Chapter 44: Chapter 43
A light breeze blew, bringing with it the salty sea air as he stood, surrounded by hundreds of guests, in the pavilion that was situated in the middle of a huge garden high enough to overlook the city.
The pavilion had a white marble floor, steps that led gently up to the raised platform of the center, and white columns supporting the roof, which was also white, but with gold accents that made the dome shine from afar when the sun shone on it.
Between the pillars hang transparent, silk curtains in a delicate white that danced in the light breeze.
In stark contrast to the pavilion where he waited for his future wife, he wore a shimmering black robe made of the world's finest and most precious silk. A black leather belt, adorned with golden buckles, accentuated his waist and perfectly matched his elegant boots.
His hair was less styled, falling freely and naturally over his shoulders because he didn't want any greasy, oily combed-back hair like so many others did on such occasions.
The guests in attendance were among the most influential and important personalities in the world. From powerful merchants from Qarth to the Lords Freeholder and their families to Prince Zhaoren from Yi Ti and, to his surprise, Prince Cregan Stark.
Although he had sent him an invitation, he had not expected Cregan to actually show up.
King Harren and his wife were not present, nor were the other children of the Stark family, but the crown prince of a kingdom was always a welcome guest at his wedding, especially if he had a good friendship with him.
A few hours before he stood here now, he had the opportunity to speak with Cregan, who had developed into an impressive man over the years - not only in stature, but also in his views and manner of expression.
Cregan was now married as well, and was expecting his first child, which is why his wife, Aly Stark née Manderly, was not in attendance.
Only his mother and younger siblings stood behind Kaelarys, while the rest of House Baelaeron had taken their seats in the front row.
He glanced over the rows of guests and spotted his Uncle Vaelor, who had arrived with his wife Lady Deyana and their daughters Alyra, Vaelaera, and the beautiful Lysandra. They had all dressed up for the occasion and were resplendent in their fine robes.
Next to them sat his aunt Valaena, who had taken a seat at the side of her husband Aerynys. Their children Laenor, Zelarys, Syraena, and Maevys were also present. Laenor, the oldest of the siblings, was closest to him. They had played together as children and knew each other very well.
Syraena was rather reserved at the age of nine, but she was remarkably intelligent. She was curious and preferred the wonders of nature to violence. She was interested in natural phenomena and the mysteries of the world.
Maevys, on the other hand, was very much her mother's daughter and seemed to have inherited her talent for magic from her mother. She dreamed of following in her mother's footsteps as soon as she was old enough to learn the secrets of magic.
And then there was Zaelarys, whom he could barely stand. He was smug, arrogant, and thought he was special, even though he had little to show for it other than being born into an important family.
Another relative he had little contact with was his Uncle Talaerys. He had heard little of him, for he lived with his family in Qohor, a city known as the City of Sorcercers.
Qohor was a city known for its mystical arts and dark secrets, and it seemed as if Talaerys had carved out a world of his own there, far from the grandeur of House Baelaeron.
He could respect that.
His head snapped towards the entrance of the garden as music began to play.
The congregation of guests stopped what they were doing and all talk stopped as well, as they too turned their heads toward the same entrance as Kaelarys.
Kaelarys' eyes were glued to the couple stepping out of the hinged doors, making him momentarily forget everything around him.
Seraphine stepped gracefully onto the red carpet on her father's arm.
A long white silk gown flowed from thin straps over bare shoulders. White roses bloomed through the plaits of her silver hair, held back in long, elegant braids. She wore a tiara of rubies and citrines that danced in the light. Golden diamonds hung from her ears, sapphires glittering in the center of each, and around her neck she wore a necklace of silver-white pearls. On her hand she wore a lilac ring he had given her for their thirteenth birthday, matching her eye color perfectly.
He wore a similar ring, but one in blue, which she had given him for their next birthday, since they had the same birthday.
Their father, Aelor Baelaeron, grinned from ear to ear as he led his daughter down the carpet, but looked as regal as ever as he lightly squeezed Seraphine's hand when he felt it tremble with nervousness.
Aelor Baelaeron led them up the stairs to the raised platform, nodding to Kaelarys and the Vaylrian priest before planting a kiss on Seraphine's cheek before leaving her in front of her brother, the wind gently blowing her robes and hair as she did so.
Kaelarys gave her a small smile and cupped her cheek gently" Nervous?" he asked, his eyes soft but intense at the same time, and the sound of his voice sent a shiver down her spine.
"No, never," she shook her head, giving him a bright smile as she reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.
Kaelarys just chuckled at her but said nothing else and motioned for the priest to proceed.
As the priest stepped forward, he could see the assembled guests staring up at them, waiting.
The priest handed him a cold, dark blade he recognized as dragonglass, jagged and surprisingly heavy as he turned it in his hands.
He took the blade firmly in his palm and began to slowly cut into his other palm as red blood flowed from the wound. The grooves made the cut ache more than it should have, but he made no sound and did not flinch as the blood slowly oozed from the wound.
He looked up and met Seraphine's eyes, nodded reassuringly and handed her the blade, which she took.
She swallowed nervously, hesitating more than he, not well-trained in cutting skin. While he remained unperturbed, and unaffected by the cut, she made it clear that it did indeed hurt.
She closed her eyes and gasped, clenching her hand into a fist but not dropping the blade, which sliced through her skin.
She and the guest heard a roar in the distance as Ruby felt her pain and became enraged in response. She smiled at her she-dragon.
"You did well, I am proud," Kaelarys whispered so no one but her could hear.
He reached out and pulled up the sleeves of her dress, making sure they wouldn't run down again. Seraphine understood why as he joined hands with her and the priest wrapped a piece of crimson velvet around their entwined hands as their blood merged.
"Sōvētessī se gevī issi bēvilis, se isse bisa, ao syt hontes syt gaomilaks (For now and forever you are united in blood, and in this you are united as one)," the priest began as he let his hands hover over their bound hands.
"Ao vēdros isse drīve, kīva isse aōha hāre. Tolī kostilus, iā mirre drējī ( Your bond is in blood, your love in your heart. It is eternal, and nothing can sever it.)" The priest continued, and Kaelarys could feel the magic at work, while Seraphine cast a strange glance at her hands, feeling a peculiar tingling sensation.
"Riñī ondoso ēdrusi, se līrī īlvyz azantys ( The Fourteen flames bless you, and none shall stand against you)." The priest slowly unwound the velvet cloth from their hands, revealing the now-healed cuts.
The blood was gone, absorbed into the cloth, leaving only the marks of where the blade had been.
He stepped back, nodding to them both, acknowledging the sacred bond that had just been forged.
They turned to each other, and Seraphine swallowed hard, finding herself drowning in the intensity of Kaelarys' gaze. At this moment, he was even more handsome than she had always thought him to be.
His lips tasted faintly of salt and the lingering hint of the rich, spiced wine they'd shared earlier. There was a warmth to the kiss, grounding and reassuring, with just a trace of the air of the sea that clung to it.
The kiss was short, but not chaste, which was ideal for a kiss in front of one's parents. The guests clapped as they broke apart, and Ruby and Ancalagon roared together in the distance, but the roar of Ancalagon was much louder.
"So, wife," Kaelarys said, the word sounding foreign in his own mouth, "you are now officially mine, huh?"
Seraphine just grinned back" And you are mine as well"
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I wanted to relax a bit, but I had time today and just watched Netflix endlessly and here we are: A Chapter.
Hope you liked it.
Yours,
Jasonenrick!
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