I could still barely breathe, but I forced out, “What is all this?”
“Earlier, you promised you would never leave me again,” he said slowly, reaching out to take my hand. Uncurling my fingers, he placed something on my palm. “I thought you might seal that promise.”
Only when he removed his hand could I see what he’d laid inside mine. A golden ring. No diamonds. No gems. No fluff. Only a plain, sturdy band, meant to last.
I felt as if I held the weight of the world in my palm. “Are you,” I whispered, looking up through swimming eyes, “asking me to marry you?”
“I am,” he answered simply, his face never changing expression.
And that was that. To most women, this would have been a very odd, unromantic proposal. To me, the world had just toppled on end, as Ilgard had warned me long ago it might. My stomach took a dip, and my mind was whirling. This wasn’t flowers and poetry and a blue box from Tiffany’s. I didn’t need any of that. We’d been through far too much for me to need those things, and, besides, he wasn’t that sort of man.
Looking towards the open glade, I realized what was going on. Dressed in his customary, coffee-brown robes, Uncle Risean stood beneath an elaborate stone arch in the center of the clearing, a stone arch embedded with moonstones and carved with nighttime scenes. There was a handful of similar arches scattered throughout the clearing, shimmering in the moonlight with an unnatural glow. Rather like the Moonkind’s hair. I’d never been here before, but I sensed it was a sacred place to my father’s people. And when I saw Rittean walk up and take a stand beside her father, and Chief Captain Norband emerge from the darkness and take a stand opposite her, I knew exactly what choice I was making.
A million thoughts and emotions beset me.
I wish my family were here.
What would they think of this? Of him? Would they think I’m crazy?
I wish Dad was here to give me away. Wish Mom could be here to see me in my wedding gown. Wish my sisters could be bridesmaids.
All of that was true, but—I inhaled a cleansing breath, expelling the sadness—it was also my former life. A former life that I had already parted ways with. A former life that, as of right now, was over.
I placed my hand in the Simathe High-Chief’s. “I thought you’d never ask,” I said, all of the tension relaxing into a grin.
He tilted his head slightly, in that way of his that told me he was trying to figure out the exact humor behind my statement and probably my turn of the phrase as well. A smile ghosted across his mouth.
“A lifetime with you would not serve to fully understand you.”
I shook my head. “No, not a lifetime,” I reminded him, and my voice was tight with the force of my feelings. “Longer than that. Possibly forever. Are you… okay with that?”
He lifted my hand to his lips. “I’ll not lose you again,” he said, those alien eyes holding mine as he brushed a kiss against my palm. “Fate has given me you twice. Now, I would gladly make you mine forever.”
“I feel the same way,” I whispered, smiling. “Let’s go make it official.”
We did.
Had I been marrying anyone else, I doubtless could’ve had as ornate, as grand a wedding as I could’ve dreamed up. Tonight, there were no frills, no extravagance. However, this wedding under the moonlight, in a quiet forest glade, with only my cousin and the Simathe Chief Captain as witnesses, was fairytale enough for me. I don’t think the man I was marrying would have been comfortable with anything else. Besides, frankly, I wanted to be with him. Now. Tonight. I’d given my life once. I’d lost him once. I knew firsthand how tenuous life could be. I didn’t want to wait for anything else. This was all I needed.
My great-uncle performed the ceremony, speaking over us a mixture of words in my language, ancient Aerisian tongues, and even the Moonkind’s dialect. There weren’t many vows for us to actually repeat, only a couple of places for us to give vocal assent. Ilgard’s black eyes absorbed the moonlight as he stared down at me, his gaze never leaving my face as he spoke. His grip was tight on my hands.
Uncle Risean held up his hands, blessing us in the Aerisian tongue—something about the sunlight warming our days and the moon brightening our nights, concluding with the Powers of Good watching over us and keeping our love strong and sure. I admit I wasn’t hearing it all. My mind was flitting helplessly from disbelief, to joy, to slivers of sadness that my family wasn’t there with me, to awe that all the things I’d only half dared dream about were actually coming true. Only when he stopped speaking did my thoughts jolt back to the present and to the fact that all was silent and everyone was watching me with a sort of expectancy, as if waiting to see what I’d do next.
