by Annie Wald
The next day, Peter and Celeste volunteered to help collect more berries. They walked through the higher meadow, plinking the berries into their buckets until they came to an overgrown field and sat on a log.
“I could do this forever,” Peter said.
“Me, too,” Celeste said. “I never get tired of walking in the meadows.”
“No, that’s not what I meant. I never get tired of walking with you.”
“Oh.” She smiled. “It’s the same for me.”
Peter took Celeste’s hand and looked into her eyes.
“Will you be my partner? Will you walk with me until we reach the King’s City?”
Celeste blushed and took a deep breath. Her vision of romance was finally becoming real; she was chosen and loved by the perfect partner. “Yes,” she said. “A hundred yeses. Yes.”
THE CORDS OF COMMITMENT
As soon as Peter and Celeste returned to the grove, they began to prepare for their weaving day and send-off party. There were decorations to get, music to find, food to order. When Peter started to tally all the expenses, he suggested they skip the send-off party and just have only a small, private dinner. But Celeste said that was impossible. All her relatives from Slouching City were coming. And besides, she had always wanted to have a fancy send-off celebration.
One day they took a break from their planning and visited a guide named Devotion so they could pick out their Cords of Commitment. When they became partners forever, three strands would be woven around their wrists to make a single bracelet. The first strand represented the strengths they brought to their partnership and the things they shared in common. The second strand symbolized the love that would bind them forever and their willingness to lay down their lives for each other. The last strand stood for the promise they would make to never let go but stay with each other to the very end. Even if the first two strands became frayed, nothing could rip the third strand apart.
There were so many patterns and materials and colors that it took Peter and Celeste a long time to make their decision. They finally chose a royal blue silk for the first strand and a soft, red sheep’s wool for the second. For the third, they chose a durable, thick gold.
“This is so exciting,” Celeste said as Devotion measured their wrists.
“It is,” Devotion said. “But never forget that this braided bracelet is not just something pretty to wear. Your cords will be extremely sensitive to the state of your partnership. They will match the invisible threads that will intertwine through your hearts when you become one. Once the cords are on your wrists, they will cause painful wounds if they are ever cut off. So I trust you have considered well your decision to become partners.”
“We’re absolutely sure.” Peter looked at Celeste with a loving smile.
Celeste smiled back. “There is no one else I want for a partner but Peter.”
“I have seen many who became partners while they were still traveling in the Low Country,” Devotion said. “But when they set out for the Mountains of Maturity, as everyone must, they came to challenging routes they never knew existed. Soon the excitement of being partners disappeared, and they discovered their partner had flaws and limitations they had never seen before. Their cords began to chafe, and sometimes in desperation they wished to take them off.”
“You don’t have to worry about us doing that,” Celeste said.
“We agree with the guidebook,” Peter said. “Anyone who cuts the cords, except for unfaithfulness, and joins with another partner breaks the King’s rule.”
“That is a good start, but I still want to caution you. You will be traveling together longer than you have already lived, and on a path harder than you have ever walked. You may suffer burrs of unkind words. You may go through the Swamp of Selfishness, the Plains of Distance, or even the Way of Winter. You may doubt that your partner really is the right one for you. You may begin to feel like a prisoner, and your braided cords will feel like handcuffs.”
“You make it sound so gloomy!” Celeste said. “Don’t you have any encouragement for us?”
Devotion chuckled. “You’re right. Although there is no partnership in the King’s City, He created the first partners in the Great Garden. Having a partner can double your joys and divide your griefs. You will lose some freedom walking together, but you will also gain many benefits. You will share the greater strength of two halves made into one whole. You will find pleasant paths and warm mineral springs. When you experience the glory of drinking from the chalice together, you will find your most intimate desires satisfied. You may be blessed with the joy of little travelers—and with them will come many new ways to show how much you love each other.
“Whatever comes,” Devotion continued, “your love can protect you and help you to persevere. I’m sorry if I sounded too pessimistic. These days so many partners are separating and cutting their cords.” He went to a cabinet and took out two pairs of scissors.
The young travelers shrank away. “We don’t want those,” Peter said.
“We will never need them,” Celeste said.
Devotion rolled up each pair of scissors in a thick cloth. “I’ll put them in the bottoms of your packs. You will do well to leave them there.”
“But do we have to take them at all?” Celeste said.
