by Kit Berry
‘No, no, I’ll have a word with her,’ he said with exaggerated weariness. ‘I don’t want you flaying her with your sharp tongue, when she’s done nothing wrong.’
Sylvie glared at him, longing to challenge him, but knowing that this was certainly not the place. She noticed Swift close behind eavesdropping, and turned on him.
‘You should be in the Barn, Green Man!’ she said sharply. ‘Take your Queen and get in there to say the thanksgiving before lunch.’
Yul rolled his eyes at the green youth in sympathy, and, slightly unsteadily, climbed down from the dais. Swift hid a smile as he took Valerian’s arm and led her down the steps. It seemed that Yul had taken his advice after all and had a good swig of mead to get him through the morning.
Yul found Rainbow sitting on her shawl spread on the grass, with her back against a chestnut tree. She was wearing the customary white dress, worn by all the girls and women in the community at Beltane. She’d woven some bluebells into the long, wild tresses of hair that fell almost to her waist and her feet were bare. She grinned at him as he approached across the Green and put down her sketchbook and pencil.
‘Bright Beltane blessings, Yul!’ she said, patting the shawl next to her. ‘Come and sit with me for a while. You look totally pissed off.’
‘I am,’ he said ruefully. ‘Totally.’
He flung himself down next to her, sharing the tree trunk and clasping his knees up to his chest, just as he’d always sat. Their shoulders weren’t touching and he was careful to keep apart. She turned her head to grin at him again, and he was struck by the light dancing in her sea-blue eyes, so bright and knowing.
‘I’m disappointed you’re not the Green Man,’ she said. ‘I imagined you’d be splendid.’
‘It’s the first year I haven’t been,’ he said. ‘We thought . . . we thought it best this year to give some youngsters a chance at taking the lead roles for a change.’
‘Shame – I bet you look gorgeous. And fancy foregoing that rollicking around in the bluebells all night!’
‘That was in Magus’ time,’ he said. ‘We’ve changed the customs quite a bit. Sylvie’s always the May Queen and the Lammas Queen. She does everything except the Bright Maiden.’
‘How very greedy of her,’ mused Rainbow. ‘Fancy taking all the main parts. But she decided not to bother this year – maybe she’s bored of it.’
Yul grunted noncommittally and sighed.
‘I wanted a word with you about the camera,’ he began and Rainbow laughed.
‘And there I was thinking you’d sought me out for an intimate conversation, Yul! What a disappointment. Do you realise you’ve been avoiding me ever since I arrived?’
‘No, I haven’t! I’ve spoken to you many times.’
‘Not alone. I’ve been here six weeks, yet this is the first time we’ve been alone together. Why is that, I wonder?’
He frowned, not sure how to handle Rainbow.
‘Anyway, we’ve finally got a moment of privacy,’ she continued, ‘so let’s just enjoy it while it lasts. I’ve been so looking forward to this. I wanted to tell you that you grew up into all I’d imagined you would.’
He gave her a sidelong glance. Nobody at Stonewylde ever spoke to him in this way.
‘Yes,’ she sighed, ‘you really are one hell of a man. It’s just as well I left Stonewylde when I did, because I was developing a dreadful crush on you, just like all the other Hallfolk girls. We all had the hots for you – did you know that? Lucky old Sylvie – I hope she appreciates just how fortunate she is.’
Yul couldn’t stop the bitter laugh that escaped his lips. Rainbow sighed again and leaned her shoulder against his.
‘Though I heard that you no longer live together as man and wife. How dreadful!’
A strand of her tawny blonde hair, glinting with strands of gold, blew across his arm. He stared down at it.
‘Rainbow, come on . . .’ he said helplessly.
But she only chuckled in her husky, inviting way and leaned into him just a little more. Where her golden hair brushed his skin, he began to tingle.
7
Dawn smoothed her dress and gave herself a final once-over. She caught her own terrified eyes in the mirror and made a face.
‘Honestly, I feel like a teenager,’ she laughed shakily. ‘I’m in my thirties but I’m so ridiculously nervous!’
