Rowan
I was sure I’d read somewhere that rain on your wedding day meant good luck. Something about knots getting wet being difficult to untie. So, when I rose to find the sun trying to break through the mist and the soft rain sprinkling upon the ground, I could only grin.
Today I was to be bonded. And there was nothing and no one that would ruin that for me.
We had chosen to have the ceremony in the evening, once the sun had set, which at this time of the year wasn’t as late as it sounded. Eudora was set to arrive just after dark and I was counting down the hours until then, desperate to see Caelan.
I had woken up without a single nerve, too excited the day was finally here.
Not only to cement my mate bond and tie myself to the man I loved, but to hopefully put an end to the curse that afflicted the Dark Fae.
If the prophecy held true – and we were all sure it would – then once our bond ceremony was concluded, the curse would be broken.
However, it would be a few days before we would be able to confirm that was the case.
Over breakfast the day prior Aenan had told me he had scouts in place to advise us as soon as it was done.
It was one of the reasons he had been away for so long.
I didn’t want to burden myself with the weight of fate, preferring instead to embrace the idea that today’s significance was rooted in my own choices.
So I went about the day with not a worry in mind, eager for night to fall.
Jesmina helped me to get ready. She styled my hair so it was braided on the top of my head with small ringlets curling down about my face.
Atop she placed a silver tiara, one she advised me had been my mother’s.
It was intricately designed, its swirling tendrils bejewelled with teardrop crystal beads.
Or so they appeared to me. I wouldn’t let myself believe that they were genuine diamonds.
Delicate silver leaf motifs were woven into its structure, each encrusted with glistening crystals that caught the light.
Small silver chains cascaded down the back, gracefully draping over my hair like a shimmering silver veil.
Once the tiara was securely fastened in place, I took a moment to admire my reflection. How different I appeared compared to the lost, lonely girl who had looked back at me from the mirror all those months ago in my parents’ former home. A different world. A different life. A different me.
Instead of tears, anticipation sparkled in my eyes. Catching Jesmina’s gaze, I gave her one last smile and, with excitement swirling through my veins, stepped into the hall, ready to embark on the next chapter of my life.
Aenan waited for me at the bottom of the stairs.
He looked so handsome dressed in his dark grey tunic, the overcoat cut to perfection.
Silver buttons ran down the front, and our family crest – just like the one on the wall – was embroidered on the left breast. The stitching of the stag’s head, the seven-pointed antlers, the swords…
It left me with no doubt as to who had created the masterpiece.
I smiled at him when I reached his side. Having a twin like him felt like winning life’s greatest lottery, and I was still in awe of the bond between us. One that had fallen so effortlessly in place when we had first met.
“You look stunning,” he advised, tucking my arm in his.
“Thank you,” I replied as we began to walk. “You do too. Well, handsome, that is.”
He gave me a grin as we reached the conservatory. “Ready?” he asked, reaching for the door.
“Wait!”
He hesitated an inch from the handle.
“Aenan, I wanted to thank you.”
“Thank me? What for?”
“For being you,” I said, not entirely sure how to articulate how I felt.
I took a deep breath and tried again. “For everything you have done for me. For holding me in the dark when I was lost and afraid. For not even thinking twice before coming to my rescue. For keeping the love in our bond alive for twenty-five years, trusting it would lead me back to you. For pushing me, and teasing me, and showing me just how annoying a brother can be.” I smiled cheekily at him before continuing.
“For being a pillar of strength when I needed it most, and for putting up with me when I made you stand in the rain.”
“For the last time, I didn’t stand in the rain,” he grumbled, rolling his eyes.
“I love you. I couldn’t have wished for a better brother, and I am so glad we met again.” I placed a soft kiss on his cheek and he returned it with one of his own, wiping away the tear that had escaped following my speech.
He gazed at me with affection. “I love you too. I always have. And I always will. Though if you continue to torment me, I may have to rethink that.” The twinkle in his eye told me he was joking.
Loosing a breath, I said, “All right. Now I’m ready.”
He reached for the door again, and this time, he opened it.
My eyes were immediately drawn to the front of the room. To where the man I had been longing for all my life stood.
My one true love.
My soul mate.
