In Yuer’s past life, Jarak had spared no expense in making his bonded-to-be’s procession to the Temple as grandiose of an affair as possible. There had been at least twenty expensively made carriages, a slew of Shefrin servants gifted to Yuer’s name and even a regiment of Reznali arms who marched by his carriage with puffed chest and glorious armor. The Ayaseen clan had supplied him with a fortune of jewelry and silk while the old Rezas gifted him the very magnificent and well-bred pair of warhorses which dragged his carriage at that time. There had been marching musicians, talented singers and all sorts of festive decorations. It had been a very merry affair which the Dasrari and the common folk alike had spoken of for seasons on end.

They had whispered among themselves of how highly the Malhada valued his newly bonded, of how much he respected and cherished him. Back then, Yuer also believed it too. He remembered how happy he had been seating in that carriage which he had thought was about take him into a new journey in his life, a new path where he would learn to trust and love another. It had been a beautiful thought but the him of past could have never known how such a merry and lively procession had been but a march of a smiling lamb into its butcher’s slaughterhouse.

Often in life, the brightest of things were the coldest and the most beautiful of things were the cruelest. Hope was often a bright yet a cruel thing. Yes indeed, that beautiful hope had been but a mirage of the Na’bian desert: an unreal thing, a ghost that only had existed in his own head until the day it dissipated into nothing.

Here he was again, seated in the head carriage being escorted to the Temple once more. Only this time, he didn’t daydream and this bonding ceremony’s procession was far quieter and subdued than the one in his memories. There were no marching Reznali arms, no singers, no slews of Shefrin servants and definitely no pair of warhorses to drag his carriage to his destination.

The whole affair was meager by every Dasrari standard. The total of carriages was a dismal five. One carried him and Sakina, another carried Ivak and the twins, the third carriage had Ashiad and about five servants in it while the fourth had been reserved for the six or Kumatani who came to escort him. The fifth and last carriage held what little gifts Ivak was able to bring with him from Kersa to offer Yuer. The horses were the common kind and the carriage were made of affordable wood and apart from the Kersasi banners and some hanging paper lanterns to illuminate the path; there was no other form of decoration. In the common folk’s eyes, it must have been quite the laughable bonding ceremony’s procession.

For Yuer however, it was more than enough. He didn’t need expensive carriages, glorious warhorses or marching armor-clad forces. What he truly needed was for Ivak to be nothing else but what he truly was: an honorable, charming and honest young man. Had it been just him and Ivak on the back of a single horse, he still wouldn’t have minded it. But for the sake of rites, for the sake of Ivak’s dignity and the Kumatani that came with him, Yuer had to go through all this otherwise unneeded affair.

Soon enough, the carriages reached the Temple and crossed the plaza to the Middle Tower. This building was normally sealed from the general public because it was where the Tewekaga resided. However, as a show of faith for Yuer and Ivak, the elderly man allowed their bonding ceremony to be held in its main praying hall.

As Yuer was about to descend from the carriage, a hand extended itself to him through the parted curtains. He took it and stepped out. The cold autumn night air hit his face, cooling his skin and driving away any sense of drowsiness.

He glanced down and found himself looking at Ivak’s smiling face. The Reznal’s features were etched in unabashed joy and despite the darkness of the night; his silver eyes glistened like two chips of a bright full moon. His appreciative gaze swept across Yuer’s entire figure before it settled back on his face. With a hushed, husky voice that sounded of awe, he mouthed, “You look gorgeous.”

The words, while rather generic from the man one was about to bond, they still managed to warm Yuer’s heart. At that moment Yuer realized that regardless of how much he had changed, it seemed when it came to the matters of the heart, he could still be appeased with the littlest of things. It was a rather surprising revelation to him but somehow, there was something reassuring about it. He offered Ivak a small, genuine smile in return and the Reznali youth took that as his cue to wrap his arms around Yuer and haul him down to the floor. He was gentle and careful with his embrace and Yuer found it quite endearing.

The moment Ivak sat him down; Yuer straightened his posture and lifted his chin a touch higher. The tassel crown which was seating atop his head was heavy, far heavier than the one in his past life so he had to take extra care with the way he moved and walked. With a firm and straight back, he took Ivak’s offered hand and together they walked toward the praying hall. Sakina, the Kersasi twins, Ashiad and his team of Shefrin servants followed quietly behind them. Yuer had Hasha stay back at the residence to watch over the little Valquari boy.

