Mistfall (21 page)

The forest was decorated like a fairytale for
the festivities. It was darker under the forest canopy, so the
firefly ranchers positioned their herds accordingly to supply the
area with a warm glow of light.

Hamadryads had decorated their trees with
silk ribbons, bells, and jewels. When the wind blew or the trees
spoke, the soft tinkling of the bells increased the enchantment of
the Fae forest. Light from the sparse rays of sun and the
lightening bugs reflected off the jewels and cast sparkling
rainbows over everything.

Rory showed us to our seats. He was exempt
from the ridiculous dress code since he was attending in a working
capacity. Guest and dignitaries, in full costume were scattered
throughout, mingling with other guests or finding their own
seats.

I turned to Rory who was sitting next to me.
“Are all Fae weddings this beautifully decorated?” I inquired.

“He shook his head in negation. “No, they
aren’t. Not even for a village leader. It just so happens that this
village’s leader is one of the queen’s daughters.”

“Did you say daughter?” I asked, puzzled by
his information.

Rory’s brow furrowed as he looked at me
sternly. “I did. Is there a problem with that?” he warned.

“Oh my gosh no!” I gasped, putting my hands
in the air. “It’s just that Hailz never mentioned it. I’m just
surprised, that’s all.”

Rory seemed placated by my answer. The Fae
did not discriminate, regardless of species, sex, magical prowess,
religion etc. Again, being the first children of the gods, they had
outgrown the petty long, long ago.

I’ll be honest, I do discriminate. Against
assholes. I don’t judge a person by anything other than their
character. I received the short end of the stick when it comes to
discrimination. It sucks and I was determined, even as a little
girl, to treat others better than my kind treated me.

I was just surprised that Hailz was marrying
a girl. She didn’t seem the type to tolerate another set of
hormones other than her own.

The guests were finally settled in, awaiting
the ceremony to begin. It was interesting to note that there wasn’t
a single elf, other than John, attending the wedding.

“John, why aren’t there any elves here
today?” I asked pointing out their lack of presence.

Melissa, sitting on John’s other side,
listened in, interested in the conversation. John took my hand in
his while he thought about how to answer my question. His
hesitation, evidenced by his fidgeting with my fingers, led me to
believe his answer would not be a cheerful one.

John cleared his throat. “It’s because of
Abel,” he sighed. “He’s a hateful bastard, even worse than some of
the humans. You either submit to his will or face punishment. His
punishments usually involve torture, ending in death. The only
reason he allows any inter-species marriages is to produce stronger
elves in his family line.”

Melissa gasped. “That’s horrible!”

I agreed.

“I can’t even speak of some of the atrocities
he’s committed, they’re so brutal,” he said shaking his head in
abhorrence.

“Please don’t,” I begged, the voices of the
children in Abel’s dungeon echoing in my head. I didn’t want to
know how depraved Abel really was. To hear it was to make it
real.

John continued on, skipping over Abel’s
evildoings. “He’s instilled fear in all of his people. That’s why
you won’t see any elves here today. If they had come and were found
out, extreme torture and death would await them on their
return.”

“Aren’t you afraid of getting caught?” I
asked.

“Nope,” he smiled. “No other elves are here
to tell on me.”

“The Powers That Be don’t want to be bothered
with our celebration either,” Rory sniffed.

“Abel again,” replied John. “He wields power
over them too. They may put on a farce of a democratized union, but
everything is decided by Abel’s will alone.”

“I knew he was an arse, but until a few weeks
ago I didn’t think things were truly that bad,” I stated.

“History was rewritten by him,” John informed
us. “Otherworlders have been brainwashed or are too scared to speak
the truth. And you Violet,” he looked at me, “you were never
supposed to be involved in his plots. Willa wanted you to live as
quiet and peaceful life as possible,” he said, his voice filled
with sadness.

“Oops, too late now,” I laughed. My comment
had its desired effect and lightened everyone’s mood. I didn’t get
the laughs I was expecting, but the smiles on Melissa, John, and
Rory’s face told me we were past the sad stuff.

“There’s plenty of time to talk of tragedies
later, I said. “We’re at a wedding, no unhappiness today!” I
exclaimed.