Dressed entirely in black, he made my heart weep with joy.
His outfit exuded strength and elegance and a touch of regality.
His jacket was tailored to his physique, the Wyndaryn crest subtly stitched in black.
It hugged his broad shoulders, accentuating the powerful frame beneath.
His pants were tapered and perfectly emphasised the strong lines of his legs.
As I moved closer, held tight by Aenan, I could see the love shining from Caelan’s eyes. Something deep inside me stirred at that, and the warm glow I always felt when I was around him began to swell. When my eyes locked with his, it felt like we were the only two people in the room.
In the world.
I barely noticed the stars sparkling in the night sky high above. Or how the Solarflies twinkled like fairy lights hung about the room. I barely noticed Eudora, a smile on her weathered face, standing ready to officiate the ceremony. Or the petal-strewn carpet Aenan walked me down.
I only had eyes for Caelan. Everything narrowed until all I could see was him. The man I loved. The man I was in love with. The man whose soul I chose to share my own with, and his with mine.
Mine.
And I was his.
When I reached him and he smiled, a profound sense of peace washed over me. This felt right. This was right.
Aenan placed a soft kiss on each of my cheeks before turning to Caelan.
They clasped arms, exchanging a hug, and Aenan stepped back.
With his arms crossed behind his back and his posture straight, he nodded at Eudora, indicating for her to begin.
I turned my attention forward, but Caelan gently took my hands, guiding me to face him.
“You are so beautiful, you take away my ability to breathe,” he said. “You are my life. My love. My heart.”
My eyes prickled with tears of happiness, and I couldn’t have looked away from him if I tried. Even when Eudora cleared her throat.
“In the presence of the gods,” she said, “we gather here tonight to celebrate the binding of these two souls, joined together not only in heart, but in spirit.” She turned to me.
“Before the eyes of the gods and all who bear witness, will you, Rowan Aelyra Ladeyn Wyndaryn, vow to honour and cherish Caelan, to stand by his side through all the seasons of life, unto eternity?”
“I will.”
“And will you, Caelan Lachlann Mystwood, vow to honour and cherish Aelyra, to stand by her side through all the seasons of life, unto eternity?”
“I will.”
“If you would please face me and hold out your right hand, Aelyra, and Caelan, your left.”
I held out my right hand, placing it next to Caelan’s.
He linked his arm beneath mine so our pinkie fingers were side by side.
Eudora took a small jewelled dagger from the table beside her and made a swift incision on my palm, then replicated the action on Caelan’s.
Crimson drops welled up, tiny beads of commitment.
Placing a hand beneath each of ours, she guided our palms together.
“If you would both repeat after me.” Her voice carried the weight of the gods she represented.
“As our hands are entwined, so too are our souls. With this binding we pledge to love each other for all eternity, honouring the divine, but also ourselves. Together, we shall walk the ancient path, hand in hand, our hearts as one.”
Taking a silver ribbon, Eudora began to weave an intricate pattern around our joined hands, the metallic thread glinting in the soft light of the Solarflies.
Speaking in a language I could not understand, she uttered the sacred words.
They flowed forth in a melodic cadence, carrying an otherworldly resonance that stirred something deep within me.
Aenan, who still stood behind us, translated, and as the ribbon tightened around our clasped hands, the same feeling echoed in my mate bond. As if spirit ribbons were weaving around it, binding our souls together within.
“By the ancient spirit that flows through all things, I now invoke the blessings of the divine upon this union. Let the gods bear witness to the eternal union of these two souls, bound together in love, now and forevermore.”
A pulsating energy enveloped us, and when the final word was spoken, a tingle danced across the back of my neck before racing down my spine.
As I watched, the silver ribbon dissolved into nothingness, disappearing into our skin.
Turning to Caelan in wonder, I was met with a gaze so intense, so brimming with adoration, that it threatened to consume me whole.
In his eyes, I saw the reflection of my soul. Of my love. As if driven by fate, we drew closer, then closer still, until our lips met in a tender kiss.
Something within me exploded as I felt our souls converge. Our bond unite. A myriad of emotions welled within me, flowing through my chest. Through my veins. Through my heart. Love. Happiness. Awe. Joy. Hope. Peace.