‘You look lovely,’ said Rainbow, flicking a glance at the bride before resuming her own grooming. Rainbow wore a dress of turquoise silk shot with a deeper blue which changed colour as it caught the light, perfectly matching her eyes. She’d had it sent down the minute she’d been given the honour of attending Dawn at her handfasting, knowing Stonewylde had never seen the like of such a dress. Both women wore a circlet of bluebells and wood anemones on their heads; Rainbow’s wild hair cascaded down in tawny blonde tresses that put Dawn’s rather wiry fair hair to shame. But, like many a bride before her, Dawn had a light in her eye that refused to be outshone by a prettier face.
‘Are you sure you remember what to do?’ asked Dawn anxiously, wishing that Rainbow would spare her just a little more attention. ‘It’s all very different nowadays, Rainbow.’
‘Yes, I’ll be fine,’ said Rainbow. ‘I’ll just follow the others if I don’t know.’
‘You have my ring for David? And my vow? And the cord? Oh no, what about—’
‘Stop fretting, Dawn,’ Rainbow laughed. ‘Honestly, it’s all here safely in my little basket. And your flowers too.’
‘I think we should join the other brides now,’ said Dawn. ‘We’re all meeting up in the School House as usual. It’s strange – usually it’s me in there keeping everyone calm and checking they’ve all got their bits and pieces ready. I never thought I’d actually be a bride myself!’
‘So, who’s in charge of keeping the peace today?’
‘It’s Rosie – remember her? Yul’s sister. It has to be someone who’s not related to any of the brides, so they don’t get too caught up in all the giggly nerves. And the men will be in the Jack, of course, with all their attendants. I hope David’s feeling alright.’
‘Of course he is! I saw his family and friends coming down from the Hall earlier. I gather they’re very impressed by everything here.’
‘I’m just so glad it’s Clip who’s officiating today, with Sylvie. It was good of him to agree to do the handfastings one last time. I feel very honoured.’
‘I can’t believe they’re only held once a year now,’ said Rainbow. ‘Seems a bit weird to me. We always had them at every festival up in the Stone Circle, didn’t we? Why on earth change something that works well?’
‘Oh, it’s much better like this, really. The Village Green is more . . . open, more friendly somehow, and if it rains we just go into the Barn. It’s lovely, you’ll see. Having all the handfastings together just once a year at Hare Moon make it more of a big, special occasion than just a little ceremony tacked on to the end of a festival celebration. Now come on, let’s get to the School House. They’ll be calling us very soon.’
On the Village Green, David’s guests stood out like a cellophane-wrapped bouquet of bright, hothouse flowers placed in a wildflower meadow. All were either pagan or at least familiar with the customs and therefore comfortable with the proceedings, although David had warned them that nothing would prepare them for Stonewylde. They’d imagined they’d blend in well amongst a pagan community, and yet they looked outlandish. What most hadn’t appreciated was that every garment worn at Stonewylde was not only hand sewn but also home grown. The linen was woven on hand-looms from flax and hemp grown in the fields, dyed with plants grown especially for the purpose, embroidered and appliquéd by hand. Leather was made from the skins of animals bred, reared, slaughtered and tanned here. Wool came from the Stonewylde flocks and was hand spun and dyed, before being felted, knitted or crocheted into garments. Nothing was artificial or imported, which made the Outsiders’ outfits, however carefully chosen for the occasion, seem rather
garish and synthetic.
But the Outsiders had been made welcome by most, for David was a popular member of the community and had been at Stonewylde for well over a year now. Dawn was highly thought of too, despite her Hallfolk origins, and the children and teenagers she’d taught were particularly excited today. They raced around outside the circle of people whilst everyone waited for the ceremony to begin. There was a great deal of happy laughter and chatter amongst the folk, who were all dressed in their finest robes and tunics. Girls and women had blossom and flowers in their hair and the men and boys wore bits of greenery. Many of the older ones had brought along their staves, beribboned for the occasion, and others had a wand decorated with ribbons or wool. Many families too had brought their bell, the one that normally lived over the hearth of the house to summon the woodland sprites and elves at Yule.
