Page 23 of Enchanted Kingdom
Renna smirked. “I believe you. And I’m tempted to harmlessly use my magic on you right now to prove my point, but I cannot in this room.” She paused a few beats. “I know it’s a lot to take in, but please know that there are just as many of us in this castle that would protect you as there are that would harm you. Just be careful.”
I groaned. “I don’t know why I can’t just go home.”
Renna burst out laughing. “So you don’t desire to become bonded with Prince Keiran and receive a drop of his magic in the ceremony? To have magic yourself?”
I scoffed. “You mean Enchanted still actually do that? Marry common people without magic?”
“It is rare, I admit. But that’s more so because of the way our kingdom is split. There are a few couples in Rallis. I know of an Enchanted that fell in love with a servant in the castle. They now live in Savaryn. Instances like that.”
I shook my head. “I didn’t really think either prince would decide to become bonded to whomever they pick. I figured they’d keep all that Valanova power to themselves and preserve the royal line. So although it’s definitely still in play with the Assemblages, I didn’t figure the magic up for grabs was as important as the crown.”
Renna’s eyebrows shot up. “It’s a very big part of this, equivalent to the crown. The opportunity for a drop of the most powerful magic in all the kingdom. All the Enchanted will feel a draw to that opportunity. The opportunity to becomestronger.”
I thought of Molly and wondered how big of a pull that must be for her. “Do you think either of the princes will carry through on that? Give up a drop of their magic and become bonded to their partner?”
She nodded aggressively. “Even our king and queen did the traditional ceremony and were heart bonded. So though our queen was also Enchanted, they still gave one another a drop of each other’s magic, a form of binding and protecting their union while strengthening the queen. The princes will do the same.”
But would either prince be okay with a partner bringing no magic to the table?
Renna smiled at me. “I keep overwhelming you and I do not mean to. I’ve just grown up frequenting the castle and know far more than I should. My apologies, Jorah.”
I sighed. “It’s not your fault. You’ve been great, even considering befriending me with hidden motives.”
She smiled. “I’ll go back to the puzzle and leave you be. I only wanted to make sure you were okay.”
As soon as she left, I looked out the window, thinking. I had foolishly assumed the crown princes would both just marry their partner, forgoing the bonding part of the ceremony. In Nerede, since we were the level of the kingdom with no magic, the only option we had was a wedding ceremony in the traditional sense.
I had always selfishly thought though, with as close as my parents were, that if they did have magic, they would’ve been soul bonded, the highest form of bonding we had. But neither of them had any magic, so that wasn’t the case.
The bonding ceremony was traditionally a way of protecting an Enchanted and a person with no magic. And it didn’t have to be within a marriage. I knew that you could be kin bonded, heart bonded, or soul bonded. But the Enchanted half of the partnership had to be willing to give up a drop of their magic and transfer it blood-to-blood to someone else.
With a marriage and bonding together, a person with no magic and a person with magic were considered mated for life, the person without magic receiving the smallest amount of magic to both protect themselves and live a slightly longer life than those of us without magic. But because all the Enchanted were separated from the mere common people up on this mountain, those pairings were few and far between. Very few Enchanted were that generous anyway, so all forms were rare, soul bonded being the rarest.
Two Enchanted could still be bonded, though neither would benefit as much as an Enchanted and non-Enchanted pairing. It would just level the power between the pairing, the weaker partner becoming slightly stronger than before, just like in the case of our king and queen. But even the king and queen had only been heart bonded.
There had been rumors and whispers that soul bonded couples were the strongest type of Enchanted, able to communicate wordlessly and even combine their magic. But I had seen through my own parents’ marriage that you didn’t need any kind of bonding to have an exceptional connection with another.
If only you could find it.
CHAPTER10
Silvia had me change into my emerald-colored gown long before the evening meal. Prince Keiran had sent another note and asked if we could go for a walk in the gardens before the meal tonight.
I was relieved. I didn’t know how I felt about Prince Keiran. Part of me almost wished he would send me home before the meal, so I didn’t have to sit through another painfully long evening.
“You look lovely,” Silvia stated as she spun me back toward the mirror, makeup now done.
“All thanks to you,” I said to her before taking in my reflection.
My emerald gown’s sleeves fell just off my shoulder, with my collar bone bare. Silvia had quickly learned how I felt about being overly exposed, so she fashioned my hair completely down to help cover me up.
I was not getting used to life in the castle at all, but it did feel good to let my hair go free, and particularly when it looked this good, all loosely curled and softened.
A knock on the door sounded.
“Good luck, dear!” Silvia whispered.
I stood and followed my guard with no name to wherever these gardens would be. Fortunately, it was mostly just stairs downward, and then around a few corners.