“Is it over?” I blurted out.
Behind me, Rittean laughed. My uncle nodded. “It is, my child. You are man and wife.”
“Oh.” I looked, confused, from my uncle to my husband and back to my uncle again. “But on Earth they always end by saying the groom can now kiss the bride.”
Again, Rittean laughed, and Uncle Risean chuckled with her. “He is welcome to do this, as well.”
I turned back to my new husband. Whether he’d been waiting for an invitation from our officiant or from me, I couldn’t say, but there was no need for words. Cupping my face in his hands, framing my cheeks with his long, strong fingers, he bent to kiss me. I breathed out my joy as his lips found mine. Then I breathed in the scent of him, and felt awareness of the world fade away. When we finally broke apart, the glade was empty, except for us. I hadn’t even heard them leave. As far as I knew, the carriage that had dropped me here was gone, and there were no means of getting us back to the palace.
It didn’t matter. We were together, the past was past, my biggest task as the Artan was complete, and I was with the man I loved. We had the rest of the night ahead of us.
An Artan’s Reward
Later, wrapped up together in my bed at the palace, I said drowsily, “You know what I think? I don’t think this was a fluke or luck or chance. I think this was meant to be all along.”
Next to me, Ilgard took his time replying. Waiting, I couldn’t tell whether he was asleep or not. I presumed he probably hadn’t rested much, if at all, since the battle at Shayle’s gates, if not prior to that. He’d said nothing yet about our Joining bond closing when I died, but I suspected, given his reaction when I awakened, the pain must have been excruciating. I doubted he’d rested much during that time. All of that was in the past, however. I still didn’t know how this would work out—I may’ve been the Artan, but I was still human. I had to sleep. He was Simathe: he didn’t necessarily have to. Little things like figuring out sharing a bed and sleeping together might take some time. After all, this was far from a normal marriage, and we were far from a normal couple.
None of that mattered right now, with his strong, warrior’s body curled around mine beneath the blankets and his hand on my hip. Nothing mattered except we were finally together and free to enjoy the closeness of being man and wife.
“How do you mean?” my husband said at last, and although he sounded tired he was obviously still awake.
“Well, think about it.” I flipped over to face him in the dark. “Think about what the prophecy says: Unity with the everlasting will heal her soul, lifting the eternal from rejection and fear,” I quoted. “You are the immortal, the everlasting. You admitted your love before I died, uniting yourself to me. Your love healed my soul and brought me back from the Underworld, while my love drew us together. Now that we’re married, you and your men will undoubtedly be accepted in an entirely new way, lifting all of you from the rejection and fear you’ve always been shown. Don’t you see? The prophecy hinted at it all along, we just didn’t get the hint.”
“Artan’s spirit brought you back,” he disputed, hearkening back to an earlier comment. “I witnessed this.”
“Yes, she did, but what do you think gave her the power to do that?” He shrugged, and I said quietly, “Think what you want, but
I know what it was. Something so powerful, a bond so strong, it couldn’t be severed even by my death. I feel it. You feel it. This is prophecy fulfilled, Ilgard. I know it is.”
He was silent so long I thought he’d fallen sleep mulling it over. “Ilgard?” I asked, tracing my hand down the contours of his upper arm.
Unerringly, despite the darkness, he captured my hand and lifted it, placing a gentle kiss on my inner wrist. “That would explain their remarks.”
“Oh? Whose remarks?”
“Artan asked if I believed prophecy must be fulfilled. The High-Chieftess said all I had left to do was to love you.”
“So you see? I’m right!” Propping myself up on my elbow, I looked down into his hard face, into those bottomless-pit eyes that glittered blacker than the darkness of my room. “I wondered once if we were meant to be because you and I, a man and a woman, were Joined. But I don’t think that was it at all. I think the prophecy had you, the Simathe High-Chief, and me, the Artan, in mind all along. We had to happen, this had to happen, because prophecy was going to use you to bring me back from the Underworld. Only something as extraordinary, as strong as your love could have saved me from that horrible place.”