“Here here,” John agreed, now out of his
funk.

Rory nodded his head in silent assent.

Melissa, who had a sly grin on her face
commented, “How can we not have fun in these outfits?”

Music began to play, prompting our
conversation to end and for us to stand. We turned to the back of
the aisle as both brides made their appearance. Hailz and her bride
Fiona (Rory told me her name), were dressed in the same fashion as
their guests. Hailz was in a sunshine orange number with fuchsia
petticoats. Fiona was dressed just the opposite, in a fuchsia dress
with orange petticoats. As they walked down the aisle and drew
closer you could see their beauty, even under the ridiculous
costumery.

They were the perfect complement to each
other. Where Hailz was all hard edges and prickles, Fiona was soft
curves and velvet. I amused myself by thinking about how they
managed a relationship.

Otherworlders never wear white to their
wedding or when attending one. White was the color of mourning to
us. Wearing the colors of things that grew, such as flowers and
fruits, was how we attired ourselves for celebrations. Weddings
were the celebration of paired lives on a new path, so we wear the
colors of life.

Hailz and Fiona were preceded by two young
Fae girls. The girls were tossing fairy dust into the air. FYI,
fairy dust is really just ground up rainbow corn.

Rainbow corn used to be only found on the
Otherworld side of the Mistfall, specifically in Fae villages. A
handful of seeds managed to find their way into the human world.
Rainbow corn is strictly a magical plant, which means amongst the
humans, it acts unexpectedly.

Have you ever heard the warning to never eat
or drink anything the Fae give you? Well, there is a bit of truth
to it. The warning really should apply to any and all magical
plants. Amongst us Otherworlders, there generally aren’t too many
problems. Sure, the occasional Fae mickey will have you wake up a
week to a year later, but almost always in the shape you started.
In us though, it’s described easiest as a genetic mutation that
allows us to consume magical food. Humans, on the other hand, are
not built to digest or utilize magical food.

Back to the rainbow corn. Humans, not knowing
what they had, would sometimes ingest the corn. Magical
unpredictability and havoc would rain down on the human until their
body was able to pass the material out of their systems. Hundreds
of years ago the humans heeded the warning, but now… Now teenagers
are eating it, thinking that it gets them high. I know they’re the
youngest of the gods’ creatures, but how long is it going to take
them to use their brains?

When used properly, as fairy dust, it creates
a soft luminescence. The two young Fae girls were enjoying their
duty, covering everything and everyone with the dust. Once the sun
set, the darkness would not be a problem for the partygoers,
especially once away from the firefly light on their drunken
stumbles through town.

Hailz and Fiona stopped at the front of the
aisle. Queen Aurora, Fiona’s mother, was seated in the front row to
the left of the happy couple. I looked at the benches opposite the
queen, expecting to see what kind of people breed psycho killers.
There was no one sitting there to represent Hailz’s family or
friends.

Hailz snuck a glance at the empty seats, her
shoulders drooping ever so slightly. I didn’t let her see that I
noticed her reaction. I felt bad for her. As much of a murderous
hellion I thought she was, even I assumed she had some relations
that loved her. No one deserved that on her wedding day, even
Hailz.

“Someone should represent her,” I mumbled,
staring down at my lap. It took me only seconds to make my mind up.
I guess that someone was going to have to be me.

John leaned across Rory and whispered, “What
did you say?”

Instead of answering, I got up from my seat,
excused myself while stepping over the other guests’ feet, and
walked over to a seat on Hailz’s side of the gathering. Rory,
caught by surprise, hurried to catch up with me, causing even more
of a commotion.

Thank Hades the ceremony hadn’t started yet.
Heads turned in my direction, including Hailz and Fiona’s.
Re-seated, I did the only thing I could think of and waved at them.
Hailz scowled at me. I was surprised she didn’t give herself
whiplash with the force she used whipping her head back to the
front. Fiona, on the other hand, returned my gesture with a warm,
genuine smile before silently mouthing a thank you.

