“Just for you.” His voice was light. “May I ask you a question?”
“Sure. Shoot.” I moved carefully between the candles.
“Why Raighne?” I stopped and looked at him. “Why did you say yes to Raighne?
“Because I love him, of course.” I gave a small laugh, thinking how silly his question was.
“If I had asked first, would you have said yes to me?”
Shock flooded my system as I bumped over a candle, but luckily it died. I couldn’t look at him. “Carter, you’re my best friend.”
“Do not lie to me!” He shimmered. Appearing directly in front of me, he yanked my body into his arms. “I know you love me. You love me, Alchera, you do.”
“As my friend. Raighne is the man I—”
He cut me off. “Is it because of what happened in the shack? You have not forgiven me at all, have you?”
I stared at him, shaking my head. I thought we had moved past this. “Carter, I have forgiven you. Don’t do this. You are my best friend, but Raighne is the man I’m going to marry tomorrow.”
His arms held me so tightly it hurt as he shimmered us away.
We reappeared in the Chapel. Carter threw me backwards with such a force I flew against the wall, falling between the neatly stacked chairs. I got up slowly, my body registering the pain and shock. I scanned the Chapel for Carter, my eyes taking in the decorations and flowers in place for my wedding tomorrow. Though none of that mattered now, not anymore, not with Carter standing in the aisle I was supposed to walk down.
“You have one of two choices, Alchera.” He looked at me with the saddest look in his eyes, and my lips started to tremble. “You will either walk towards me tomorrow or stand at my funeral the day after.” I looked at him in disbelief. I wasn’t sure I had heard him right until I saw Adeth’s blade in his hand.
“N-no… Carter. Put that thing away.”
“Your answer.” His voice was a low hum. I looked into his eyes but there was only sadness. He shimmered to me; his left hand wrapped around my throat, as he pushed me against the wall. “Your answer, Alchera!” His voice thundered through the Chapel, making the walls shake and the vases shatter.
“Carter, please don’t.” Tears streamed down my face. I couldn’t believe what he was doing.
You’re hurting me, Carter. Why are you doing this to us? Please, let me go.
He dropped me to the floor, and took a step away.
“I love you so much more than he does.” Then the sadness began to fade, until his eyes were nothing more than the dead pale eyes of the Carter I feared.
My friend was gone.
“No, Carter! Come back!” I got up, reaching out to him. “I love you. I love you, too. Please don’t go. Don’t you dare leave me!” I was sobbing now, my heart breaking as he stepped away from me.
River and Raighne came through the doors of the chapel. Then it all happened so fast. I looked from Carter to Raighne, and then back to Carter holding the blade. His right arm went up into the air as he readied himself to bury the blade in his heart. But he didn’t count on River being there who was, after all, the fastest of all the guardians.
He tackled Carter just in time, but Carter jumped up in one fluid movement, landing on his feet a few steps away from me.
“How could you, Alchera? How could you? After all those nights I held you. After all those nights you cried in my arms. You think Void will be your worst nightmare. You are wrong! You might have made your choice for now, Alchera, but I will come back for you. One way or another, be it in your waking hours or in your dreams, I will come for you and you will be mine.” With his cold voice sending shivers down my spine he shimmered away, leaving only his frightening promise behind.
Raighne grabbed me to him; his familiar scent comforted me immediately. How was it possible that I could have been such a bad judge of character? I really thought Carter had changed; he had seemed like such a good soul. It looked like he’d overcome the shadows - that he was free of Adeth’s spell. But, in the end, I was wrong. There was no escaping it. Once if the shadows were in you, you were lost, with no hope of ever being saved. Would I join Carter?
“Are you all right? Did he hurt you?” Raighne held me at arm’s length, giving me a quick once over.
“N-no.” The one word sounded lost as it drifted through my lips. I was still in shock. I had just lost my best friend. I had just looked into the eyes of my torturer who had promised to come back for me. My Carter was gone; Adeth’s puppet was all that remained. “He’s…gone.”