The mere thought of it made me shudder. He felt it and drew me down, my head on his chest, cradling me close. “Would you speak of it?”
I could have told him anything. However, this wasn’t the time for that. Tonight was my wedding night. I didn’t want to think about passing from victory on the battlefield to the horrors of the Underworld. There, it had been my final task to fight for and free those like Heldwyn who’d been trapped in the Underworld for millennia, waiting on their own rescuer. Yes, I’d obliterated the Dark One, embodiment of the Dark Powers, above, but I still had to root out the final vestiges of their strength below. Time had been meaningless while trapped down there. It had felt like centuries. Perhaps it had been, or maybe it’d been only a few days, as had passed in the Upperworld.
Whatever the case, it wasn’t something I wanted to talk about. Not now, not tonight. We had plenty of time for such discussions. Someday I would tell him everything I’d endured after I died, and he would tell me what he hadn’t been able to say after I awakened. For now, it was enough that all of those things were over with, and we had the future ahead of us. When I said as much to him, he understood. Both of us knew tonight wasn’t a night for speaking about pain but erasing pain with love. Which is what we did.
The next morning, I was awakened by the sound of the door to my bedroom suite opening and closing. Light footsteps tripped across the floor, accompanied by the rattle of dishes. I had just enough time to sit up and toss the blankets over us both when Rosean walked in with a smile and a “Good morning, mistress,” that died on her lips when she saw us.
She stopped short. Her face went pale. Her fingers stiffened, and she almost dropped the breakfast tray. Fortunately, she recovered in time, but the clatter and spills of the nearly dropped tray woke my husband, who bolted up in the bed, his hands automatically reaching for a weapon.
“It’s okay,” I said, throwing an arm across him. “It’s just Rosean with breakfast.”
I offered her a smile, but if her face had been pale before it was now beet red, whether from shock or anger or discomfort I couldn’t tell. Probably all three.
“I-I—I will re-return,” she stammered. Whirling, she ran out so fast a couple of dishes did slide off the tray, but she didn’t stop to pick them up. Once I heard the sound of the bedroom door closing behind her, I couldn’t help it. The humor of the situation struck me full force, and I collapsed against the pillows, laughing uncontrollably.
Next to me, Ilgard, who had recovered his typical Simathe poise, was regarding me strangely.
“Did you see her face?” I choked out. “The Artan and the Simathe High-Chief caught in bed together. This is going to be the biggest scandal ever to rock Laytrii.”
He shook his head. “I fail to understand the humor.”
“But it’s so rich,” I exclaimed, sitting up. “I don’t see how you can’t think it’s funny. The biggest scandal in Aerisian history, following on the heels of Aerisia’s biggest victory. And me, the star player, involved in both. You have to admit the irony of this is great.”
“Nothing about scandal is great.”
“Oh, don’t be such a spoilsport, it’s not like we did anything wrong,” I said, poking him in the ribs. “We’re married, remember? If we had done something wrong, then, yeah, I’d be embarrassed. But we haven’t, and soon the entire world will know that, and they’ll get over it.”
He still didn’t look like he appreciated the situation very much.
“I’m sorry, I guess I should’ve warned you about my warped sense of humor before I married you, huh?” I said with a grin. “Too bad for you. I’m your wife. You’re stuck with me now.”
For the first time that morning, he finally smiled, one of those quicksilver smiles I’d come to appreciate as pretty much an outpouring of humor from one of the least demonstrative people I knew.
“I would have it no other way,” he said and moved to pull me into his arms.
“Hey, wait,” I protested, a hand on his chest. “Don’t you want to get out there and set the record straight?”
“Let the scandal run its course. We will end it soon enough,” he shrugged.
“I like the way you think,” I smiled, twining my arms around his neck. “Let’s just enjoy the moment, then. I think we’ve both waited long enough for this.”
