“I see,” I said, turning back to the bedroom. “I’ll get changed, and then we can—”
“Let me help you with that!” he called out, bustling down the hall after me. “These wedding clothes, you have to wear them a certain way, you see. All the fastenings can be a bit confusing, but I have some experience with them, as you can imagine.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. Based on his hurried speech and the way his hands fidgeted behind his back, it was clear he had an ulterior motive in mind apart from helping me fasten my dress clothes. “Sure, Marten,” I said, opening the door for him, “I appreciate it.” I followed him into the bedroom and laid my outfit on the bed, then began to change. As I had expected, Marten seemed entirely uninterested in helping me with the clothing as he paced back and forth on the opposite side of the room, staring mainly at the floor. I took the opportunity to quickly slip into my new undershirt, hiding all but the scars on my hand from his view.
The rest of my wedding attire was a beautifully tailored black doublet and trousers, complete with a dark blue cummerbund and ascot. As fine as the outfit looked, it was hard to draw my attention away from the cloak that accompanied it. Vibrant silks of every color came together to form a swirling marvel of craftsmanship, all of it bordered by lush white fur and fastened with a series of golden chains. I stared at it in awe as I finished dressing myself, fastening my own cummerbund and cufflinks as Marten continued to pace.
“You seem a bit nervous, Marten,” I chuckled as I slipped on my gloves. “Something on your mind?”
He spun around in alarm. “The clothes, yes! You look very...dashing, Lux.” He shifted forward and tugged on the edge of my collar and ascot, making minute adjustments far too small to make a difference to my overall appearance. “Sorry, I guess I’m a bit distracted. It’s a big day.”
“So I’ve been told.”
His laid-back demeanor partially returned as he shook his head and laughed. “Tell me, Lux: are you nervous? I know you like to keep up a certain image of yourself, but it’s just the two of us here. Tell me truly.”
I put a hand on his shoulder. “There’s nothing I want more in this world than to marry your daughter, Marten. No nerves, no anxiety—just excitement.”
“Hah! I should’ve expected as much,” he laughed, clapping me on the arm. “Truth be told, I felt the same on the day I married Hana, but it didn’t stop me from nearly passing out on the altar when the time came.” We both shared a laugh as I shrugged under the rainbow cloak, and he began to help me with the chain fastenings. “I could hardly say the words, my mouth was so dry. So make sure you drink some water before you go out.”
“I will,” I replied, having heard the advice from him a dozen times already.
“Do you remember what you’re supposed to say? We can go over it again if you need to.”
“Marten, I’ll be saying it in my sleep for the rest of my life if we run through it again,” I laughed. Half of the preparation work I had done with Marten was running through an outline of the Unity marriage ceremony: where we would stand, who would say what, and the Pledge of Unity I would have to recite with Lia. I had been comfortable with the procedure after the first session, but he had insisted on at least an hour of practice every day. “I appreciate the concern, but I’m ready.”
“Of course,” he nodded. He fastened one of the chains, then let out a long sigh. “I think I’m more nervous than you are. Nobody warned me about that.”
“I’m sure Hana feels the same way,” I assured him. “Besides, it’s not like much will change, right? We’ll still see you every day for dinner, and we’re only a few miles away otherwise.”
He tipped his head from side to side. “Yes, and no.” He fastened the final golden chain over my chest and tugged the cloak evenly to each side. “Marlia is my daughter. I’ve spent my entire life watching over her, doing everything I could to make sure she was happy and safe. I’ll continue to do that for as long as I live, which, Primes willing, is a while yet. But now…” he trailed off as he took a step back to observe me in full. “Now it’s your job. Officially. For the rest of your life.” The statement weighed on me as he paused. “Do you remember what you promised me the day you two left for Lybesa?”
I nodded. “I promised I would do everything I could to keep her safe and happy.” It was a promise I had meditated on consistently since Lia had agreed to marry me, and I felt oddly prepared for the question I knew was coming next.
“A lot has changed since you made that promise. Can you still keep it?”
“You’re right, Marten; a lot has changed since then. Lia has become one of the most skilled fighters I’ve ever met, and she wants to use that ability to help people. She’s happiest when she’s running towards danger now, and we both know there’s no way to stop her from doing what she wants.” I smiled at the thought, and Marten gave me a wry nod. “I would be lying if I promised she would always be safe. But I can promise you this: I’ll always do everything in my power to make her happy, and I’ll die before I see her come to harm.”
He watched me with hard eyes for a seemingly endless moment of silence. “Good,” he said eventually, giving me a wide grin. “Now, just make sure you tell her that, too. She’s the one you’ll be living with for
