came up beside me, voice tight.
“Not without damning repercussions brought down onto their nation and people.”
He appeared unfazed as he sipped on his chalice.
“You can’t make her happy and she needs more than a tyrant who values power over her.”
Always with the assumptions. That’s how many thought of me.
“She seemed quite satisfied and happy with me the other night in our shared bed.” I let slip, knowing I hit my mark as he coughed on his wine.
Lifting a fresh goblet up to my lips to hide my smirk, I kept my gaze lingering on Sera as Kellen began a conversation with her. Clearly I had hit a nerve as Anton soon left my side to congratulate the bride and groom.
The waltz seemed to continue on with no end in sight. With each beat I found myself growing more impatient as I watched her appear uncomfortable at his words. What could he have been saying?
Unease crept through the recesses of my mind, mingling with my own distaste for the situation. My thumb rolled the band on my finger, as I itched to draw near them.
As the instruments began to fade to a conclusion, Sera hastily ripped herself from Kellen’s arms and whirled around. Her eyes started to scan around her.
In a matter of a few strides I was by her side, resting a hand on her lower back. She looked up at me in relief and grinned.
“There you are.” She said, turning into my body for the next dance. Looking over her shoulder she glanced at the prince.
“Thank you for the dance. I hope you have a lovely trip home tomorrow.”
Kellen bowed before her, flashing out a hand to grip hers and bring it up to his lips to kiss.
“It would be far lovelier if you were to accompany me, but I wish you well nonetheless.”
I wondered how flammable his emerald tunic was as he strode away to join his father and brother. It would only take a small flick and then…
“Thank you for coming to get me.”
My thoughts halted as I met her gaze. The relief of my entrance unsettled me. Moving her into the waltz, I began to ask her about her conversation with him.
“He asked if I would reconsider and follow him to Silvania, telling me that he had someone who could reverse the Binding Ritual. I politely declined but he kept trying to lure me in with his words. It felt as though I were being suffocated.”
At least we would be leaving the following day as well and she would be unlikely to encounter him again if I had much control over it.
For the rest of the event she stayed beside me, politely declining when asked to dance with the exception of her brother, father, and that thorn Anton. After each dance with them, however, she would return to me face alight from being able to have the experience with them. I imagined that after the event when we were much younger, she wasn’t able to have such times with her father and brother. By the end of the night, however, a mild sense of dread seemed to form around her.
“Is everything alright?” I mustered as we prepared to sleep in her bed for the final time.
She had been subconsciously sighing since we returned to the room, especially when something in particular caught her eye. The view out the window. Sigh. Her writing desk. Sigh.
“It’ll just be an adjustment.” Her voice was soft, almost solemn.
I fought a grimace as my heart tightened.
“Do you regret binding yourself to me?” It came out before it was fully thought out.
Her eyes went wide.
“Of course not. It’s just that in the morning I will be saying goodbye to everyone and it’s a change that I don’t think I prepared myself for.” She admitted, climbing into the bed beside me, inching up to rest her head on my shoulder.
“Your aunt is coming.” I offered.
Again she sighed.
“But the others are going off to do their own thing. Laney’s free now and is planning to join Jelena in Kai. Elisa just submitted her application to become a guard for Celina, and some part of me wishes that I could just see how it all plays out for them. Another part wishes that we would have never had to separate.”
Guilt took hold of me as she began to cry softly. There was nothing I could say to cause her to feel differently about the following day, other than to lay there beside her and tightly embrace her as she allowed herself to say her silent farewells.
