Bound by the Mist (Mists of Eria) (36 page)

She looked her best and knew it. Arrein had arranged her hair artfully. The simplistic yet elegant style suited her. The gown flattered her figure, the flowing fabric hugging her curves in strategic places. She shuddered at the amount of work that had gone into her ensemble. Tiny seed-like crystals, held in place with gold thread that gave off a soft metallic sheen, ran their way across the jacquard ivory silk overdress. The underdress matched and was plain except for the glint of light that played off the material.

A voice sounded behind her. She flinched, not thinking to hear a male voice in the tent.

“My dear, we aren’t going to attack. Don’t look so petrified. There is naught to worry about.” Talion came over to her and took her hands between his. They were warm and reassuring.

“Believe it or not, you hold my son’s heart in your hands. That is a very rare and precious thing.” He looked down at her hands, spreading them beneath his. “These hands, though small, were strong enough to accomplish something no other female has been able to do. Relian is strong in body and spirit, and his match could be nothing less, Daughter. I hope you will honor me by addressing me as father.”

Cal’s gaze flew in Maggie’s direction. Her friend watched with shock-glazed eyes. Her mouth hung open, and Cal was sure hers was, too. Talion…his words. They were so sweet, so overwhelming. She never expected to have a father-in-law who looked barely years older than his son. Who dressed in robes that were literally fit for a king. Even his small circlet-type crown emphasized who and what he was.

“I would be honored, Sire.” Cal corrected herself, “I mean, Father.”

He released her hands, clapping his together. “Good. All will be ready in a few minutes.”

She nodded, and alarm rose in her chest again.

Talion chuckled and shot a smirk at Maggie, addressing her. “It seems your observation is correct, my lady.” Maggie’s cheeks stained with crimson, and her eyes spit sparks at him. “I don’t think anxiety will be overcome until the ceremony is over, and they’ve retired for the night.”

All the women—elf and human—froze at his words. He walked out the tent, still chuckling.

***

Cal’s gaze met her immortal future across the clearing, gray and green held steady by each other. His eyes, so intense, glowed against the backdrop of the tent he just vacated. That image made the gathered crowd recede for a blessed moment. Only he existed.

Her sight remained fixed on his, her peripheral vision belatedly taking in the magnificence of his appearance. His circlet, similar to the one she wore, was gold, and its elegant lines highlighted his features. Dressed in an ankle-length ivory tunic belted over loose trousers, he wore an open robe of royal blue over it. How appropriate. The color suited him. It was an absurd thought that kept floating through her mind. Then reality intruded. And suddenly, he seemed so far away.

All eyes were upon them. The stares seeped into her awareness, causing her pulse to beat to a wild tempo that barely allowed for breath. This was it. If she completed the ceremony, there’d be no walking away, not that she really could anyway.

Needing something on which to focus, she repeatedly whispered to herself the vows Henril taught her. The distance between her and Relian appeared insurmountable. She waded through sand, through air, that suffocated her.

Apprehension flared, and she froze. She looked toward him, and somehow he stood before her. Standing so close, his breath upon her face. His hands were warm upon hers, comforting and grounding her.

He led her toward the main bower in the clearing. They stopped before the cleric who would help officiate the ceremony. Relian took both her hands in his and turned her to face him. She was now uncomfortably aware their profiles faced most of the audience.

She glanced past Relian’s shoulder, and a familiar face met her gaze. As the father of the groom, Talion had his role to play. He gave her a reassuring smile. She also knew somewhere behind her, Maggie stood nearby. Since Cal’s family wasn't there, her friend would stand in as a relative.

Talion stepped forward, as he was not only king but also host of the affair. His voice resonated through the clearing. “Beloved guests, we are here for a joyous occasion. Complete bondings are rare, and we have not been blessed with one for over a century.”

A century? Cal received a jolt at that new snippet but forced herself to listen.

“Any bonding is a cause for celebration, and the one of our prince and his bond mate, Lady Calantha, is doubly so.”

At the signal of the cleric, Talion and Maggie both came before them, a length of ribbon in their respective hands. First went Talion’s ribbon around their left wrists, and then Maggie’s around the right. As they did this, the cleric spoke. “Before us is the symbolic uniting of two lives, two souls still uniquely individual but inexorably linked. Let none seek to tear it asunder.”