As soon as Yuer and Ivak stepped into the hall, they were met with the sight of a hundred Kumatani or so. Yuer’s Echo-reading reading which had been somewhat quiet so far exploded in his mind, signaling to him the presence of countless Echo Listeners in the vicinity. The moment the Kumatani noticed Yuer’s arrival, the entire hall of white robed men and women fell to their knees, their foreheads and open hands hit the marbled floor while their back were bowed as far they could go. In unison, they greeted him. The reverence in their voices made their tone rather feverish. “Greeting to the Holy Mother’s favorite child. Oh Exalted One, may you prosper for a thousand years.”

They echoed themselves once more, “May the Exalted One prosper for a thousand years.”

They remained frozen in their positions until Yuer beckoned them to their feet with a hand, “May all rise. Thank you for such a warm welcome, blessed brothers and blessed sisters.”

Cian, who was a familiar face to Yuer, rose to his feet and shuffled closer to him. Without raising his face, he softly uttered, “May Exalted One and His Second Highness proceed to the grand altar.”

Yuer smiled lightly and nodded. He glanced at Ivak who grinned at him with twinkling eyes and together, they walked toward the grand altar.

As they walked, Yuer looked at the right side of the hall, which would usually be reserved for guests and noticed several familiar figures. Naer and Akra Ayaseen who didn’t have any choice but to come lest the world would gossip about it, Ashiad and his fellow servants who separated from him and someone he would have never expected to see, a gentle-looking middle-aged woman by the name of Iselva. She was the first concubine the current Rezas had taken into his harem back when he was still a Reznal. She was common-born and thus had no clan name but that didn’t diminish her value within the Inner Palace.

While everyone knew that the Rezas only had sons but wasn’t blessed with daughters, most had forgotten that Iselva had once given birth to the Rezas’s only daughter who died the moment she was born. The difficult pregnancy rendered Iselva incapable of ever conceiving again and that was the main reason the current Rezna, Ariath of the Tarand clan, let her breath still.

Yuer remembered her so clearly because during his most difficult days in the Palace, she had been the only one who bothered to visit him from time to time. She also had sneaked him some proper medicine on several occasions during his house arrest. She had been one of the very few people who hadn’t been tainted by the filth of the Inner Palace and had remained largely true to her gentle and motherly nature.

She must have come here to represent the Rezas.

Whether the old Rezas liked it or not, Ivak was still a Reznali and he had to either attend his son’s bonding ceremony himself or send someone in to represent him. If he did neither, his absence or the absence of any Reznali clan member at such occasion would be deemed an inappropriate gesture which would send many tongues wagging. While concubines didn’t hold the same standing as official consorts, they were still considered indirect members of their lovers’ clans. Thus, the reason Iselva was probably here.

Yuer softly smiled at her and she bowed slightly, returning his smile with a gentle uplift of her lips. Because he was taken aback at seeing Iselva for the first time in his second life, for a moment Yuer had neglected to pay attention to the figure standing next to her.

Once he realized who it was, his body stiffened unconsciously. Ivak must have noticed the change because his eyes tracked Yuer’s gaze to the source of his sudden discomfort. The grasp he had on Yuer’s hand instantly tightened. Right next to Iselva, on the far left end of the guest area, stood Jarak. He had a perfectly serene smile on his flawless face as he returned Yuer’s gaze. His countenance was like the undisturbed surface of deep water. It hinted at nothing and gave away nothing.

Yuer shifted his gaze away from that abhorrent face and instead fixed it on Ivak. To someone else, Ivak might have appeared to be merely in a serious mood, but Yuer knew the lock of that jaw and what it meant. He stretched his height by stepping on his tiptoes and cupped Ivak’s face between his slender hands. Eyes somewhat imploring, Yuer softly whispered to him, “He must be here to represent the Reznali clan. No one else of your sire’s blood would dare to be here except for him. Let us play civil for now. For my sake, please?”

Ivak blinked once then twice. He swallowed what must have been cold rage and glanced back at him. The hard glint in his eyes softened as he looked at him and eventually, he slowly nodded.

Yuer sighed, relieved. He was afraid Ivak might lose his composure and cause the Void within him to flare up like earlier. He could hurt himself in more than one way by giving away his most pressing weakness to the Reznali clan. There was nothing those old hyenas wanted more than another bleeding wound on their already cornered prey.

Ivak appeared to have noticed his concern because a small smile broke across his face, lessening his grim expression. He brought one of Yuer’s hands to his lips and placed a kiss upon its skin before whispering, “Let us keep going then.”

