AllFreeNovel
Share Us
All I needed to worry about right now was that my bride wouldn’t throw more perceived shame on this ceremony, and she would actually sober up enough to make it to the wedding.
Even as I thought it, the music of the stringed instruments shifted and played the haunting, beautiful melody of a wedding march.
The crowd settled, quieted, and a spotlight illuminated the top of the hall. Suspended in a wrap of gossamer cloth was my bride.
The crowd cheered – or jeered - as they caught sight of her being lowered toward me. Jasmine fluttered her fingertips in the sweetest little wave as she clutched the fabric basket on its slow descent.
She stole the smile I gave her straight from my heart.
The blaster might be disconcerting, but there might also be a totally reasonable explanation.
I found, in that moment, I truly wanted Jasmine to be my match.
I glanced toward my father, who sat with his smug grin about forcing me into a marriage with a human.
There had been enough in her actions thus far to say she would deserve that spot by my side.
The basket of fabric landed, and Jasmine held out her hands. I helped her step from the golden swath around her to stand beside me, our hands still clenched in each other’s.
Her face was slightly flushed, but her eyes were sharper as she smiled at me. She had done an excellent job trying to clear the headiness of the toxin. And she looked beautiful in Krafina royal finery. It hugged all her curves and reminded me briefly of pictures I had seen of my parents’ wedding day.
Incense floated in between us as the officiant waved the brass sconce between us, chanting the traditional words as he swung the chain.
The symphony of the music grew to its crescendo, and the crowd cheered.
Then there was silence.
I rubbed Jasmine’s hands to give her courage as she kept her eyes locked on mine. She was goddamn beautiful. The most beautiful thing about her was how much she kept surprising me.
Jasmine had clearly been coached on what was to happen as the officiant circled us with the incense, as flowers from the garden near my planetary home were laid across our arms, and as I bent into her ear and whispered the pledge of the Krafina to their partner.
“Through the black of space, in the light of day, I’ll be by your side, and you by mine.”
She smiled and leaned in to whisper back as the crowd cheered.
“On a mission for love, on a mission for trust, I’ll be by your side, and you’ll be by mine.”
Her words were sweeter than I expected in my ears, the silver flecks in her eyes sparkling with a true promise.
The incense was engulfing the hall – after all, Krafina ceremonies were normally held outside – but the crowd continued to get rowdier on the alcohol and the excitement: all Krafina loved a wedding.
The officiant declared our vows to be true as he grabbed our wrists to lift them in the air.
“The pledge flares hotter than the eternal flame on the shores of Alakina. These two are bound together eternally!”
The crowd was on its feet. Even my father was smiling with what I hoped was in a genuine nature, and then the officiant clapped his hands.
Jasmine bit her lip and smiled at me. I could trust that look in her eyes. I knew I could. There had to be what I felt in my heart emanating from them. It had to be true.
Impulsively, I grabbed her and pulled her into me, kissing her with such ferocity that I was afraid I would knock her over. Her lips responded to mine and melted even the most racist Krafina in the crowd.
I had seen that that was an Earthling tradition. An immortal vow sealed with a kiss.
Jasmine pulled back as I released her, stunned and breathless, her face even more flushed.
See? Her body couldn’t lie. She really was my match.
“You’re mine,” I said and winked. Then I turned her to the audience and bellowed a Krafina warcry. “Let the drink flow as we feast tonight, and then the games begin tomorrow!”