“Remember the King has set you free. You are no longer slaves. You always have the choice to do good or to do harm, even when you take on a partner.”
“Wouldn’t it be better if there weren’t any scissors?”
“There have been times when scissors have been hard to find, but the scissors are not the real problem. The King intended partnership to make you stronger—and to make you shine more brightly together than alone. But to do this you must love each other with a deep, selfless love. Many partners who have not cut their cords believe they are still following the King’s way, but their partnership is only an empty shell of the King’s design. It’s only a duty for them, or worse, a prison. So don’t be fooled into thinking that if you wear your cords with a cold heart, you are fulfilling the law of love.”
Finally the day came for Peter and Celeste to be joined. The sky was crisp and blue, as beautiful as any postcard. Celeste trembled as she put on her white dress. She felt like a princess, and her mother said she had never looked more lovely. Peter wore a new suit, and his mother began crying when she saw him in it. She said it seemed only yesterday when he had been a little boy and refused to wear one.
Peter and Celeste walked together through the gathering and stood before Faithfulness. Before the guide wove the cords on their wrists, he gave them some counsel. “Peter and Celeste, each of you has been greatly blessed with gifts. Peter, you are a serious follower of the King. Your faith is so strong that you could move a mountain if you had to. But remember this gift is worthless if you are not loving. Strength used without love is the worst power in the world. You could put every mountain into the ocean, and you would be nothing if you did it without love.
“And Celeste, you have a wonderful gift of words—you speak with such expressiveness, and when you sing the King’s songs, it sounds like an angel. But your songs will sound like rusty hinges if you sing without love.
“Now listen to the description of love that the guidebook gives—and keep it close to your hearts.
Love is patient and kind;
love does not envy or boast;
it is not arrogant or rude.
It does not insist on its own way;
it is not irritable or resentful;
it does not rejoice at wrongdoing,
but rejoices with the truth.
“This is the love of the King, which He has given to you—and now you can give this love to each other. Remember, the King’s love never gives up and never loses faith. His love is always hopeful. His love endures through every circumstance.”
Then Faithfulness took the three strands and began to weave them around Peter’s and Celeste’s wrists as they sang their pledge together:<
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“I take you as my partner, to live in the covenant of love.
Heart of my heart, flesh of my flesh, bone of my bone.
Whom the King has joined together with me, let no person pull apart.”
The cords became strong and bright as they sang on:
“I will love you, I will honor you,
I will give you my affections.
I will walk with no other partner,
and no matter how dark or how cold the way,
no matter how weak you become,
I will love you always and walk together with you
until we reach the King’s City.”
Faithfulness had Peter and Celeste join hands and raise them high so all the crowd could see the cords. “Peter and Celeste, husband and wife, partners forever.”
A great cheer went up through the gathering. As Peter and Celeste stood there, glowing with love for each other, some people thought they were seeing a glimpse of what it would be like to stand before the King, fully loved by Him.
Afterward the new partners were greeted by the guests. An unfamiliar couple approached, and Celeste whispered to Peter, “Do you know who they are?”
“I’m not sure. I think it’s the couple who lived next door to us when I was growing up. But they’ve changed so much, I hardly recognize them. The woman was a nasty gossip, and the man was stingy and mean. Look at how joyful they are now.”
Indeed, the couple looked radiant, as if their journey together had transformed them into a source of light.
“Lord Will and Lady Sophia.” The man extended his hand to Peter. “Congratulations. We’re so happy for you.”
“We didn’t bring our gifts today,” Lady Sophia said. “But we hope you can come visit us soon so we can give them to you.”
“We’d love to,” Celeste said, happy at the thought of getting more presents.
“They’re not too heavy, are they?” Peter said, thinking of the extra clothes Celeste wanted to add to their bags.
“Oh no,” Lord Will said. “These special kingly gifts are very light.”
“And they will make your journey together easier—” Lady Sophia said.
“So you’ll be able to reach the Highlands,” Lord Will said.
“The Highlands?” Peter and Celeste asked in unison.
“The King’s Highlands—”
“As close as you can get to His city without crossing over—”
“A wonderful region of blessing and joy—”
“Where the view is so much better,” Lady Sophia said. “You can see out over the entire land of the King and wander in the high meadows—”
“And the chalice is sweeter and richer and thicker, like milk and honey mixed together.”
