When Vael’s feet were dried we were moved to the Prince’s table where we were complimented by the nobles after they paid respects to the Prince. I felt like my skin was a size too tight for my body as I smiled at each person and allowed the men to kiss my right hand. After several minutes of this the Prince requested the start of Festive and came to sit in the seat of honor at the table. The Illustrious sat to his right and the Illustria sat to her husband’s right and next Vael. She looked down the table at me and smiled gently.

“That was a lovely ceremony,” she said to us.

“Thank you for representing me,” Vael said.

“Of course, I do need to look after the lords and ladies of Meridia after all. Enjoy your time today as a married couple. Tomorrow will be the masquerade.”

“Thank you Illustria.” Vael moved his hand and rested on mine. He leaned over and whispered in my ear, “I wasn’t expecting us to be married so soon. I wanted to have the ceremony on the last day of Festive before we went to the capital.”

I smiled brightly at him and his eyes brightened in response. “Well, we are married now. Let’s enjoy it,” I said.

The band began to play their instruments in the center of the hall and the people paired off to dance. I watched their whirling bodies feeling nervous. Even though I had spent months practicing the many dances I was still clumsy. I didn’t know if I would ever reach their skill level.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around to find the prince standing behind me with his hand held out. “You don’t mind if I ask your bride to dance?” he said to Vael. My husband shook his head. I stood quickly then bowed. The corners of the Prince’s lips turned up then he was leading me out to the dance floor. He placed his left hand on my waist and I placed my right hand just short of his shoulder. Our free hands clasped and he led me into a slow dance.

After a few silent moments with me looking down at my feet he spoke to me. “Lady Sol, I have heard that you crossed the Forbidden Line in North Hold, is this true?”

I swallowed my rising panic and met his eyes. “Yes, my Prince,” I said softly.

“What did you see there? What do you think of the Landwalkers?”

“I saw their homes; I saw one of their villages. It’s beautiful and green there. The people are much like us. They fear us, they think we’re demons.”

“You spoke of Lemuete, who is this person?”

“The demon who held me captive in the Landwalker village.”

“So you have seen his face?”

I nodded. “Yes, it was unlike anything that I’d seen. His skin was so dark that it seemed to be the absence of substance like the space between stars, his eyes were like pale moons and his hair was like metal. His mouth was wide enough to swallow a carp whole. If not for the Gentle God he would have hurt me.” I shuddered as I thought about the demon’s warped power and the feeling it had left on my skin. There were times that I dreamed of him hunting me.

The Prince swung me in a twirl then caught me as I stumbled into chest. “Did he say anything to you? Are the Landwalkers working with him?”

“He said that he and the Gentle God created humanity. When we didn’t worship him, he decided to destroy us.”

“Perhaps he was the cause of our war,” the Prince murmured. “You see, I’m tired of the fighting. In other parts of my princedom the fighting has ceased and treaties are being made with Landwalkers. This peace between us is starting to reach all corners of the sea… except for the Meridian waters.”

“You’re making peace?”

“I am, where able, but only those along the Forbidden Line are resistant. Their hearts are hardened and their steel held too closely.” He sighed and continued to lead me through the dance. “I have no hopes of resolving our conflicts during my lifetime. The wounds run too deep in the north.”

I thought back to my mother’s death and the deaths of all the Waterfolk who’d died protecting North Hold. I also thought of Ryaa who had been killed by his own people while protecting me. When would the killing stop? How was I supposed to be a vessel for the Gentle God’s wrath?

“Lady Sol, now that you have the title of Eminence I will expect certain duties from you,” the Prince said as he twirled me once more. “You and your husband will be expected to be moved to the Capital once all of your affairs are in order.”

“Sir, you can’t expect the lord of North Hold to abandon his people. He knows better than any lord of this region how dangerous it is for us up north. There is no one trained to take his place.”

“I understand your worries, but I need you in the capital to back my policies. No one would dare challenge a champion of the gods.”

“That’s right, I am the champion of the Gentle God and they want me in the north closest to the demon.”

“You would defy me?” the Prince said. His grip on my hand became painful.

“I would if it was to protect my people.”

The Prince leaned in close to my ear and hissed, “Then destroy this demon, but once you do you WILL move to the capital. Am I understood?”

“Yes, my Prince,” I said coldly.

We continued to dance until the song ended. Once it was over I bowed to him then turned to go back to our table. I was intercepted by another lord who requested a dance from me. After two partners Vael placed himself between the third lord and myself.

