“I’d rather not talk about my time at Riverwind, if you don’t mind. Those are not good memories, hardly anything I should have in my mind the night before our wedding.” Thalia marched down the hall, her shoulders set.
“Hearing you say that, it almost sounds…real.” One day, he’d lose the dratted habit of blurting things out. Maybe.
“Instead of an affair of state?”
Her tone made him wish he could eat his words. This must be hard for her as well, and he was making it worse. Raff tried to find something to say that would make it better, but they were already at her door.
She opened it without hesitation. “Thanks for seeing me in. Until tomorrow, Lord Wolf.”
9.
Thalia crawled out bed five minutes before Madu trotted into the room, carrying the case she used for work.
The dresser clapped her hands in excitement. “You bathed last night, yes? Tell me the answer is yes. Otherwise, I’ll never get you ready in time.”
Thalia nodded. “I’m a blank canvas, ready to receive your best work.”
“Then wash your face and we’ll get started.”
Water couldn’t rinse the weariness away, but Thalia took her place at the dresser. “I’m ready.”
Three hours later, she was more than tired of sitting, but Madu finished at last and spun the chair to the mirror. Thalia’s hair gleamed silver, fastened in coiled plaits with jeweled pins. She tilted her head, taking in the lustrous shine of eyes that almost looked purple in this light. Her lips were outlined in pale pink, a deep red in the center, making her mouth look like a flower. Madu had gone traditional with the rest of the cosmetics, so instead of a more modern blush, her face was pale, highlighted in silver.
“How is it?” Madu asked.
“You did well, thank you.”
“I had no choice but to resort to the old ways with this face and these dark circles.” Madu pinched her chin and angled it with a critical eye. “You look as if you haven’t slept in years.” This scolding was more than most of the staff dared.
“Noted. Where’s my gown?”
It was a lace and taffeta confection that had been in her family for generations. Both her mother and grandmother had worn this to be married. Madu did up the pearlescent buttons in the back and Thalia smoothed the fabric over her hips. The dresser gave an approving nod.
“You look splendid. Do you want me to send a bit of something for breakfast?”
Thalia shook her head. “I doubt it would settle. Besides, we’ll be eating after the ceremony anyway.”
“Well now, that’s a cheerful assessment of your wedding,” Madu said pertly.
“It’s fast. And…reckless. But I can’t see any other path. Let’s go.”
Setting her shoulders, she strode out of her private quarters and set off for the main hall. There was nobody to enter with her as she heard the music, so she pushed the heavy doors wide alone. At first, the room was a burst of sunshine and crystal that resolved into a sea of faces. For most, she could recite their names, and they all looked serious as the music swelled, a chorus of pipes that rose with each step she took into the room.
There was no red carpet, so they had gone with winter wonders instead: wreaths of fresh evergreen and a carpet of pine needles that crunched beneath her feet. It was a nice touch, incorporating the pack’s predilection for the wild with more Eldritch touches like the mixed dry herbs burning in censers that sweetly perfumed the hall. The aroma was soothing; she relaxed at once, as the organizers likely intended.
Clad in black, the wolf lord stood at the far end of the hall, waiting for her. Raff was stocky, but he wore the formal wear well, his beard neatly trimmed and dressed, dark curls untamed as they tumbled about his face. The half-hidden scar on his cheek lent him a piratical air. Thalia proceeded toward him in measured steps and trembled only a little when he took her icy hand in his. He’s always like a furnace. As one, they turned to face Lileth who would speak the first part of the service. The pipes quieted.
“Gentle guests, we gather to unite two houses as one and bear witness to their promises today.” Lileth proffered a white candle to each of them before continuing her speech. “As you light your separate candles, you salute your separate selves. All that makes you who you are, you honor with this flame. Princess Thalia of House Talfayen, please kindle yours.”
She held the wick to the censer and waited until she was sure the candle had caught before pulling back. At least her hands were steady while she waited. Lileth studied her for a moment, then her gaze flickered to the wolf lord. “Lord Raff Pineda of Pine Ridge, please bring your flame to life.”
He was faster and less cautious, plunging the candle halfway in, and then he flashed her a roguish grin when he pulled it free with a flourish.
Lileth continued, “As you blend your flames to light the third candle, you celebrate the power to ignite a common flame of commitment. From each Numina, there rises a light that reaches to infinity and one day will join with our mothers and fathers, both earthly and divine. From this moment forward, you swear to walk the same path, your two shadows become one. May the road you tread together be full of truth and light, happiness and honesty, purpose and peace.”
That was the signal for them to step forward together and unite their flames. For some reason, it seemed momentous when the larger tallow lit up. “Lord Pineda, give your breath as a sign that you take responsibility for her light.”
His exhalation not only extinguished the flame, it also smelled of peppermint. Thalia smiled in response, waiting for Lileth to invite her to do the same. “Princess Talfayen, give your breath as a sign you
