“It will work, Klaus,” she told me as if she read my mind. “We will get our happily ever after, grow old together, and have children. I just wonder if you’ll feel the same about me when I have wrinkles marring my face.”
“I have waited three hundred years to see wrinkles on your face and your hair gray as we play with our grandchildren. I will love and appreciate every single wrinkle on your body,” I promised her.
She blushed, “I love the thought of that.” Her face fell and I wondered what memory changed her mood so quickly.
“Tell me what’s in that head of yours, Lorelei,” I said gently, as I swept a lock of her hair away from her eye.
“I just wonder how we will live our lives with my father still out there trying to get me back to the island. I worry that we will always have to stay away from the water and,” her voice hitched, “what if one of our children decides to go on a trip to the Rhine when they are older? Will he recognize my blood in them?”
It was something I thought much about and had talked to one of the coven members about while I waited for Lorelei’s ordeal to be over. “I think there is a way to stop that from happening. You don’t become you until you regain your memories, so I’m sure there is something that can be done.”
She looked down at her almost empty plate. “I didn’t get the chance to tell you about one of the memories yet. One that you don’t know about because you weren’t there. I was on a trip with my friends after I graduated high school. I was eighteen and on a river tour of the Rhine. My father drowned me even though I didn’t know who he was or anything. My sister was there and couldn’t stop him either.”
I squeezed her hand. “I didn’t know that. I’m sorry, Lorelei. That must have been so painful for you, and I wish I could take that memory away. I think we need to talk to Maddalina and find out if there’s anything she can do. If not, we will keep our children far away from Germany and his reach.”
The revelation shook me because it was much worse than I thought. I had wondered how he made it to us so quickly when we crossed that river, and now it seemed as though he knew much more about Lorelei than I expected.
“I’m sure we can figure something out. Maybe we will tell stories that will scare them just as people tell about the Black Forest,” she let out a half-hearted laugh. “Anyway, I need to bathe. Is there anywhere here to do that?”
I showed her the way to the communal showers, a bit of a marvel with the way they used an aqueduct system to get the water to their village from the surrounding forest. I knew she would be fine, but I asked one of the witches to keep an eye on her while I spoke to Maddalina about the problem with King Nix.
.
Seated in the middle of a circle facing Klaus, the coven members surrounded us. Smoke from the torches of incense and candles made the warm morning air thick and I held back a cough. The morning’s breakfast churned in my stomach as one of the women began to strike a drum. The loud thumping pattern was beautiful, yet, I was unable to fully appreciate it with how emotional I was.
Klaus squeezed my hand and I could see the nerves in his own eyes. I gave him a small smile for comfort, but I didn’t think either of us would be able to relax until it was over. It was anyone’s guess whether this would work or not. I knew Maddalina assured us that it would, but the logical part of my brain was still fighting this magical world that I didn’t know existed.
Maddalina stepped up to us and laced the length of braided reeds around our wrists, binding them together as she spoke in the ancient Faroese of her ancestors. Surprise filled me when I understood the words she spoke as if she were speaking in my native English.
“I call to the Fates to release the souls that have been bound by darkness and make them whole again. The price has been paid and I call on you, Freyja, to release the curse set upon the siren Lorelei and the immortal man Klaus. Let their souls return to the Earth as was meant to be and bind them to each other.”
Klaus looked uncomfortable and I knew he didn’t know what she said, so I rubbed my thumb over his own in reassurance. His shoulders relaxed somewhat before Maddalina poured a foul liquid over the ropes. She continued to speak, “I call to thee to release the siren from her prison, the object her soul rests inside, and return it to make her whole again. Lift the curse of death and rebirth.” Once she spoke the last words, her thumb made a mark on my forehead and one on my heart. She repeated the words and soon the coven joined in, their voices growing louder and faster as the drumbeat increased at the same pace.
I felt something stir inside of me, a warm heat that started at the places marked and radiated through my body. It was almost as if my blood was on fire and I wanted to plunge into water to make it stop. I had to stay still, which was her warning before we started that no matter what, I must endure any pain that may come.
My body still on fire, she moved to Klaus, marking him in the same way as she said, “I call to thee to release the immortal man from his suffering. Return to him his ability to age and die. Lift the curse of immortality.” Again, the witches chanted the words and I felt the moment that it started to do something because his face scrunched up in pain.
Maddalina picked up what looked like a smoking cigar, but I knew it wasn’t as soon as the scent of sage filled the air around me, as she waved it around us asking for mercy for Klaus and I. My vision blurred and I had a hard time concentrating on what was being said. I could no longer understand the words as the witches chanted and danced around. The heat in my body hurt so much that I winced but still didn’t move from my position.
Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see the women circling us as their bodies swayed to the beat of the drum and the words that turned into music. It had been hours and sweat poured down my back, causing a small chill to creep inside me. It was a relief against my hot skin and my insides that were hot like an inferno. I thought I might make it, when a sudden, searing pain appeared in my chest.