By the time we left our room, the story had obviously spread far and wide. Half of those we passed in the halls stared outright, their mouths gaping open. Some gasped aloud to see us walking together, hand in hand, and as soon as they thought we were out of earshot everybody fell to whispering. Palace folk were coming out of the woodwork, so to speak, to see for themselves if the story was true. I thought it was pretty funny, while Ilgard took it all in stride, maintaining that air of aloofness, as if he were impervious to the world and its follies. Nevertheless, he didn’t release my hand, even when we walked into one of the palace’s large morning rooms together and saw pretty much any and everybody of any distinction gathered there.
Of all those present, Rittean was grinning, Elisia threw me a wink, and Uncle Risean offered a fond smile. Nobody else said or did anything. There was a dead hush as people stared at us. Some were glaring, some looked mortified, and some nonplussed. Clearly, nobody was sure exactly how to react, until I extracted my left hand from my husband’s and raised it so everyone could see my ring.
“You can all get over the scandal now,” I said. “It’s okay. We were married last night. You can ask our witnesses there.” I gestured towards the two Moonkind.
For the space of two or three heartbeats, nobody moved. I’m sure the fact that the ruling Artan had actually married the Simathe High-Chief was nearly as earth-shattering as this morning’s scandal had been. However, after a moment, one Elder rose to her feet. A genuine smile bloomed on her features as she stepped towards me, extending her hands.
“Felicitations, my dear,” she said graciously, offering me a peck on both cheeks. “For all you’ve done for us, you have certainly earned your happiness.”
With that, the silence was broken, the scandal erased, and I was quickly swallowed by friends, peers, and acquaintances coming forward to offer their congratulations. In the press, Ilgard and I were separated. Even though nobody rushed him, I saw more than one of his fellow noblemen approach and offer their congratulations. He’d been a lord a long while; he accepted it all with grave dignity, not giving anything away by his expression. Except when he looked at me. Then I could recognize in his obsidian eyes, possibly for the first time since I’d met him, genuine happiness, a happiness I alone had brought him. If that was my reward for battling the Dark Powers and returning from the grave and the Underworld, then it was reward enough.
Seeing his, my own happiness was complete.
To fulfill prophecy and defea
t the Dark Powers was not something I, as Hannah Winters of Earth, ever thought I’d do. To have actually accomplished everything foretold of me is something I can still hardly believe I’ve done. I can’t say what the future holds from this point onward, for my new homeland or for myself, but I know, as the Artan, I will be given the strength to face it. I am the Artan: I will defend my people. I have passed through the valleys of shadow and despair. I have been restored, possibly to true immortality, to walk forevermore in the light.
The girl who first came to Aerisia would never have believed enough in herself, in her abilities, in those around her, or in the man to whom I’m now married to perform any of this. My journey was a long one, a difficult one, but all of the pain was worth it to ultimately reach this conclusion once offered by a dear friend: that sickness comes before health and sorrow before joy. That although shadows are cast in the light, night must always yield to morning. That death is strong, but love is stronger. That to use all of our gifts, powers, and abilities for good, means that all of the pain and suffering this life can bring will surely be rewarded in our final end.
Note to the Reader
Dear Reader,
Whoever you are, wherever you are, I can’t thank you enough for coming along on this journey. I really debated on how to end this trilogy. Should I include a wedding scene and a happy ending, or simply leave it with Hannah awakening at the Great Hall of the Dead, her victory won and her people celebrating her return?
I finally chose the ending I did because, (A), I felt that Hannah—and maybe Ilgard, especially—deserved a final culmination of their love story. (B), I don’t really care for endings in movies or books that I feel don’t offer enough explanation. It’s okay not to explain every minute detail, but I hate the feeling of “But what happened next???” (C), I wanted to draw my readers back to Hannah as she was presented at the beginning of the trilogy: very real, very human, and very much from Earth. I felt it was especially important to bring her back to that place after she finally morphed into the magical creature known as the Artan from legend and prophecy. I wanted to recall her human side, especially her sense of humor, which I hope has made her not only a relatable character but also a memorable one.
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