Alex in Wonderland Chapter 13 Union By Amethyst

To say that my mother was overjoyed that I was prepared to do my duty and produce an heir before the war came would be an understatement. Add in the fact that Jezz and I both wanted to wed before I attempted to produce that heir, as was custom, and I didn’t think she was ever going to come down from whatever cloud she was riding. The next three sevensuns were a flurry of activity as the Queen planned the perfect royal Union Ceremony. I had very little say in any of it, but I wouldn’t have known what to plan anyway so I was happy that she and Jezz were both taking charge.

That’s not to say that I was uninvolved. Oh heavens no, I was constantly being shuffled from gown fittings to planning sessions, and to Priestesses of both Kanae and Mynde to discuss the ceremonies and preparations. Between that and training, Jezz and I were both exhausted more than we weren’t. I made sure to set aside time for our Drakans as well, and to get to know both Lannah and Jonth better. Once Jonth had gotten over his shyness about his gender he was a lot of fun to be around, and I had to admit that he was very attractive. I shared some mutual attraction for Lannah as well, and she was fast becoming my best friend other than Jezz. We shared the same birthsun, had similar issues with our Gifts, and Snow and Michelle both had a tendency to tease us mercilessly.

So all in all I was getting comfortable in my new life and enjoying sharing it with people who understood, respected, and cared for me. Azure had finally become my home. It was less than a sevensun before the big day and, in a rare moment of solitude, I was laying in the grass beside the lake with my head resting on Michelle’s side. Grayle and Jezz had been sent across the lake so Grayle could work her magic at helping the plants in the lakeside garden to keep healthy. At two tenths old, both Michelle and Grayle were starting to get big with Michelle as the larger of the pair approximately twenty five feet long with a wing span of nearly twenty feet. Those wings were currently stretched out to shade me from the early summer sun. ~This is nice,~ Michelle commented. ~I’m glad you’re getting a bit of rest, you’ve been pushing yourself too hard lately.~

~Mom thinks so too, she pretty much ordered me to take the afternoon off and relax with you,~ I replied as I lazily petted Chrissy, who was dozing in my lap.

~I’m not going to complain. Does this have anything to do with you snarling at the dressmaker during this morning’s fitting?~ she jibed.

~I didn’t snarl, I groaned. I swear she was trying to cut me in half while measuring my waist with that cord,~ I complained.

I could feel her mental wince as she replied, ~Well she did have to get an accurate measure, and that’s hard when you’re bloated from your moon cycle. You’re moody enough without adding that to the mix.~

I nodded in agreement. ~Thank Goddess it’s almost over, until next tenth at least.~

~Think of it this way Alex, if you do manage to conceive you’ll get a six tenths reprieve,~ she offered. ~Though you’ll probably get morning sickness, tender breasts, backaches, general tiredness, and feel like a blimp until it’s time to go through hours of excruciating labor.~

~Thanks a lot sis, I feel so much better about this now,~ I retorted sarcastically. ~I’ll be sure to remember how comforting you’re being when you lay your first eggs. I heard that you Radiants can lay as many as a dozen at a time. I guess that’s one benefit of being big and shiny. You’ll probably have a lot of possible suitors ready to plow your fields. You’ll probably be at least as popular with the guys as I am during my Tahrin.~

Michelle gave a snort behind me as she thought back, ~Well at least I’ll only have to go through it every three passes. I wonder if I can just go invisible and avoid the whole thing.~

~Hey, if I don’t get to get out of this baby-making business neither do you. You have a duty to your own kind, after all you’re an endangered species here in the Greylands. Speaking of invisible though, the seamstresses dropped off something this morning. It seems they finally had enough usable skin from your last growth spurt to finish two sets of clothes for me.~ I gave her a mental grin as I added, ~we should try it out.~

Michelle mulled it over a minute before agreeing, ~We should, it’s a pain in the ass trying to keep you invisible while you’re moving or not in line of sight. Iriden says when you’re wearing scales from my own body it will be much easier.~

~Because they redirect light easier?~ I asked.