Attention was diverted from me to the man who
took his place in front of Hailz and Fiona. He was dressed more
regally than most of the attendees. He wore a royal blue and gold
silk brocade vest. His jacket was made of the same blue silk, but
gold embroidery covered any and every free edge possible. Amethysts
and rubies adorned the ribbons on his breeches, which I thought
couldn’t be all that practical.

“Who is that?” I asked Rory while pointing to
the man. “Is he some kind of priest?”

“Not exactly. He’s the queen’s consort, which
gives him the authority to officiate wedding ceremonies, amongst
other things.” Rory’s eyes rolled at the mention of “other things.”
I guess he wasn’t a big fan of the foppishly dressed man.

The beginning of the wedding ceremony was
pretty normal. Well, aside from everyone looking like they raided
Madam Pompadour’s closet. The queen’s consort welcomed the guests
on behalf of Hailz and Fiona. He then gave an impassioned speech on
the joys and wonders of marriage. As he was speaking on the
subject, he kept constant eye contact with the queen. It was
obvious to all that he was dropping the queen a hint.

A few of the Fae, friends of Hailz and Fiona,
gave readings from some obscure ancient text. Rory, who was
becoming more of my Fae liaison than guard, explained the readings
to me. The readings were from old Fae mythology. Romantic in
nature, they spoke of overcoming hardships and how love triumphs
over all. I guess when you live as long as the Fae, it’s important
to remind a new couple that they won’t always get along.

The binding ritual followed the readings.
Binding is more than just a hand fastening. The hearts, bodies, and
souls of both people are magically entwined for the rest of their
lives.

Spun gold was woven, like a net, around Hailz
and Fiona in a symbol of the physical bond between the couple.
Next, magical wisps of grey smoke formed a circle around the two
brides. The smoke then drove through the two of them, piercing
their hearts and connecting them through the middle of the circle.
Finally a blue electric figure eight hovered over both of their
heads like halos. The Fae see the mind as the soul’s home. The
figure eight represented an everlasting binding of the souls.

The whole process, while harmless, could be a
bit intense. Rory told me the feeling was akin to dying, but in a
good way. Apparently your heart stops, you cannot breathe, and you
cannot think. Then, as if being born anew, your heart begins to
beat again, in time with your mate’s. Your breath is their breath
and your minds become connected as one. It was all very
romantic.

While binding was common amongst
Otherworlders, not all could handle the process. Queen Aurora, for
example, has never been married. Fear of the intensity of the
ceremony, her position, or wandering heart led her to keep easily
replaceable consorts instead.

The binding, sealed with a kiss, concluded
the ceremony. The newlyweds were now married and the fun could
begin. Guests filed towards the front to congratulate the couple
and pay homage to the queen.

“Congratulations,” I greeted the brides.

Hailz face took on a sour expression and it
was directed solely at me, much to Fiona’s dismay. “You aren’t my
family,” she spat.

“Well, I had really crappy seats, thank you
very much,” I shot back. “I wanted a better view to this train
wreck and since those seats were empty, I helped myself.”

Fiona, noticing Hailz discomfort and mine
intervened. “You must be Mags. It is a pleasure to finally meet
you.”

What? A pleasure? I was in shock as my mind
processed Fiona’s comment. The only information she could have
gotten about me was from Hailz.
Maybe she was just being
nice…

“Thank you for letting us be a part of your
celebration,” I told Fiona, eyeing her warily.

The line of well-wishers was backing up.
Other guests were growing impatient with my monopoly on the brides’
time. I used that as an excuse to forgo anymore awkwardness with
Fiona. Congratulating them one last time, I walked a distance away
to wait on Melissa and John.

Rory, alerted to my new location, jumped out
of line to join me.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I informed him.
“You could have congratulated them before you jumped on my back
again.” My patience with Rory’s constant vigilance was wearing
thin.

“Perhaps, but I won’t be derelict in my duty.
I will go wherever you go, I will sit wherever you sit, and I will
sleep when you sleep.”

I thought Rory was being a bit dramatic, but
his tone was stern and his expression hardened. Now, I didn’t mind
being under guard and watched like a hawk because I carried Hofuo,
but Rory was taking things just a little too far with his
militancy.