“We will find him. He will not hurt you.”
“You don’t understand.” I sounded impatient. The chapel began to fill up with people, as River had gone to call Eamar. The news had obviously spread from there. “The Carter that stood in front of me was the one who tortured me. My friend is really gone.” I tried to take a breath at the same time a cry escaped, creating a terrifying sound.
“We will not let him near you. You will be safe. Everything is still fine for…tomorrow?”
I broke free from his arms. “I love you with everything I have inside of me. But I can’t marry you tomorrow.” I started shaking my head as I walked past him. My heart felt heavy with loss. “I just lost my friend.” I took a deep breath. “I saw his soul die, and I would like to take a moment to mourn my friend.”
~*~
That night I slept in Alandra’s arms; she stroked my hair while I cried. When the sun rose with its promise of warmth and light, I felt drained. I got up and got ready for the celebration just like it was expected of me. I looked pretty because I was supposed to, and I smiled because everybody smiled. Even without a wedding…Vaalbara was still choosing a King.
The chapel stood ready, food was being cooked, and there was a dress fit for a queen. …But there was no one to wear it.
“Alandra, I need to ask you the biggest favor ever?”
“Go ahead.”
“Could you check if Raighne is okay? I kind of told him that I didn’t want to get married anymore? Just for today, that is. You know, because of last night’s mess and everything. Maybe Jason and Sarah would like to use it.”
With a wicked smile she walked to the door. “I will send him to you. You can do your own dirty work.”
Seconds later there was a quick knock on my door. It swung open and Raighne appeared. “You look… beautiful.” He looked as handsome as I had ever seen him in his black suit. Walking over to me, he placed his right hand around my waist and gently pulled me to him.
“Are you still sure about today?” He pushed a strand of hair behind my ear. “We are already dressed.”
“It just won’t feel right.” I leaned into him, whispering into his ear. “I could always propose to you again, ask you to elope with me?”
“Was that a proposal?” His lips grazed my jaw line all the way up to my earlobe.
“I guess so.” My breathing quickened, as his lips trailed up and down my neck.
“Mine was a million times better.” Before I could respond, he kissed me with a passion I’d never felt in him before. Raighne held me to him, and just as my arms slipped around his neck, he broke the kiss.
“Why did you not tell me about the nights with Carter?” I took a step back. “What did Carter mean exactly by all those nights you cried in his arms?” I turned my back to Raighne, not knowing how I was going to put any of it into words.
After a few seconds of silence Raighne’s fingers brushed my elbow. “I am still the only guardian who cannot communicate with his charge using telepathy. You are keeping things from me, Alchera. Important things. And by doing so I cannot protect you properly. You need to be honest with me…please. Why can you share your fears with Carter but not with me?”
I swung around. “It’s not that! I’m trying to save you the worry, Raighne.” I tried to hold the tears back. “The only reason Carter knew was because he could read my thoughts. When I had the nightmares, I woke up and he was there. He was always there. We never spoke
of it, not to each other, and I didn’t want to worry you with it. We were happy. We were planning our wedding.” I moved towards Raighne, taking his hand and holding it to my heart. “I’m too scared to talk about my dream. I’m scared that if I talked about it, it would become real. I would somehow give it life.”
Raighne lifted my chin. “Tell me about the dream, Alchera. We have to be prepared.”
“His name is Void, and—”
“No!” Raighne’s face instantly grew pale. I’d never seen him react in such a way. “Do not say anything else.” He held me to him for a brief moment. He wanted to say something but decided against it.
“Come, we have to go. We will be late for the celebration.”
“There is something you’re not telling me, Raighne. Who is—”
He shook me. “Do not ever say that name again.”
“You’re hurting me!” He let go immediately, but the imprints of his hands remained on my skin.
“I am so sorry, Alchera.” He shoved his hands through his hair.
