Chapter Forty

The day of the wedding ceremony dawned bright and clear. Flowers had been gathered from far away and delivered by dragons, especially for the decorations. The Council Hall overflowed with ribbons and flowers on every pillar, and a long aisle had been formed by the placement of chairs and decorative barriers for the bride and groom to walk down.

Musicians played their harps and pipes. Quiet music to start the day, which would evolve into dancing tunes as the party started soon after the ceremony. The fair folk were known throughout the lands for having the most beautiful voices, finest instruments, and greatest talents among their bards. It was all on display today as almost every bard in the enclave took a turn playing at one point or another during the festivities.

Lady Adain, as leader of the Council, officiated the ceremony, her dragon heartmate standing right behind her. Lady Adain was clearly trying and failing to look somber when marrying one of her grandsons to the most powerful mage in generations, as their two children looked on happily. When they exchanged their vows in the hushed silence of the Council Hall as everyone watched, there were several people sniffling at the display of true love triumphing over all the difficulties they had faced as a couple.

They had literally saved the world from the threat of Skir and Gebel. They had been through so much, which was no longer much of a secret. The tale of their love story had come to fruition, and the romantic hearts in the crowd cheered them on, along with their families, once they kissed and made their vows complete.

The party began almost immediately. The happy couple walked back down the aisle, pausing here and there to accept the congratulations of people they knew. House Adain had planned a smaller party in their own courtyard, but so many people wanted to pay their respects, the party had quickly grown into something more resembling a festival. As a result, the street from House Adain's courtyard entrance to the Council Hall was lined with tables, and Det had offered to pay several tavern-keepers to supply food and drink for those who wanted to join them in celebrating.

Det had been shot down by Bev, who produced ancient gold coins to pay the tavern owners, bakers, and bards from the Guardians' Treasury, or so she claimed. Being the family of the bride, Bev had overruled Det and laid on a feast the likes of which hadn't been seen in the enclave for many, many years. Everyone was invited to celebrate, eat, drink, and dance, which probably went a long way toward making the Guardians fast friends of most of the populace.

Loralie had to admire Bev's craftiness. She hadn't quite realized her grandmother was so politically astute, and she didn't mind at all that her wedding was being used to grease the wheels with the enclave. Anything that would make these people accept the Guardians among them would help not only Bev, Connie and Loralie, but especially the twins. And Loralie was all for that.

As the party wound down in the wee hours of the night, Det and Loralie flew off with Gren for a location only Det knew. Loralie had gone along with whatever he wanted for their first night as husband and wife. He'd said he wanted to surprise her, and anywhere they could be alone was fine with her.

She'd known he'd been doing some sort of project during the days that she spent with her grandmother and mother learning Guardian things. He hadn't been too secretive about it, though he'd just told her it was Guard business, and she let it go at that. Some of it probably had been Guard business because he was still their Captain, but he'd also been flying to and from the house at the center of the Citadel because when Gren landed in the yard, the addition looked well on its way to completion.

Det helped her alight from the dragon's back and led her toward the addition, which had its own separate entrance, though it was connected to the main house inside. The woodwork was still rough, but all the walls were closed in, and some of the finishes were starting to take shape.

"You've been busy," Loralie commented as he led her toward the doorway. He paused before it and bent to scoop her into his arms.

"I've been working toward this day since the moment you said yes to my proposal," he told her, melting her heart just a little more. "I've been dreaming about carrying you across the threshold of the home I've built just for you and our children."

"I love you so much," she said. She couldn't help herself. Now that they were married, she thought she'd never get tired of telling him how she felt, nor of hearing the words said back to her in his deep, gruff voice.

Or in his kiss. This time, he decided to kiss her for her declaration, sending her senses spinning, just as he always did. But before she had time to get too carried away, he lifted his lips and carried her across the threshold and into the new addition he'd built on to the Guardian's house.

"Here's the front parlor, and a reading nook for the children," he said, as he carried her past various unfinished parts of the house. "And those will be their bedrooms when they're done. I spent most of my time making sure this part up ahead was mostly ready, though I admit there are a few small details I have yet to finish."