~That’s one reason,~ she admitted. ~He also said that since they are my scales, and we’re inherently magical creatures, that the scales still have a bond to me and can be used as an extension of myself almost as easily as the scales still attached to me. I should feel them better when worn by my Chosen and that, and our mental connection, should allow me to make you invisible as easily as I do myself. Now I’m eager to give this a try.~

~Me too sis. I’ll go get changed and be right back. It might be interesting to see if I can take a leisurely walk through the palace and not be seen. I’d be much more effective as an invisible spy if I didn’t have to worry about staying in your line of sight.~ I gently picked up Chrissy, giving her a loving scratch as I activated my ring. Then I placed her on my bed so I could dress and she could finish her nap. Once I had removed my clothes, I quickly dashed into my bathroom to change my brae moss pad. My period was almost over and my flow wasn’t very heavy, but I still didn’t want to risk getting blood on my shiny new clothes.

Clad only in my panties and bra, I began to get dressed. First I stepped into the form fitting body suit that would even cover my tail. Getting that tail into the sleeve for it was awkward, and uncomfortable, but it was better that than some Lharusian accidentally catching sight of a disembodied tail moving around and deciding to chop it off. I had grown rather fond of my tail, you could say I was attached to it. Once I had managed to get all five limbs properly sorted out, I looked at myself in my mirror. The bodysuit was skin tight and If I hadn’t been wearing panties and a bra under it people would have known it. ~Tell me again sis how this catsuit is supposed to keep me safe,~ I muttered in my mind.

Michelle seemed to be trying her best to sound reassuring. ~My scaly skin is damn hard Alex, and a bodysuit gives more ease of movement than armor. Trust me; we’ll have no problems with you dressed in that. It should stop swords, knives, and arrows easily and, while you’ll get bruising from a well swung blunt weapon, it should dull the blow quite a bit. I’m just glad we’re the only ones with guns in the Greylands, as I’m not sure if it could stop bullets. I can’t be sure how it will hold up against magic, but it should offer a little protection there too.~

I tried to shrug off my concerns as I put on the gloves and boots, leaving my entire body below my jaw covered in silvery scales, it was an impressive sight. Next came the belt with special sheaths for my sword and dagger, and a holster for my pistol. It was our hope that the Drakan hide they were covered in would help keep them hidden as well as the suit would my body. There was also a three point harness for my sniper rifle that would allow me to keep it slung over my back while not in use, and quickly swing it into a shooting position while needed. Over all that went a mask that tightly covered most of my face above my muzzle that had a bandana-like flap hanging down to drape over the exposed parts of my muzzle and jaw. Finally I tied my hair back before adding the cloak with the large hood that would keep it and anything I carried on my back out of sight.

I looked at myself in the mirror once again and was hit with a mix of awe and amusement. ~I look like I belong in a comic book sis, but I’m ready to give this a try when you are.~

Michelle waited for Alex to give her the sign that she was ready and, once she received confirmation, she practiced looking out through the eyes of her Chosen. She giggled once she saw the reflection in the mirror. ~You’re right Alex, you even have the utility belt. I can see why yours took so much longer to make than Jezz’s. She didn’t have the cloak or the other little extras you needed so we could keep everything invisible.~

~Not to mention she’s only four feet tall and Grayle has been giving almost as much skin as you. She almost had enough for Jezz’s two suits from her first shedding,~ Alex retorted.

~That’s true, still it’s not fair that your sidekick Greenwing got her costume before you Invisi-Girl,~ Michelle joked. ~Do you have a symbol to drive fear into the hearts of evil yet? Or should we wait before we get Galan to build the invisi-signal?~

Her former twin groaned at that, but gave as good as she got. ~Oh very funny sis, but you’re putting the cart ahead of the horse. We should make sure Invisi-Girl’s invisibility power works before firing spotlights with a giant “i” into the sky. So let’s make with the invisibility.~

~As you wish Princess, keep your cape on and let me work my magic.~ Seeing out Alex’s eyes was actually part of the process that Iriden had suggested. She could feel like Alex and the scales she was wearing were part of her easier that way. It was easy too. It just snapped right into place when she thought of making herself invisible. She knew she was invisible and at the same time Alex, who was currently like an independent extension of herself, became invisible as she did.