With heads held high and backs straight as rods, the bonded-to-be pair continued in their path toward the grand altar hand in hand.

The grand altar was made of smoothly cut white marble and in the wall against it, a gigantic statue of Zaradate, the Mahatir’s prophetess, stood while several rings of Light Echo rotated around her like the moon around the earth. In her outstretched left hand, she held a sizable orb of Light Echo and in her left; he held a book against her chest. Before the grand altar, two gold colored cushions were placed and Yuer as well as Ivak proceeded to sit on them, legs folded underneath their knees.

A moment later, a door behind the altar opened and the Tewekaga stepped into the praying hall. His gold moon headdress glinted due to the many Light Echo orbs floating beneath the hall’s domed ceiling while his hands clenched around his white robes, hauling up the long and heavy ends of his attire.

Yuer and Ivak bowed slightly to him in their seated positions while the rest of the hall, except for Jarak, greeted him with waist-deep bows.

From the other end of the altar, the Tewekaga threw a radiant smile at Yuer. The later returned it with a smile of his own, albeit one less radiant and more subdued.

In a slightly raspy yet resounding voice, the elderly holy man began, “Under the grace of Her Holy Glory and under the light of Her most beloved Prophetess, tonight we have assembled in this scared hall to announce and celebrate the blessed union between His Second Highness, Ivak of Kersa and Her Holy Glory’s favorite child, the Alikana-marked of the Seventh Age: Yuer of the Ayaseen clan. I shall now commence the bonding ritual.”

He clapped once and two female Kumatani stepped forward. Each one held a tray in her hands, atop them a silver wine goblet and small dagger were laid.

The Tewekaga declared, “First is the exchange of blood. May the bonded-to-be proceed.”

Ivak nodded and took the small dagger from the tray. Yuer stretched his hand out for him and Ivak rested the edge of the cold steel against his open palm, slightly nicking the skin. The flesh parted and red oozed to the surface. Ivak placed the dagger on the tray and took the wine goblet. He positioned it underneath Yuer’s hand and gently titled the palm sideways. They both silently watched as Yuer’s blood dripped into the red wine and mixed with it. Ivak broke the traditional ritual by planting a soft kiss against Yuer’s wound.

A collective ‘oh’ sounded from the attending crowd but Ivak didn’t pay it any attention. He whispered to Yuer, lips still against his bleeding palm, “In our Kersasi oath, I vowed to never draw a dagger against your skin. So, for this one transgression, may my sweetness forgive me.”

Yuer chuckled softly as he lightly shook his head. He brushed the fingers of his slightly wounded hand against Ivak’s lips and whispered back, “There is nothing to forgive.”

Yuer then shifted his gaze to the tray next to him and proceeded to repeat the same routine’s as Ivak, not forgetting to return Ivak’s gesture by also kissing his wound. Eventually, they both took their wine goblets, each containing the blood of the other and held them higher. The goblets clunked against each other in a toast and in a clear voice loud enough for everyone to hear, Yuer spoke as his eyes bore into Ivak’s, “Blood of my blood.”

Ivak returned his intense gaze and echoed gravelly, “Blood of my blood.”

Then, the pair simultaneously chugged down the content of their goblets in one gulp.

The Tewekaga nodded with a benign smile, appearing visibly pleased with them. He then announced the following part of the ritual, “Second is the exchange of flesh. May the bonded-to-be proceed.”

He clapped once more and another pair of female Kumatani, different to the first two, came forth carrying another pair of trays. Each tray held a cloth covered plate.

Ivak uncovered the plate and revealed a small piece of raw animal meat. In ancient times, bonding ceremonies were more literal and a bonded-to-be pair would actually cut a small part of their flesh and feed it raw to each other. Modern Semani society deemed the act too barbaric and so that part of the ritual was substituted with raw animal meat, meaning to symbolize the exchange of the flesh.

Ivak washed his hands in a copper basin a third female Kumatani handed him and took the small piece of raw meat with his bare right hand. He moved closer to Yuer while still kneeling and placed the meat against his lips. Yuer opened his mouth and ate it. He wasn’t the sensitive sort so he chewed it carefully. Slight concern etched Ivak’s frowning features while he watched Yuer and the later understood the Reznal’s worry.

Raw meat naturally had an overpowering scent and taste and many wouldn’t be able to stomach it. Yuer however proved his bonded-to-be’s concern unwarranted as he effectively swallowed it down without any change in his expression. In a solemn tone, Yuer spoke the words of the ritual, “Flesh of my flesh.”

