She tilted her head in formal acknowledgement, then leaned forward to whisper, “Now the hard part begins.”
Munro nodded and whispered back, “Wings?”
She couldn’t help but laugh and was pleased to see the surprised, yet happy expressions on the fae soldiers’ faces. They would have to get used to a queen who laughed.
The pair gathered the druids and Griogair and repeated the ritual they had performed to bring Tràth back from the time-warped dimension where he’d hidden the azuri. The kingdom faeries stared at Eilidh in awe, even though it was Griogair’s love for his son, the druid’s connection and Munro’s star talisman that allowed her to link to Tràth’s magic and make the entire colony reappear in a stunning flash of blue light. Part of her wanted to insist she didn’t deserve the accolades, but instead she stood and smiled serenely as the newly returned azuri all bowed before her upon their return.
* * *
The ancient coronation ceremony was simple. A mere two weeks later, with only the two conclaves, Eilidh, Munro, Griogair, Tràth, and her father in attendance as her honoured guests and witnesses, she went to a sacred grove in the Caledonian Otherworld. This marked the beginning of a month of public ceremonies and appearances, orchestrated so every faerie would have the opportunity to see the new queen. There were also many pending meetings to negotiate how the azuri Higher Conclave and the recognised kingdom conclave would work together, but this moment marked private communion between Eilidh and the Mother of the Earth and the Father of the Azure. For the first time in a millennium, the Father had been recognised during a coronation, but Eilidh insisted, and none objected.
She stood nude in the centre of a circle of trees, with all witnesses standing outside the barriers looking in. She knelt before the largest tree and picked up a knife that lay on the ground inside the sacred circle. With one smooth movement, she cut her left palm and then her right, squeezing her hands together, blood dripping into the earth.
“I come before you humbly, Mother of the Earth and Father of the Azure, and swear with my blood to serve you and your people, to let no voice be louder than your own, to act with justice and with mercy, to remember always that my every breath belongs to my kingdom, from this day until the last of all days, in this realm and beyond.”
Tears welled in Eilidh’s eyes. When she’d memorised the ceremony, it seemed simple compared to the daunting public meetings she would face in the weeks ahead. But kneeling now, looking up at the full blue moon overhead, Eilidh wept, feeling unworthy of the titles she was about to receive, of the burdens and responsibilities she would soon bear.
She felt Munro, standing nearby, his presence filled with pride and love. It propped her up, and she inhaled the night air, drinking in his strength.
Standing, she turned and faced the highest of the kingdom conclave, Setir. He walked toward her, breaking the circle, followed by the other eleven of his assembly. He lifted a delicate diamond crown over her head. “In the name of the Mother and of the Father, we consecrate Lady Eilidh of Caledonia and Skye as their holy servant and lift her up as first among us.”
He smiled, and she felt a cloak of fur being wrapped around her shoulders. “Queen Eilidh,” he said. Then he and the entire company knelt.
She solemnly looked around. Every person she cared most about was in the glade. She promised herself not to let them down. “Rise, my friends,” she said. She went to them one by one speaking ritual words of promise as the last part of the ceremony. First she approached the members of the kingdom conclave, then the azuri conclave, then Griogair and Tràth, then to her father, who embraced her. Although Munro was human, and many had argued against him witnessing the sacred ceremony, Eilidh spoke to him as well. As with all the others, she kept her voice low, because her promise to him was for him alone. “I will always honour the sacrifices you have made, druid,” she said, then leaned forward and whispered. “I love my people, but you will always have my heart.”
He nodded but didn’t reply. Eilidh knew the changes were overwhelming, that he feared they would grow apart once she mated with Griogair the following night. Munro wasn’t certain how he would fit into this new world, but she had faith. Despite the battles, death, destruction and heartbreak caused by Cadhla, as well as the confusion felt by many at the quick raising of an unknown outcast faerie to rule them, Eilidh believed they would make it through. The future would be better, she could make changes that mattered, and save lives.
* * *
Munro hoped to have one last night with Eilidh, but after the coronation, elders shuttled her off to meetings that clearly did not include him. It felt good to be in the Otherworld again, and one of Eilidh’s first decrees had been to invite the remaining azuri fae and the druids to the kingdom.
He went back to the Skye gate with Tràth to deliver the word and meet the druids. It turned out bringing Tràth back the second time was easier and more straightforward than the first. Tràth was getting stronger, and Munro wondered what else the temporal faerie could do. As they travelled from the Skye gate back to the azuri village, he asked the prince what he knew about temporal magic.
“I don’t know anything about it,” Tràth replied. “What does anyone know about it?”
Munro chuckled. He liked Tràth. He was like Griogair, but less hard, more open, and less subtle. “Nothing, as far as I understand.”
“Will you teach me what you know about bonding? Queen Eilidh had said she would, but she is…”
“Yeah, occupied.” Munro expected her distance. The coronation, the royal wedding, all the public appearances. knowing it was coming didn’t make it less difficult. He sensed her tiredness, her inner conflict and how overwhelmed she felt. “Sure,” he said to Tràth. “Creating the bond is easy. Living with it afterward is hard.”