There were a few things visible when she looked in the mirror through her Chosen’s eyes, such as those green cat eyes, but Michelle had to expend hardly any effort at all to correct that once she got used to how bits of Alex that were not covered by invisibility felt to her. There was a slight tugging sensation in the scales around an area when some part of Alex, or something she was wearing, was visible and once she learned to sense that it was easy to cover those parts as well, since even though they themselves weren’t covered by scales they were at least surrounded by them. ~I think I’ve figured it out Alex, and I don’t have to concentrate much at all doing this. I think I should be able to keep exposed things like your sword hilt or rifle invisible without too much trouble, especially with that cloak on. Invisi-Girl is a go.~

I couldn’t see myself at all in the mirror now, but I could see myself, or the things that I was wearing, when I looked down at myself. ~Okay sis, I don’t see myself in the mirror, but I can see myself when I look down, why is that?~

~Iriden told me that while nobody else can see us while we’re invisible we can see one another if we want to because we’re connected,~ Michelle explained. ~I’m looking through your eyes to make it easier keeping you invisible, so you’re getting a sort of bleedthrough of my sight from our connection. Also you’re aware of your own body and where it is at any given time so you’re probably subconsciously compensating so you don’t bang into things. The reason we don’t see you in a mirror is because it’s a reflection so it’s like looking at whatever is there or not there, and I’m making sure that you’re not there by bending light around you. So we both know you’re there, but the mirror won’t reflect anything that isn’t reflecting light to be visible.~

~Thank you professor,~ I retorted. ~I’m glad you know what you’re doing, even if it makes my head spin. Shall I take a walk to experiment?~

~Oh please do, It’s better to test this under controlled conditions,~ the Radiant Drakan replied eagerly.

We discovered a few things as I moved around the palace. One was that it’s hard to go unnoticed when you make noise in a mostly empty room, but at least I had some natural stealth as a Zenin. If I put my mind to it I could be as silent as I was invisible. Secondly, we discovered that the farther I was away the harder it was for Michelle to keep me invisible. We seemed to do alright anywhere in the palace, but I was worried about situations where we might have to spy with Michelle unable to be close enough to maintain my stealth. Finally, I learned that my mom had sent me to relax and Jezz with Grayle to the lakeside garden so that we were out of the way while she planned a little surprise.

When I found her, Mom was in the sunroom in the northwest tower instructing Felice and some of the other palace servants as they set out a small banquet. The door had been left open due to the heavy traffic going in and out and I managed to slip inside easily. I was glad that the boots that I was wearing were more like moccasins than boots as they allowed me to walk comfortably on the balls of my feet without having a heel that could make a lot of noise. That was good forethought on the part of my seamstresses. Lannah and Rozia were there as well, chatting as they helped move some chairs into position at the table that had been set up.

Mom smiled at the pair. “Thank you for coming to help girls, we’re almost ready for them. Lannah could you please contact them and tell them we need them here for another fitting or something like that?”

Lannah returned the smile as she closed her eyes for a moment, then I felt her presence in my mind, sort of knocking at the door before asking, ~Alex do you think you could come up to the sunroom?~ Then I felt her surprise as she realized where I was. ~You sneaky Zenin, how long have you been here.~

~I just got here actually,~ I admitted. ~Michelle and I wanted to run some tests on our stealth capabilities.~

~I would say the invisibility works well and I do not think anyone else has picked up on you being here. I wouldn’t have either if I hadn’t been trying to contact you specifically telepathically. You might as well stay here until Jezz arrives, and then you can give a little surprise of your own,~ she replied with a giggle. Then she opened her eyes and looked back to my mom. “Jezz just got back and she’s on her way up and Alex has been wandering around the palace working with Michelle on something. They should be here soon your Majesty.”