‘This is absolutely beautiful!’ murmured David’s mother, resplendent in a long velvet dress of bright emerald green with gold silk inserts, an elaborate wreath on her head and a great deal of heavy jewellery at her neck, wrists and ears. ‘I’d never have guessed somewhere like this existed in our modern world.’
‘Stunning,’ agreed his father, equally fine-robed in rich scarlet and brilliant white, and sporting a large dragon on his back. ‘I’m so happy for our lad. I wonder if parents of the groom are allowed to move in here too?’
David’s sister Sarah laughed at this, keeping hold of her children in case they did something frowned upon. The Stonewylde children running around like puppies were all a little wild and boisterous. Her husband wished he’d brought his camera even though David had warned them it wouldn’t be a good idea.
‘I’m going to ask him if we can all come and stay in the school holidays,’ said Sarah. ‘The kids would have a wonderful time here and it’s just what I’ve always dreamed of, a community like this. It’s perfect!’
They stopped talking as Clip raised his ash staff for silence. The crowd gradually quietened and the children were all gathered in from outside the circle. There were several concentric rings to keep the circle a reasonable size, and everyone now joined hands. At a sign from Clip, a group of drummers began a soft rhythm like a heartbeat, and a youngster with panpipes played a gentle, meandering tune that hung in the warm air and mingled with the birdsong. A handful of girls began a joyful dance in the centre of the circle, leaping and twirling, stretching their supple limbs and delicate hands, tossing their hair and whirling their skirts.
After a while, Clip raised his staff again; the dancers and musicians stilled and silence descended.
‘Folk of Stonewylde, we’re gathered today on our sacred Village Green to witness the handfasting of seven couples. And today is made more special by having Outsiders in our midst! Let us welcome David’s guests to Stonewylde.’
Everyone cried, ‘Welcome!’, to which the small band of Outsiders smiled their thanks and gave little bows.
‘And now we call on the seven couples and their attendants to join us on the Village Green!’
A man with a great cow horn climbed onto the dais and blew, long and hard. The strange, low sound wailed around the circle of people and then wended out, around the circle of trees and beyond. He gave the summons five times, and then the drummers began to play, an excited rhythm that quickened everyone’s pulse. From out of the trees on one side of the Green came the seven men to be handfasted, each accompanied by his chosen attendant, and from the other side, the women and their friends. The two groups approached the great circle of Stonewylders and stood outside.
‘Who comes to our circle today to be joined to their true-love in marriage?’ called Clip.
The attendants called out the names, one by one, and when all fourteen names had been called, Clip spoke again.
‘Does anyone in our community know any reason why any of these fourteen should not be handfasted today?’
‘No!’ roared the people in one great voice.
‘Shall we open the circle to welcome them inside?’
‘Yes!’ came the reply.
At a signal, the circle parted in two places and the two groups entered and faced each other across the circle. All the brides wore circlets of flowers on their heads and the grooms wreaths of leaves, and each carried a small bunch of flowers. The attendants stood modestly behind them, ready to assist. Rainbow, however, upstaged every bride by the sheer vivacity of her shimmering silk gown, and Sylvie, stepping forward on the dais to speak, swallowed a throb of irritation.
‘First, we must invoke the spirit of Stonewylde and awaken the energy and magic. We call on the five elements and the Green Magic of Stonewylde!’
‘We call on the Goddess in the Landscape, she who is the earth beneath our feet, the air we breathe, the warmth in our veins and the water that flows around and within; she who quickens our souls with the life-force and gives energy to every living thing,’ cried Clip.
‘We call on you, Goddess, and invite you to bless our ceremony,’ called Sylvie. ‘We honour all your creations and feel your divine spirit within, around, above and below. Everything is born of you, and to you everything will return. We honour the beauty of the living world around us! Folk of Stonewylde, we will take a few heartbeats to give thanks for all creation.’
