by Isobael Liu
Lilian watched the two men. She wouldn’t allow Calawe to hurt Matthias, but she also didn’t want Matthias to hurt Calawe for doing his duty.
Without warning, the ground rolled and there was a loud crackle of energy around them. She grabbed onto Matthias to steady herself and he held onto her to protect her. Calawe stumbled, but caught himself, while the combatants around them stumbled and fell.
“What in the name of Cernunnos is going on in here?” a loud, booming voice demanded.
They looked over to find Talis standing on the dais beside Amras. He looked furious.
All at once, everyone but her, Matthias, and the Lupine dropped into deep bows or curtsies to the High King.
Chapter 13
Even from half a hall away, she felt the rage emanating from Talis. It was time for some damage control.
She started to step away from Matthias, but he grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her back. She tried to pull away again, and Talis turned his glare toward them.
“Release her!” he snapped.
Matthias wasn’t having any of it. His back straightened and he squared his shoulders as if preparing for battle.
“Matthias, please.”
Matthias growled under his breath, and she knew he debated a refusal. In the end, he released her.
“Now, if someone would be so kind as to tell me what is going on?” Talis said, folding his arms as he glared around him.
“Talis,” she said. “Matthias came for me.”
“And?” Talis said.
“She refuses to leave,” Matthias replied before she could.
Talis looked between the two of them, and slowly eased down into her vacated chair. “Hmm. Why?”
“Because Matthias is stubborn!”
“Me stubborn? Hah! You’re the one who refuses to come home.”
She turned to snap at Matthias. “You only want me there so your mother doesn’t kick you out of the pack.”
“You know that’s bullshit.”
“Do I? I haven’t heard you say anything otherwise. Oh, wait, yes. You also miss me and miss making love to me.”
“All valid and very true reasons.” He nodded.
“It’s not enough for me! Why can’t you tell me the words?”
Talis looked at Amras who grinned and shrugged. A servant came forward and offered the two smirking kings chalices of mead as the drama continued.
“Why do you need the words? You can easily read them from my mind!”
Lilian clenched her hands into fists at her sides and stomped a foot in anger. “Because I want to hear the words, you idiot. Because I shouldn’t have to go looking for them. Because no one should have to go looking for them!”
Matthias leaned toward her, eyes blazing. “And what about you? You haven’t exactly been up front and verbal about the words!”
“Oh, for the love of…” Talis snorted. “Get it over with, you two.”
Lilian and Matthias both turned and snapped, “Stay out of it!”
The gasps of shock around them were ignored as they looked back at one another.
“I don’t think they’ll get to it,” Amras said.
“They had better. I want to attend the wedding,” Talis replied.
Lilian was distracted by their conversation and glanced over at them.
“What wedding?” she demanded.
“Yours. Now, carry on.” Talis gestured toward her and Matthias.
“There’s no wedding.”
“There will be,” Amras replied.
“No, there won’t be,” she argued. “Not unless you have someone else in mind because I’m not getting married.”
Matthias was silent as she argued with Amras and Talis. She refused to read his mind, to see what he was feeling or thinking. She wanted him to tell her.
Lilian was about to storm off, frustrated and angry, when Matthias grabbed a hold of her hand. He pulled her around to face him, and lowered down to one knee. She sucked in a soft gasp.
“Lilian, Lilia mea. I may be arrogant and a jerk, but…” He paused as he tried to find the right words.
Lilian waited, holding her breath.
“I want to marry you. I want you to be the mother of my children, and I want you as my mate. I don’t want to lose you. I love you.”
Lilian threw herself at him, almost bowling him over, as she hugged him tight. He held her just as tightly to him as his lips met hers, kissing her with pent-up hunger.
Amras looked at Talis. “Do you think that was a yes?”
Talis burst into laughter and raised his chalice. “I do believe we’re going to have a wedding!”
The roar of applause was deafening, but she barely heard it and she knew Matthias couldn’t have cared less.
* * * *
Amras refused to allow them to sleep together. Matthias was given a room on the other side of the castle and she was placed under Elena’s watchful eye. The castle was abuzz with talk and activity as everyone readied for the wedding.
Tiberius stayed with Matthias but the rest of the entourage was guided back through The Mists to spread word of the wedding to the rest of the pack. Those who wished to attend were invited and the guides would bring them back through The Mists.
Lilian found the numbers of women who flirted with Tiberius vastly amusing. Many of them competed for his attention by bringing him food and little treats to “try”.
That night, she couldn’t sleep. The wedding was set for the next day and she was too nervous and excited to close her eyes and rest. Matthias couldn’t sleep either it seemed and he checked in on her every few minutes.
“Are you sleeping?”
“No.” She turned over onto her side and snuggled with her pillow.
“Why not?”
“I’m too nervous.”
“I could sneak in and help you sleep.”
Lilian laughed. “My father had guards posted outside the door, so you wouldn’t be able to sneak in.”
He slipped into her mind and began to awaken her desire with memories of the two of them together. She whimpered.
“Matthias, I’ll never get to sleep!”
