Chapter 13 Sam
Sam
A year later…
White paper lanterns hung from the branches, swaying gently in the spring breeze.
Tables draped in tie-dyed cloth dotted the clearing, adorned with wildflower centerpieces.
People milled about in semi-formal wear—flowing dresses, linen suits, the occasional splash of ceremonial color.
The air smelled of greenery and incense, with undertones of curry from the feast being prepared at the communal kitchen.
Morning Wood was in full swing.
I slipped through the crowd unnoticed—a skill I’d perfected over the past year. When you become something that exists between worlds, you learn to move without disturbing either one.
Finding the hunting blind was easy now that the land spoke to me, though I hardly recognized it. The pressboard was no longer alive, but it was softened by fabric panels in white and gold. As I approached, I heard familiar laughter spilling from inside.
“I still can’t believe you chose this place for the ceremony,” came Bethany’s voice, light and amused.
“Where else?” Callie replied. “This is where I fell in love with you.”
I smiled to myself and pushed aside the curtain that served as the bridal suite’s door.
They stood together in the center of the old hunting blind, both in diaphanous white gowns that captured and held the sunlight streaming through the slats.
Callie was adjusting a willow crown on Bethany’s head—dried branches woven into a perfect circle.
Bethany was fussing with Callie’s small bouquet of wildflowers, making sure the ribbon lay just so.
They looked up when I entered, and their faces broke into identical expressions of joy.
“Sam!” Callie rushed forward, careful not to step on her dress. She embraced me tightly, then pulled back to study my face. “God, you look amazing. I’ve missed you so much.”
“You act like it’s been forever,” I laughed. “We had a video chat last month.”
“Not the same,” she insisted, touching my hair, which had grown nearly to my waist now, wild and untamed in a way my former self would have found horrifying. “The screen doesn’t capture…whatever this is. You’re glowing.”
If she only knew. I wondered what she would say if she saw my true form—the one Faelan had helped me embrace, the one where my pale green skin took on the texture of aloe leaves, where my hair tangled with vines and flowers, where my eyes reflected the deep viridian of forest shadows.
But that revelation could wait. Today belonged to them.
“I can’t believe you made it,” Bethany said, squeezing my hands. “When we didn’t hear from you this past week...”
“I wouldn’t miss this for anything,” I said. “We just took…the scenic route.”
Now was not the time to explain that Faelan and I had traveled from the redwood forests of California, moving through root systems and underground streams, emerging each night to rest beneath different stars before sinking back into the earth with the dawn.
The journey that would have taken a few hours by plane had been a slow, intimate communion with the land—one that left us both vibrating with energy.
“Well, you’re here now,” Callie said, “and that’s what matters. What do you think?” She gestured to her dress, a simple slip of fabric that seemed to float around her. “Too much? Not enough?”
“Perfect,” I said, and meant it. I reached for her small bouquet, which was already starting to wilt. “But maybe this could use a little something…”
I cupped the flowers in my hands, feeling the familiar tingle as the forest energy flowed from my center, down my arms, through my fingers.
The bouquet swelled and transformed, blooms unfurling, stems lengthening, colors deepening until Callie held a lush cascade of wildflowers that looked as if they’d been gathered from an enchanted meadow.
“Oh,” Callie breathed, eyes wide. “How did you…?”
“New hobby. I’ve taken up floral arrangement.”
Before she could question me further, I turned to Bethany, whose dried willow crown was elegant, but austere.
“May I?” I asked, reaching toward her head.
She nodded, curious. I ran my fingers over the twisted branches, encouraging rather than commanding.
The willow responded instantly, softening under my touch as tiny green buds appeared along the wood.
Within moments, the crown had burst into bloom, delicate catkins and small leaves creating a living circlet.
Bethany’s hands flew to her head, touching the transformation with trembling fingers.
“I knew it,” she whispered. “I knew it.”
The brides exchanged looks—equal parts bafflement and wonder—but neither pressed further. Some questions were for best kept for after the ceremony, when we could sit beneath the stars and I could confirm what they’d already suspected.
“We should get ready,” Callie said finally. “Randy will be waiting.”
“Randy?” I raised an eyebrow. “You’re having him officiate?”
“He got ordained online,” Bethany explained with a small laugh. “And he’s actually...changed. You’ll see.”
As if summoned by his name, a figure appeared in the doorway. I almost didn’t recognize him. Gone was the homemade druidic robe, the unkempt beard, the air of desperate seeking. In their place stood a man in a well-made linen suit, his beard neatly trimmed, his posture relaxed but confident.
“The guests are seated,” he said, then noticed me. His eyes widened slightly. “Sam. Welcome back.”
There was something different in the way he looked at me—a cautious respect that hadn’t been there before. I wondered what he saw, what traces of my transformation were visible to those who knew what to look for.
I nodded. “Nice suit.”
“Thanks.” Randy smoothed his lapel self-consciously. “I took a job with an environmental advocacy group. Turns out you can effect more change from inside the system than shouting at it from the woods.”
“Who would have thought?” I said, but without the bite that would have colored my words a year ago.
He lingered a moment, as if wanting to say more, but then turned to the brides. “Whenever you’re ready. The music will start when you reach the meadow.”
The ceremony was being held in a lush field that had once been a parking lot.
Chairs filled with friends and family formed a ring around a stone circle—including my horrible ex.
I managed not to gloat too much at the way his jaw dropped when he got a look at me, because I honestly didn’t give him a second thought anymore.
Not when I only had eyes for the Green Man.
My breath caught as it always did when I saw Faelan now.
He’d taken his human form for the occasion—his wild hair tamed into a loose braid, his clothes a simple linen shirt and pants that wouldn’t look out of place at a woodland wedding.
But his eyes gave him away—deep and green as the heart of the forest, ancient and knowing.
His expression shifted when he saw me. That quiet, easy smile undid me, just as it always had, no matter the guise.
Through our bond, I sensed his pleasure at seeing me, his amusement at my role as bridesmaid, his patience with this human ritual that meant so little in the grand cycle of seasons, but everything to the moment we inhabited.
I took my place beside him as Callie and Bethany prepared to walk the circle. The music began—not the traditional wedding march, but something older, played on wooden flutes and hand drums.
“They look happy,” Faelan’s voice was like rustling leaves.
“They are,” I replied.
“And you?” he asked, though he already knew the answer. He could feel my contentment through our bond as clearly as I felt his curiosity about the ceremony.
“I’m exactly where I need to be.”
Around us, a hush stole over the grove—the birds quieted, the breeze ebbed, and the very earth beneath our feet grew still. It was as if the land itself was bearing witness to this moment of human joy.
The brides stepped forward, hands entwined.
And as Randy spoke the words that would marry my best friend to the woman who had captured her heart, I felt my own heart expand with gratitude for the unexpected path that had led me here—to this day, this place, this form, this love.
To a life poised between worlds, rooted in both, belonging to all.
The wind picked up again, carrying the scent of wildflowers and possibility. Somewhere in the distance, thunder rumbled—a promise of rain, and renewal, and beginnings disguised as endings.
I smiled and slid my hand into Faelan’s. Our roots were deep, and our future was wide open.
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