The drums throbbed very quietly now, as Clip led the gratitudes. He invoked thoughts in everyone’s minds of the trees, flowers, bushes, birds, fish, animals, rocks, hills, valleys, woodlands, heaths, beaches, the river, streams, marshes, insects – every part of the great beauty around them that was Stonewylde, their own piece of nature, their own corner of creation. Soon everyone’s heads were full of the wonder and glory of the natural world.
‘And tonight is Hare Moon,’ cried Sylvie. ‘We honour the Bright Lady and invite her to join our ceremony! She who brings her silver magic to Stonewylde – welcome! We ask that you bless the couples with romance, true love and fertility!’
‘They haven’t called the quarters!’ hissed David’s grandmother. ‘Don’t they realise how to do it?’
‘Ssh, Ma!’ whispered David’s father. ‘I think they’ve called not only the quarters, but just about every other energy and element known to mankind! Yes, yes, and womankind.’
‘I thought they’d do it properly here,’ she said, disappointed. ‘From what David told us, I thought they’d get it right. They haven’t even cast and consecrated the circle!’
‘They don’t need to,’ said David’s father, gazing around the Village Green at the encircling trees now in bursting leaf. ‘Can’t you feel this is a sacred grove, Ma? Why bother with theatricals when the place already throbs with the Goddess’ magic?’
She frowned at him and, closing her eyes, began to make her own private invocations. David’s parents’ eyes met and they both grinned; she was such a stickler for ritual. Meanwhile, the attendants had been asked to bring forward the seven pairs of rings. Each pair was placed in its own tiny basket, like a little nest, and a chosen child for each couple proudly paraded the rings around the entire circle, whilst Clip continued his words.
‘These rings represent eternity, the full circle, the journey with no beginning and no end. They represent completeness and wholeness, and this is what we wish for each couple being joined today. May you love each other for eternity, and find completeness in each other.’
When the rings had travelled the circuit, the seven couples came forward into the middle of the circle and faced each other, with their attendants behind them. Dawn looked into David’s eyes and saw her nervousness and joy mirrored there. And then something else – something deep and everlasting that made all other emotions tumble away as they joined in that special, timeless place where their souls connected. Dawn felt her lips tremble and her eyes fill with tears, and thanked the Goddess that against all odds, she’d found this love in her lifetime. She’d realised all those years ago, when begging to be allowed to stay at Stonewylde, that the chances of ever finding a partner were remote. Yet David had arrived and almost instantly they’d bo
th known, both felt the pieces of jigsaw slide into place and realised just how their lives had always been patterned to bring them together one day, to this point. Dawn saw that same understanding in his eyes and her heart sang.
‘And now, before you exchange your rings and make your private vows to one another, repeat after me these binding promises . . .’
Each couple clasped hands, facing each other, as they repeated the old words. Dawn was glad she was speaking in unison with the thirteen others, for her voice trembled.
‘I came to this circle as one alone, but I leave as half of a pair. I offer myself to you as your helper, your friend, your lover and your guardian. I give you my love, my heart and all that I am. I stand before you and hope that I am enough. Will you wed me?’
Sylvie found her throat aching as her father said the words in short bursts, repeated by the seven couples as they held hands and gazed into each other’s eyes. She couldn’t bear to locate Yul in the circle and catch his eye as she normally did during the handfastings every year, silently renewing their promises and reaffirming their love through eye contact. This year it was too painful. What had happened to them both? She remembered so clearly making these vows herself, meaning every single word and feeling so sure that she and her beloved would feel as they did at that moment, forever. As the couples now all chorused, ‘I will!’ she took a deep breath, for she had to speak the next words.
‘Love is friendship that has caught fire and will not be doused or checked,’ she said, using every grain of self-control to keep her voice strong. ‘You have chosen to be handfasted, to make a commitment to stay together and perpetuate that love. Marriage means never again being alone in the darkness, never again being on the outside looking in. Marriage means coming into the brightness and warmth of the hearth, and never wanting for love and companionship. Marriage means loving and being loved with all your heart, all your soul and all your body, for evermore. Are you ready now to bind your hands in sacred union, to be wed together as a couple?’