“You’re scaring me, Raighne.” I touched his arm. I was confused and needed to know what was going on.
“Do not ever speak that name again. It is forbidden on Vaalbara. We have to meet with Alder. He will be able to tell us what to do. Until then, let us go and enjoy the celebration.” He gave me his lazy smile, and kissed me on the forehead. “Just promise me you will always be accompanied by someone…that you will never be alone.”
~*~
Once we arrived at the celebration, Raighne left me with River and Fleur. I looked over to where he was talking with Evin. It seemed quite serious, though it ended with a smile and a shaking of hands. Raighne then disappeared completely for a good twenty minutes before coming back.
“Where were you?” I was curious. It was obvious he was up to something.
“Wait and see just like the others, my Princess.” He kissed my hand.
The sound of a horn began the celebration and the ‘Council‘ appeared. They were joined by Eamar and Queen Azalea as their newest members. They were to choose the new King, as the Queen stepped down becoming Lady Azalea from then on.
“Welcome everyone to the Celebration of our future King - the celebration being a first of its kind. It was not an easy decision to make, as there are many good men among you who would lead our people well. Now you all know our natural first choice would have been Eamar, but he has declined, leaving us to choose another.” Alder took a drink of water while scanning the area. “I am now going to hand you over to Eamar, who will do us the honor of giving you the news of who will be your next King.”
There were whispers of shock, as this was not expected. Why would a guardian have such an honor? Should it not be the Queen’s honor to crown the new King?
“I know what you are all thinking, but before you judge me let me tell you a story. You have all heard what happened last night?” Eamar waited for the nods. “Unfortunately, my nephew has fallen to the shadows, and in doing so Raighne and Alchera will be postponing their wedding for a while.” There was an uproar I hadn’t expected. “Calm down, calm down! Let us show some respect for Alchera who has just lost a dear friend.”
The people settled, but the murmurings remained. I could tell by the odd looks that many didn’t understand. I was in love. Therefore, marrying my mate should have nothing to do with Carter’s defeat.
“Today is not lost. There will still be a royal wedding. Evin has asked for Alandra’s hand in marriage, so without wasting any more precious time let us not keep them waiting.”
I was shell shocked by the news of Evin and Alandra’s plans. Raighne dragged me to the Chapel where I sat and watched my sister walk down the aisle in my dress, saying the vows I had practiced myself not too long ago. It was over in a few minutes and they were pronounced husband and wife.
Raighne squeezed my hand, as if I deserved his support. After all, I was the one who’d ripped this moment away from him, just so I could mourn the loss of a friend he’d never approved of in the first place.
Back in the Great Hall, Eamar paced up and down the stage. Looking very serious, he waited for everyone to take their seats. Once satisfied that everyone was there, he began speaking.
“I had three sons. I have recently lost one, and am now left with two. When Alder told me that they were the ones up for Kingship, I could not be any prouder. That was until Raighne walked into the chamber not even an hour after he had been told that he would be crowned King and convinced us why Evin, his older brother, would make a better leader.”
The crowd gasped, as Eamar continued, “Not only was his main reason the fact that he and Alchera no longer would be getting married, but he reasoned that,” Eamar chuckled under his breath. “Son, you might want to get a head start here. He said that if Evin could handle Alandra, he could handle anything.” There were quite a few chuckles in the crowd. “Although on a more serious note, he feels that Evin is ready, and strong enough to be a leader you deserve. Raighne feels that it will be better for you as a people to go through a storm with Evin as your King, to know that when you are lost he will never stop searching for you until he has found you.”
Eamar made eye-contact with his son across the crowd. “So, my son, the price you have to pay for that beautiful woman you now call your wife is the crown you will have to wear. Please come.”
Once Evin was up on the stage you could hear a pin drop, as everybody held their breath out of pure excitement.