“You love her. I can see that,” Tràth said. “It must be difficult, knowing she will take my father as her mate. Does it make things awkward between us? Should I not have asked for your help?”
“No,” Munro said. “Eilidh has a duty. I understand duty.” They ran in silence for a few minutes before he said, “When Eilidh and I bonded, we said the words dem’ontar-che.”
Tràth looked surprised. “Those are sacred words of extreme power, but of servitude. Even our mating ceremonies do not require such bondage.”
Munro smiled. “Now you know why I’m not worried about Eilidh marrying your father.”
“Yes, her vow to you would supersede all others, even perhaps her coronation vows.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. Eilidh will never choose me over her people.” They slowed down as they neared the village. “I wouldn’t let her, even if she wanted to.”
Tràth inclined his head. “You do understand duty, Munro.” They walked slowly toward the house. “How do we say the words? Do we need a priest or a ceremony?”
“Eilidh and I weren’t even together when we said our words. I barely even knew what I was saying. I was so delirious and sick from the recent unlocking of my druidic powers. Eilidh said them with Beniss, an azuri elder, but she wasn’t any kind of priest or anything. She only rushed to say them because a blood faerie was cutting out my heart at the time.” Munro chuckled at the way Tràth went pale. “Look, there’s no rush. Say them right now if you want. Douglas will say them when he’s ready. Believe me, you’ll know if it happens. Or take your time and say them next year, in five years. I’ll be around. I’ll tell you what happened with me, but I can’t promise that’s what’ll happen for you. I don’t think there are any experts alive on this subject. If there were, I certainly wouldn’t be one.”
Tràth nodded.
“The druids won’t be able to run as fast or as long as you can, at least until we get to the Otherworld, if it works the same for them as it did for me. My abilities might have been due to the Otherworld air, or maybe it was my bond to Eilidh. Who knows? I get the feeling I’m the first human in a long time to visit the faerie realm. We’ll talk as we travel. It’ll give all
of us, the azuri fae as well, a chance to discuss how bonding happens. They seem to think we just pick someone, but it doesn’t work like that.”
Tràth nodded. “When I first saw Douglas, I knew he felt different. I wondered if he was perhaps part fae. And the more time we spent together, the more it seemed as though I’d known him all my life, like a twin, or a part of me that had been missing.”
Munro nodded. He knew that sensation well. He’d never thought of Eilidh as a sister, but then, he supposed it could work differently for everyone.
When they arrived at the druid house, they found it empty, so they headed for the village hall. Munro was surprised that every faerie from the azuri colony plus all the refugees from other kingdoms were there, ready and waiting to go. They buzzed with excitement, and he and Tràth were deluged with questions about the coronation.
The azuri were content to travel the forests at a slow enough pace to match the speed and strength of the human druids, just to give them more chances to hear the story over again. It made Munro proud, the way they spoke of Eilidh with such respect and reverence. The way she’d tried to spare Cadhla’s life was already a thing of legend. When Tràth heard about his mother’s death, he took it quietly, but nodded when he learned Eilidh had tried to show her mercy.
It was nearly daybreak when they arrived at the Skye gate hours later. Some fae passed through eagerly, others waited, staring up at its shining metal bars. All made it through before the gates closed at dawn.
Munro stayed close to the druids. As had happened to him, they each experienced a powerful reaction. Rory fell to his knees. Aaron became violently ill, but once his stomach had purged, he quickly recovered. Phillip’s reaction was more sedate, but Munro could see the intense satisfaction as he breathed in the Otherworld air. Douglas wept openly as he stood beside Tràth.
“I feel great,” Rory said suddenly as he got to his feet. He grinned at Munro, and his pale blue eyes started to shine.
They stood in a forest not too different from the one they’d left behind on Skye, surrounded by azuri fae who watched the process with fascination. As with the forest near the Ashdawn gate, Munro could tell it wasn’t anywhere on earth with its glowing plants and deep, loamy air.
Soon, a host of kingdom faeries emerged from the forests around them, smiling and welcoming the azuri like long-lost brothers, which Munro supposed they were. What surprised him most, though, was that Griogair led the group. “Welcome home,” he said. “We have made a place for you in the city of Canerecht. Your elders are there awaiting your arrival. If you have family and homes you remember, you may return, of course. If you do not, we will provide whatever you need while you find your place. Queen Eilidh has sworn that none of you will be persecuted and you can make your way as you please in the realm without fear.”
The druids recovered from the shock of arrival into the Otherworld as Griogair made formal greetings to many of the azuri. The kingdom fae mingled among the newcomers, making them feel welcome and safe. After a short while, the prince made a beeline for Tràth and Munro. “The wedding is at nightfall. I expect you both to be there.” He furrowed his brow at the pair.
Tràth tilted his head. “Of course, Father.”
Griogair exhaled with relief. He must have worried his son would not welcome his new step-mother and might make a public spectacle. So far, Munro had no idea why everyone thought Tràth was such a problem. They spoke about him like he was a renegade, but Munro hadn’t seen anything like that.
