Page 82 of Mate Night Snack
"You're fidgeting," Miriam observed gently, adjusting the wildflower crown that adorned Katniss's dark curls. The blooms were fresh from Twyla's garden, woven with ivy and tiny white roses that seemed to glow in the otherworldly light.
"I'm not fidgeting," Katniss replied, then immediately smoothed her dress for the third time in as many minutes. "I'm... processing."
"Processing what, sweetheart?"
"The fact that I'm about to marry a man I've known for four months in a supernatural handfasting ceremony witnessed by fae magic and a town full of shapeshifters." She laughed, the sound carrying a note of happy disbelief. "My old life feels like it happened to someone else."
"Maybe it did." Miriam's eyes twinkled with gentle wisdom. "Maybe the person you were before was just the prologue. This is where your real story starts."
Through the trees, Katniss could see the ceremony preparations taking shape. Callum and his natural connection to earth magic had coaxed wildflowers to bloom in perfect circles around the clearing with his mate Cora instructing him on decorations. Twyla moved between the gathering guests with bundles of herbs that released soft, aromatic smoke when burned. The Tansley brothers had somehow convinced dozens of fireflies to hover at exactly the right height for romantic lighting.
"It's beautiful," she whispered.
"Wait until you see your groom," Miriam said with a knowing smile.
Emmett emerged from the opposite side of the grove on cue. He'd traded his usual flannel and jeans for dark pants and a white shirt that made his storm-gray eyes seem to glow. His dark hair was still slightly tousled, still had that unruly strand that fell across his forehead, but there was something different about him tonight. Lighter. As if some invisible weight had finally lifted from his shoulders.
Varric stood at the center of the clearing, wearing robes that seemed to be cut from starlight itself. His silver braids were woven with the same white flowers that adorned Katniss's crown.
"Ready?" Miriam asked softly.
Katniss nodded, though she wasn't sure her legs would carry her. As they walked toward the ceremony space, she felt the familiar tingle of her seer abilities stirring, but gently this time. Not the overwhelming visions that had once threatened to drown her, but something softer, more controlled. A gentle awareness that painted the world in layers of meaning.
She could see the threads of affection connecting every person in the clearing, the way love had woven itself through this community like light through a prism. She could sense the ancient magic humming beneath their feet, blessing this unionwith power older than memory. And most clearly of all, she could feel Emmett's presence like a warm star in her chest, drawing her forward with the inevitability of gravity.
The assembled guests turned as she approached, faces bright with happiness and approval. Maeve stood near the front, her usual fierce expression softened by what might have been tears. The Tansley brothers beamed identical grins from their position by the herb table.
But Katniss only had eyes for Emmett, whose face transformed the moment he saw her. The careful control he usually maintained cracked, revealing wonder and love and something that looked suspiciously like gratitude.
"Hi," she said when she reached him, suddenly feeling shy despite everything they'd been through together.
"Hi yourself." His voice was rough with emotion. "You look..."
"Like I'm about to marry the man of my dreams?"
"Like you're about to make me the luckiest bastard in three counties."
"Language," Varric said mildly, though his eyes danced with amusement. "We are conducting a sacred ceremony."
"Sorry, Elder," Emmett replied, not looking sorry at all.
Varric raised his hands, and the clearing fell silent except for the gentle whisper of wind through leaves and water over stones.
"We gather tonight under the light of the full moon and the blessing of the ancient Veil to witness the joining of two souls who have chosen to bind their lives together." His voice carried easily through the space, warm and resonant as distant thunder. "Not because fate demanded it, not because magic compelled it, but because love made it inevitable."
Katniss felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes. After everything they'd survived, all the choices and chances that had led them here, it really did feel inevitable. Like this moment hadbeen waiting for them since the day she'd driven her dusty Jeep into a town that didn't exist on any map.
"Emmett Hollowell," Varric continued, "do you come to this ceremony of your own free will, ready to pledge your heart and soul to the woman beside you?"
"I do." Emmett's voice was steady, certain. "More ready than I've ever been for anything."
"And Katniss Greaves, do you come willingly to bind your life to his, knowing that such bonds are not easily broken?"
"I do." She reached for Emmett's hand, lacing their fingers together. "I can't imagine wanting them to be."
Varric smiled and produced a length of silver cord that seemed to capture moonlight and hold it. "Then let us begin the ancient rite of handfasting, as witnessed by our community and blessed by the Veil itself."
Twyla stepped forward with a small bowl of what looked like liquid starlight. "For wisdom in the choices to come," she said, offering it to Katniss first.
