Page 38 of A Baron of Bonds
I picked up the next ribbon, placing it over the other, managing to tuck one end under what was already wrapped around our hands. I understood why this was so much easier with a conduit to conduct the ceremony, but I managed to tie the ribbons together in a loose knot with my left hand.
I repeated the wrapping again, reciting, “In this binding, I reveal to you my strengths and weaknesses.”
She took her end, wrapping it around us once more, and repeated, “In this binding, I reveal to you my strengths and…”she paused, swallowing hard. I lifted my free hand to her face as she looked to me and finished, “…weaknesses.”
I wanted to kiss her, but couldn’t yet, as my thumb caught the single tear that slipped down her cheek. If we were to get this ceremony right with just us two, we’d have to stick to tradition as much as possible for the binding to set.
She opened her red lips slightly and took a deep breath before picking up the third gold ribbon. She managed to tie it around the others and proceeded to wrapping while vowing, “In this binding, I offer you my past, my present, and my future.”
I repeated her movements, vowing the same. “In this binding, I offer you my past, my present, and my future.”
I trembled slightly, picking up the last ribbon. This was the final test. We’d know if the bonding worked with this last piece of gold. In traditional companion ceremonies, the last ribbon would be imbued with the conduit’s magic, glowing as it was tied and wrapped over the other three.
I held the ribbon toward her and she took one end, closing her eyes and breathing deep. I watched as her brilliant green power raced down the length of the ribbon, meeting my own deep blue in the middle.
“Karus. Look,” I whispered. She opened her eyes to watch as our power met and began to entwine, each tendril running down the length of the gold satin in a twirl of binding.
I slipped the ribbon under the other three and finished the ceremony. “In this binding, I promise my love to you, Karus, and all of the endurance I have to share it for all of the days of my life.”
The ribbon flashed a brilliant blue, and Karus repeated my wrappings and words, “In this binding, I promise my love to you, Rev, and all of the endurance I have to share it for all the days of my life.”
It flashed a brilliant green before each coil of power melded into one swirling piece of teal, the shade warm and soft, emitting a dim glow in the low light of the room.
Karus looked up at me with a beaming smile, upturning her left wrist before laughing and revealing it to me.
Herliberummark was gone, and I lifted my own wrist to see that mine had left as well.
“We did it,” she laughed with fervor. “We really did it.”
I laughed with her, our hands still bound as I leaned down just an inch or two to kiss her lips.
It was a difficult task, our grins so wide our teeth clashed. Instead, I bent my forehead to hers, basking in the elation of the moment of our binding.
Companions. We were companions and bound to each other for the rest of our lives.
It would take time to sink in, I knew, but in those moments of joy, and laughter, and love, I fought with all I had to remember my heart standing before me. Her eyes were a gentle glow of green, her cheeks pink and burning from her smiles and laughter at our success.
I turned to the tray, placing the tea infuser over the brown mug as I poured the styris tea that had been brewing into hers. I repeated with my own and handed her the steaming brew.
She sniffed its contents. Neither one of us had ever tasted the tea since we had never needed it in the past.
She lifted her mug to mine, tapping its surface. “Here’s to us, Rev.”
I smirked. “To us.”
We sipped the warm contents at the same time, both breaking out into laughter at the bitter taste.
“Couldn’t they make it a little sweeter or something?” she asked, taking another sip and grimacing.
“I’d guess if they did, there’d be a lot fewer children on the isle. I think the bitterness is the point.” I took another sip and then decided to down the whole thing in one go. She looked at me in surprise and I smirked again, shrugging. “Feel like joining me on the bed, Karus?” I winked at her and laughed as her face fell from amusement to lust. A small moan escaped with her breath and she mimicked my gulp, downing the rest of the tea.
Placing her mug next to mine, she followed as I lead us to the large four-poster bed, our hands still bound together. They would be until morning as was tradition. The consummation of the companion binding was meant to be tricky with hands entwined for the whole of the evening—the first difficult task the couple would have to navigate together.
I sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her to me. She lifted her skirts with one hand and settled herself over my lap.
“I need you to know something, Karus,” I started, lifting my free hand to her neck, rubbing my thumb across the base of her jaw.
“I’m listening, Baron Revich.” She leaned into my touch, the candlelight in the room reflecting off her eyes.