Ivak smiled slightly and nodded, appearing somewhat proud. He turned to the third Kumatani who handed him a clean piece of cloth and shifted back toward Yuer. He gently wiped his mouth with his own hand.

Yuer pressed down the smile that wanted to break itself across his face. Here he goes again, breaking the ritual.

The Tewekaga conveniently coughed and Yuer moved to perform his part, repeating the same process. As he fed the black-haired Reznal his piece of raw meat, Ivak echoed Yuer’s earlier words with a deep gaze laden with untold meaning, “Flesh of my flesh.”

Yuer bit his lower lip and instead of returning Ivak’s gesture of wiping his mouth with a cloth, Yuer did it for him with the end of his ceremonial robes’ long sleeve. It might have seemed as a spontaneous gesture to some but to others, it might have appeared as quite the symbolic act. Normally, the Alikana-marked’s ceremonial robes were threaded not by common silk but by the Divine Echo itself. It symbolized his exalted status and standing with the Temple and society in general. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that his robes practically signified who he was. In fact, if one was to sell it, it could easily buy them a small kingdom.

By allowing his robes to be sullied for the sake of Ivak, the gesture would have likely imprinted a certain idea in the minds of the audience. The precise idea that The Alikana-marked genuinely cherished his Reznali bonded and held him in quite the high regard, even higher than his own reputation and standing.

And for that cause, the silence among the attending crowd suddenly grew a touch heavier.

The Tewekaga’s resounding voice broke the silence, “Last is the exchange of honor. May the bonded-to-be proceed.”

In a well-planned and perfect manner, the female Kumatani who were next to Yuer and Ivak shuffled backward and disappeared along with their trays while four different female Kumatani came through. Instead of trays, the first two women carried together a small rectangular table with one long red velvet cushion atop it. The objects which were laid upon the cushion glinted and gleamed in different hues underneath the Light Echo orbs. They were gems, precious expensive gems of all kinds of colors and shapes.

The second pair of women held trays in their hands but their content wasn’t identical. Atop The tray on Yuer’s side, a pair of silver needles was properly placed while on Ivak’s side, the other tray carried two fully forged silver earrings that had hollowed space in their middle, within which a precious gem was meant to be engraved.

At the sight of the identical silver earrings, Yuer’s brows knitted together in a slightly confused expression. His earring was made of silver because he requested so from Cian when he passed him the secret message. Normally, Ivak’s earring should have been forged in gold because by custom, Reznals always wore gold bonding earrings.

Gold was rare and symbolized power while silver despite being somewhat precious was still far more common and even the common-born could attain it. So, why was his earring silver instead of the customary gold? The expenses of the gold and the forging for Ivak would have naturally been funded by the Palace. Did they snub him? But, would they dare do it in such a blatant manner where the whole Temple could see it?

Yuer glanced at Ivak, expecting the latter’s expression to be less than pleased at the Palace’s imprudence. Yuer was surprised to find the opposite. Ivak’s features were relaxed, his lips stretched in a small smile while his storm-colored eyes were gleaming with something akin to mirth underneath the Light Echo orbs. He held Yuer’s gaze and the smile on his lips became bigger and more genuine by the moment.

He must have understand the askance in Yuer’s eyes because he softly explained, “Cian came to me before I boarded the carriage and asked me in what manner I wished my bonding earring to be forged. I told him I will have it anyway my bonded-to-be would have his and he sent one of the Kumatani before us to rely my request.”

“Oh.” Yuer let out. He didn’t how to respond so he simply shifted his gaze away to the gems seating on top of the small table. Deep down, he was touched by Ivak’s gesture. Bonding earrings were an integral part of Semani culture. Among those who were born to the Dasrari and the ruling clan, the Reznali, bonding earrings became a symbol of social status. The more elaborate and the more expensive they were, the more powerful their owners became in the eyes of everyone else.

For Ivak to discard all of that and silently follow Yuer’s wishes, it meant he valued Yuer’s desires far more than he valued his own social standing among the highborn. In comparison to his past life’s bonded who valued his image above everything else, Ivak’s gesture was both a sweet and a reckless thing to do. However, it didn’t mean that his thoughtfulness didn’t make Yuer’s heart stutter in his chest. In truth, his heart never felt warmer.

The Tewekaga broke the moment by speaking up, “May Exalted One choose which gem he wishes to engraved within His Second Highness’s earring.”