“I would like to dance with my wife now,” he said.

“Y-yes, sorry Lord Cadfael.”

Vael smiled coldly and the man shrank back. I sighed and turned my husband’s head to look at me. “I’m fine,” I said.

“From my position you do not seem fine. What did the Prince say?”

“He wants us to move to the capital.”

“We cannot! I’m not abandoning our warriors and villagers. The Landwalkers would wipe us out.”

“Shh… We don’t have to move immediately. Once the demon is dead we will move.”

“I still don’t like it. You have to risk your life?”

“To protect our people,” I said fiercely. Vael’s mask of coldness broke for a bare moment then reformed. I gritted my teeth in frustration. “Tempest and waves! Would you have me move to the capital now and forget about the demon? Would you have me live there alone while you stayed in North Hold?”

“At least I would know that you were safe.”

“Fuck you,” I growled then walked away.

We spent the rest of the party without speaking a word to each other. When he would reach for my hand I would pull it away or reach for food at the table. The food tasted like sand and the drinks were bitter in my mouth as I sat angrily stewing. Several lords asked to dance with me, but I turned them away.

Was my safety above that of North Hold’s? Would he rather live alone while keeping me prisoner in the capital; a puppet for the Prince?

I felt a touch on my shoulder and looked up to see my father. He smiled at me and bowed. “Would the lady like to dance with this old man?” he said.

“Yes Papa,” I said. I rested my head on his shoulder as we danced to the music.

“What’s wrong, Sol? I thought you would be dancing with your husband all night.”

“We had an argument,” I mumbled.

“What was it about, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“He wants me to move to the capital by myself and serve the prince while he stays in North Hold.”

“Is it a bad thing for you to live there?”

I lifted my head and stared at him in shock. “Papa! I’m meant to slay a demon! How I don’t know. I can’t do that in the capital being a puppet to the monarch.”

“Well you certainly aren’t slaying any demons here. He’s only worried for your safety as am I. In this year alone you have been kidnapped twice and have almost been killed at least three times. If you were in his position wouldn’t you want to place him where he would be safest?”

I closed my eyes. This year I had been in more danger than my previous years combined. Though my wounds were healed and my scars removed, my memories still remained. I was only alive because of Ryaa and the gods’ will. Without them I would not be married. Without them I would be dead.

Was it wrong of me to snap at Vael? He loved me and showed it when he could. I just wanted him to support me in my duty to the Gentle God. I tried to imagine how he was feeling.

I was his third wife; his previous wives had left him. He felt like a failure because he kept losing children with Ai and could do nothing to make her happy. With Syr his true nature disappointed her so she left making him feel inadequate. With me… with me I acted too independent for him, like I didn’t need him. I made decisions without him and constantly argued with him or disregarded what he said. I made him feel powerless.

I was in constant danger and had been attacked multiple times leaving him to feel frightened that he may lose me as he lost his other wives. He wanted to prove that he could keep me safe even if it meant sending me to be under the protection of the Prince. He’d rather push me far away then lose me altogether.

“Papa, I need to talk to Vael.”

My father bowed to me. “As you wish.”

I smiled through the tears forming in my eyes and kissed his cheek before searching the room for Vael. A sense of panic overcame me when I did not find him at the table. I began to move throughout the room looking for his red coat, but did not see it. I pulled a server to the side and they pointed me to a set of double glass doors that I had overlooked earlier. I rushed through the open doors and found myself on a stone balcony with a set of stairs at each end that curved down to the garden.

I leaned over the railing as I searched for red among the green bushes and trees. I caught sight of a slip of red beneath a torch three-hundred feet from the patio below and raced down the steps. I ignored the murmurings of the people that I passed and was caught off guard when hand grabbed my right forearm. I wheeled around ready to fend off an attack when I found that it was Alvern that had caught my arm.

“Lady Sol, this may be a party, but it’s still too dangerous for you to go off on your own,” he said. “If you needed fresh air you should have come to Lin or myself first.”

I cursed my stupidity and nodded in agreement. “I’m sorry. I was looking for Lord Cafael. I’ll remember to be more careful.”

“Thank you, Eminence,” he said and bowed. He followed me down the flight of stairs and along the garden path to the last place I had seen red. The path was checkered with patches of light and darkness that disturbed my night vision. I closed one eye to keep it fresh as I stepped beneath the torch I had seen from the balcony. The section of path beneath this torch bubbled out with to sickle sections of grass separating the path from the bushes that formed a semicircle around the circular section of stone. There was a bench on the left side and a single empty glass.

