by Ann Aguirre
That was how he found her, kneeling in a stripe of moonlight. He’d seen relatively few expressions from Princess Thalia, so her naked loneliness hit him hard. She had her face upturned to the window, eyes closed, and he could imagine what might be running through her head. He hesitated, as interrupting her might make her feel worse. There must be some attachment between her and Gavriel and Raff had just watched the Noxblade leave the fortress with Mags.
Well, he’d never been known for prudence or caution. Raff strolled into the chapel and sat beside her. A mark of her absolute introspection, she didn’t notice his arrival for a couple of minutes. Then she started, her breath coming in a sharp inhalation. In such a restrained person, that qualified as a shocked scream.
“I’d apologize for intruding, but I’m not sorry, so let’s bypass the part where I feign remorse, as I’m not very good at it. I rarely regret yielding to my various impulses.”
“Good evening to you as well,” Thalia said.
“Does it bother you that I’ve omitted a traditional greeting? Then how about, ‘Hello, fair princess, why do you tarry in this desolate place?’”
“I might tell you if you truly wished to know and were not just mocking my preference for good manners.”
“That’s unfair. I was teasing, Lady Silver. Mockery has unkindness at its heart while teasing springs from affection.”
“A spurious claim. You scarcely know me. Therefore, it can only be the former.”
“Is that so? Well, my curiosity was sincere at any rate. What are you doing here?”
“I was praying,” Thalia said. “And now, I’m sitting.”
“Alone, in the dark?”
“Not anymore, though it is still dark. We have a couple of hours yet before sunrise.”
“How should we spend them?”
Thalia tilted her head. Even in this light, he could see her clearly. “You should get some sleep before the festivities start.” Impossible to miss the faint tinge of bitterness, the emphasis on the word ‘festivities’.
“If you have doubts, it’s not too late to stop this. You could marry up with the Gilbraith wad who issued such a lavish ultimatum.”
“I’d rather die,” she said softly.
“No need to be dramatic, ‘no’ is good. Works for so many unpleasant occasions.”
“I’ll remember that. Even if you can’t sleep, we should go. Except I’m not sure if I can. My legs seem to be asleep.”
That was easily enough solved. Raff rose first and pulled her upright; she hadn’t exaggerated, though, and Thalia stumbled against him. He supported her, noting the way her heart sped up. That might be simple nerves, however. There was no reason to read it immediately as attraction.
“Better?” he asked, after a long moment. “Can you walk now?”
“I think so.” To prove her assertion, she took a step, then another, steadying herself on the cool stone wall.
“Then I’ll see you to your room.”
“You offer as if I’m in danger,” she said lightly.
“I’d rather not test it. It’s not like I expected to get shot with anti-Animari rounds while we were out hunting.”
Her shoulders rounded slightly, as if he’d added to her burden with that reminder. “Fair point. I’ll welcome your escort.”
Great, they weren’t even past the wedding night, and he was already making shit worse. Raff had seldom felt more useless. While the Eldritch princess might need his troops and his technology, the odds didn’t seem promising that she’d welcome anything he had to offer personally. That shouldn’t even bother him.
Being purposeful wasn’t his strength anyway. Life of the party? Yes. Leading the way out in the wild? Certainly. He could also drink most people under the table and beat nine out of ten challengers in a bar dust-up. None of those skills would keep his people safe like the Pax Protocols.
“My pleasure,” he mumbled.
She sighed audibly. “Do you mind if we detour? I’d like to get some air and see the stars before I turn in.”
That would be the perfect atmosphere to make a move, flirt a bit and see if he could thaw her out. Only it seemed…wrong to look on her that way, but he didn’t know how else to be. People fell into two categories: those he could charm and those who saw him as a nuisance. Thalia didn’t seem willing to join either camp, currently.
“It’s cold. Do you have a coat?”
“I’m already numb from crouching on the chapel floor and I’m used to discomfort. Indulge me for five minutes, won’t you?”