“Please kneel down, Evin.” He waited until Evin was on both his knees before he asked the questions. “Evin, son of Awo, do you promise to lead your people in truth, guide them by always being rich in kindness, be an instrument of peace and merciful in your judgment? Do you promise that where there is despair you will give them hope, and where they fall by the shadows you will guide them back to the light?”
“I do.”
“Evin, my son, do you promise to defend your people in battle, guard them with all your strength and offer your life for every last one of them?”
“I do.”
“Please rise, my King. Lady Azalea will now crown you.” There were quite a few tears falling when my father’s crown rested on Evin’s head. I, for one, was holding mine back fiercely.
As my mother stepped back, Eamar bowed before his own son. What he said next was my undoing.
“I am now your guardian, just as I had served the King before you.” He got up and looked at his son, like he was seeing him for the first time. “King Evin, my life will guard you and your Queen. I will serve you as Awo has intended it to be.” Evin grabbed his father to him, as applause sounded through the hall.
I turned my face to Raighne. I felt horrible. I had taken that from him, too.
“Can you ever forgive me for my selfishness?”
“Come.” He took me outside where the noise wasn’t so overwhelmingly. Raighne pushed me against the wall, covering me with his large frame, and laying both his hands on either side of my face.
“Now tell me in a language that I can understand…what are you talking about?” His lazy smile played over his lips.
“You could have been King and I took that away from you. Why didn’t you tell me?”
He leaned in even closer to me, our breaths mixing. He was doing this on purpose to confuse me so I wouldn’t be able to think straight.
I turned my head slightly away so he couldn’t get to my lips. But his breath was hot on my skin as his lips grazed my jaw, moving up towards my ear.
“It was a choice I made,” he whispered. “And, I alone.” He kissed me under my earlobe and I couldn’t stop a moan from escaping through my lips. He was torturing me in a new way my hormones couldn’t handle. His hands dropped to my hips, and one moved up to my ribs, which he seemed to have grown fond of touching.
“Give me your mouth.”
I smiled as a rebellious streak flared up inside me. “What if I don’t?”
“You do not want to go there with me, woman.”
I couldn’t take it anymore. My hands moved into his hair so that I could guide him back to me. As soon as his lips found mine, he forced them open by gently slipping his tongue over mine, creating a delicious tango that had my mind blazing. He was mine. He had walked out of my dreams and straight into my arms.
~*~
I was standing outside the music room with Alandra and the ever-smiling Elora behind me. That was what we had named the baby girl Alandra had found. Elora, in honor of our sister.
We were listening to Sarah’s amazing voice as she sang a song behind the closed door. The words were just so beautiful, it’d stopped me dead in my tracks. I didn’t dare interrupt her.
All we could do was stand there and listen to the words as they drifted through our souls. It was a song about a dreamer, dreaming about hope and a better time to come. It was a song about when life got too much that one should hold on to that distant dream, that which your heart beats for.
I pushed open the door as the last note died away on the piano. “That was absolutely stunning, Sarah. What is it called?”
She looked up at me in surprise. “Oh, man. It was supposed to be a surprise for you. It’s called Dreamer. I’m going to sing it at your wedding. That is, when you eventually decide to get married.” She looked up at Jason with so much love. I knew we were doing the right thing today.
“Well, we’re here on business.” I turned to Alandra to let her continue.
“Yes, um, well, we were told by Michael that you and Jason have been chosen as parents for Elora.”
She didn’t get much further than that, as Sarah’s squeals of happiness drowned her out. She took Elora and swung her high in the air, making the child laugh with delight. “Yes, mummy’s little girl. There will be lots of laughter in your future.” Sarah was totally absorbed by Elora now.
Jason took my hands. “Why are you doing this for us?”
“It isn’t us, Jason. Awo has instructed it so. He knows the amount of love you can give her. I have felt it before, too. Remember? The three of you will be a strong family, and a happy one. You and Sarah deserve this.”
Vaalbara; Visions & Shadows Page 30