I have MusicalRozza999 to thank for help of the rewrite of this chapter. She did great with the wedding vows. What do ya'll think? I'm putting up chapter 19 and 20 as well. There isn't much change in them so you don't have to reread them. But do reread this! =D

Chapter 18:

Ranaya stayed as she was for a while. Lando's heartbeat was the only sound besides the quiet music coming from the castle.

His heartbeat wasn't as steady as she remembered it to be. It often skipped or tripped itself as she listened. Was this normal to him or was there something wrong?

Her tears trickled down her face and started to land on Lando's tunic.

Ranaya had to stop or she was going to soak him. "I'm sorry I'm acting like this," she said softly, opening her eyes slowly. She tilted her face up to stare at him.

They weren't dancing anymore. Lando let go of her waist to wipe a tear from her face. "What is there to be sorry for?" He caressed her face. There were tears in his own eyes though they never fell.

Thunder boomed in the distance. A breeze blew across the garden. It was a signal of a storm brewing.

"For having to leave you."

Lando tightened his hold on Ranaya's hand. If he squeezed any harder it would have hurt. "You have no way to stop this." His voice was thick.

At that moment the sky decided to let loose and rain began to pour down.

Lando pulled her toward the stables and they made a quick sprint for cover.

Ranaya was beginning to shiver by the time they got in the door. She covered it quickly as Lando lit a lantern.

They were alone except for the horses. Harry was home with his wife and children.

She sat down on a bale of hay absently. Her eyes never leaving the elf.

"I have something I want to give you," Lando gave her a light kiss on her brow.

Ranaya closed her eyes and relished in the feeling. Everything he said or did was precious to her.

Lando went up the loft ladder and started to meddle in his trunk.

She was curious to know what he was doing. What could he possibly want to give her? He had given her so much already.

When he came back he held a small wooden box that fit in his palm.

Ranaya stared in question at it before glancing into Lando's eyes.

He sat beside her and turned to face her. "This was my mother's. It was given to her by my father when I was born. She gave it to me right before the raiders killed her." Lando's expression was bittersweet.

He opened the box slowly to reveal a ring. It was the most beautiful thing Ranaya had ever seen.

It had a delicate emerald silhouette of a tree. The base behind the tree was crystal like which shimmered different colors when angled different ways. It had a white gold band.

Ranaya gasped softly. He couldn't mean he was giving this to her.

Sure enough he took it out of the box and slipped it onto her ring finger on her right hand.

"Lando, you can't mean to give this to me." Ranaya protested, feeling dazzled. "You should save it for when you marry." The thought of him marrying someone else made her stomach churn. But she couldn't think so selfishly. She was leaving him tomorrow and he was bound to find someone else in his long life span.

Lando stared at her as if she grew two heads for a second. "I am saving it for when I marry. I love you, I always will. When you marry Karik I don't want it to be official. There won't ever be another for me, Ranaya. My mother gave this to me to give to my soul mate. It belongs to you. Will you marry me? There is an elven wedding ceremony we could perform right here, it will be more binding than the one that you will perform with Karik." He closed his hand over hers.

Ranaya was speechless. All she could do was hug him tightly. "I love you, Landrian. Yes, yes I will. Karik will never have my heart, it will always be yours. This marriage will prove that."

He smiled at the use of his real name and her agreement. He grabbed her hand suddenly and placed it near the lantern.

Ranaya was puzzled at first until the most amazing sight surrounded her. The ring was reflecting hundreds of multi color silhouettes of trees, and speckled in between the normal trees were trees coupled and twisted around each other, joined. They were all around Lando and her.

"This ring reflects the symbol of my people when placed by a flame in darkness. The tree symbolizes life and hope in the darkest times. They are sacred to the elves and a reminder from God. It shows the sacred wood where the elfin race was created, where, in the Old Days, all wedding ceremonies took place. We would stand before the Joined Trees and become a joined soul just as the trees have. When we couldn't go back to that place we made rings like these so we could all be married there." He explained, taking both her hands in one of his.