“Easily done.”
In silence, she led the way to the stairs that wound upward through the west tower, closest to the chapel. There was nobody stationed on the wall, but she likely had motion detection drones deployed that would sound the alarm in the security room. Too dark to see the sloping hills, and above, it was all blackness and stars. Even in Pine Ridge, they didn’t shine so sharp and clear, too much light pollution.
“It’s breathtaking,” she whispered. “But at the same time, it makes me feel so small…and I need that, so I don’t get lost in my own nonsense.”
“What do you mean?”
“Perspective. I can’t believe my own propaganda, or I’ll become a queen people fear, not the leader they need.”
Maybe it was the late hour, but that just seemed so wise and profound that he couldn’t figure out what to say. So he offered, “I didn’t mean to upset you, before. With what I said about needing protection here.”
“You didn’t say anything that was untrue. I let you come to harm after I promised safe shelter.” Her lips compressed on more words before she shaped them into a smile.
“Sod that noise. I’m alive and I’ve got another pretty scar to show off. You know how rare that is?”
“Is it? I didn’t realize. If I’m honest, I haven’t spent much time among your people.”
“Or your own for that matter, if stories can be believed.”
“Pardon me?”
“I understood that you weren’t allowed to leave Riverwind for quite some time, after you openly opposed your father.”
“That story is circulating everywhere, I suppose. Damn Gavriel. He thinks I’m a martyr to the cause.” She whirled away from the wall and headed down.
Just as well, she must be chilled to the bone.
“Princesses locked in towers always suffer,” Raff said. “It’s enough torment to have your freedom stripped away. I’d rather have a whipping.”
“I’d rather not talk about my time at Riverwind, if you don’t mind. Those are not good memories, hardly anything I should have in my mind the night before our wedding.” Thalia marched down the hall, her shoulders set.
“Hearing you say that, it almost sounds…real.” One day, he’d lose the dratted habit of blurting things out. Maybe.
“Instead of an affair of state?”
Her tone made him wish he could eat his words. This must be hard for her as well, and he was making it worse. Raff tried to find something to say that would make it better, but they were already at her door.
She opened it without hesitation. “Thanks for seeing me in. Until tomorrow, Lord Wolf.”
9.
Thalia crawled out bed five minutes before Madu trotted into the room, carrying the case she used for work.
The dresser clapped her hands in excitement. “You bathed last night, yes? Tell me the answer is yes. Otherwise, I’ll never get you ready in time.”
Thalia nodded. “I’m a blank canvas, ready to receive your best work.”
“Then wash your face and we’ll get started.”
Water couldn’t rinse the weariness away, but Thalia took her place at the dresser. “I’m ready.”
Three hours later, she was more than tired of sitting, but Madu finished at last and spun the chair to the mirror. Thalia’s hair gleamed silver, fastened in coiled plaits with jeweled pins. She tilted her head, taking in the lustrous shine of eyes that almost looked purple in this light. Her lips were outli
ned in pale pink, a deep red in the center, making her mouth look like a flower. Madu had gone traditional with the rest of the cosmetics, so instead of a more modern blush, her face was pale, highlighted in silver.
“How is it?” Madu asked.
“You did well, thank you.”
“I had no choice but to resort to the old ways with this face and these dark circles.” Madu pinched her chin and angled it with a critical eye. “You look as if you haven’t slept in years.” This scolding was more than most of the staff dared.
“Noted. Where’s my gown?”
It was a lace and taffeta confection that had been in her family for generations. Both her mother and grandmother had worn this to be married. Madu did up the pearlescent buttons in the back and Thalia smoothed the fabric over her hips. The dresser gave an approving nod.
“You look splendid. Do you want me to send a bit of something for breakfast?”
Thalia shook her head. “I doubt it would settle. Besides, we’ll be eating after the ceremony anyway.”
