by Sarah Noffke
“In all seriousness,” Rudolf said, pulling Liv in closer like he wanted a black eye for the ceremony. “Where are the rings?”
Liv leaned in closer. “In all seriousness, what the hell are you talking about?”
“Well, I told you to bring the rings for the ceremony,” he said tersely, looking over his shoulder as more guests took their seats.
“Ru, did you tell me this directly or through the imaginary link you think we have?” Liv asked him.
He leveled his chin and grinned. “I don’t think I have to answer that.”
Liv threw her hands into the air. “Seriously, you don’t have rings for the ceremony?”
“Well, that depends,” Rudolf began. “Did you bring them?”
“No, because you didn’t tell me to.”
“I did so.”
“You did not.”
“Yes, I did.”
Stefan stepped between the two of them, momentarily pausing them. “Maybe now isn’t the time for blame.”
“I think now is the perfect time for blame,” Liv stated. “Then we progress to violence, followed by more insults, and then we finish off with headlocks.”
Stefan pressed his fingers into Liv’s arm, and the effect was strange. She suddenly felt much calmer. It was easier to breathe, whereas moments prior, her chest had felt constricted. “Is there a way to conjure up some rings?”
“I don’t think so,” Liv stated. “We are in a different dimension because someone just had to have a destination wedding.” She glanced over Stefan’s shoulder at the groom.
“It was this or an Elvis wedding, and we both know I can’t be upstaged by a man with better hair than me,” Rudolf stated.
“Liv, there has to be a way to find some rings here,” Stefan said, sounding like the only voice of reason in the entire universe.
Absentmindedly, Liv glanced around the hall, hoping that the bright attire of the guests would inspire her. That was when she noticed two giants strolling into the hall. “Rory!”
She pulled away from Rudolf and Stefan, hurrying toward Rory and Bermuda at the front.
“Okay, we’ll take a five-minute break while you think over options,” Rudolf called as Liv departed.
Rory and Bermuda stood taller than the crowd who was filing to their seats. Liv squeezed through the fae and found Rory’s hand, tugging on it.
“Mum, I think I got bitten on the hand by something on the way over here,” Rory said, looking at his mother, although Liv was plainly in view for them both to see.
“It was probably one of the flies. They are pesky little things,” Bermuda replied.
“Hey, guys!” Liv said, tugging even harder on the giant’s hand. “It’s me! Liv!”
Rory glanced around like he had heard something but couldn’t quite place the source. “Mum, do you hear anything?”
Bermuda played along with the act. She was wearing a sequined blue gown and large hat with a peacock on it. Rory was wearing the suit he’d donned for Rudolf’s coronation. “I heard a sound like a sheep being slaughtered, but that’s about it.”
“Hey, guys!” Liv yelled, trying to get their attention over the crowd filing to their seats.
“There’s that noise again,” Bermuda said. “It is like nails on a chalkboard, isn’t it?”
“Ha-ha,” Liv said, releasing Rory’s hand. “Fine, I’m not happy you are alive, I don’t need your help to save the ceremony, and I’m going to go and launch myself over the side of this precarious plane floating in outer space.”
Rory glanced down at Liv, his face brightening. “Oh, there you are. Why didn’t you say you were here?”
Liv let out a long breath. “I didn’t realize you had time to enroll in clown college while you were gone. You really should get your money back.”
“What’s this about needing help saving the ceremony?” Bermuda asked, sliding into the spot next to her son.
Liv bowed. “It’s lovely to see you, too. I’d kiss you on either cheek, which is customary for the giants—”
“It’s not,” Bermuda interrupted.
“But I don’t have a ladder,” Liv continued, not missing a beat.
“Is everything okay?” Rory asked her.
“Shouldn’t I be asking you two that?” Liv questioned.
“Yes, and it’s fine,” Rory stated. “We will fill you in later.”
“Decar?” Liv asked.
“Later,” he hissed.