~Maybe sooner than she thinks,~ I sent with a mental giggle of my own to Lannah and Michelle.

It was a small gathering and the occupants of the room were all women that Jezz and I were close to; Larane, my mother, Isra, Alizia from the temple of Selune, Lannah, Rozia, Felice, Kiryn, and some other palace servants we had bonded with, including some of the seamstresses. Michelle and I waited patiently while Lannah informed them of Jezz’s arrival and they all called out “Surprise!” as she entered. She was surprised, and then she was convinced to join the others in surprising me when Lannah said I should be there any time.

I quietly slipped behind the group and grinned as I had Michelle cut the invisibility. Then while all of them were focused on the doorway I yelled, “Surprise!” Several of the women, my mother included, jumped as I called out from behind them and then they all turned to stare at me in my Invisi-girl get up. Rozia had thrown the goblet she’d been drinking from into the air and turned in a guard position and the goblet landed on her white-furred head. I grinned at Carra, the seamstress who had delivered the clothes earlier. “I guess this means it works.” Then Lannah and I both promptly began laughing our collective asses off.

The party was a lot of fun and was basically the Greylands version of a wedding shower, where the women in the life of the bride(s) would offer advice for the new life ahead before the union ceremony, and try to prepare them for the surprises that new life may have in store for them. They would tell of their own experiences, some revealing very personal things about themselves and their own relationships in an attempt to shock the bride(s) and other guests the most. A lot of those things were not fit for print so I’m not going to go into them.

When the heir is the one getting hitched, the surprise contest takes on another aspect. The one who delivers the biggest shock during the party gets the honor of preparing the heir for the union ceremony, and spending the day before the ceremony with her performing the rituals at the temple of Kanae. I am the only heir to ever win the honor of being my own handmaiden. Since that just wouldn’t work, it was decided that Lannah would be my handmaiden since she was the one who had caught me and encouraged my little surprise.

At Dawn on the morning of the day before the union ceremony I was awoken by Felice and given a large meal to eat, as after that I would be fasting until the ceremony as I stayed the day and overnight in the temple of Kanae. It was traditional for the heir to do this as I sought the favor of the Goddess of Fertility, the Harvest, and Birth in my future attempts to produce an heir of my own. After I had eaten and was dressed in a lavender robe, I was escorted to the main courtyard where Lannah was waiting by the carriage. Lannah was wearing an identical lavender robe, as that was the color of Kanae, and we would be allowed to wear nothing else while in her temple until it was time to change for the ceremony. We were bringing our clothes for the wedding in a small case.

~I don’t like the idea of being away from Michelle for so long,~ I griped to Lannah as we both entered the carriage hand in hand. ~And I don’t like depriving Snow of her Chosen for over a sun either.~ Once we were seated, the carriage was underway to Kanae’s temple in the city under the watchful eye of Patar’s most trusted guards, as well as my own guard contingent.

~Don’t’ worry so much Alex,~ Lannah replied, squeezing my hand and smiling at me. ~Jezz promised that she would take care of Michelle and she and Grayle will both keep her company, and Jonth and Xuth will be doing the same for Snow. Besides it’s not like we can’t speak with them, they’re always in our minds. Now stop being so nervous, I’ll be right by your side the whole time.~

~I know, I’m being stupid.~ I let out a soft sigh. ~This whole thing would be easier to take if they would tell me what exactly these rituals we’re going through will be. I don’t like going into things blindly.~

Lannah squeezed my hand in hers and gave me a reassuring smile. ~Relax, I’ll be going through the same rituals as you, and I don’t know much either. Usually women who want to conceive just go to the temple for a ritual cleansing and prayer to Kanae. When the heir or Queen is involved though, there’s a little more to it.~

We were quiet for the remainder of the trip to the temple square, just holding one anothers hands as we tried to remain calm for what may lay ahead. When we arrived, we were escorted inside to the temple’s main hall where we were met by High Priestess Kasmin, who greeted us both with a smile. “Princess Alexis it is good to have you in the temple to give us hope for the future. And you must be Lannah, her handmaiden until the union ceremony.”