“But milk is an ordinary drink,” Celeste said.
“Not this milk,” Lord Will said. “You’ve never tasted such milk. It gives you energy and strength and joy, long after you have finished drinking.”
“If we follow the King’s path, will we be sure to get there?” Peter asked.
“No, not every traveler reaches the Highlands. That’s why we want to give you our gifts. They will help you on the climb.”
Peter and Celeste promised they would come for their gifts soon.
When night came, Peter and Celeste said goodbye to everyone and set off for the moon of honey. They held hands and followed a path lit by a golden moon that brought them to a small, private meadow. The air was warm and scented with roses. In the center of the meadow was a beautiful chalice of gold and silver, ringed with sparkling diamonds. They walked to the chalice. Each taking a handle, they lifted it and drank. It was the sweetest, most refreshing liquid they had ever tasted, revealing their innermost selves and binding them into one. Then they sang a song of the King:
Place me like a seal over your heart,
like a seal on your arm;
for love is as strong as death,
its jealousy unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire,
like a mighty flame.
Many waters cannot quench love;
rivers cannot wash it away.
If one were to give
all the wealth of his house for love,
it would be utterly scorned.
“Oh Peter, I have never been so happy,” Celeste said.
“It’s the same for me,” Peter said. “And it all began with a simple walk.”
But in my dream as I looked ahead, I saw that Peter and Celeste did not walk happily ever after.
In the Low Country
THE FORBIDDEN MEADOW
A few days later, Celeste reminded Peter about picking up Lord Will and Lady Sophia’s gifts, but he didn’t want to take a detour. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea to stop just after we’ve started out together.”
“Maybe you’re right,” Celeste said. “As much as I enjoy getting gifts, I think our love for the King will be enough for us.”
“And we have our supplies and the guidebook to the King’s City.”
“And the chalice.” Celeste smiled.
“Exactly,” Peter said.
They decided they would follow the moon of honey for as long as they could. The path was straight and flat, wide enough to walk side by side. Broad shade trees sheltered them from the noonday sun. They joined often to drink from the chalice. But for all their drinking, they never tired of the sweet liquid of love. They watched sunrises and sunsets and stopped for long picnics whenever they came to a meadow. Their happiness was just as Faithfulness had described, so they were quite sure he had exaggerated the dangers of being partners. They had seen no mountain ranges in the distance, or swamps or plains, only woods and lowlands dotted with lakes.
Then one day they came to a side path that turned sharply off the main road. When they stopped to look where it led, they could see an inviting forest dell in the distance—and beyond that, the tiniest glimpse of the King’s City. As they got closer, they could hear a brook gurgling. Clusters of butterflies flitted through the air. Over the next rise, they came to a large meadow covered with white clover like a carpet, its edge trimmed with rows of lavender. The path led straight through the meadow.
“What a beautiful path. Oh Peter, let’s take it. We must.” One of Celeste’s postcards bore a striking resemblance to the scene. She was so happy, she was ready to push Peter down the path.
But Peter stopped short. “Wait.” He pointed to an ancient sign planted at the entrance. Printed in large letters were the words, “Verboten. Interdit. Forbidden. Prohibido. Terlarang. Haramu. Yasak …” The word was written in 623 other languages, and there was a button to push that played the sign’s message in any language that was spoken but not written. Every traveler who came that way would know what the sign meant.
“It doesn’t make any sense,” Celeste said. “This is the nicest path we’ve come to. I can’t imagine why we wouldn’t be allowed to take it.”
“Well, not everything that looks pleasant is always good for us,” Peter said.
“True, but I don’t see any harm in taking this way. Check the map. I’m sure there’s some mistake.”
Peter found the path on the map. “You’re right. It looks like a very direct way to the King’s City.”
“So there you are.” Celeste felt pleased with herself. “How ridiculous to tell us not to take a path that goes to the King’s City. Besides, if this path really was forbidden, the sign would have explained why.”
“I don’t know.” Peter hesitated. “On the map there’s a hatched line through the path, as if it has been blocked off. Maybe we should turn back.”
“Come on, Peter, you don’t live in Upright Village anymore. We’re free to do whatever we want.” Celeste didn’t realize she was beginning to sound like her relatives back in Slouching City. “And the path is so well-worn—how can it be the wrong way? Besides, it looks like it would be a wonderful place to drink from the chalice.”