“Okay, fine,” Liv stated. “Anyway, I need two rings really quickly. Can you forge something?”
“Ummm, no,” Rory said. “I don’t have…well, any equipment or materials, and there a are a ton of fae around.”
“Okay, well, too bad,” Liv sang. “I’ll just tell Rudolf that—”
“The rings are for the king of the fae?” Bermuda asked. “Who was responsible for them? The best man, I presume.”
“Yes, but that idiot totally forgot them,” Liv said dismissively. “We’ll call it a communications snafu.”
Bermuda pursed her lips. “That man should be booted out of this wedding. That’s atrocious.”
“I agree,” Liv stated. “I think that person should totally leave here and be able to spend the rest of their night in yoga pants on the couch watching cartoons.”
Bermuda and Rory gave her curious glances.
“You’re the best man, aren’t you?” Rory asked.
“Yes, but I was never told to bring rings,” Liv stated.
“It’s common knowledge that the best man brings the rings,” Bermuda said smugly.
“Well, it appears that my education on how to be a proper best man was neglected,” Liv said. “Is there anything I can do? Can we just improvise?”
“I’m afraid not,” Bermuda said, combing her large hand over her sturdy chin as she thought. “The rings that the fae use in this ceremony are meant to bond them for life.”
“But does it really matter since the bride is an airhead mortal?” Liv asked, gaining the attention of a few fae filing to their seats. “I meant that as a compliment.”
The fae didn’t seem to believe her, and they turned away.
“Oh, really, Liv,” Bermuda said, opening her large purse. “How do you get yourself into these situations?”
“The short answer is that I was born,” she replied.
From her purse, Bermuda pulled out two silver balls. “These would work, although we have nothing to forge them with.”
Liv grabbed the two balls from her hand and darted for the back, where she’d just seen two other familiar faces enter.
“You’re welcome, Warrior Beaufont,” Bermuda called through the crowd.
“Put it on my tab,” Liv called over her shoulder, sliding through the tight cluster of fae. She stopped when at a particularly crowded area, pushing people aside. “Out of the way. Father Time isn’t taking requests right now. This is a social affair.”
The fae she nearly pushed over gave her looks of offense until they saw it was her. Most of them dispersed when she came to stand in front of Subner and Father Time.
Liv glanced over her shoulder at the gnomes, surveying the area. “I didn’t expect you two here.”
“We were obligated,” Father Time said.
“Didn’t you think that a bodyguard would be in order?” Liv asked, continuing to give fae dirty looks who appeared like they wanted to make a request of Papa Creola.
“Well, with the newbies you hired recently, we thought requests would be down,” Father Time stated.
Liv huffed. “Those are formal requests. There will always be the rogue fae or magical creature who doesn’t want to make a formal request but sees you out in public and decides to be ballsy. Just wait until the champagne starts flowing around here.”
Papa Creola glanced briefly at Subner. “It appears I should have come in costume.”
A moment later, the jovial gnome took the shape of a female fae wearing a silver ball gown that had a slit all the way up. The shimmering sparkles o
f the sexy dress matched the fae’s wings.
“Dang,” Liv said with a whistle. “When you go incognito, you go all the way.”
“What can I say? I like to express my feminine side when I can,” Papa Creola said, batting his long eyelashes before striding off for his seat.
Liv rounded on Subner. “Hey, I need a really quick favor. Can you please turn these into rings?” She opened the palm of her hand to show the two silver balls.
The gnome regarded the objects in her hand and then laughed. “You want me to magically just transform those into sacred bands that will bond the king of the fae to his wife for the rest of their lives?”
Liv peered down at the balls and then nodded. “Can you?”
“Are those pieces of silver from the Isle of Man where giants excavate their metals?” Subner asked.
Liv’s eyes skirted to the left and the right. “I guess so. Why?”
“No reason,” he said and snatched up the two balls, seamlessly leaving two shiny rings behind in Liv’s hand.
