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When Nikki's phone beeped again, Dahlia realized they'd been stalling, because that sound had the girls pulling Dahlia forward. Nikki hadn't even bothered to look. Dahlia wanted to ask who was organizing all of this. Sure, Cain said he would lead the prayers, but there was no way he could do that and manage the timing. But the moment they reached the bottom of the stairs, she forgot all about that.
Because the open breezeway that led to the courtyard was filled with nothing but eidolon. Some she knew because they'd been in her apartment last night. Others, she'd never seen before. Still, most of the faces were smiling, and all of them held sprigs of grasses or flowers. Something green, which was all that mattered.
As Dahlia made her way to the courtyard, the eidolon fell in behind her. This was her family, or at least the only one she had left. Up ahead was the one she was about to claim, because there, waiting in the middle of the poorly tended grassy area, Thane stood waiting. The man wore dark jeans, a crisp white shirt, and he held a pair of ribbons. Roarke stood beside him, and Cain waited directly across from the breezeway.
As Dahlia got closer, her oldest friend in the world called out, "Woman, is this man fit for you?"
Memories of ancient times flowed easily into Dahlia's mind. "He is. This is the man I'm here to wed."
Cane smiled and looked over at Thane. "Man, is this woman fit for you?"
He bobbed his head and his fingers tensed on the ribbons. "She is. This is the woman I'm here to wed."
"And will you take her into your family?" Cain continued as Dahlia moved to stand across from Thane.
Thane had to swallow once before he could find any words. "As I have little family left, I beg hers to accept me instead. I am a wanderer now, with my line destroyed. If she will guarantee that my name lives on, then I will claim her kin as mine." He glanced over at Roarke, who nodded encouragingly. Thane quickly looked back at Dahlia. "Since you will bear me no heirs, will you instead carry my name yourself?"
The air rushed from Dahlia's lungs. This was a very rarely used ritual, but she'd heard of it. It was one of those things that fathers had warned would befall a warrior who didn't die with his village. There was shame in it, but also hope. Yes, Thane - likely with Cain's help - had modified it a little, but that meant she could do the same, right?
So on impulse, Dahlia replied, "I will. From this day forward, I shall be known as Valerie Dahlia Keegan, wife of Thane..." She paused, realizing she didn't know his middle name.
"Christopher," he quickly supplied.
"Wife of Thane Christopher Keegan," Dahlia continued, "so that his name will continue for generations to come, or until I am no more."
"Then will you, Thane, accept Dahlia's offer, merging your family with hers to become one?" Cain asked.
"Proudly," Thane said, lifting the hand that held the ribbons. "May we be bound together under the midday sun so that all can see."
She reached up to take his hand, clasping the ribbons between them, and Cain moved to tie them both together. The wraps were meant to be beautiful, the knot that finished it all would be loose but elegant, and their grip on each other was intended to keep it all from falling apart. Around them, the other eidolon watched, most of them too young to have ever seen a true handfasting that wasn't a modern reenactment. But Dahlia could hear the whispers as Cain worked with the ribbons.
"She brought a damned priest here," a woman hissed.
"He seems like he's ok with her, though." This was a different voice.
"But us? How long until he calls the rest of the Inquisition down on us?" The first woman refused to give up.
"I say we kill him before he can." That was another woman, clearly agreeing with the first.
Then a man snapped at them all. "Shh! If this works, that man just taught us all how to escape the leash of our names."
"And go ahead, try to take on the original valkyrie. I'm sure that will go over well," another guy added.
Dahlia tried to ignore it. She shouldn't have been able to hear those whispers, but a night with Thane made all of her senses just a bit more sensitive. She felt alive again, which she hoped was a sign that this wasn't the worst decision in her life. Seeing Thane standing across from her, and feeling his clammy palm and trembling fingers? She knew that at least his intentions were real. She just wasn't sure of her own.
Then Cain finished tying them together and stepped back. "Here, under the bright skies of the sun, with his sister, the moon, peering over the trees, I call you married. Thane Christopher Keegan and Valerie Dahlia Keegan, the eidolon will now recognize you as husband and wife." Then Cain gestured to the crowd.
Which was when Roarke leaned in. "This is when you get to kiss her."
Thane just bobbed his head a few times, and she watched him swallow in an attempt to get his voice. "And that's it?" Even his words shook a little.
So Dahlia stepped in and used her free hand to cup his cheek. "Yeah, except for the kissing part. Congratulations, husband. It seems you're now a taken man."
His dark eyes found hers, and for a moment time stood still. Slowly, a smile touched his lips, and then he leaned in, pressing his mouth to hers. Dahlia let her lips part and he took the invitation. A sweet kiss became something more. Her fingers on his cheek held him there. The ribbons around their hands locked them together, and neither tried to pull away.
Instead, they kissed. If this was Dahlia's defiance, then it was the sweetest fight she'd ever picked. This man, now her husband, was the warrior she'd always longed for. Hrokr hadn't been as strong. Mei hadn't been as careful. Thane was nothing like the other people who had mattered so much in her past, but that was ok, because this was now and the future could only be guided by memories, not held up by them.
When Thane finally leaned back, he whispered against her lips, "I have a wife." Then he paused, looking over at Roarke in confusion. "The ring?"