“Thank you Priestess Kasmin," I replied with a nervous smile, “It’s good to be here. I must admit to being a bit nervous though. I really have no idea what we’re supposed to be doing here today.”

The priestess nodded. “You are being wed tomorrow, so a case of the nerves is understandable. As for what you will be doing, the pair of you will work as temple servants until the sun sets. This is meant to teach an heir humility, and it is symbolic of the duties that you are taking up. As a bride you care for your spouse as you do for yourself, as a mother you will nurture your children and care for their needs, and as Queen you serve your country and people. Azure’s needs must come before your own, and your bride-to-be will be learning that same lesson in Itari’s temple today.”

My eyes widened at that and I squeezed Lannah’s hand, ~I didn’t know about that! Who’s going to watch Grayle and Michelle and take care of their needs?!~

~Calm down Alex. Patar and Runne are here with us now and have promised to spend all day with us,~ Michelle’s voice broke into my panic.

I calmed myself down a bit. “Okay, I can see the point of that. So what happens after the sun goes down?”

“That is when you will be going through the cleansing rituals and praying to Kanae to bless you with an heir,” she replied. “Now we will have you begin by helping with the morning meal in the kitchen. Remember though, that neither of you are to eat until after the ceremony tomorrow.”

With that, Lannah and I began our day of working amongst the lavender robed initiates of Kanae. We helped make meals, clean the temple, assisted the Priestesses with various tasks when asked, and as a Healer I was brought in to assist with three births that day while their regular Healer was busy. The mothers weren’t really sure how to react to me in an initiate’s robes as I coached them on what to do and mixed an anesthetic from vilae root, padith, and loiku, which I had them drink mixed with rillfruit juice. The first birth was the most difficult, as I worried about doing something wrong, but my training seemed to take over as I focused on the task while giving the mother and Lannah instructions.

Let me tell you, childbirth is simultaneously the most beautiful and the most disgusting thing I have ever seen, but holding that baby girl as she was taking her first breaths was an incredible experience. It made me glad that I was a Healer, as any fool can take a life, but giving it and nurturing it is the most wonderful feeling in the world. I checked the child over for any of the signs that I had been warned to look for by Larane, but the girl was healthy and strong and such a beautiful baby. As I handed her to her mother I thought, having a baby is best for Azure, but does it have to be just my duty? I want this, I want to hold a baby of my own in my arms. For the first time I wanted to be a mother.

The first mother was a young human woman with black hair and I’m sure she was quite pretty when not in pain and physical distress from birth. She named her new daughter Alexis and I was flattered, if a little embarrassed. The other two births were a Jiquar and a Zenin, and both births were much easier after I had the first one behind me, though I was beginning to wonder if the temple Healer was really busy, or if this was just a way to show me what I would be in for soon myself if Kanae blessed me with a child. I was also beginning to wonder how popular variants of my name were going to be with Azure’s next generation, as the Jiquar boy was named Lex and the Zenin girl was named Alis.

Finally sunset came along and Kasmin came to fetch Lannah and me. “You both did well today,” she offered. “Now let’s get to the cleansing room so the two of you can begin.” She led us through the temple to a pair of sturdy pine doors which she opened to reveal a small room bereft of any windows, and lit only by candles. At the back of the room was an altar to Kanae with padded lavender cushions set before it. The room was dominated though by the pair of Jacuzzi sized pools of steaming water in the very center of the room, with lavender-colored rillfruit blossom petals floating on the surface.

We were both encouraged to remove our robes as Kasmin did the same and explained. “Lannah, you will be cleansed first by myself. Once you are properly cleansed in the eyes of Kanae, you will join Princess Alexis in her pool and cleanse her as I did you, while instructing her in her duties as a wife, mother, and future Queen of Azure.” We both nodded and each were directed into a pool, and then the cleansing began. Once Lannah was finished she switched pools and began to thoroughly clean my body, fur, hair, and pretty much all my most personal places while telling me all about my duties.

