Page 13 of Ties of Starlight

She saw him out of the corner of her eye as he reached her, taking his place beside her in front of the second cushion. Of course, with Idonea's height and the veil, she couldn't actually see him. She only saw his shoulder.

“Cometa Couple, kneel.”

Idonea was about to start the delicate process of lifting her skirts enough to kneel, while also holding her bouquet and not dropping it or falling over herself, when a hand was pulling the bouquet from hers and another was on her shoulder, steadying her. That didn’t usually happen.

A warm rush flooded Idonea as she gathered her skirts into her hands and adjusted them so she could kneel.

She hadn't expected that, but that could only be a good sign.

Once she was kneeling, she readjusted the skirts and the bouquet was passed back to her as Olaug knelt beside her. She still couldn't really make out his face as even kneeling he was fairly taller and her veil made him a hazy outline, plus he had the ceremonial paint on him, an echo of the first Cometa Couple and Agnarr’s war paint.

“Today marks the beginning of the Cometa Ceremony and our chance to walk in the steps of our forefathers and connect to the comet that blesses our magic.” The Constella walked in a circle around them, reaching into the pouch on his belt and trailing white and lavender sand around them in a circle. “Today we take this girl with human blood and bind her to a warrior, a leader of our people in the spirit of Agnarr and Gytha who blessed us originally. To carry on their legacy.”

Idonea had long since memorized the Constella's speech, but she did try to focus on it in order to take her mind off her turning stomach. It was normal to be nervous, but this was more than that. She was unsettled.

Unsettled was not how she should feel.

She didn’t knowwhy. Why—

But the Constella was in front of them again, moving to the front. He said, “To begin their union, they will make their vows encircled by sand from the sacred Constellation Pool, and the water from the pool will bind them as husband and wife, while the lilies taken from the edge of the pool will mark their bond for the rituals of the Cometa Ceremony. Their bond to each other will become our bond to the comet. May it be as strong as Agnarr and Gytha’s.”

Idonea reached her hands out and the Constella took them, guiding them until another pair of hands curled around hers, the Star Lilies in the middle. His hands wereslightly calloused and rough against hers, and she pushed down the shiver crawling up her spine. She looked through the dark haze of her veil and could only just make out an outline ahead of her, paint and fabric obscuring his features.

“Agnarr's chosen, do you vow to take Gytha's chosen as your wife, to have and to hold, to protect and cherish, and to love until the end of your days?”

“I so vow.”

Olaug's voice wasn't usually—

“Gytha's chosen, do you vow to take Agnarr's chosen as your husband, to have and to hold, to honor and cherish, and to love until the end of your days?”

Idonea had no time to examine why Olaug's voice sounded strange. If they wanted the ceremony to keep going smoothly, she had to make her vow.

“I so vow.”

The Constella poured the water over their hands and forearms, cradling the Star Lilies between them. The cold water hit her skin and the rush of magic flooded her. Idonea couldn't help her soft gasp as lilies faded away into their skin. Dark purple and swirling blue dotted with shining flecks of white marked them, binding them.

But before she could pull her hand away, Olaug pulled it closer, bringing her wrist up and pressing a soft kiss to her pulse, right on the line pulsing with the magic infused in them.

She was grateful for her veils that were obscuring her vision, but also hiding her from the world so no one could see how red she turned at the gesture. This was better than she could have imagined. Olaug was being far gentler and more affectionate than ever before, which could only mean this time was going to be truly perfect.

“Adastra, I give you our Cometa Couple!” The Constellagestured to them as Olaug quickly helped her to her feet and faced the crowd. But the cheering wasn't raucous. There was some clapping, but more whispering, and that unsettled feeling came rushing back as well as a frantic nervousness that wasn’t her own.

Were they aghast at his outward affection for her? It wasn't indecorous by any measure.

But before Idonea could figure it out, her husband was escorting her through the courtyard and to their tent for the next part, where he would take off her veil and they'd have some privacy while the other elves celebrated by drinking and dancing.

He hurried her into the large, spacious tent, quickly closing the flap behind them. No one was going to disturb the couple once they were out of sight, but she didn't really understand the rush. However, she also didn’t mind it. This was the night she'd been waiting for for years, and despite the few oddities, everything had gone perfectly. What more could she ask for?

The only thing she couldn’t account for was the anxiety pulsing on the other side of the new bond. What could Olaug have to be nervous about?

She stumbled a little as Olaug let go of her, staying near the entrance as she stopped in the middle and turned to face him. There was a little starlight already set up inside, but with her veil it did her little good. She could barely see his outline, much less his expression.

So why wasn't he moving toward her to take her veil off?

She waited another moment, and the only sounds that could be heard were his breathing and the faint strains of music starting up. His anxiety kept chewing in the back of her mind.

Maybe he forgot what to do next? Olaug hadn't been as interested in learning all the minutiae that Idonea had.

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