Her mouth fell open, and then it all added up for her. “Wait, you and Papa Creola knew I’d need rings, didn’t you?”
He pocketed the balls of silver. “Maybe.”
“And you wanted giant silver, didn’t you?” she continued to ask.
“Does it really matter?” Subner asked, striding after the tall blonde fae at the front of the hall who looked nothing like Papa Creola. “You have your rings, and that’s all that matters, right?”
Liv grunted in affirmation, realizing that she was sweating from the impromptu mission. “Why even on my day off am I having to babysit fae and fix ridiculous problems?”
Chapter Twenty-Six
There had been so many surprises on that day, but the biggest one was the sight of Serena. When the mortal entered the hall with Saturn visible in the distance and dazzling stars all around her, she was the most beautiful thing in the universe.
It proved to Liv that fae didn’t have the market cornered on beauty. Serena was and would always be mortal, but she was absolutely gorgeous, and Rudolf loved her. And that meant there were many other ways mortals could intertwine with magical creatures’ lives, saving both their hearts and their magic.
Stoically, Liv stood beside Rudolf as his bride took the long trail up to him. Liv’s eyes roamed over the crowd, astonished by all the various faces. She winked at Rory, who looked uncomfortable in his suit. Bermuda had a tissue pressed to her nose like she was ready to start crying at any moment. Papa Creola appeared absolutely ravishing as a female fae, and beside him, Subner mostly seemed bored. However, the fact that the two were there was pretty amazing.
As Liv surveyed the large audience, she realized that all eyes were centered on the bride as she made her way to the front. Well, all sets of eyes except one.
Stefan Ludwig was looking straight at Liv.
She widened her eyes at him when she noticed that, covertly pointing at the place in front of her where Serena would soon be.
Minutely, Stefan shook his head, an act of real defiance.
Liv rolled her eyes, deciding to scold him later for his disobedience.
Although Liv had worried that Rudolf and Serena would make a debacle of their ceremony, it was actually quite tame. The whole thing lasted less than half an hour, and when it was time to hand over the rings, Liv was grateful she had two to supply Rudolf with.
He gave her an appreciative nod before taking them. When it was time to seal the deal with a kiss, the entire congregation erupted in applause. Many of those in the wedding party had big white flowers bloom on their clothes. Liv glanced down but didn’t see anything different.
She shook her head, realizing it was going to take a lot more than an otherworldly union of the king of the fae with a dead mortal to spark the love in her heart.
“And now, it is my prestigious honor to present to you for the first time ever,” the priest conducting the ceremony finished, “King and Queen Sweetwater.”
Shimmering dust rained down from the heavens, covering the tops of heads as Rudolf and Serena sped off for the back. Liv followed the happy couple, amazed by the lavish things people did to express their love. She didn’t understand it, and yet, she was completely in awe of anything so powerful.
Never having been a part of a wedding party, Liv wasn’t used to the attention she got during the reception. It was held in the area in front of the ceremony. Apparently, Rudolf had negotiated with the centaurs to have falling stars for the night’s festivities. It wasn’t a planned one, which meant a few thousand stars were going to die that night for no reason other than the fact that their burning through space made for beautiful decorations for the festivities.
Liv had wrung a hundred hands it seemed, pretending to smile as fae commented on her dress or how she made a very nice best man. She nodded politely, wishing it was time for cake.
“What an unexpected surprise,” a squeaky voice said in front of Liv.
She glanced around, looking for the source, seeing only the backs of heads and laughing fae not paying any attention to her.
“Down here, Liv Beaufont, Warrior for the House of Seven.”
Liv looked down to find Mortimer the brownie waving at her. Beside her was his secretary Pricilla, wearing an oversized gown that made her look…bigger.
“Mortimer and Pricilla!” Liv exclaimed, grateful to finally see someone she knew. “I’m glad to see you here.”
“You as well,” Mortimer said, bowing slightly to her. He was much trimmer than she’d ever seen him. His hair was thicker on his head and missing from his ears and neck. “We have news.”