“And you, druid?” Griogair asked quietly.
“If it’s all the same to you, Your Highness, I think I’ll skip it.”
“It isn’t,” Griogair said. “Please. This is something I need you to do. It is part of my wedding gift for Eilidh. If you will not watch the ceremony, then find Oron before it begins. He will show you where you can wait for me.”
“Nothing sounds more torturous,” Munro said. “But fine, I’ll be there.”
“Thank you,” Griogair replied. He hurried away before Munro could object further.
“God, what an ass,” he muttered. Realising who was standing nearby, he added, “Sorry, I forget he’s your dad.”
Tràth laughed. “No need to worry. I find your irreverence refreshing. It will do him good to have you around, I think.”
“I suppose if we’re going to the wedding, we can’t go to Canerecht to see the new settlement yet.”
“No, we should go to the Wayfinder Palace. It will be many hours before the ceremony starts, but I am sure there are seamstresses waiting to put me into some ridiculous formal clothing. I’m sure they’ll want to put feathers on you too.”
“No way,” Munro said, then laughed when he realised Tràth had been joking. “I’m not going to the ceremony. I’ll go find Oron, like Griogair said. If he’s going to do something nice for Eilidh, what kind of sod would I be to not want to help? But I can’t watch the wedding.” The dread was building in his stomach already. “They can’t ask me to watch.”
* * *
Eilidh sat stiffly in the anteroom in a daze. If the coronation had been simple and profound, her mating ceremony was like nothing she’d ever imagined. She knew millions of fae made up her new kingdom, but she hadn’t expected hundreds of thousands would turn out to witness the ritual. Her handmaidens, none of whom she knew, giggled at her wide-eyed surprise.
She and Griogair met on a dais of sparkling crystals, lifted high above the open-air courtyard filled with fae nobles. She only vaguely remembered the vows they made to one another, the silk ribbons that bound their hands together as they spoke well-practised words. Griogair smiled at her kindly, whispering encouragements when she felt most overwhelmed. “Almost there,” he said.
Voices, gentle hands, and guiding faces led her from one part of the ceremony to the other, until at last, her mind buzzing, barely able to take it all in, she and Griogair walked arm in arm down a mile-long promenade, the voices of thousands of their people cheering and shouting blessings and well-wishes. When they got to the end, he took her hand lightly and kissed it. “Don’t be afraid,” he said.
They parted and went into identical tents at the edge of the palace grounds. To call it a tent was perhaps an understatement. It was larger than Munro’s home back in Perth. Her heart ached as she thought of her druid. She had anticipated he would stay in the human realm during her first night with Griogair, but she could feel Munro close. Throughout the entire evening, she’d thought of little besides him. Part of her wanted to run away, but somehow she managed to keep one foot moving in front of the other.
Her handmaidens removed her elaborate sky-blue wedding dress. She was grateful, because she didn’t think she could take it off without them. She longed for her jeans and ‘Visit Scotland’ sweatshirt, her tennis shoes and slouchy socks. Her mind went to the day when Munro bought her those clothes. Back then she’d had no idea she would be sitting here. She sighed.
“What is it, Your Majesty?” one of the young faerie women asked her.
“Sasha, is it?” Eilidh said.
“Sharylia,” the girl replied.
“I’m sorry,” Eilidh said. “Sharylia.” The girls all gasped. Queens don’t apologise, Eilidh reminded herself.
“Is something wrong, Your Majesty?”
“No,” Eilidh said. “I was just thinking of tonight. Of my mate.”
The girls exchanged glances, working to help Eilidh remove the complicated undergarments that gave the extravagant dress its shape.
“You needn’t worry,” Sharylia said. “If I may be so bold as to say, His Highness seems a most kind faerie, noble in every sense. He will be gentle if, perhaps, you have not before…”
Eilidh stared. For a faerie of a hundred and twenty-five to have remained a virgin was ridiculous, but it was not the most ludicrous of the rumours she’d heard springing up about her already.
“I’m sure he will,” she said softly. It was time. She stood before them naked, and they slipped a sheer robe around her.
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“Are you ready, Your Majesty?” one of the girls asked.
No , she thought, but nodded. She let her thoughts caress the connection with Munro, then as she promised, she erected a wall between them. As much as she wanted to feel his love and strength, she would not make him endure her sorrow as she lay with Griogair.
One of the girls pulled a cord, and the back of the tent opened. Eilidh walked through, her head held high. Dozens of attendants beamed at her and guided her to the centre of the path behind the palace walls. She looked up to see a servant guiding Griogair forward. He wore a robe identical to her own, a tradition of the consummation ceremony.
He looked nervous, and that endeared her to him. She’d never seen him look anything but cocky and self-assured. She reminded herself that while she made personal sacrifices, he did too, and she must always honour that. When they met on the pebble walkway, he said nothing. He simply held his arm out to her, and she took it lightly.
Azuri Fae - Urban Fantasy (Caledonia Fae) Page 22