Jack was excited, ecstatic and a little nervous. He did not understand how this ceremony worked, yet they had ushered him into a room with Owen and Ianto's friend/ captain of the chosen one response squad with no time to soak in what had happened. The fae had changed their minds and accepted that their enemy would bond to what it seemed the most trusted fae in the realm.
"They require you to wear these; they are traditional robes" Reiner said, handing Jack a long white robe with golden threads twisted into spirals around the end of the sleeves and bottom of the robes. Jack started stripping out of his clothes much to Owen's horror and slipped the robe on.
"Why is there a tree on the back" Owen asked staring at golden embroiled tree which seemed to cover the entire back of the robe.
"The tree represents the Yggdrasil. We believe that through nature we will always remain connected through the roots and branches of the tree," Reiner explained before turning to look at Jack. "Listen Immortal One, Ianto has been there for Bertholdt and I though thick and thin. If it wasn't for Ianto, there wouldn't be a bonding ceremony because most fae don't believe in attaching themselves to someone for the rest of their eternal lives. I might be a fae but I'm still part arcateenian so if I want to I can read your mind and if I ever find any malicious thought against Ianto. I will find a way to kill you. You have my word on that".
"He's right, Harkness. You do anything to tea boy then you won't have to worry about the fae coming after you. Tosh will be first in line to murder you" Owen said. Although Jack suspected that Owen would more than willing to help Tosh if he so desired, Jack had noticed how close he had gotten to Ianto these last few weeks, if Owen hadn't been dating Tosh Jack would have worried that he was trying to steal Ianto for himself.
"Tosh is scary when she gets angry" Jack shivered. He remembered how he felt when she ripped into him because of his behaviour with Gwen. It was the one and hopefully the only time he ever had to be on the receiving end of her temper.
"If you are prepared Immortal One we shall head to the cathedral" Reiner said before walking out of the room, he didn't pay any attention to see whether the immortal one or the human was following.
"Man, he has some long legs, he knows that we're meant to follow him" Jack complained as he walked into the corridor to see that Reiner had already disappeared.
"Then you're in luck, Harkness. It's a good thing that whilst you were with the queen Ianto gave us a tour" Owen said smirking before he too took off towards the Cathedral with Jack hurrying behind him whilst trying his best to not trip over the robes they forced him to wear.
Ianto was already prepared. He didn't want to say he was eager, but he kind of was. The thought Jack would belong to him and only him just felt so exhilarating that he wanted to run to the cathedral that second and tell the queen to do a short version and bond them as soon as possible. Not that he would ever be rude to his queen, he was just excited.
"So, what happens when you and Jack bond? Is there an obvious difference like will you feel each other or talk telepathically or is bonding just a different name to marriage," Tosh asked, when Ianto had explained what this whole deal involved, he never really explained what happened to the people who had bonded.
"I'm not sure. Bertl, you never said what it's like" Ianto said turning to face one of his oldest friends. Bertholdt smiled as he pressed a hand over his heart.
"I can feel Reiner, his emotions. The closer he is the strong the connection, the furthest he is the weaker it is. We can also send each other's emotions, it's more used to calm or sooth him whenever he's angry or irritated like now. I can feel that he's irritated with something, so I've been sending him some calming emotions to help him relax and stop him from doing something we both know he will regret later. Reiner can become very hothead when he's protecting people he cares about," Bertholdt explained, his hand still rested on his heart "and we have this, a mark which shows that Reiner and I have this bond. I'm not sure whether it will be the same or different from yours Ianto, but it's special".
"It's sweet. I kind of wish I could experience something like that with Owen. I'm have to confess I'm a little disappointed you don't have a telepathic connection, but now I think about it, all I'd hear is Owen complaining about something or other. Maybe just feeling the emotions is the way to go" Tosh said. She had been in love with Owen for longer than she could remember. She could see the love on Bertholdt's face when he spoke about his bond that she really wished that she could experience something like that. That it could connect her to Owen, in ways she had never even imagined. Yet, she couldn't. She felt a little jealous that she could never have something like that.
"Reiner is an arcateenian, like Mary, so he's already telepathic. Even without the necklace, he can communicate telepathically. He never lost the ability when he became a fae. Reiner enjoys using it to tease me when we are in meetings. Trust me, it's more peaceful when your partner isn't telepathic," Bertholdt confessed.
