Author's Note: Shhh! Don't look directly at the muse. You might scare it away!
Into the Darkness: Part V
"There," Miranda smiled, laying her hands on her daughter's shoulder and turning her round to survey the work the women had done.
Sofia gasped softly, the entire length of her reflected back from Marla's cheval glass. A dress of homespun linen lined her body, its unblemished bleached ivory the only mark of wealth in its simple construction. A wreath of flowers crowned her unbound hair, ribbons of burgundy and ivory trailing into her locks. Her hands went automatically to caress the five month's swell of her Beltane child sleeping peacefully in her womb. She was slender yet, all belly, which Marla swore was the hallmark of a boy, but Miranda argued that there was time yet to prove a girl. Sofia didn't care either way.
Roland had nearly had kittens when his step-daughter refused a hasty June nuptial. But Sofia knew the date of her wedding day, the only one that would satisfy. And the Goddess had smiled, rolling October's rain clouds back to allow strong beams of sunlight and an unseasonably warm breeze to stir the crisp autumn leaves.
Lucinda rounded the doorframe, catching herself up short at the sight of her best friend. "Oh Sof," she breathed, a rare brightness sheening her eyes. The witch had the clear her throat before she could speak without warbling. "It's time."
The women left the cottage, walking through the deserted streets of the village. The town's stalls stood empty, stages abandoned, decorations of ribbons and wreaths fluttering in the breeze. Despite the emptiness a distant murmur rippled the air, burbling like a river growing louder with each step. As they rounded the last house, Carver's Hill came into view. The murmur grew to a din. The rolling green furrows of the hill were undetectable beneath the collected crowd of the entire village along its slopes. A wide corridor opened up the center, allowing Sofia to pass with her mother to one side and Marla, her mentor, on the other. The support of their arms kept her steady when her heavy belly would have encouraged her off balance.
As they crested the hill's crown, a pyre of dry wood rose to a peak in the center, just awaiting the touch of a torch. The circle of the sinking sun was just kissing the rim of the horizon, backlighting the man awaiting her in strokes of orange and pink.
Cedric's smile opened wide, his eyes misty as he took in her flower ringed hair, simple white shift, and swelling belly. Her answering smile resembled more a smirk as she knew his hands would already be itching to hold her, but he'd sworn to behave until after the ceremony. When he wasn't hugging, kissing, or caressing her to some level of passion, he was alternatively cradling her growing belly in his hands, whispering tales and spells of lore to their child. Their baby always kicked enthusiastically to hear its father's voice.
Ortho and Sandra, the high priest and priestess, waited behind where he stood, robed in jeweled tones. A bundle of cords in many colors looped in the priest's hands. Even from a distance, Sofia could feel them hum with magic.
As the dying sun filtered through the lightly drifting leaves, their surroundings dimmed to muted shades of red, orange, and yellow. Sofia's wavy curls stirred in the light breeze. The villagers fell silent on a sigh, at last beginning to believe in the healing of the past. King Roland stood to Sofia's left, at the front of the crowd but still one among them. She had strongly suggested that he leave his crown and accompanying regalia off for this occasion. Instead, he wore a smart coat of blue wool over a cream shirt and matching breeches. Only his polished boots marked him above the rest. Miranda went to his side, taking his hand in hers. James stood affably beside them. Only Amber refused to forgo her tiara, but no one begrudged her as it was all but considered part of her anatomy after so many years.
The people accepted the royals among them throwing only the occasional look of suspicion the king's way. Roland had repealed the meritless laws regarding pagan holidays, allowing the people to worship freely again. In response, and at the urging of his monarch, Father Humbert had transferred his commission to the kingdom of Anglia. A new priest arrived a week after his departure, a young man of self-conscious disposition. Ironically, he reminded Sofia of Cedric during his first years as royal sorcerer. But Father Tadd proved gentle and willing to listen to the views of others, even incorporating messages of love and tolerance into his sermons.
While those measures had done a fair bit of good, that Roland "the pious", as he was sometimes called in an unkind way, had given his blessing for one of his children to wed a pagan sorcerer gave the people a sense of security. It was Sofia's idea to make the ceremony public without any of the trappings of royalty or the One God's religion. It was a start, but it would take years, perhaps generations, to undo the trust broken between the monarchy and the people.
While this may have been on the minds of the bystanders, it was far from Sofia's thoughts as Sandra raised her hands to the sky, calling the crowd to silence.
"Welcome friends, family, and loved ones," the priestess intoned, lowing her arms to gesture towards the couple before her. Though Sofia did not know the woman well or personally, her joy felt authentic. "We are gathered here to witness the joining of these two souls, a symbol of their love and commitment to one another, now and forever. Cedric and Sofia, please join hands."
Cedric held out his left hand, palm up. Sofia laid her right forearm atop his, palm to palm, their fingers entwined. A joy and love blazed between them.
Ortho stepped forward, holding the carefully sorted ribbons so Sandra could pluck them up at will. Dusk cloaked them, the sun half way hidden behind the hill, anointing the priestess in fire. She pulled up a red ribbon, winding it around the couple's joined hands as she spoke:
"As the Goddess goes into her rest as crone, and the winter winds kill the horned God, like the fire that lights the way, may your love never bank nor extinguish.
"As the earth falls fallow and rests, may your commitment ever grow, constant as the turning of the great wheel."
She wrapped a ribbon of rich umber about their hands.
"As the rivers freeze and harden over, may your love remain as pure as new fallen snow and as warm as a summer's rain."
A ribbon of blue wound atop the rest, tying them that much tightly together.
"Though the winds shiver and howl, may your words to one another be ever soft and sweet."
A ribbon of white, shining pure and bright against the colors of the others. Only the frayed plum ribbon remained. The priestess wrapped this one slowly about and around their hands, intoning, "As the last rays of sunlight dies, we ask the eternal light of the divine to shine upon this union and offer Her blessing."
Her hand stayed warmly atop both of theirs as the sun sank below the horizon, casting the hillside in muted shadow. Silence rang as absolute as that day all those years ago when Sofia had first witnessed the Samhain blessing. The flickering light of a torch wound up the hillside. The high priest took the torch from its bearer. He held it before Cedric and Sofia. They took it with their unbound hands, the weight balanced between them, her hand atop his.
"With this fire, walk forward in this life, hand and hand, and bring light and love back into the world."
Together they walked the few steps, sharing a look of giddy exhilaration before thrusting the torch deep into the kindling beneath the tented pile of dry wood. The speed with which it caught had Sofia suspecting some magic on Cedric's part.
The crowd erupted in wild cheers and clapping. The priestess raised her hands once more, quieting them quickly. Cedric and Sofia returned to their place before the officiants. The priest began to unwind the cords binding their hands, speaking reverently, "It is not the cords that bind you, but your promises to one another. While you may fall from time to time, it is up to you both to uphold each other and these vows. You hold in your hands the strength of this union."
With both hands free, Cedric drew her into his arms. Sofia's arms were already about his neck, their lips eagerly meeting even as the priestess issued a joyful, "You may now seal your vows with a kiss."
-fin-
Author's Note: I wrote this chapter so long ago that I honestly cannot remember if I wrote the handfasting ceremony myself or cribbed it from somewhere. I tried to search a few verses up and found no matches, so I'm hoping it all came from my head.
I hope this story proved an enjoyable diversion, dear readers. Kindly leave a review to let me know I'm not just howling into the void.