“Well now, that’s a cheerful assessment of your wedding,” Madu said pertly.
“It’s fast. And…reckless. But I can’t see any other path. Let’s go.”
Setting her shoulders, she strode out of her private quarters and set off for the main hall. There was nobody to enter with her as she heard the music, so she pushed the heavy doors wide alone. At first, the room was a burst of sunshine and crystal that resolved into a sea of faces. For most, she could recite their names, and they all looked serious as the music swelled, a chorus of pipes that rose with each step she took into the room.
There was no red carpet, so they had gone with winter wonders instead: wreaths of fresh evergreen and a carpet of pine needles that crunched beneath her feet. It was a nice touch, incorporating the pack’s predilection for the wild with more Eldritch touches like the mixed dry herbs burning in censers that sweetly perfumed the hall. The aroma was soothing; she relaxed at once, as the organizers likely intended.
Clad in black, the wolf lord stood at the far end of the hall, waiting for her. Raff was stocky, but he wore the formal wear well, his beard neatly trimmed and dressed, dark curls untamed as they tumbled about his face. The half-hidden scar on his cheek lent him a piratical air. Thalia proceeded toward him in measured steps and trembled only a little when he took her icy hand in his. He’s always like a furnace. As one, they turned to face Lileth who would speak the first part of the service. The pipes quieted.
“Gentle guests, we gather to unite two houses as one and bear witness to their promises today.” Lileth proffered a white candle to each of them before continuing her speech. “As you light your separate candles, you salute your separate selves. All that makes you who you are, you honor with this flame. Princess Thalia of House Talfayen, please kindle yours.”
She held the wick to the censer and waited until she was sure the candle had caught before pulling back. At least her hands were steady while she waited. Lileth studied her for a moment, then her gaze flickered to the wolf lord. “Lord Raff Pineda of Pine Ridge, please bring your flame to life.”
He was faster and less cautious, plunging the candle halfway in, and then he flashed her a roguish grin when he pulled it free with a flourish.
Lileth continued, “As you blend your flames to light the third candle, you celebrate the power to ignite a common flame of commitment. From each Numina, there rises a light that reaches to infinity and one day will join with our mothers and fathers, both earthly and divine. From this moment forward, you swear to walk the same path, your two shadows become one. May the road you tread together be full of truth and light, happiness and honesty, purpose and peace.”
That was the signal for them to step forward together and unite their flames. For some reason, it seemed momentous when the larger tallow lit up. “Lord Pineda, give your breath as a sign that you take responsibility for her light.”
His exhalation not only extinguished the flame, it also smelled of peppermint. Thalia smiled in response, waiting for Lileth to invite her to do the same. “Princess Talfayen, give your breath as a sign you take responsibility for his light.”
This is the end of the Eldritch portion of the service.
Efficiently, she blew out his candle and Lileth took them back, placing one on each side of the unity candle. She had tailored the service to omit all the awkward language about love and desire, which Thalia appreciated. It wouldn’t help the situation to force them to speak false vows.
Her part done, Lil made way for Janek on the dais. The elder wolf was soberly garbed and dignified in demeanor. “Friends, we are here to mark the joining of these two. Promises are ties that bind. Today, you have chosen one another. Raff, please turn, face your bride and offer her your hand.”
His quick compliance saved her pride. While everyone had to know that this wouldn’t be the first choice for either of them, nobody could gossip about the proprieties.
Janek stepped down and wrapped a thick cord around the wolf lord’s wrist and then he pulled the other end around Thalia’s. She hadn’t known that the wolves had this sort of tradition, but she didn’t object as Janek deftly fastened a loose knot. If she exerted the slightest pressure, it would fall off, probably a bad omen.
“The first, fragile link has been created. One may be conquered, but two can defend, back to back, joined in common cause. Likewise, a rope woven of many threads does not fray easily. Will you two pull it tight as a symbol of your union?”