He carried her through a large doorway and into a flower-filled room, complete with large feather bed and silk sheets. Although there were obvious finishing touches needed on some of the woodwork, he'd made a little bower of loveliness for them to spend their first night together as husband and wife.

Det carried her to the bed and lay her down upon it, turning to sit on the edge of the bed, at her side. One large hand caressed her cheek, and his eyes were filled with the love she now could recognize in his gaze. He meant so much to her. She felt whole for the first time in years, and had hope for the future they would build together.

So much had happened in so short a time. She'd gone from preparing to die to really living for the first time in almost a decade. She had him to thank for that. Det, their children, the dragons, and so many others who had come together to make this future possible. For the first time, she thought she understood a bit of the enormous responsibility her father must have felt—knowing how complex this future would be to bring about and not being able to say much of anything about it.

But those were thoughts for later. For right now, she wanted only to make love to her husband. The man she had held in her heart for so long and thought she'd lost forever. Sweet Mother of All. He really was her husband.

He must have seen the emotion that nearly overwhelmed her in her expression because he stopped. He was poised above her, leaning on one arm as he used his other hand to cup her cheek.

"What is it?"

"I was just thinking about how blessed I am," she said, fighting the happy tears back. "To have gone through everything and come out of this happier than I've ever been. With you. And our children."

"And any other children that happen to come along," he said, wiggling his eyebrows in a way that made her laugh out loud.

"Guardians don't have large families, I'm sorry to say. In fact, they usually only have one daughter to pass on the role to after they are gone," she reminded him.

"But you've broken all the rules, my love. You had twins, and one of them is a bright young boy who will be an aid to his sister, even though he will not be the Guardian. Who's to say we won't have other children to keep the twins on their toes?" His gaze challenged her, but then, he relented. "Of course, if we don't, I won't be disappointed. I love our children, and if we are so blessed as to have more, I will love them too. If not, then it is as the Goddess wills it, and I will spend the rest of my days devoted to you and our twins."

"You say the sweetest things, husband." She touched his hand that was still caressing her cheek.

Then, it appeared to be his turn to swallow emotion. "I like that word," he managed to get out before lowering his lips to hers. He brushed against her gently, like a whisper as she said it again.

"Husband."

He growled low in his throat in a way she'd come to learn meant that he was excited. Well, so was she.

"My amazing husband," she whispered as he dragged his lips down her throat, touching her in all the right places. "My love. My partner. My friend," she went on.

"My wife," he whispered against the bare skin of her abdomen, which he'd just revealed.

Det was undressing her as he went along, freeing her of her clothing and tossing it over his shoulder. His own clothing got the same treatment until they were skin to skin on the wide featherbed. There were blankets and a fur-lined comforter at the foot of the bed, but he blanketed her with his own body, claiming her in the oldest and truest sense as they sealed their vows and their bodies together.

The first round was fast, followed by a slow, intense lovemaking where he explored every inch of her body before taking her to the heights of passion once again. Each time, she thought it couldn't get any better, but she was wrong.

Loralie had never been so happy to be wrong in her life. With the notable exception of being wrong about her ultimate fate in her confrontation with both Gebel and Skir. She'd been ready to give up on life itself, and instead, she'd been granted a second chance with the love of her life. Blessed was too tame a word for how she felt right now.

Det showed her the true meaning of the word ecstasy, over and over, throughout the night. In the morning, he woke her with kisses and proved how much he loved her all over again. It was a long time before they ate breakfast, but neither of them really noticed. They were in a hazy cloud of pleasure that day and enjoyed every minute of it.

After all…they had a lot of years to make up for.

*

The former acolyte, Desmond of the Black Tower, made his way across the mountain pass that led from Elderland to the Kingdom of Valdis. He'd been on the run since the fall of his mentor, the Grand High Alchemist, Osmian. He'd been pursued by other alchemists for a time, but they'd given up his trail, and now, he was moving about, working stealthily toward his goal.

He'd been promised great power, but first, he had to do a little something for an ancient wizard trapped in ice at the top of the world…

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