Relian spoke his vows next, the same ones Cal would repeat to him. His face remained grave, but was that a hint of a smile lurking in his eyes? His voice came strong and clear, warming away the cold that took hold of her body. “No one can tear our bond asunder except through death. Even then, in the afterlife, it will exist, waiting for you to fulfill it. It cannot be torn for long, for what is eternity in the afterlife but a splash in the ocean. This I pledge to you.” He squeezed her hands. The encouragement helped but not enough to settle her nerves.

Cal swallowed. Her turn now. Relian sounded wonderful while reciting the vows, but she’d probably sound like a stuttering nutcase. She prayed to get through this quickly and without too much embarrassment.

Though she faltered slightly at the beginning, by the end her voice was calm and steady. It helped that she focused on his eyes, nothing else. They guided her and supported her.

Then Maggie and Talion stepped back to their sides, unwinding the ribbons. As Maggie finished, she whispered, “You did it.” She gave an impish smile. “Well, you’re half-way through.” Cal tried to glare, but it came out a smile. Relian favored Maggie with his own smile, as he seemed to overhear her words. Talion responded to it all with a quiet laugh. Cal's heart rate slowed down but only by a notch.

Talion lost no time in calling them forward. “It is with much happiness that I present the Prince and Princess of Eria, Relian and Calantha.” She was again startled to hear her full name, but she had to admit it sounded far more regal than Cal. She watched Relian closely and mimicked his actions. Nearly everyone she’d spoken to told her that was the safe way to satisfy proper etiquette until she learned all the rules herself.

After that came the well-wishers and with them, more names than Cal could keep track. It seemed everyone desired to greet and talk with them. Her head swam, but as she looked around, there was no end in sight. Happy, nervous, and overwhelmed, she wanted to break down in tears. She wouldn’t let herself; she couldn’t.

Relian stroked the back of her hand with his thumb and bent down to whisper during one rare lull, “While I’m afraid we can’t escape yet, I think I can arrange for the feast to start soon. After that will be dancing. We’ll be expected to partake in a few of those before we can disappear for the evening.”

Cal’s cheeks warmed at the mention of disappearing for the evening, but she was glad for any chance of escape. But the thought that everyone would know what they would be doing caused even more heat to flood her face.

Relian’s mouth twitched. “Come, let us see about food.” With that, they quickly set forth toward his father before anyone could waylay them.

As it turned out, Talion had just given the orders for the feast to be set up. Many of the tables were already in place, as were the applicable plates, bowls, cups, and silverware. The tables only awaited the various foodstuffs the servants would place on them.

Relian led Cal to the main table. He procured a seat to the left of his father, and Cal wearily folded into the chair on Relian's right. She was glad when he scooted her chair in for her. She didn’t want to move. Her clouded head threatened to drift away. It was probably from her lack of sleep the night before, as she’d fallen asleep in the early hours of the morning.

A servant, with an ewer of wine, topped her glass. Cal eagerly reached for that little bit of oblivion.

It burned a lively path through her body, jolting her into a somewhat more aware state. Cal looked curiously around the table. She hadn’t paid much attention to the seating arrangements. To her relief, Maggie was nearby, partnered with Kenhel. Or was it Avrin? She couldn’t be sure as both sat by Maggie, and all three engaged in conversation.

The wine wasn’t half-bad. The fortifying sips instilled a kind of courage in her and bolstered her mood. She wasn’t particularly hungry, but with Relian piling her plate with food, she ate more than she anticipated. She glanced over at his. If anything, he supplied himself with less. That wasn’t fair. She shrugged and speared another forkful of meat. The food was delicious. She never deprived herself, so why start now?

Of course, she needed to wash that down with another mouthful of wine. The glass remained quite full, and she only noticed a servant replenishing it once. She quite liked that new pattern: a bite of food chased down by a sip of wine. She happily followed the pattern until her plate became sparse.

She set her fork down, done until dessert arrived. When the server arrived with his thoughtfully full ewer of wine, she didn’t make a quibble when he went to refill it. That was until a hand came down in front of her glass, and a softly spoken “no, thank you” sounded next to her.