It seemed to dig into my skin and worm its way underneath just like how I imagined the ground felt when an animal burrowed inside of it. I felt myself sway as I tried to hold on, the only thing keeping me awake was Klaus’ presence and his grip on my hands. As quickly as the pain started, it was over, and I felt different somehow. Whole for the first time in my life and my hope soared that it worked. A part of me knew that it did but we were far from done.
Klaus was next and I could see the pain in his face as he grunted. I didn’t know what was happening to him. More hours passed and he seemed to age before my eyes, but just the smallest amount that anyone who didn’t know every single line of his face wouldn’t notice. The wrinkles in his eyes increased and a small streak of gray appeared in his hair. He looked sexier than he did the day I met him, his youth as beautiful as his slightly aged appearance. I watched as he swayed, and his eyes started to close.
I knew he needed to stay awake and I pinched his hand that was still bound to mine. He seemed to come out of his pain, albeit very slowly. It hurt me to see him go through that, especially with all he suffered through the years. I had no other desire than to make him feel better.
He gritted his teeth and locked his grey eyes on mine, his gaze seeming to give me the strength to get through the agony of the spell. I only hoped that mine did the same for Klaus. I struggled to maintain my posture as another wave of fire radiated through my body and the braided reeds smoked and started to smolder on our wrists. It was strange that I felt the heat, but it didn’t burn my skin in any way.
The crescendo of witches’ chants trailed off, the only sound that of the drum beat and Maddalina’s voice. She came near me and pricked my finger with a long needle before she squeezed the blood into a cup. It was only a few drops and I wondered what she would need it for.
As she took it to the edge of the ring of witches, she called out, “Nerthus, our mother of the earth and water, we ask of thee to take the blood of the water and turn it to blood of the earth.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see some of
them adding something to the cup as they said words that I couldn’t hear clearly. The rest made gestures with their hands above the cup before speaking in hushed tones. The process seemed to take a very long time and I could only hope that it would work.
Maddalina made it back to me and instructed, “Repeat after me and then take a sip. Nerthus, I renounce my blood of the water and welcome my blood of the earth.” I did as she said and then drank the mixture that was surprisingly sweet considering it had my blood in it. I tried not to think of that fact as I guzzled it down.
Ice flowed through my veins, providing me with relief from the fire that I suffered through for so long. The sun was already starting to set, and I didn’t realize until then how long we had been there. I felt the exhaustion down to my bones, but as the coldness spread through my body, I started to perk up. I couldn't run a marathon, but I could make it a little longer through this process.
I was surprised when she said, “It is done. We will celebrate with a feast and a dance after your payment.” She winked at me, “You can get a little food and clean up before your ceremony.”
I looked at Klaus and he shrugged his shoulders, the tiredness evident in the dark circles under his eyes. “Let’s get some food and then get cleaned up. I may not have a nice tux for my bride, but I can at least look decent for her.”
I stood up and dusted the dirt off my clothing, “Yes, we didn’t exactly pack for a wedding.” I held out my hand to him. “I don’t care. As long as I get to be your wife and keep the memories of our marriage for the rest of our lives, I’d wear a garbage bag.”
He chuckled and pulled me to him as he stole a kiss. “I promise I’ll give you the wedding you deserve when we go back home. Anything and anywhere you want, even if you want to do it in America so that your parents can be there.” I knew right then that I was the luckiest woman on earth.
“Do you think it worked?” I asked him curiously, as the logical part of my brain still fought with the supernatural world I had been thrust into.
“I do. The things I felt were so much different than the original curse. It felt like a piece of me was ripped out. I can feel the emptiness where there was once a burden as if something were attached to my soul. Do you feel different?” he wondered.
“I think so. There was so much pain that it wouldn’t be right to say nothing happened. Yet, I didn’t live this life as a nixie or knowing everything that you have. I’m not sure I could identify any changes. All I can do is hope that it worked and if it didn’t, I’ll enjoy every moment I have left with you.” We arrived at the showers and I tugged on his streak of grey. “I do love this new hair on you. It makes you look even sexier.”
Klaus looked at me quizzically and I knew he had no idea what I was talking about. I teased him, “You’ll see when you look in the mirror.” I gave him a chaste kiss and went into the shower by myself, leaving him at the door gaping.
.
I stood in the center of the circle in the tunic and pants that the coven provided me with. A small fire burned behind the altar that was set up in the middle of the circle, and it provided a soft light to where we would be wed. I’d never been to a pagan ceremony before and I found myself to be extremely curious. It might have been my own way to deal with the excitement of finally vowing to spend my life with Lorelei, and that I would be able to really do it this time.
Maddalina was patient with me as she answered the numerous questions I asked, even though she was probably tired from the long day. I apologized and she assured me that she got some rest while we cleaned up. “I’ve been waiting many years for this, Klaus. I’m just as excited as you are,” she said the third time I checked to make sure she didn’t want to wait until the next day.
The young woman that brought us breakfast that morning arrived and whispered in the old woman’s ear. Maddalina turned to me with a huge grin, “She’s ready.”
