"I want to thank you for coming. I know how you feel about leaving Mire."
"And I know how you feel about the word 'no'," came the sardonic reply.
"That has never stopped you, before. It's one of the things I respect about you."
He noticed her smile take on a smug edge, and raised a warning finger, "To an extent. This time your presence here was a request, not a command. We both know that I would not have pressed the issue had you declined the invitation."
"I wouldn't dream of missing dear Typhon's nuptials. And it's been too long since Mire has seen visitors."
"I can see that."
Her cold gaze pierced into his. He merely stared back, unrelenting, until she continued, "I welcome the break from the solitude."
"I am glad I could provide, then. There is one more thing I can offer you, for your trouble." He snapped his fingers, and the guard at the door nodded, ducked out into the hallway, and returned with three prisoners in tow. All three were women: young, still strong and healthy looking despite their incarceration, and quite beautiful.
As soon as she saw them, the chill in the air that his previous comment had created melted, the insult seemingly forgiven and forgotten. "Oh, Tanager," she demurred, "you shouldn't have."
He smirked. She liked to play at being playful, but he never allowed himself to be fooled by the act; he never forgot how dangerous she could be. He didn't fear her. He was far too powerful for that. But he did respect the fact that she was easier to deal with as an ally, rather than as an enemy.
"I hope the selection meets with your approval."
She took one of the prisoners by the chin, turning the girl's head this way and that, studying her face from all angles. "Yes," she drawled, the word almost a hiss, and her captive shivered. "It's a shame I can only have one."
He watched as she examined the other two in turn. Finally she turned to him. "What do you think? I do want to look my best for the festivities."
He gave the three women one last, cursory glance, before pointing to the one in the middle, "That one."
She looked where he pointed and smiled, "You always did have a weakness for blondes. I'll take her."
"Excellent," he said, nodding to the guard, who escorted the other two out of the room. Turning back to her, he said, "The wedding is at noon tomorrow. Until then, enjoy."
…
Kestrel felt eyes upon her.
She ignored them for a few moments as she tried to focus on the wedding checklist, but soon her curiosity got the better of her and she looked up. Despite her knowledge that she was no longer alone in the room, she hadn't anticipated her watcher to be so near. Her startled surprise drew a chuckle from the other woman.
Kestrel didn't recall ever seeing the woman before. She was tall, her bearing almost regal, and she obviously had no concept of personal boundaries. Any closer and the strange woman would be sitting on her lap! Scooting her chair back to put a more comfortable distance between them, Kestrel took a closer look. She calculated that she was only the woman's junior by a year or two, but the sharp grey eyes that stared back at her appeared much older.
"So you're the one."
"The one?"
"The one Typhon has decided to marry."
Kestrel nodded, unable to subdue a smile despite the prickly sense of wrongness she felt from the other woman's presence.
The other woman smiled, too. "You love him, do you?"
"Yes," Kestrel agreed, her smile growing.
"More than anything?"
Kestrel felt her smile waver. Not from the question, but from the mocking light that flickered within the woman's eyes, almost too quick to notice. "Yes," she answered gamely, only to have her smile swept away completely by the derisive snort her reply earned.
"Please tell me you aren't marrying him for love."
"Why else would I marry him?"
"Child, if you are so thick that you can't come up with any other reason to marry the boy, I fear for the future of Cyclonia. Typhon has his good qualities, but intelligence doesn't rank amongst them. If he's found an equally dull bride, well, it doesn't speak well for your offspring, does it?"
Kestrel rose to her feet. The woman had just insulted her, her betrothed, and their future children in one breath! She had never been prone to fits of temper, but she wanted nothing more than to knock the pompous woman off the desk, drag her by the scruff of her neck to the hangar bay, and have her on the next ship out to the middle of nowhere.
The woman grinned, "Fire in your eyes. There's hope for you, yet. Sit and relax, girl, I know full well that you're far from stupid."
Kestrel reined in her anger, but she didn't sit, "I assume, when you speak of other reasons to marry Typhon, you mean wealth and power?"
"Yes, that is what I mean. You have considered the ramifications of what you are doing, tomorrow, yes? It is only a matter of time before Typhon becomes the Master Cyclonis. Should something happen to him, either before you produce an heir, or before said heir is of an age to take on the mantle of Cyclonis, you would become the Master. Are you prepared for that?"
Kestrel was well aware, on an intellectual level, that should such a scenario occur, she would inherit the throne. On an emotional level, however, she just couldn't envision anything happening to Typhon. But she wouldn't give this woman the satisfaction of seeing her in doubt. Squaring her shoulders and lifting her chin, she said, "I am."
"You are a liar."
"You know nothing about me!"
"Kestrel, age eighteen, the daughter of Jacamar and Elaenia: Your mother died when you were twelve, leaving you with all of her responsibilities, including the primary care of your younger brother, and much of the day to day running of Terra Basin whenever your father was away. You have been privately tutored by your father in matters of politics and warfare, though with no formal training in either, and possess an intelligence quotient several dozen digits above Typhon's. You are self-trained in crystal lore, on the verge of becoming a master in the field, but lack the bloodline to become a true crystal mage. A pity, that."