It was strange and more than a little bit of a turn on having someone I liked and was attracted to bathing me like that. I was having a bit of trouble focusing on what she was saying, but I forced my desire down and made myself listen. It helped a bit when I reached out with my empathy and discovered that Lannah was having as much trouble as I was. At least I wasn’t suffering alone. Once she had finished the cleansing ritual, Kasmin instructed us both to leave the pool and kneel on the cushions in front of Kanae’s altar. We were to pray to the Goddess for fertility for a healthy female child until the candles burned out, and then we would be escorted to a room to sleep for the night.

Kneeling there naked and doing nothing but praying to Kanae was very difficult. We weren’t allowed to talk to one another, or use mind speech to talk to anyone else, as our focus needed to be solely on the prayers. It was cold, my fur was wet, and I was sure that Lannah was feeling similar discomfort. Still, we both did our best to concentrate only on Kanae and our prayers for fertility and a female child. Time seemed to take an eternity to pass, but eventually the candles burnt out and Kasmin returned to hand us our robes and guide us to the bedchamber set aside for these occasions that we would share that night.

We stayed there for a while together in that large bed where I would rest with my head in Lannah’s lap as she knelt on the bed and kept a silent vigil until I awoke the next morning. While we were forbidden from physically speaking until the next morning as we silently contemplated the miracles of pregnancy and birth, mind speech was allowed. ~This is not how I pictured the first time we would be in bed together,~ Lannah joked.

~I know how you feel. Just laying still and thinking about female babies and the future of Azure wasn’t what I had in mind. We’ll make up for it next time,~ I offered. ~Though Jezz has dibs on me tomorrow night.~

~Of course,~ she replied. ~I’ll be wanting one more night alone with Jonth, before you steal him away to make an heir once your Tahrin starts in a couple suns.~

~Enjoy yourself, after I’m done with him I’ll make it up to you.~ I answered with a mental grin. ~And I’m sure Jezz can think of some way to distract you while I’m hogging him. Though to tell the truth, I’m a bit nervous about being with him. I like him, and I’m attracted to him, but I’ve never been with a man before. I guess the Tahrin will make it easier, but I’m a bit scared.~

She caressed my cheek reassuringly. ~You’ll be fine, and if anyone can understand what you’re going through its Jonth. And Jezz and I will be there if you decide you need us, we’ve been talking about it. If it’s easier for you, we could make it a foursome the first time so you have Jezz and me there too if you get nervous. For now though, you should sleep, tomorrow is a big sun.~

~Thanks Lannah, I’ll let you all know how I’m feeling once my Tahrin comes along. I appreciate your being here and I know staying awake all night and not being able to eat until after the ceremony tomorrow isn’t going to be easy on you. It means a lot to me that you’re here with me doing it. Good night. Good night to you too Michelle and Snow.~ Soon I drifted off to sleep my mind swirling with thoughts of babies and the ceremony to come.

The next morning was bright and sunny and I awoke looking up at Lannah’s tired looking face smiling down at me. "Good morning Alex, how are you feeling?”

“Nervous,” I replied, “but I should be the one asking you that, you look exhausted Lannah.”

“Don’t worry about me Alex, I’ll be fine until I can sleep,” she replied. “We need to get ready, the ceremony starts in less than three candlemarks and people are already starting to gather outside in Temple Square.” She sat me down in the chair in front of the room’s dressing table and began to brush out my hair. Once she had it brushed and styled into an elaborate up-d,o held in place with silver barrettes, she replaced all of the gold earrings in each of my ears with silver ones. After that she worked on her own white hair and we got dressed in our underclothes.

Once we were both in our panties and bras, Lannah pulled my gown out of the case and began the arduous task of getting me into it. The dress was a long lavender gown with a silver beaded corset, low neckline, a hem down to my feet, and silver clasps on the shoulders which held in place a sheer lavender cape. The cape was twenty feet long, and Lannah would follow me all day carrying the hem and keeping it off the ground. Sheer sleeves matching the cape ended in silver beaded bracers on my forearms.

