Chapter 1

It was a warm, beautiful day in the month of Snowmelt. Perfect for a wedding, or so Ayron thought. As he waited for the beginning signal he glanced at the mirror and pulled at the edge of his tunic.

Ayron wore the customary white tunic, with buckskin breeches and soft boots. As a small decorative touch, and a nod to his position as a Ranger, the tailors had embroidered patterns in green thread around the collar and cuffs of the white tunic.

The clear call of a bell interrupted his silent musings as the door to the room he was waiting in opened. One of the servants, a Faun named Faimlil, stuck his head in the open door. "Ready?" he asked.

Ayron nodded and followed the Faun down the hallway to the Throne Room where the ceremony would take place. As he entered he saw, all in one glance, the care with which the room had been decorated. White cloth bunting drooped between the many pillars, and dozens of bouquets of flowers filled the air with their perfume. Suspended above the dais was the banner of Narnia, a gold lion on red.

The Ranger stopped at the bottom of the dais, then turned to face the doors he had just entered. But he did not have long to wait before the bells tolled again — slow and solemn.

Two cherry-tree Dryads came and scattered petals on the floor while the many other Narnians present began to stand as the princess entered the room.

Ayron's breath caught in his throat as he watched King Darian escorting Lilliana down the aisle. She was wearing a beautiful white dress, with light, floating sleeves and a short train that trailed behind her. The picture was completed by a crown of red roses, woven together and placed on her head.

At that moment Lily looked up, and Ayron could feel his hands start shaking; and her cheeks flushed a delicate shade of pink.

Silently, the king placed Lily's hand in Ayron's. Then the ceremony began.

~o~o~

In a quiet corner the newly-wedded couple sat and watched as the dancers spun intricate patterns on the dance floor.

Lilliana glanced down at the ring on her left hand. It complemented her lion-head ring, as it was decorated with a diamond flanked by emeralds.

"What are you thinking about, my love?"

Lily looked up to meet Ayron's gaze. "That I am the happiest lady in the world," she answered.

"And I am the happiest man," he said as he tilted his head down slightly.

She tilted her head upward, and their lips met in a tender kiss. They pulled back and Ayron stood up, extending his hand to her. "Will you join me for another dance?"

Lily smiled, took his hand, and let him lead her out onto the dance floor.

"Snowmelt" is my Narnian equivalent of March (mostly because that is when the snow has fully melted). The only name of a Narnian month we get is Greenroof from Prince Caspian, and in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Lewis used the modern names of months, like April, and I didn't want to do that.

Also, here is an interesting tidbit I found while doing research for this story/for the whole series:

The crown of the first king of Narnia (Frank, the former London cab-driver) was gold set with rubies. And the crown of the first queen (Helen, Frank's wife) was also gold set with emeralds. And guess what? Ayron's ring is a gold lion-head set with rubies, and Lily's is a gold lion-head set with emeralds. Do you see the connection? (I didn't realize this until after I read the description of the crowns, but when I did...I was amazed to say the least.)