The pair of female Kumatani which carried the low table stepped closer and placed it down before Yuer and Ivak.

Yuer’s gaze swept across the many colorful and precious gems and stopped momentarily at a certain purple gem commonly known as amaranthine before bypassing it. Ivak watched him intently from his seat.

A moment later, Yuer laid his hand on a small black piece and retreated. The remaining two Kumatani moved forward, one handed him a sliver needle while the other handed him one of the already forged silver earring.

Yuer took an empty tray from the table and placed the three items upon it, placing it between him and Ivak. Ivak who had been watching him keenly until now frowned. His eyes were fixed on the small black piece as if unsure of what it was.

Yuer smiled tenderly at him and helpfully hinted, “It is what you think it is.”

Ivak raised a black brow, “You mean…?”

“Yes, it is a small piece of black iron.”

Shock visibly painted itself across Ivak’s naturally solemn features. His mouth opened and closed several times, as if not knowing what to say. Eventually, he uttered in a bewildered voice, “But…black iron is not a precious gem. It is a metal and it is cheap. You are the Alikana-marked, there isn’t anyone else like you in the world, why would you—” As if suddenly struck with realization, Ivak abruptly cut himself off. His widened eyes were pinned unblinkingly upon Yuer’s still smiling face.

“Cheap and common as it might be, to my bonded’s people, it is the air that runs through their lungs and the blood that coursed through their veins. Without it, they don’t eat and they can’t live.” Yuer placed the small black piece on his palm and raised it closer to Ivak so he could look at it. “This tiny piece of black iron carries the lives of every Kersasi family on the harsh and unforgiving frozen plains. No gold piece can ever amount to what this means to them.”

Yuer smiled grew a touch sharper as his intent became clearer, “So, lets us make the bloodline of Kersa our symbol and let us wear it on our ears as our kind of gold.”

For a moment, Ivak continued to stare unblinkingly at Yuer before a deep rumbling laugh tumbled out of his mouth followed by another. The sound of his boisterous laughter resounded warmly in the space between him. His big frame shifted in his seat, almost as it could barely contain its excitement. He leaned over and cupped Yuer’s face in his hands, bringing it closer to his own. Then, in a manner that disregarded all sorts of rites and traditions, he planted a noisy kiss on Yuer’s forehead and whispered, “Yes, let us do so my sweetness.”

Ivak’s unabashed joy was contagious and Yuer found himself answering Ivak’s big smile with a radiant one of his own. Chuckles resounded throughout the hall intermingled with occasional expressions of exclamations. It seemed the crowd had already gotten used to this peculiar pair of bonded-to-be and found their continuous breaking of the ritual somewhat endearing.

One of the female Kumatani, who must have been an Earth Listener, stepped closer to conjure her Echo to engrave the piece but Yuer shook his head at her. In a hushed voice, he said, “Thank you, blessed sister but I wish to engrave it with my own Echo.”

The older woman bowed her head while smiling and retreated at his request.

Yuer closed his eyes and summoned his Earth Echo. The momentary feeling of euphoria coursed through his body before passing as it always did whenever any Echo Listener called forth their Divine Echo. His eyelids parted and he fixed his gaze on the small piece of black iron. The growth of his Earth Echo, probably due to his third ‘Void’ Echo, had progressed further than it did in his past life and Yuer could tell that it had already reached the peak of middle-level. He poured it into the piece and willed it to be as pure and as polished as it could possibly be.

At a rapid visible rate, the surface of the black-iron piece grew smoother and smoother until it began to shine with a pure black luster. Had anyone else seen it without knowing what it was, they might have easily mistaken it for a high-grade onyx gem.

Yuer then placed it upon the hollowed space in the silver earring and directed his Earth Echo at it once more, willing it to change its shape to fit the contours of the hole. It only took it a moment to do so and Yuer couldn’t help but brush his fingers over the finished product, admiring how polished it felt to the touch. The bonding earring was simple and yet elegant-looking. The silver was shaped in semi-spiral form so it appeared as it was a double earring. The black iron piece was engraved right at its end and underneath the Light Echo orbs; it looked every bit the onyx gem.

In that instance, Yuer proved to Ivak what could be done with black-iron as long it was within the right Echo-blessed hands. This was but a mere piece of jewelry but Yuer had to make Ivak imagine how black iron swords, daggers, shields and armor could turn out to be like if given the same treatment.

