I followed him to the dining room and found a plate already set out for me with an assortment of lightly frosted pastries. Marten poured me a glass of water as I took a seat and helped myself to a large asperberry pastry from the top of the pile. It was still warm as I took my first bite, and I closed my eyes to savor the rich, cinnamon-infused jam inside. “So,” Marten started from across the room, “with the wedding ceremony finally here, should Hana and I be expecting grandchildren soon?”
A shower of half-chewed pastry crumbs shot over the table as I choked on my breakfast. I banged a fist against the table as I expelled the last remnants of the pastry from my lungs, then took a hearty drink of water. “Come again?”
His eyes sparkled with mischief as he took a seat across from me and pawed at the pastry plate, grabbing the first one he could find. “Well, we were just thinking, with the ceremony being as rushed as it is, maybe that was the reason behind it.” He took a bite of his pastry and chewed it casually. “Should I assume that’s not the case?”
“No. I mean, yes, that’s not the case,” I sputtered.
“Ah, that’s too bad. Hana can’t stop talking about grandchildren nowadays, you see, so naturally, I’m curious.” Marten could see that I was flustered, and he doubled down on his sudden attack. “It’s not for lack of trying, I assume; just a matter of the timing not being quite right?”
My eyebrows shot up in surprise, and I cleared my throat to cover my audible gasp. “Uhm, kids aren’t, uh, something we’ve talked about. Yet. It’s, uh, it’s not a priority. Yet. Maybe ever. We… haven’t...talked about it yet.”
“Yes, you said that,” he grinned. He took another bite of his breakfast before using it as a pointer leveled in my direction. “Are you feeling alright, Lux? You’re sweating all of a sudden.”
I took another drink of water, draining the glass in a single gulp, and then stood up from the table and walked to the window. “Must be nerves. Guess I’m not as calm as I thought.”
“That must be it,” he agreed. He followed me to the window and clapped me hard on the back. “Some fresh air ought to do you good. We should be going soon, anyhow; you don’t want to be late to your own wedding, right?”
I nodded and followed along behind him silently, grinding my teeth at how easily he had flustered me. Luckily, the cloth covering of his wagon separated us as we took our respective places for the ride into Mayaan, and I had ample time to meditate in silence as we began the journey. My instinctual scan of the surrounding forest and countryside found nothing out of the ordinary, so I turned my attention to the city. Winding up and down the city streets within my mind, I checked in on all of the places I was familiar with to pass the time: Elise’s vacant estate, the Three Barrels headquarters, and the restaurant where Bella had served us.
One spot in particular remained a vacant hole within my mental map: the Unity chapel. My extended mana ran around the perimeter of the building, but I held it back from flooding inside and revealing its secrets. Instead, I withdrew the energy and relied solely upon my imagination to determine what waited behind the chapel walls. In the entire time I had known Lia, I had never seen her in anything more formal than a sundress, and I let my thoughts run wild as I tried to picture what she could look like in her wedding gown.
I felt a gentle breeze blow across my face, carrying with it the faint scent of raspberries. The aroma immediately called up a memory from deep within my subconscious, and I found myself suddenly transported to another place and time. I stood in the shadow of a familiar, solitary tree atop a grassy hill, overlooking a small white tent at its base. The sun had nearly set behind me, illuminating the scene with an otherworldly golden glow. I took a deep breath and pushed further into the memory, immersing myself entirely within the daydream.
“What do you think she’ll look like?” asked a soft, comforting voice to my left.
“I don’t know,” I answered, staring down at the tent, “but I can’t wait to find out.”
“Do you think it’ll be something like this?” the voice asked with a giggle. I turned and watched Amaya spin in a tight circle, sending the folds of her pristine white dress out into a beautiful, flowing fan.
I watched her with amusement for a moment, then shook my head. “No. I think it’ll be something different.”
Amaya sighed as she looped her arm through mine and rested her head on my shoulder, pushing both of the yellow rabbit ears atop her head into my face. “I think you’re right. Lia would wear something more...eye-catching.”
I laughed as the ears flopped away. “Yeah, you’re right. Based on the cloak I’m wearing, I bet it’ll have a bit more color, too.”
Amaya leaned back to admire the rainbow cloak cascading down my back. “That’s true. Maybe she’ll have a sash, like Hana had mentioned, or a—”
A bump in the road woke me from my daydreams, and I blinked away the fleeting remnants of the vision. I patted my gloved hand against my cheek to ensure I was truly awake. That was...something. The dreams of my past lives had been few and far between ever since we had arrived in Lybesa, and the sudden return had