"And now, in this sacred wood, we will be joined too." His speech began to become grander. "Like the Great Joined Trees in the Sacred Grove, let me be joined to this woman, the beautiful, loving Ranaya. Let her always be joined with me, no matter what distance or other forces shall separate us. Like the earth and the moon, let us be tied by an unseen force, the force of our love."

He then twined their hands together touching the ring gently. "Now, Ranaya. Repeat after me. Like the Great Joined Trees in the Sacred Grove, let me be joined to this man, Landrian."

With tears in her eyes she repeated and paraphrased "Like the Great Joined Trees in the Sacred Grove, let me be joined to this man, the amazing and wonderful Landrian."

At her addition he smiled, looking deep into her eyes before continuing "Let him always be joined with me, no matter what distance or other forces shall separate us."

She repeated, and he gave her the last line to say. "Like the earth and the moon, let us be tied by an unseen force, the force of our love."

"Like the earth and the moon, let us be tied by an unseen force, the force of our love." She smiled at him.

"Generally now you would give me my ring, but as you don't hav—" She cut him off before he could finish.

"It's not a ring, but will this do?" She reached back and unclasped the necklace that held the key to the tree that stored all her treasures. She placed it in Lando's hand.

He hooked it around his neck. "It will, and I will take care of it. I promise."

"I know you will." Ranaya fought a shiver of cold as she stared down at the ring. Wind blew through the cracks in the stable doors and Ranaya gave in and shuddered against Lando.

Suddenly she thought of something. "Lando, I'm going to be an old lady and you want even have aged." Ranaya frowned. Why hadn't she thought of the different life spans.

"When an elf binds him or herself to a human the elf's life span is immediately cut off to only be as long as a human's." Lando smiled softly.

"Aren't you upset you won't live your thousands of years." Ranaya pressed her self to his side, fighting a shiver.

"I'd rather live a short life span with you rather then live thousands of years without you." Lando took her hand in his and started in surprise. "You're positively freezing." He chastised, feeling how cold she was. He ushered her to the loft where the wind could get to them. He wrapped a blanket around her as they sat down. She leaned her head back into his shoulder.

She was getting really tired but was trying to fight it off. She wanted as much time with Lando as possible, especially on their wedding night.

"I know you're sleepy." Lando said. It was like he read her mind or something.

"How did you know?" Ranaya sighed. She didn't want to have to go back into the castle.

"It's easy to read your face and the way you act." His arms wrapped around her, allowing her to put her full weight against him.

"I don't want to go back into the castle. I want to stay here, married to you." Ranaya protested.

"Ranaya, you will always be married to me. But I didn't say you had to," Lando chuckled.

"They'll assume things that aren't true," Ranaya worried but her eyes were beginning to get so heavy she knew she wouldn't make it back to her room.

"Isn't it enough that we know that none of the gossip will be true? You are my wife, you can stay here. It is our wedding night. Even if we should be joined on this glorious night, nothing will be wrong with it. The only fault will be in their gossiping." Lando didn't seem to want to let her go either.

"Mhmm," Ranaya began to yawn. She truthfully didn't care what they thought of her. They could accuse her and call her tramp but it wouldn't bother her. She knew she wasn't doing anything indecent, especially because now they were married. Anything that should happen on their wedding night would be perfectly fine. But she did worry of what would become of Lando if he was charged for something that hadn't happened.

Lando laid his head against hers.

"Will you sing for me one last time?" Ranaya pleaded. She wanted to hear him once more before she could never him again.

Lando smiled and gently pulled her down to the way until they were laying down side by side facing each other. She stared at him in wonderment.

He began to sing. It was even more beautiful than the other two times. He voiced both happy and sad words. Suddenly he was cut off by Ranaya kissing him.

"We cannot have a real marriage, so let us have a real wedding night. Our marriage will never be 'incomplete' as some would have it, and neither will I. Let us be truly joined." She stared deep into his eyes and he saw everything he had ever needed. They were joined that night, all thoughts of what lay ahead were forgotten. For one night they were in wedded bliss.

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