“I will,” she said, in unison with the wolf lord.
They each drew on the rope until there was only a little slack and the knot was tight enough to hold. Normally, there were probably a lot more words about love and devotion, but the wolves had cut to the chase as well. This must be almost over, right? Janek misted them both lightly with water.
“The bond is made and blessed. House Talfayen is joined with the Pine Ridge pack. From this moment forward, we acknowledge your kith as our kin. Let these witnesses recognize the promises made today and let no man separate what we have joined. Friends, I give you our newlywed couple. Please support their union with your applause.”
At first, the response was lukewarm at best, but a few enthusiastic witnesses in back motivated the crowd to sufficient fervor. Once the clapping died down, Janek bowed and then raised their arms high. People started taking pictures, as if the occasion truly needed personal commemoration.
I got a rope instead of a ring. How…odd.
“When can we take this off?” Thalia demanded, about an hour later.
They had proceeded through the customary Eldritch fertility dance and the pack receiving line, which was short as hell, since most of Raff’s people were still at Pine Ridge. Now they were about to eat, so he could understand her aggravation.
This should be fun.
While it might be wrong to tease her, he still intended to wring every drop of satisfaction from imparting this info. “You didn’t know?”
“What?”
“We wear the handfast cord for twenty-four hours. It ensures we stay close, build intimacy, and enjoy a playful first night.”
“You can’t be serious.” Her eyes shot purple daggers, and her free hand balled up, the most temper she’d shown in his presence. It made a nice change from icy composure.
But…she wouldn’t really hit me?
Fortunately, Janek overheard the sharp tone and stepped up to offer moral support. “He’s not jesting, your highness. It’s a pack peculiarity. I suppose you’re free to disregard our traditions once you’re out of the public eye, but I would ask you to bear with us at least until you retire. Otherwise, Bibi will not waste time informing everyone upon her return.”
The seer was going to be a pain in Raff’s ass; he just knew it. While Thalia’s jaw clenched, her fingers relaxed, so the crisis must be past. She lowered her arm and stayed close to his side as he moved off. It seemed like there was an endless stream of Eldritch wanting a word, some impassive, others actively hosti
le.
“I don’t think I have many fans in your holding,” he said lightly.
“Do you want a candid reply or a tactful one?”
“That’s an answer already, Lady Silver. Or did you not realize I could read between the lines?”
“From the way you play Kingcross, I wouldn’t guess you could read at all.”
It was a joke—he knew it was—but the sting bit deep anyway, because that was so much like what he’d heard from his father, years ago. Only back then, it was more, and longer, and worse. Grim memories beckoned like a murky sea. If his contract bride started down that road, he might not even be able to stay for the promised three months.
“Ha,” he said.
Raff didn’t think he’d shown any outward sign that the quip bothered him, but her brow furrowed. If she was as adroit as Gavriel seemed to think, however, she might have a gift for reading nuances. “I’m sorry. I meant it as a gentle poke at your gamesmanship, but it didn’t come across, did it?”
“Forgotten already. Do I seem like the sensitive sort?” It was an offhand question, but she seemed to be considering seriously.
“Yes.”
When her gaze locked with his, the noise in the hall faded. He had the unnerving sensation that she could see through him, right down to his bones. It took Sky’s hand on his arm to pull his eyes away, and even then, he could still feel the princess next to him. What the hell?
“What is it, pup?”
“Don’t call me that,” she snapped. “Janek and Lileth say it’s time for you to lead the procession to the dining hall.”
“I hope there will be speeches and toasts to our health. You know how much I love that sort of flummery.”
Skylett shot him a dark look, but she stepped back so they could take their place at the head of the queue. Since he was still tied to Thalia, he let her set the pace. She solved his minor dilemma by setting her bound hand on his arm. Raff measured his pace to match hers. Since she knew the way, it was best to let her lead. Silence prevailed as they proceeded to the dining hall.