Silver is the color of Mynde, the Goddess of Unions, and is always present in the clothes of anyone being wed. Since I was appealing to Kanae for a child and heir I would wear primarily lavender though. Jezz would wear hunter green, as she was appealing to Itari to approve our union and her place as my Consort, but other than that our dresses essentially matched. As my handmaiden, Lannah would also be wearing lavender with small silver accents. After we were both properly attired, and Lannah had seen to using berries to redden her lips and shaded her eyelids with a blue powder, we both left the room to find High Priestess Kasmin.

~I wish you were here sis. It doesn’t feel right, us getting married without you and Grayle here.~ I told Michelle while Lannah and I waited for the signal for us to leave the temple of Kanae for the square outside.

~Don’t worry Alex, Grayle and I will be with you both in spirit if nothing else,~ she replied, and I could sense a bit of a smirk there.

~What are you not telling me?~ I asked.

We were interrupted by Lannah’s voice in my mind. ~It’s time Alex.~ With that, the doors were opened and I followed Patar and Irric as they led the way through the path that had been kept clear from the temple of Kanae to the temple of Mynde. On the opposite side of the square Jezz would be following Jonth and Rozia as they led her from the temple of Itari. The square was filled with people hoping to get a look at Jezz and I on our big day, and I even saw people watching from the tops of some of the buildings. It was as busy as it had been on my Giftsun, and I was a bit nervous walking along the path with all those eyes on me as Lannah followed bearing the hem of my cape.

Finally our paths met and I gasped at the sight of Jezz in her green and silver gown as we turned to face the temple of Mynde. As we met, Jezz and I both turned and made our way toward the temple of Mynde with the royal banners hanging from its great silver balcony. And there, standing proudly below the balcony, were Michelle and Grayle with the midmorning light reflecting off their scales. I almost cried right there, but managed to control myself as I shot to Michelle, ~Here in spirit my ass.~

~Your mother wanted it to be a surprise,~ she replied with a mental grin. ~And you should know there is no other place that we would be.~

I smiled as I walked the rest of the way along that path and through the throngs of people to the temple. With each step I could feel my heart beating faster, until we were at the twin staircases leading up to the silver balcony that overlooked the square. At the bottom of the left hand staircase Jezz’s father took her hand to lead her up, as each of my parents took one of mine and led me up the right. We each walked up the spiral staircases and across the balcony at the top to meet in the middle, where Mynde’s High Priestess stood waiting with the High Priestesses of Itari and Kanae.

“People of Azure!” the Priestess spoke above the hushed crowd in the square below. “We gather here today, in the silver embrace of Mynde, to join together two people. Our Princess and heir Alexis Misalet comes before us, clad in the colors of Mynde and Kanae, not just to wed, but in hopes of having an heir and assuring the future of Azure! Does Kanae approve this union and give Her blessing?”

“Kanae gives Her approval and Her blessing,” answered Kasmin.

The Priestess of Mynde nodded and continued. “Jezz Highwind comes before us, clad in the colors of Mynde and Itari, to wed our Princess and to help lead our people. Does Itari approve this union and give Her blessing?”

The ground seemed to tremor in approval as Priestess Zarla replied, “Itari approves and gives Her blessing.”

“Kanae and Itari both approve, and Mynde gives Her blessing for this union as well. Alexis and Jezz, is it your true wish to be bound for all time before the people of Azure, and to be untied as one to serve Azure and its people?”

“It is,” we answered as one.

The Priestess nodded to the Priestesses of the other Goddesses and each stepped forward. A large silver circular object was handed to me by Kasmin as Zarla handed a similar one to Jezz. “Then be bound to one another.”

Jezz and I stepped toward one another and each placed the silver choker around the other’s throat. Once they were in place, the spell imbedded in them caused the choker’s to seal shut around our throats, where they would stay for the rest of our lives. Each choker had a small emerald set in it and, should we choose to add others to our union, a new stone would be added for each person. As the chokers sealed shut and we kissed, the applause in the square became deafening.