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The words of the dark elf who performed the mating ceremony echo in my mind as Althia and I walk hand-in-hand into the darkness of Pyrthos.
“You are bound to one another for eternity. Finding one another is a blessing, given by the gods and goddesses, and together you are stronger and more powerful than you would be apart.”
I know that while the dark elf who performed the mating ceremony might not have approved of a dark elf mating with a human, every word he spoke was true.
I know that neither of us could have asked for a more perfect mating ceremony, and when I look over at Althia, whose face is lit up by the glow of the torches surrounding us, I know she feels the same way.
I know that Althia also feels safer and more content now that my family and most of my friends have accepted her presence in our lives.
My friends and family are still gathered around the tables that are heavy underneath the weight of food and drink as Althia and I walk through the darkness and back up to the house.
“I think my feet are swollen.” Althia grumbles as we walk up to the stairs that lead up to my wing of the house.
“Well, you are wearing incredibly high heels.” I tell her, and before she can answer, I have scooped her up into my arms.
She shrieks with surprise and then bursts into giggles, before she leans forward and plants soft kisses all over my face.
“Just kick them off. The zagfers can pick them up and bring them up later.”
Althia follows my instructions, and the bottom of her dress rises up as she does so, revealing her pretty feet and legs.
I notice then something that I didn’t see during the ceremony.
She is wearing two golden anklets around her ankles. They gleam in the golden light of the house, and they make her feet and legs look even more elegant.
“Where did you get those?” I ask her, and she glances down at her feet.
“Oh, those were a mating ceremony gift from your mother. She said that she wore them to bed with your father on the night of their mating ceremony. Which was… more information than I needed.”
We both burst into raucous laughter as I carry Althia into my wing of the house and firmly lock the door.
I place her gently on her feet, and she immediately starts to pull her dress off.
I inhale deeply. I have never been more content than I am now. Part of me cannot believe that we have actually made it here, that we’re actually mated.
But the other, larger, part of me is excited for the future and all the years I will spend with Althia by my side.
As I inhale, I notice something curious then.
Usually my wing of the house smells entirely like paint and chalk. Sometimes it also smells like the forest, which is a result of Nexus’s wandering in and out of the place at all hours and tracking in mud, leaves, and forest water.
But now, as I examine the air, I realize that the smell of paint and the forest have faded.
Instead, the dominant scent in the wing is Althia’s scent. The scent of warmth and spice, tinged with sweetness.
I look over at Althia, who is standing in front of the mirror I had installed for her in the living space of the room.
There have been a lot of changes between Yiosha’s death and our mating ceremony earlier today, mostly at my mother’s insistence, although I am sure that Althia and I would have gotten around to them eventually.
Extra furniture, cookware, and crockery have been added to the little kitchen and living room that I never use.
My mother also added an extra wardrobe in the bedroom and bathroom, and both are filled with new sets of clothes, towels, and more toiletries than I have ever seen in my life.
A bunch of fresh flowers – bright paradise blossoms imported from Osiris – have been arranged on the brand new table that sits at the center of the kitchen.
The changes are new and slightly uncomfortable, but I know I’ll get used to them, and the changes are worth it if I get to have Althia with me for the rest of my life.
“Are you coming?” she calls from the bedroom, and I pull my shirt and trousers off in one fluid motion.