I gritted my teeth and moved on down the path to a darker section of the garden. The slate of the path felt cool beneath the soles of my feet and I curled my toes in discomfort. “Do you know where you’re going?” Alvern asked me when we reached a “T” intersection.

“I don’t know. I was told he had come out here, but now he seems to have vanished like a spirit.” I opened my closed eye and looked around the darker section of the garden. The path that we were exiting faced an open square field hedged with bushes that reached my knees. I could see more torches on the other side of the field. The intersecting path itself was a square that bordered the square patch in front of us. All I had to do was choose to go left or right to reach the other side.

I raised a foot as if to cross directly through the field and Alvern stopped me. “Stay to the path. It’s too dark to see what’s in the grass.” I followed his advice and circled right of the field toward the torched on the far end. Movement on the other side of the field caught my eye and my heart quickened. The flash of silver caught my eyes as a figure passed beneath the distant torches. I picked up my skirt and began to run. “Lady Sol!” Alvern snapped as he chased after me.

“Sorry!” I called back. I knew that I was making his life difficult by forcing him to chase after me. I turned the last corner of the square and raced toward the intersection that led to the next path. I turned the corner and saw the white coat several feet in front of me. “VAEL!” I shouted. He stopped and turned swiftly. I sprinted toward him and leaped into his arms. He dropped his fan and caught me before staggering back under my weight.

“Sol, what is it? Are you in trouble?” he asked me. He looked over my head. “Alvern is everything alright?”

“Yes, my lord, we came looking for you.”

Vael turned his attention back to me and cupped my chin. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry,” I sobbed. “I was being selfish. I am selfish. If you want me to move to the capital I’ll do it!”

“Sol, calm down,” Vael said gently and wiped away a tear with his thumb. “I’m not forcing you to move to the capital. As much as I don’t like it I understand that you have a duty. I’m not going to hold you back.”

“You’re not holding me back. I’ve been so absorbed with what I’m going through that I didn’t stop to think about what you may be going through. I keep making decisions without you and ignoring what you want.”

“I’m not going to argue with that,” Vael said. I smacked his shoulder with the flat of my palm. He laughed.

“Hush. I’m still learning my duties as your wife… I’m sorry for being stubborn. This is our life now, not just mine and it shouldn’t have taken me this long to realize it.”

Vael kissed the top of my forehead sending thrills up my spine. “I love you, Sol, that’s why I wanted to marry you. We both have faults, but now we have each other to balance them out.” He dropped his arms and took me by the hand and led us toward the palace. “We can worry about the Prince’s order after we return to North Hold. For now, let’s enjoy this evening.”

I thought Vael was leading us back to the party when he took a detour through the garden to an iron gate. The old gate squeaked on its hinges as he opened it for us and entered the vegetable garden. We went a little further into the garden before stopping before a pair of doors. He tapped on the double wooden doors that I recognized as the kitchens’ doors. The left one opened inward and I saw Palesa standing there.

“My lord,” she said bowing.

“Mistress Palesa, thank you,” Vael said nodding to her. She smiled at me and allowed the three of us to enter the kitchens. We continued through the kitchens and out into the hallway.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“To my room,” Vael said.

“Why?” Vael turned his head and looked down at me. I felt my face heat under his gaze. I looked down at our joined hands and squeezed them in apprehension. Vael lifted my hand to his lips.

“We don’t have to tonight,” he breathed against my fingers. I felt something deep inside me respond leaving me to feel like I was ablaze.

“Mmh,” I grunted. I prayed that my voice would come back.

When we reached his door he faced me and took both of my hands in his. “Sol, I know it is a lot to ask of you tonight, but will you spend the night with me?” Vael said softly as if he was afraid that I would run away again. I opened my mouth, but my voice was still constricted by my tightened throat. “You don’t have to.”

“Vael,” I croaked then cleared my throat. “Vael I would love…would love… to spend the night with… with you,” I stammered.

“Are you sure?”

“YES!” I yelled then covered my mouth in embarrassment. I looked behind me at Alvern. The guard was discreetly looking at a spot on the wall. I turned back to Vael. “Yes, I would love to.” Vael cupped my chin and kissed me before leading me into his room.