I haven’t seen them in a day. The wedding was rushed. It took a fortune to prepare it in this short timeframe, but Sarah has a knack for getting things done and the Aurelians have more than enough money to make miracles happen. She’s been my rock, and they’ve been my ocean.
“You ready, Mia?”
I’m trembling. My heart is pounding. “Is anyone ever truly ready in this situation?”
Sarah laughs. “You’re ready. Okay, I’m going to leave you now and make sure everything’s perfect. You going to be okay, you hear?”
I nod, slowly. “Yes. Go ahead.”
Sarah leaves me, and suddenly I’m all alone in this beautiful salon chamber.
If I’m Bonded to the Aurelians, this is going to be the last time I’m ever alone. I let myself have my solitary thoughts for what might possibly be the last time. I let my mind race.
I remember my first memory. I was hungry. I looked up, and I saw that blue jewel in the sky. I didn’t even know what it was back then – I just knew that I had to get there somehow.
Now, I look at myself in the mirror. I don’t see the thief I used to be anymore. I see a woman standing there instead, and although I’m terrified about the rest of my life, I still have three protectors who will be with me throughout it.
“It’s time,” I say to myself in the mirror, and my heart begins thumping in my chest; beating harder and faster than if I was breaking into the King’s palace.
I open the door to the salon, and on the other side are two hand-picked guards, standing tall and alert. Each has a blade at their side, designed for close combat fights, and a small handheld las-pistol on their belt. They wear the symbol of the Seer family crest on their armor.
The Seer brothers were delighted at the news of our union, and they spared no expense to aid with the security and the venue; offering us a site to hold our wedding on the holdings of Oasis they’d been able to afford after making that deal with Gallus, Cyrus, and Varian.
“I’m ready,” I smile, though I’m hiding my nervousness. The guards are in their mid-thirties, clean-shaven, and with alert eyes that tell me they aren’t there just for show. I’m an expert in judging a guard. These two are the real deal – and the only way I’d feel safer than in their presence would be if I was reunited with the Aurelians.
Which, in minutes, I will be.
The two guards flank me, striding down the stairways. Then, we stand together in front of a huge set of double doors. The sternest of the two guards cracks into a smile.
“It’s all you from here,” he murmurs. “Good luck.”
The guards pull the double doors open for me.
I knew the venue was going to be beautiful, but the Aurelians and Sarah didn’t let me see the site before the event - just like the Aurelians haven’t seen me in my wedding dress before.
I only wish I knew my mother and father, so they could see this moment too.
A pure white, marble pathway leads all the way to a towering main stage. On the left and right of the pathway are twin, calm rivers, flowing endlessly forward. Hundreds of people are sitting on each side of the path. The Aurelians have many friends in many places, and everyone who can has come out to see the triad be wed.
A harpist plays me in, the sounds magnified and filling the venue as I step inside it.
The venue is beyond beautiful, but all the beauty in the world couldn’t distract me from the three towering men standing at the end of this aisle.
Gallus, Varian and Cyrus tower over everyone else in this venue. The three of them are each wearing identical sharp, black suits, tailored to a razor’s edge by the best suit-makers of Sector 1.
Until today, I’ve barely seen them in anything but togas, but they wear those suits like they were born into them; and the contrast of the black fabric against their marble-white skin is beautiful.
I walk up the aisle.
My past… slowly fades. Each step feels like a thousand miles from the life I used to lead. I’ll never forget those days. I’ll never forget what I learned. But it will no longer define who I am.
The three of them fix their eyes on me, as if they’re unable to tear their gaze from me. At the top of the aisle, on a raised dais, stands a venerable high-priest of Oasis. He is positioned at a respectful distance back, watching us all with a small smile on his wrinkled face.
I stride forward, down the aisle, as the harp music plays.
I can’t believe this is happening. I feel like I’m in a dream.
I’ve stolen from the homes of noblemen and wealthy families. I’ve barely made it out of the clutching grasp of the Royal Guards. I’ve narrowly escaped death one too many times to count. Yet, I’ve never felt anything like this.
The same sun as I grew up under shines down on us, but the thick atmosphere of Oasis turns the red glare into a warm orange smile, kissing my skin as I step forward to stand in the shadow of the three, towering Aurelians.
Gallus lets a smile creep onto his face. I know he wants to look stoic and tough in front of the crowd, but he can’t help it. He steps towards me, protectively looming over me.
The priest clears his throat.
“We welcome three new arrivals to our planet. Esteemed businessmen, loyal friends, this triad of Aurelians is always welcome here on Oasis. All of us here today are blessed to be present, and to witness the unity – before both the Gods and man – between Mia, Gallus, Varian, and Cyrus. They have requested a short ceremony, and I will heed their request as we start