"I can only imagine how insufferable Jack would be" Ianto laughed. Jack enjoyed flirting at the best of times. Give him the ability to flirt directly inside Ianto's minds is like giving a kid the keys to the sweet shop and telling them they're not allowed to eat any of it. The temptation would be too great.
"The ceremony will begin in half an hour. Are you sure you want to go through with this? I don't want you to force yourself into something you don't want," Bertholdt asked. He knew how intense being bonded to someone was. He didn't want Ianto to regret his decisions years later.
"I want to Bertl. Jack, he's my Reiner," Ianto said.
"Okay. I will check that the route to the cathedral is secure. You can't be too careful these days," Bertholdt said before exiting Ianto's chambers.
Jack approached the cathedral. They had grown the entire structure just like the rest of the fae's world, yet there was something different about this. It seemed to glitter and shine in the moonlight. The doors to the Cathedral were wide open, and the two guards stood in front. Waiting for them.
"You ready Harkness" Owen said as they headed over towards them, Jack assumed that they were waiting for him to arrive, it wasn't really his fault they were a little late. Between Reiner disappearing earlier on and Owen taking a few wrong turns, they were lucky that he turned up only a few minutes late and not an hour.
"You are about to enter our cathedral, once these doors close they will not allow you to leave until the ceremony has finish. This is your last chance to back out of this" Reiner said. Jack wasn't sure why they kept giving him these opportunities to get out of this. Maybe they didn't believe he would go through with it. Maybe they were trying to change his mind so Ianto didn't become trapped with him.
"No, I made a promise to Ianto and your Queen. I'm not going back on my word" Jack said. Reiner nodded, moving out the way to let them pass into the cathedral when Bertholdt grabbed his arm.
"Hurt Ianto, and I will kill you".
"Evidently there will be a line" Jack said, although he couldn't blame them. Ianto was someone important not just to the fae, but to the members of torchwood. Jack would probably kill himself if he ever did something that would hurt Ianto. Bertholdt let go of Jack's arm and stepped aside. Jack walked into the cathedral and froze. Whilst they made the exterior with trees, the inside was different. The walls and ceiling were pure crystal, from what he could tell shapes were carved into the crystal, but from this distance he couldn't make out what. He would have to ask Ianto later. Speaking of Ianto, Jack's eyes searched the room to see whether the fae was already here.
He was. They dressed Ianto in the similar robe to Jack's expect his was red instead of white. Ianto was at the end of the cathedral, already kneeling on something gold etched into the ground. The closer Jack got to it he could make out it was a tree; Jack could only assume it was to represent the Yggdrasil.
"Immortal One, please kneel opposite Ianto, the ceremony will soon take place," the queen ordered.
"You all right?" Jack asked as he took his place, Ianto looked a little uncomfortable and Jack really hoped that he wasn't having second thoughts.
"When Bertholdt, Reiner and I were discussing how this ceremony worked and where it should take place, we really didn't think about how uncomfortable this floor is. I think my legs have already gone to sleep" Ianto said, Jack couldn't blame him. He had only been kneeling on this floor for a few seconds and his legs already felt uncomfortable. It wouldn't surprise if they had gone to sleep by the time the ceremony had ended.
"Immortal One, the whole ceremony will be in our native tongue, however when prompted we will ask you in English what you need to say" The Queen explained taking her place on the raised podium so she could address the bonded couple and the congregation, she waved her hand to the guards at the back, signalling to them to shut the doors. Jack heard an enormous bang as they sealed the doors. The ceremony had begun.
"Cum potentia circuivit in me, colligitur hic hodie ad coniungere animas fae Ianto Jones et immortalis unum Jack Harkness. Commodo stare possumus benedic hoc vinculum et consortium manere fortis enim ad minim veniam. (With the power invested in me, we gather here today to unite the souls of fae Ianto Jones and the immortal one, Jack Harkness. Please stand so we can bless this bonding and partnership to stay strong for years to come)" the queen said. Jack and Ianto watched as the congregation, including Owen, Tosh and Estelle, stood up. He had to admit it was a little intimidating having so many people watch such an intimate moment.
