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“Well, I lied.” I roll my eyes at him.
“Come on buddy, let's head to the altar.”
I straighten my tie and follow them outside. Everything looks exactly like I wanted it to.
There is a small gathering of chairs on either side of the aisle, for only our closest friends and family. The aisle is littered with small pink flowers, and at the end is the altar, where my shaman stands waiting.
I walk to the altar and wait there. It should be any minute now.
After what feels like hours, the guests all take their seats, including Rory and Lorelai, who both take a seat next to their mates. Zalith gives me a small nod, and Rory beams at me.
There’s a commotion up ahead and when I turn, the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen walks up. She’s wearing a light green dress with a long train of pink flowers flowing behind her that match the flowers scattered along the aisle.
Her long blonde hair cascades down her shoulders, ending with the smallest curls. She wears a small flower crown on her head, with ribbons of different colors hanging from it.
Finally, I look her in the eyes. Even from here, I can see her bright green eyes that match her dress almost perfectly.
Before I get carried away in those eyes, I glance down to her rounded belly, and I almost have to hold back tears. It’s getting so big, and she looks so beautiful like this. She smiles shyly at me before turning to the woman standing next to her.
The woman opens a small blue bag, which carries in it one of the stones that will tell us what our future together will look like.
Krista glances at me nervously, and I give her an encouraging smile. She sticks her hand in the bag, closes her eyes, and waits a moment before pulling out a stone.
She looks at it for a moment before looking straight at me, tears shining in her eyes and a big smile on her face.
The woman with the bag gestures for her to start her descent down the aisle, and so she does. I want to know more than anything what the stone says, but we spoke about this last night. It’s the one part of the ceremony I told her about.
We both agreed that she would show me the stone in private, at the end of the ceremony. We wanted it to be something that we didn’t share with anyone else. Something just for us. It is the one and only way I veered from tradition.
When Krista finally reaches me, I give her a hand as she climbs up the two small steps. This is when I catch sight of the necklace she wears. It hangs between her breasts on a green cord, ending in a small pendant with a cap on top. Inside are the herbs that the shaman will use in just a moment.
Krista and I smile at one another, unable to take our eyes away. All I want to do is whisk her away and show her in private exactly what she means to me. But the ceremony isn’t over yet.
Slowly, the guests approach the altar one by one, leaving one flower each on the steps, before bowing and returning to their seats. No one utters a word. This part of the ceremony is supposed to be completely silent, in honor of the gods.
Once the last guest leaves their flowers, the shaman finally speaks.
“We are gathered here today to witness the mating of Lasta and Krista, who have eight children on the way. We call on Vatia, the goddess of fertility and creation, to keep these children safe not only during birth but also in life. We call on Atia, the goddess of war and death, to keep this family safe from both. We call on Feher, the god of land and water, to bless this family and make sure they never go without. We call on Mynir, the god of spirit and mind, to keep them pure.”
He raises two hands in supplication. “And finally, we call on Oella, the goddess of order and justice, to watch over them and make sure that any wrongs done are righted. In the name of the Light, I will now bless this couple with the herbs that Feher has provided us.”
The shaman removes the necklace from around Krista’s neck, pops the cap off, and empties the herbs into his palm. He then sets the necklace behind him and proceeds to crush the herbs in his hand before sprinkling them on top of mine and Krista’s heads.
Next, he utters a short prayer to himself before joining our hands together.
“In the name of the Light, you may now kiss your mate.”
Krista looks up at me, cheeks rosy and eyes twinkling. She’s never looked more beautiful. I lift her chin up and press my lips against hers. A few moments later, I have to remind myself that we’re still being watched and that it wouldn’t be polite to keep our guests waiting.
Finally, I force myself to pull away, and everyone cheers.
“In the name of the Light, bless this couple!” everyone shouts.
“I love you, my beautiful mate,” I tell her.
“I love you too,” she whispers, tears falling from her eyes.
I wipe them away before helping her descend from the altar to join our friends and family for drinks, food, and dancing. Lorelai and Rory immediately run up to us, squealing loudly and whisking Krista away.