He laughed in her mind, a sensual chuckle causing her to shiver from the mere sound of it.
“Tomorrow,” he promised. “Tomorrow they won’t be able to stop me.”
“Talis could. He’s the High King.”
Matthias snarled at the thought and she laughed.
In their minds, they were together, despite the distance of their bodies. They drifted off to sleep, dreaming of one another and the promise of tomorrow.
* * * *
Lilian was awakened by a troupe of women, her maids, and lots and lots of laughter. Her drapes were pulled back, and sunlight shone in, blinding her. She grumbled and rolled over, pulling the covers over her head. Elena laughed and grabbed at them, which resulted in a tug of war. She almost won until the maids jumped in to help.
The resulting laughter brought the rest of the women in from her receiving room and it became a losing battle from then on.
Lilian was carried into the bathroom to bathe. She was allowed to soak in scented water, before the torture began. She feigned outrage and put up a token struggle but the women had their way and scrubbed her clean until she was as smooth as a baby’s butt.
The women weren’t too sure about the phrase, but when she explained, they loved it and everything—the silk covers, the soap—were as smooth as a baby’s butt.
Soon, someone brought up male body parts and it resulted in much laughter and stomach holding, as well as wiping tears from their eyes.
“I hope you’re having as much fun as I am.” Matthias spoke to her, his tone wry.
“ Why? What are they doing to you?”
“What aren’t they doing? I’ve been shaved, dunked in a cold river, scrubbed raw, measured, and I’m being strangled in the getup they want me to wear.”
Lilian laughed in her mind. “I introduced the term ‘as smooth as a baby’s butt�
�� and we’ve digressed to male body parts and whether or not they are as smooth as a baby’s butt.”
Matthias purred in her mind. “You can find out later how smooth I am.”
Lilian’s face heated and the women, catching sight of her blush, laughed. They assumed it was their joking which caused the blush. She didn’t bother to correct them.
Lilian was dressed, her hair done, and led downstairs to meet her groom. She wore silver with black accents. She did not wear her sash or dirk, but she carried a wreath of woven flowers and herbs in her hands.
The Court Hall had been decorated for the wedding. Colored swaths of material were hung from tall poles to make a ceiling, which still allowed light in, yet provided shade for those beneath. All the benches had been removed, so it was standing room only in the great hall.
Matthias stood by the dais, dressed in gold and black. Black breeches and a black tunic with gold accents along the hem and neck, as well as along the wrists and leg openings. He wore a gold sash and a sword as well.
Khayyam, who was dressed in black, although without the added decoration, escorted her halfway down the aisle, where her father waited. He kept a somber expression on his face, walked tall and proud, but when his duty was done, he looked at her with twinkling eyes and winked before he moved to stand beside Elena. Amras greeted her with a kiss on her cheek and then offered his arm to her. When she took it, he led her the rest of the way, to where her mate stood, waiting. Her father lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it before offering it to Matthias. Matthias took her hand and nodded once to the king.
The Sidhe were dressed in their many-colored finery, and Matthias’s people wore their own traditional finery, which gave the wedding an exotic feel. She thought everyone and everything looked beautiful. When she caught Helena’s gaze, she saw tears shimmering in the woman’s eyes and the smile on her lips. She had to look away and blink back her own tears.
The thrones on the raised dais the night before had been removed and a long table set in their place. In the center of the table stood the statue of a man’s form dressed in robes with no facial features, and atop his head he wore the antlers of a stag. Beside him stood the statue of a woman dressed in robes and having no facial features. On her head, she wore a crown of the moon.
In front of the statues were three candles, a chalice filled with water, a bowl of water, a censer already burning with incense, a small bowl of earth, ribbons of white, gold, and silver braided into a cord, and a pillow on which were two rings.
Talis stepped onto the dais, dressed in dark green robes which shimmered as though shot through with gold and silver, and a large crown atop his head. Through the crown rose the antlers of a stag, majestic and tall.
Lilian wondered how he could wear the crown. It must have weighed a ton! Amras snorted and pretended to cough to conceal it.
Talis spoke and his voice carried through the space.
“Before us stand two that would be joined as one. There is magick to be done here then, the magick of love, and we call the Lord and the Lady to bear witness to this joining, in this place.”
Talis gestured toward her and Matthias with his hands, palms upward.
“It has been said that you both wish this marriage. Is this so?”
Both she and Matthias nodded and answered, “Yes.”
Talis laid his hands atop their heads.
“In the names of the Lord, The Horned One, Pan, Cernunnos, I give you the magick of the forest creatures, the wonders of the stars, the desire to fire your soul. In the name of the Lady, Arionrhod, Rhiannon, Cerridwen, I give you the magick of the moon, dreams to rule your destiny, and you shall learn the secrets of the tides.”
He removed his hands from their heads. “Kneel.”
Lilian knelt with Matthias’s help and watched as her mate knelt beside her. Talis took the wreath from her hand and held it over her, touching the top of her head.
