AllFreeNovel
Share Us
HURIAN
Iwalk into the garden I started for Dana and pick a few of the lilacs I planted for her. While they might not be calendula, she told me she wanted lilacs thrown for us at our ceremony. It’s a small wish, and one I’m more than happy to grant to have her be officiated as my mate.
I grab them and look at the sun in the middle of the sky.Perfect,I think as I look at the woods on the outside of the compound.I have just enough time to get there early.I look at the guard accompanying me and nod, and we walk out of the compound and into the woods.
I chose to walk along the path the guards created for us while Dana is riding in a carriage to the ‘unknown’ location. I look at their work, admiring how smoothly the dirt has been packed down.
Yellow signs on the trees also catch my eye. The day after I apologized to Dana, and she forgave me, I had the guards put signs on all the trees so anyone could find their way back should they get lost. They took it a step further and paved a path so that children could have nature days outside the compound and such special ceremonies like today could take place somewhere quiet and magical.
As I walk along the path, I hear the waterfall. I smile, thinking that this is around where Dana and I met. There has been increased protection in these areas due to the odd wolf activity I witnessed when we first met. Loki also told me they would start looking into the strange behavior, so we can find out why they seem to be getting more intelligent.
We walk for about forty-five minutes on the paved path. It sounds crazy to walk this far when I could ride, but I wanted time to collect my thoughts and, in a way, relive the day I met Dana when I was walking in these woods.
The first time I walked on the path the guards paved, I realized how much Dana and I zig-zagged around when we were trying to get home. With a straight path to where I arranged for our mating ceremony to be, the walk is much shorter.
The guard and I walk down the final hill, and I smile as I see Loki and many of our clan members waiting by the river. I knew the spot on the river where we made love would be perfect for our union. I smile, and he holds his arms out with a grin, welcoming me to the ceremony that will lead me to the rest of my life.
I see he has had a flower arch made and placed right next to the river. Two torches are lit next to him, and multiple carriages stopped on the far side of the gathering. I know one of them is reserved for Dana and me after we have completed the ceremony; this isn’t the only surprise I have in store for her tonight.
I smile as I approach and embrace him. The crowd gathered to witness our union applauds, and I feel myself flush. I’m not a massive fan of large gatherings, but I want to show Dana off today. I want everyone to know how much I love her and particularly want her to feel like royalty.
Loki pats me on the back and hands me a bag filled with my clothes for the ceremony. I sigh and take it from him, and he laughs.
“Don’t be nervous, Hurian,” he says calmly. “She’s been your mate long since before you asked her.”
I exhale slowly, looking at the bag. “Doesn’t make this any less nerve wracking.”
“I know, but you’ll be just fine. Go change; she’ll be here soon.”
I nod and walk around a few tree trunks until I’m at the river's edge. I look out into the rest of the forest on the other side, remembering how beautiful the stars are at night. Changing into my ceremonial clothes, my heart begins to beat rapidly. My palms are sweating, too, and I doubt it’s from the cool summer breeze.
I walk back to Loki, and he looks at me with a grin. Before I can thank him for officiating, a carriage rolls down the hill slowly, and I stop and look at it, my heart pounding in my throat. It pulls up, the wheels slowing to a stop as my stomach turns. The door opens, and Ur and Bonnie step out.
As they laugh, I roll my eyes and put my hand on my forehead. Ur runs to me and embraces me tightly while I recover from the heart palpitations they gave me.
“Congratulations, brother!” Ur says excitedly. “And a beautiful location.”
I look at the calm water flowing down the river behind us. I smile and think of the speech Dana gave me while she was in the river and I was walking away. Her words will always stick with me: “That’s what you do when you fall in love; you take the risk of getting hurt.”
What I didn’t know then is that with the kind of love Dana and I have, I don’t feel a risk anymore. Once my guard was let down completely, I didn’t feel nervous about either of us getting hurt. Something I should have learned a long time ago but only realized recently is that you shouldn’t live in the past or the future; otherwise, you’re missing the present.
I turn back to Ur and Bonnie and grin widely at them. “It seemed appropriate,” I say, not telling them why I picked this location.
Of course, I don’t want them to know Dana, and I made love here for the first time, but what no one knows, not even Dana, is that this is the place where I opened up to anyone about Flora for the first time. I didn’t tell Dana the entire story that night, but me telling her that I had loved and lost before was the start of the walls around my heart crumbling.
I hear another carriage approaching, and Bonnie quickly rushes to the other side of Loki while Ur stands next to me. I wait patiently, my hands still sweating and my heart beating out of my chest as this one slows, too, and parks next to Ur and Bonnie’s. The driver gets out of his seat and opens the carriage's door, and I watch Dana step out and hold my breath.
She wears a beautiful white dress with a flower crown that matches the altar. The dress is short and ruffled and has slim straps that lie perfectly off her shoulders. I smile and think my heart will jump out of my body as she walks closer with a look of shock and admiration.
I smile and walk toward her, offering her my hand as she looks at the scene I’ve prepared. Even though the river looks the same in some parts, I knew she would remember this specific location, like I did when I thought of where to have our ceremony.
“Hurian, is this…?”
“Yes, love. This is it.”
She smiles widely, her smile almost touching her ears. She’s so happy. I grin and walk her toward Loki. She embraces Bonnie, and I look at Ur, who gives me a wink before Loki starts the ceremony.
“Hurian and Dana,” Loki begins with a smile. “This forest was where you lost yourselves and found each other. Please, join hands.” Dana looks at me with a sly smile. She told me she wanted elements of a human wedding, and I tried to incorporate them with orcish traditions. “In the presence of friends, clan members, and the woods that brought you two together, we ask that this union be blessed and happy and that the baby that has come of this love be healthy and live a long life with their parents.”
