Author: Triane
Disclaimer: Not. Mine. Except Iona. Everything else belongs to someone else.
Summary: Dagonet and Iona take the next step.
They had told only Arthur they were taking a few extra days on patrol, and their commander smiled and gave them his permission and congratulations, promising to tell the other men when they returned so they wouldn't wonder at the pair's absence.
Anneli had been ecstatic when they reached her village, instantly mobilizing her entire family to throw them an impromptu wedding party and squirreling Iona away while her brothers steered Dagonet in the opposite direction for a celebratory drink. When Dagonet finally saw Iona walking towards him as he stood beside Anneli's uncle Cohen, she took his breath away.
She had traded her breeches and armour for bare feet and a simple blue dress, and Anneli's daughters had woven daisies into her black hair. But it was her eyes that captured him, her eyes that were full of simple trust and pure love. Dagonet felt his throat grow tight as she took her place beside him, and could only grasp her hand when words failed him like they so often did. Iona understood, however, and softly smiled at him, squeezing his large hand with her smaller one.
It was a short ceremony, with no undue fuss or bother. Cohen spoke of commitment and love, spoke of the earth they came from and which would bear witness to their lives together from that moment on. When the time was right, he handed Dagonet the smaller of the two rings the knight had passed to him earlier; the rings Dagonet had spent hours in consultation with the blacksmith about, watching him mould and twist the metal into an intricate, unending pattern. Dagonet saw Iona's eyes widen in surprise and he smiled at her, grasping her right hand and slowly pushing the ring onto her index finger. It was a perfect fit.
"Iona, the only thing we possess in this life together is the strength of our right arms, our sword arms. I pledge mine to you, from this day on, and I take you as my wife, to stand by you and protect you from all that come before us. This ring is a sign of my protection, faithfulness, and love." Tears were running down Iona's face, and she laughed helplessly as Dagonet gently brushed them away. She nodded once, decisively, accepted the larger ring from Cohen, and slid it onto Dagonet's right index finger.
"Dagonet, I came here confused and bereft, and you cared for me from that very second. I take you as my husband, and I promise no less than what you have given and promised me: a willing comfort and helpmate from now until our lives are spent. This ring is a sign of my devotion, support, and love."
Cohen beamed at them and grasped their clasped hands in his, winding a soft leather cord around them.
"Now your lives are bound together as your hands are. Dagonet and Iona, you are husband and wife."
A great shout went up from the people surrounding them, and then Anneli was in front of them, tying another ribbon around their hands and throwing her arms around the both of them. One by one the other villagers followed, each tying a ribbon around their hands and congratulating them, then running to set up tables for the feast or to find instruments to play a cheerful wedding dance. Dagonet and Iona joined in the dance with a joyful laugh, their clasped hands weighed down by the mass of ribbons joining them. Dagonet looked at his bride as the sunlight failed and the bonfires were lit, looked as the daisy crown in her hair threatened to slip over one ear, saw her eyes sparkling with love, saw her face lifted to his with a thrilling laugh. With one quick movement he pushed the ribbons off their wrists and clasped Iona in his arms, kissing her with such passion that it made her knees weak and made the villagers hoot their approval.
It was the happiest night of their lives.