And as if to prove Yuer’s line of thought right, Ivak’s expression turned contemplative as he stared at the small black piece, now engraved into silver. His brows were seated slightly lower on his eyes and Yuer understood that Ivak’s mind must have been seriously considering something. Through their encounters so far, the Dasrari youth had learned that the black-haired Reznal typically did such a gesture when he was deeply thinking of something. Yuer smiled, pleased that his unspoken message got through. Now that he had planted the idea in Ivak’s mind, later on they can make it a reality together.

Yuer moved on with the ritual by taking the sliver needle and shifting closer to Ivak. Ivak shifted his focus back on him by leaning over. Yuer used the needle to quickly pierce a small hole in the other youth’s right ear. He glanced at the black-haired Reznal for an instance and found Ivak’s expression to be as undisturbed as it had been before. He didn’t even flinch at the feeling of the needle piercing his flesh. Such a small thing made Yuer realize that Ivak was a physical arts warrior in the truest of sense.

He must have reinforced his pain tolerance through brutal and endless training since he didn’t have any Divine Echo to reply upon. Cold and wilderness naturally bred strong warriors with steel-like mental fortitude. The Kersasi and the Mesrin had much more in common than they could have ever realized.

Yuer smiled absentmindedly. If only he hadn’t been Reznali blood, he and Hasha could have been great friends. After the destruction of Mesra, she must be holding in a lot of resentment toward the Reznali. I hope she changes her mind about Ivak after she gets to know him. They could spar and I could use them as my test subjects for new armor and weaponry.

Yuer shook his head lightly, warding off unnecessary thoughts and finally completed the first part of the last ritual by putting the silver earring on Ivak’s right ear. He spoke the last words of the ritual, “Honor of my honor.”

Ivak smirked as he touched the earring, appearing both pleased and a touch uncomfortable. He probably needed time to get used to his ear being filled after it had been bare for the entire eighteen summers of his life.

The last female Kumatani, who had been standing by Ivak’s side since the beginning, stepped forward likely to perform Ivak’s part of the ritual in his stead, as he wasn’t blessed with Earth Echo, or any Echo for that matter. In a similar manner to the other woman, Yuer politely requested her to retreat with few respectful words.

Ivak’s silver eyes followed her retreating form and looked back at Yuer. The latter smiled softly at him and said, “I will do it for you.”

He then rose to his feet, despite the fact that bonded-to-be pairs typically weren’t allowed to stand up during their bonding ceremonies.

He took another small piece of black of iron and the remaining silver earring and conjured his Earth Echo, repeating what he had done before for Ivak’s earring. He then stopped closer to the seated Ivak and kneeled down. Ivak took the silver needle and as swiftly as Yuer had done it, pieced a small hole in the latter’s ear where the earring was meant to be placed. Yuer didn’t flinch either and Ivak appeared to have noted it.

He offered the younger youth a lopsided smirk and proceeded to put on the earring on his left ear as per custom. Ivak didn’t let go right away and instead touched his fingers to Yuer’s earring, brushing his fingers against its surface. His silver eyes grew a shade darker due a strong emotion Yuer couldn’t name. In a deep albeit husky voice, he spoke, “Honor of my honor.”

Then, he let go.

The two people’s gazes heatedly tangled as Yuer retreated back to his cushion.

The Tewekaga finalized the ceremony by saying, “May the bonded-to-be kowtow to each other.”

Simultaneously, Yuer and Ivak touched their heads to the marbled floor and kowtow to each other.

“Repeat after me. Blood of my blood, flesh of my flesh, honor of my honor, under the law of men and the law of the Holy Mother, to you I freely give myself.”

In one voice, the Second Reznal of Sema and the Alikana-marked of the Seventh Age promised themselves to each other, “Blood of my blood, flesh of my flesh, honor of my honor, under the law of men and the law of the Holy Mother, to you I freely give myself.”

The Tewekaga clapped one last time and announced in a booming voice to the entire hall, “From this moment forward, let it be known to all who walk this land that Ivak of Kersa and Yuer Ayaseen are now bonded.” He shifted his green gaze to the two youths before him, pleasure visibly creased his aging features, “May their union be a long, blessed and happy.”

Yuer and Ivak finally rose to their feet and bowed to the elderly man together. Yuer started, “Many thanks to His Holiness.”

Ivak echoed, “I thank you for your well-meaning wishes, Your Holiness.”

The elderly man chuckled, “Congratulations.” He then playfully dismissed them with a flick of his long sleeve, “Now go and get drunk.”