“You are the star that rises from the sea. You shall bring the tides to the souls of men, the tides that ebb and flow. You are the magick that moves in the moon and in the sea. You shall hold these secrets, for as woman, they belong to you. You are the eternal woman. The tides of all men’s souls belong to you.”
Talis moved the wreath and touched the top of Matthias’s head.
“You are the Lord of the Forests, and in you, he returns to earth again. Hear the ancient call, for you are the shepherd of wild things and you lead the lost flock from darkness into day. Open the door of dreams so that men may come to you and through you to the Lord of the Wood.”
He moved back to the table and placed the wreath over the two statues so the woven wreath bound the statues together. Next, he picked up the rings from the little pillow and turned to them once more.
“Above you are the stars, below you are the stones. As time passes, remember that like a star should your love be constant, like the earth should your love be firm. As each one is individual in their own magick and their own strengths and weaknesses, together they complement one another. Be understanding, be kind, and be trustworthy. Hide not from one another for as you are individual, your love brings you together to complement one another.
“Have patience each with the other, for storms will come, but they will go quickly. Be free in giving of affection and of warmth. Have no fear, and let not the ways or words of the unenlightened give you unease. For the Old Gods are with you, now and always!
“Lilian, daughter to Amras, formerly of the Human, newly born into the way of the Sidhe, is it your wish to become one with this man?”
Lilian smiled. “It is.”
Talis turned to Matthias. “Matthias of the Romulus clan, of the Lupine, sons and daughters of Rhiannon, is it your wish to become one with this woman?”
Matthias nodded. “It is.”
Talis offered a ring to Matthias, who kissed it before he gave it to her.
Lilian took the ring and slipped it over her thumb first, then index finger, then middle finger, before sliding it over her ring finger. With Talis’s guidance, she recited the vows. “In the name of the Cernunnos and Cerridwen, I pledge to love and cherish you, Matthias, through this lifetime. To love you and lend you aid and protection by the power of the starry heavens, the wooded forests, the tides of the seas, and beyond the imaginable reaches of time and knowledge.”
Talis offered the second ring to her, who took the ring, kissed it, and gave it to Matthias.
Matthias took the ring from her and repeated her action and pledge, although putting his own beliefs into the vows. “In the name of Lupa, the Mother of the Lupine, I pledge to love and cherish you, Lilian, through this lifetime. To love you and lend you aid and protection by the power of the starry heavens, the wooded forests, the tides of the seas, and beyond the imaginable reaches of time and knowledge.”
Talis picked up the braided ribbon cord and joined their hands together, wrapping it around their wrists.
“Then as we all bear witness, and as High King, I proclaim you man and wife. Joined are your hands, two are now one. Know that it is by your pledge that you are united, blessed by the Lord of the Wood and Lady of the Earth and Sky. May your lives be joined as long as your love shall last.”
A broom was brought forth by Elena and Khayyam, each holding one end as they lowered it to about a foot off the ground.
Talis gestured toward them. “Jump, for jumping symbolizes your jump from one life to another.”
Lilian and Matthias, still bound by the cord, jumped over the broom, together. Elena took the broom and offered it to Talis, bowing her head. Talis took the broom with a nod to the young woman, placed it before the statues, and spoke again.
“Fate has brought these two together. Their lives have converged and shall now be united. It is in our hope that their path be pleasant and their sky fair. With clasped hands and hearts united, may they share it together with joy.”
With that, Talis turned the two to face the crowd as the hall erupted in applause.
Matthias grinned. “Don’t need to tell me twice!”
He pulled her close and kissed her with all the love and passion he had for her.
The guests erupted with thunderous approval.
Later, as they sat down to eat, she and Matthias learned the cord, which united them, had to stay on until they consummated their marriage. Matthias was more than willing to take care of it right away, but Amras and Talis laughed and told them they had to wait. She shook her head at the look of disappointment on Matthias’s face.
The problem of being tied together was solved by the sharing of duties they needed done. They fed one another from a shared plate. They held the chalice up to one another’s mouths to drink. They kissed away any lingering drops of mead from each other’s lips.
There was much laughter and fun all afternoon and into the evening.
Toward the end of the evening, Talis stood up and motioned for quiet. Once the noise died down he raised his chalice.
“Blessings to the wedded couple.”
There was a cheer of agreement. “King Amras was blessed with a beautiful and intelligent daughter,” Talis said. “She was dealt a harsh blow early in life and yet grew to be honorable, strong, and talented. In all of my years, I have never known anyone to have such inner strength as a human. I am only glad to be able to say I am proud to call her one of our own.”
Lilian blushed and nodded to Talis. Matthias leaned in and nuzzled her neck.
“That is why I am making the following announcement,” Talis continued. “It is time for me to step down as High King. In order to do so, someone must take my place and I have chosen Amras.”
Lilian looked at her father in surprise. Amras himself looked shocked.
“My Lord?” Amras asked. “You honor me well but—”
Talis shook his head. “You have proven to be a good king, a fair and just king, and I have heard no complaints about your rule. Even when it included your daughter, you showed no favoritism and thought of what was right first.”
Lilian frowned. “You mean the whole thing had been a test?”