“Oh?” Liv asked, kneeling down so she was closer to the height of the brownies. “Does this have to do with the official office?”
Mortimer gave a sneaky grin to Pricilla. “Maybe. We will be taking off a little more time in the future.”
“Because you’re expanding operations?” Liv asked.
He shook his head.
“Because you’re attending safety training?” Liv questioned.
Again he shook his head. “No, Liv Beaufont, we are going to be welcoming a new member of our family.”
“Oh, wow!” Liv exclaimed. “That’s wonderful news.”
“Well, we didn’t know if you knew we were an item,” Mortimer said, blushing. “It was because of many of our discussions that I asked Pricilla out. And since then, well, things have progressed.”
Liv winked. “I’d say. Please let me know what you two will be needing. I’d love to send a gift.”
Mortimer waved as Pricilla dragged him toward the buffet, overflowing with the most decadent foods. “Will do! Thank you, Liv Beaufont.”
Never before had Liv addressed so many people. She held up her champagne flute, giving Rudolf an uncertain smile. He appeared eager for her speech, as was Serena beside him—or at least she was getting better at suppressing her sneer.
Glancing out at the audience, ready for her speech, Liv felt her dinner ready to crawl up her throat.
“Ummm…” she began, the nervousness bouncing around inside her stomach. It was astonishing to her that she could face down giant beetles and many other villains, but speaking publicly made her want to vomit.
The crowd began to whisper among themselves, obviously put off by Liv’s less than stellar speech.
“The first time I met Rudolf Sweetwater,” Liv finally said in a rush, diverting from her planned and rehearsed speech, “he refused to help me because he said he needed proof of my noble mission before helping me.”
The crowd all gave Liv their attention, expectant expressions on their faces.
Liv cleared her throat. “I thought he was a laffy-taffy who had broken out of the mental hospital for magical disorders.” She looked around at the crowd. “Actually, I’m wondering right now if many of you worked together for a massive breakout.”
The audience laughed.
“However, as I got to know Rudolf, I realized he wasn’t insane. Well, he is, but
not just crazy. I was there when this man defeated Visa. I was there when he risked everything, including my life, to steal the resurrection stone from Father Time. I was there when he revived Serena. And all of these experiences have left me with a very solid conclusion.”
Liv revolved her gaze around the audience, enjoying that everyone was now leaning forward, hanging on what she would say next.
“Yes, Rudolfus Sweetwater is a ridiculous and sometimes irritating individual who will do whatever it takes to get what he wants,” Liv began, “but he is also a wonderful person who will do absolutely anything for the people he loves. He wouldn’t help me until he knew I was good. He didn’t stop until the woman he loved was back on this Earth. Well, not this Earth, since I have absolutely no idea where we are, but the Earth we come from, which I think is over there somewhere.” Liv pointed randomly. “And I’ll tell you that Rudolf didn’t hesitate for a single second when facing Visa. He put his life on the line, knowing that if he conquered that evil queen, the fae would benefit.”
Liv raised her glass, giving Rudolf a fond expression. “You are a lot of things, Ru. Annoying, slightly brain-dead, poorly educated, badly mannered, and sometimes—”
From the front row of the audience, next to Stefan, Rory coughed loudly, indiscreetly saying, “Your point?”
“Right,” Liv said, straightening. “My point is that I might not be the typical best man, but I’m honored to raise a glass to someone I consider to be one of the best fae kings to reign. Rudolf and Serena, I wish you the very best. Everyone should have a love that transcends death and intelligence, just like you two.”
The audience erupted in applause, clinking their glasses and drinking. Automatically their glasses were refilled to the brim as the band began playing.
Rudolf and Serena took the middle of the floor for their first dance as everyone watched in awe.
Liv took a sip of her champagne, grateful that her job was finally done for the night. Now she could go back to wrestling bad men and risking her life for magic, a job that was much easier than speaking in front of a crowd.