"But you don't believe I could be a good Master Cyclonis?"
"No, I believe you'd make a good Master."
"Then what's the problem?"
"Cyclonia needs a great Master. And great is something you will never be."
"Why is that?"
"Because being the Master is not about knowledge and ability, not entirely. It's about passion. It's about looking at the world, and not being able to fight the burning desire to dominate it. That is something you are either born with, or you are not. It can be nurtured, true, but it can't be taught. Tanager has that fire in spades. So does Typhon. It doesn't burn as brightly as his father's, but it's there lurking within him. Do you want to know what I see when I look into your eyes?"
"No."
The woman smirked, "Yes you do, I can tell. And that's the point. I see curiosity. I see intelligence, and a thirst for adventure. I see a woman who was shackled with too much responsibility at an early age, and has become too accustomed to setting aside her own wants because of it. And here you stand, on the verge of fettering yourself permanently."
"You're wrong," Kestrel insisted, after a moment of shocked silence. "I'm getting exactly what I want."
"But are you getting what you need?" She let the question hang in the air for just a moment, "You are an explorer at heart, girl, you are not a conqueror. This marriage will test you. I'm asking you to think about whether you're really up to the challenge."
Before Kestrel could speak further on the subject, or even inquire as to whom her companion was, the woman was gone.
…
Typhon felt Kestrel's shoulders stiffen as they stood at the end of the aisle, waiting on their cue to make the long walk up to the altar.
"Not having second thoughts, are you?" he only half joked.
"No, of course I'm not. Who is that?"
He followed her gaze to the woman who stood at the other end of the aisle, waiting to officiate.
"That's Lamiya. You know Father asked her to marry us."
"That's Lamiya?" Kestrel echoed incredulously. "How is that possible?"
"I told you she wouldn't be what you expected."
Kestrel's only response was to stare at him. He'd never seen her look so unnerved. He tried to smile reassuringly, "Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. I'm just surprised. I met her, briefly, yesterday, but she didn't formally introduce herself."
Typhon nodded, unsurprised, "What'd she say?"
"It doesn't matter."
He knew Kestrel well enough to not buy into that line, "She was probably just trying to have a little fun at your expense. I wouldn't worry too much about anything she said."
He looked back at Lamiya, who gave him a nod.
"Ready?"
"Yes," Kestrel said, and they set off down the aisle.
"We have come together here in celebration of the joining together of Typhon and Kestrel. Marriage is a bond to be entered into only after considerable thought and reflection," Lamiya began once they reached the altar, her gaze settling a little overly long on Kestrel as she spoke. Kestrel stared right back at her, the defiant look in her eyes unmistakable, and he gave her hand a squeeze even as he shot Lamiya a warning glare of his own.
Pretending not to notice, Lamiya continued, "As with any aspect of life, it has its cycles; its ups and downs, trials and triumphs. With full understanding of this, Typhon and Kestrel have come here today to be joined as one in marriage. Kestrel, whose blessing accompanies you?"
Jacamar stood from his place in the front row, "She is accompanied by all her family's blessing."
Lamiya nodded, "Then listen to what I am about to say. Let intellect guide you in your marriage, let the strength of your wills bind you together, let the power of love make you happy, and the strength of your dedication make you inseparable. Be close, but not too close. Have patience with one another, for storms will come, but they will pass. Typhon, I have not the right to bind you to Kestrel, only you have this right. If it is your wish, say so at this time and place your ring on her hand."
"It is my wish," he answered, placing a ring onto Kestrel's finger.
"Kestrel, I have not the right to bind you to Typhon, only you have this right. If it is your wish, say so at this time and place your ring on his hand."
"It is my wish," she said, sliding a ring onto his finger in return.
He held out his hand, and Lamiya gave him a large, blue crystal. Kestrel took his hand, intertwining her fingers with his. The crystal dug almost painfully into his palm, as he knew it must with hers, but neither of them showed any sign of discomfort as they smiled into each other's eyes.
"Repeat after me: I, Typhon, by the life that courses within my blood and the love that resides within my heart, take thee Kestrel to be my chosen one. I promise to love thee wholly and completely without restraint, in sickness and in health, in plenty and in poverty, in life and beyond, where we shall meet again."
As he made his vows, he could see the crystal's energy begin to twine around them, slowly at first, but gaining momentum with each passing word.
"Repeat after me: I, Kestrel, by the life that courses within my blood and the love that resides within my heart, take thee Typhon to be my chosen one. I promise to love thee wholly and completely without restraint, in sickness and in health, in plenty and in poverty, in life and beyond, where we shall meet again."
As Kestrel spoke, the crystal's energy shifted inward, seeping into their very beings, until finally, at the last word, they both glowed with its light, briefly visible for everyone to see.
It bound them together. Not like THE Binding. No, he would never subject them to that. Not if he could help it. But it was a binding. He could feel her. It was not an intrusive bond. He couldn't read her mind, couldn't feel exactly what she felt. But there was closeness: a sense that they were tied together, now; that they were a part of something more than they were just moments ago. It was comforting.
"I now pronounce you husband and wife."