“Hey.” Cal squinted at Relian. “I wanted more.”

He gazed at her skeptically. “I think you passed ‘more’ after the second glass.”

“Second?”

“Yes, this would’ve been your fourth. You usually don’t drink heavily, so no more would be wise.”

“Oh.” She thought for a moment and frowned. “That’s too bad.”

“I think you’re tipsy.”

Cal stilled, and her grimace slipped away into a happy grin. “Yeah, I think you may be right.”

“Definitely no more for you tonight.”

“Spoilsport.”

He leaned near her. His breath fanned hot against her cheek. “I can think of one thing you won’t call me spoilsport in tonight.” His voice, laden in promise, raked down her spine. Soberness crept back into her mind, mingling with the tipsiness.

“Oh,” she squeaked. But some little devilish spirit propelled her to meet spice with spice. “Well, I’ll hold you to that. I expect good showmanship in all areas.”

He chuckled. “If this is how you become when you drink, I’ll have to make sure the wine flows freely around you.” His voice took on a seductive huskiness. “And I promise I’ll live up to any particular requirements you may have.” He grinned wickedly. “We might have to invent a few new categories to test. What say you?”

“Sounds like a deal, my elf lover boy.” She giggled and then snapped her mouth shut. She didn’t want anything else to slip out.

He chuckled and slung his arm casually over the back of her chair, hugging her shoulders. She guessed the time for formality was over, at least for a while, and sat in contentment as conversation buzzed around her.

The sound of musicians tuning their instruments rang in the clearing. Relian sprang lithely from his seat and held out a hand. “Come, my lady, it’s time for us to dance.” She took his hand and let him pull her from her seat.

A thought struck her fuddled mind, an important one everybody had neglected. “I don’t know how to dance, especially not elvin style.”

Relian seemed unconcerned. “Don’t worry. I will lead and do most of the work. Just follow and you’ll be fine.”

He guided her to the middle of the clearing, which was free of tables. Talion already stood there, ready to address the gathering crowd. Official dancing then commenced.

True to his word, Relian led her through the first dance without any undue trouble. He kept the footwork simple, and most of the other couples followed suit. The twirls and spins made Cal dizzy, but his arms held her securely, lifting and making her glide throughout all their movements. She supposed she could’ve been more graceful, but the wine and the many eyes on them didn’t help. On second thought, the wine probably did help.

She whipped her head to the right. There, whirling by her, was the king. That wouldn’t be cause for alarm except for one little detail—Maggie was the female in his arms. She wore the expression of a cornered animal, though she did an admirable job of hiding it.

Relian followed her gaze. “I don’t know what Father is up to.”

Cal started at hearing the word “father.” It was strange to think of someone other than her biological parent as father, but she liked it, nevertheless. Her voice was husky when she answered. “Neither do I.”

His pleasure at her allowing the title “father” to stand without demur caused a smile to beam its way across his face, illuminating already sculpted features. His arresting face stilled her breath and caught her gaze, even though an equal compulsion to look away welled up within her. Disappointment clashed with relief as his smile faded, and a look of contemplation slid over his face.

“He doesn’t usually dance and never so soon into a celebration. He says it’s a hobby for the younger set to enjoy and that his old bones would rather sit in a chair, observing.”

Cal sputtered at his words while gazing at him in disbelief. “That’s an untruth if I ever heard one. He doesn’t look any older then you by a few human years, if that.”

“That may be true, but he is many years my senior.”

She narrowed her eyes on him. “Just how much older? I don’t even know your age.” She shot him a cross look. “I guess I should’ve insisted on that tidbit as a condition of our bonding. Geez, why didn’t I bargain for that information?” She shook her head in frustration. “I’m your wife, bond mate, whatever, and I deserve to know your age even if you turn out to be older than that dinosaur fossil I once saw in a museum.”

Relian looked down his nose at her and when he spoke, his voice came out a drawl. “I don’t predate the dinosaurs. I’m not quite that ancient. I’m afraid that honor rests with my father.” At her gasp, the skin around his eyes crinkled in mirth. She leveled a challenging glare at him and slapped him on the arm.