My heart leapt and I turned to watch for my bride. Instead, I was met with two maidens that swept the grassy path that Lorelei would take. I swallowed my disappointment and rocked with nervous energy. Somewhere in the distance, I heard singing and the soft beat of a drum along with a stringed instrument. It was a truly beautiful sound that I would have enjoyed more if I wasn’t waiting for my bride.
Finally, I spotted her, and my jaw dropped open. The witches must have provided her with proper clothing as well. She was dressed in a long red dress that brought out the darkness of her hair, half of which was braided in a crown on her head. A wreath of flowers, the same as those she wore when we were married so many lifetimes ago, sat atop her head. My eyes grew misty at not just the stunning beauty before me, but also my love for her and the realization of everything we had been through between that moment and this one.
Lorelei approached and it was as if the whole world fell away as I held out my right hand for hers as Maddalina had instructed me. The women of the coven who stood in a circle around us faded to the background, as I only had eyes for my soulmate. As soon as our skin touched, I felt a jolt of electricity run through my body and warmth radiated from inside of me. Lorelei looked as shocked as I did, and I assumed she had the same reaction.
“Did you feel that?” she whispered, as she tried to keep her voice low for only my ears.
“I did. I thought it was just from your beauty,” I whispered back, and basked in the glow that emanated from her expression of love for me.
“I believe that was the gods and goddesses telling us that your pleas have been answered.” Maddalina surprised me with her ability to hear our hushed voices. “Shall we begin?” she asked without waiting for an answer. I didn’t hear any of what she said as I gazed into Lorelei’s eyes.
I was pulled from my trance as our hands were tied in a handfasting ritual. I loved the way Lorelei was captivated by the colorful ribbons that Maddalina wound around our hands, as she said to us, “These ribbons are a symbol of your connection between your two lives. As your hands are bound by these ribbons so will your lives be.”
I repeated the vows after Maddalina, as I looked lovingly into Lorelei’s eyes, “I pledge to you that it will be your eyes into which I smile every morning. I pledge to you my living and my dying, each equally in your care. I shall honor you above all others, be a shield for your back, and you for mine. I give you all that which is mine to give. This is my binding vow to you for all time.”
Lorelei looked at me lovingly and a tear trickled down her cheek. I wiped it away with my free thumb before she repeated the same words to me. After all we had been through over the centuries, these words had more meaning to us than they would for anyone that came before us or would ever speak them after us.
Maddalina placed her hands on my cheeks and pulled my face from my bride, “Do you, Klaus, give yourself freely to Lorelei, to be her partner for so long as your love shall last?”
“I do.”
“Then mote it be,” she said, before turning to Lorelei. “Do you, Lorelei, give yourself freely to Klaus, to be his partner for as long as your love shall last?”
Without hesitation, Lorelei responded, “I do.”
My heart soared as Maddalina again stated, “Then mote it be. In keeping with human tradition, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
One set of our hands still bound together, I cupped her face with my free hand and gently pressed my lips to hers. The same spark from earlier shot through my body, but I didn’t pull away. I showed her my love and happiness, putting every emotion into that kiss as she deepened it to show me the same.
When we finally came up for air, her voice was just a whisper, barely heard above the joyous noises the coven that circled us made, “Wow.”
“All I get is wow?” I teased, our foreheads pressed against one another.
“You made me speechless, and this time for a good reason instead of being angry at you,” she teased right back. I couldn’t help but kiss her again, this time sliding my tongue in as she pressed her body against mine. I could
feel her nipples through our thin clothing and wanted nothing more than to take her back to the cottage.
Maddalina cleared her throat loudly, “You lovebirds can do that later. Now it’s time for a feast. This old woman has waited long enough to see this day happen. Give me another hour to relish in my hard work.”
I threw my head back and laughed, “Anything you ask, High Priestess. You’ve given us the life we were meant to live. I’m forever in your debt.”
She winked at me as we walked to the tables, each holding multiple dishes that smelled delicious. “Just name your first child after me so that my name can live on.”
“What if we have a boy?” Lorelei asked.
“You won’t,” she said matter-of-factly, before heading off to another table, leaving us gaping in her wake.
My belly was full and my spirits were soaring as I walked with my wife back to our cottage. We chose to keep our hands bound as long as possible, neither one of us wanting to let go of the meaning behind it. “I can’t pick you up and carry you over the threshold like it’s tradition,” I hoped not to disappoint her with the revelation as we came upon the door.
“Klaus, nothing about our relationship is traditional. I think I can overlook that silly tradition,” she replied, before kissing me on the cheek. “I’d rather race you to get naked.” And with that she ran into the room, pulling me behind her.
I kicked the door shut behind me and laughed as she tried and failed to take her clothes off with one hand. “Let me help you, Mrs. Hoffman.” I slid her hair out of the way and ran my finger along her back as I unbuttoned the top of her dress. She shivered beneath me as I placed a kiss on her spine and slowly pulled the garment off her shoulders.
“I’m going to win,” her voice came out husky, filled with desire.
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