"Quaeso, erit congregatio iterum post me (please shall the congregation repeat after me)" the queen said, looking down at Ianto and Jack before turning her attention back to those watching "Nos faciem, hic declaramus, quod nos benedicat, protegat et robora hanc unionem. Credimus, quod fae Ianto Jones et immortalis unum Jack Harkness merentur nostram benedictionem habere prospere compages. Nos faciem benedicat. Nos fae credere. Nos faciem tueri. Nos fae hortari. Nos faciem rogare fratres Ianto Jones vult plene accipere officium unionem et coniunctionem cum immortali unum Jack Harkness (We fae here declare that we bless, protect and encourage this union. We believe that the fae Ianto Jones and the immortal one Jack Harkness deserve our blessing to have a successful bonding. We fae bless. We fae believe. We fae protect. We fae encourage. We fae ask our brethren Ianto Jones does he fully accept the responsibility of union and bond with the immortal one Jack Harkness)".
"Nos faciem, hic declaramus, quod nos benedicat, protegat et robora hanc unionem. Credimus, quod fae Ianto Jones et immortalis unum Jack Harkness merentur nostram benedictionem habere prospere compages. Nos faciem benedicat. Nos fae credere. Nos faciem tueri. Nos fae hortari. Nos faciem rogare fratres Ianto Jones vult plene accipere officium unionem et coniunctionem cum immortali unum Jack Harkness (We fae here declare that we bless, protect and encourage this union. We believe that the fae Ianto Jones and the immortal one Jack Harkness deserve our blessing to have a successful bonding. We fae bless. We fae believe. We fae protect. We fae encourage. We fae ask our brethren Ianto Jones does he fully accept the responsibility of union and bond with the immortal one Jack Harkness)" the fae who had gathered here to watch the bonding ceremony said and be it all little reluctant.
"Accipio officio meo et mea unione cum immortali unum (I accept my responsibility and my union with the immortal one)" Ianto said and Jack had to admit, he liked the sounds Ianto made with his welsh vowels when he spoke another language.
"We ask the immortal one do you fully accept the responsibility of union and bond with our brethren Ianto Jones," the queen said "if you please repeat I accept my responsibility and my union with fae Ianto Jones".
"I accept my responsibility and my union with fae Ianto Jones" Jack said without another thought. He wanted this more than anyone could comprehend. He might be selfish but the idea that he could keep Ianto Jones to himself for the rest of his incredible long life, it was the major driving force to work with the fae. He would do anything to protect Ianto, Jack knew that. His biggest weakness was one Ianto Jones.
"Nunc procedere super compages pars (Now we will proceed onto the bonding part)" the queen said stepping down from the stand and walked over to Ianto and Jack carrying a piece of white ribbon. The queen took Ianto's right hand and wrapped some ribbon around his hand and up to his arm before repeating the action with Jack's left hand. She then waved a hand over the ribbon connecting the couple. Ianto winced slightly as he felt the ribbon tighten around his hand. He knew it was necessary to ensure that neither Jack nor Ianto broke apart during the bonding part, but it didn't stop it from hurting a little.
"For the bonding part you will need to relax, it might feel a little uncomfortable, but you need to try your best to stay still. If it helps close your eyes" the queen said. This entire part of the ceremony was to swap half of the couple souls to create the bond. It took a lot of magic and they couldn't risk something going wrong and Ianto or Jack getting hurt.
"Ianto I need you to summon your magic and let it flow between you and the immortal one then I will start the bonding part. Just let your magic flow with mine and I'll do the rest" the queen said and Ianto nodded. Jack watched as Ianto's eyes turned the same green colour as when he stopped the bullet, but this time he saw the magic, the power behind it. Jack watched in awe as he saw green sparks dance around them, mixing with the queen's own magic.
Jack felt the uncomfortable tugging of his heart, then he felt a sudden searing, like someone had taken a hot iron and branded him with it directly over his heart. But as soon as he felt the pain, it disappeared and in its place was something else, something Jack couldn't put his finger on it, but it felt like happiness.
It was a success. Ianto could feel him. Just as his friends had described. He could feel Jack's confusion, but the strongest emotion Ianto could feel was love. Jack's love.
"Dominarum, generosum et fae. Commodo stare in celebratione nostrum noviter bonded duobus (Ladies, gentleman and fae. Please stand in celebration of our newly bonded couple)" the queen cheered; Jack didn't need a transition to realise that it had been a success. The emotions he was feeling must belong to Ianto. It was intense, yet it felt normal, like it had always been there.
"Kiss the tea boy Harkness!" Owen shouted. Ianto didn't waste a second long before throwing himself into Jack's arms and pressing his lips against his mate's. He could hear Owen's wolf whistle echoing around the cathedral, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He belongs to Jack, that was all he cared about. He was Jack's and Jack was his.