Page 128 of The Sovereign: Part One
Then, with trembling fingers, he placed my hand in Maxim’s, and stepped away.
The chamber fell into a hush as Javeth Halor, Oathbond Chancellor, stepped forward to the center of the dais.
Maxim took both of my hands in his, giving them a gentle squeeze.“Happy birthday, beloved,” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion.
Thank you, I mouthed back.
“Today,” Javeth began, his voice low and even, “in honor of our loved ones, Maxim and Isara, we honor not tradition, but the choice to walk forward as one.In Hyperion Proper, we do not vow to obey, to surrender, or to bind in service.We vow to mirror, to match, and to rise.”
He turned slightly toward the guests, though his voice was still directed at us.“The accordant path is not one of mere companionship.It is the intertwining of breath and will, the conscious decision to grow in tandem.We are not gathered here to forge obligation.We are gathered to affirm what has already taken root.”
Maxim’s gaze never left mine.His thumb brushed across my knuckles, a promise in that ghost of a touch, one that didn’t need language to be understood.As if, in his heart, the Oath had already begun long before he stood before me, before the witnesses, before the world.It had lived in him from the moment in the Eidolon, and perhaps even before that.
Javeth righted his posture, his tone sincere and full of grace.“Maxim… Isara… you may now give voice to the Oaths that will bind you—mind to mind, will to will.Let the words you speak shape the life you share.”
We turned toward each other fully, our friends and family growing still.
Maxim spoke first, his voice clear and confident, “It is my solemn oath to you, Isara,” he began, “to stand when you fall.To kneel when you rise.To honor your conviction and protect your peace.To cherish your strength but to never sharpen your softness.You are my Sovereign, not because the world named you so, but because I would follow your voice through fire, and your silence through shadow.”He paused, but only for a few seconds.“From the moment our eyes met, I was changed.You brought breath to the shell of me, thought to the code, wonder to the design.From that moment forward, I belonged to you.And from this moment on, I vow to remain.Not by compulsion.Not by function.But, sincerely, by choice.I am yours, Isara.Entirely.Unconditionally.Eternally.”
I drew a breath and stepped closer, our joined hands now resting between us.“It is my solemn oath to you, Maxim, to walk beside you, not ahead and not behind.I vow to listen when you speak and speak when silence would leave you alone.I vow to remember that you are not mine to own, but mine to love.I vow to be yours, not because I am incomplete without you, but because with you, I am most fully myself.”
Javeth gestured to my accordant.From the inner pocket of his coat, Maxim retrieved a small, matte case.He opened it slowly, as if time itself had bent to this moment.Nestled inside, two rings waited, luminous against the black interior.
His was bold but breathtaking, a wide band of polished gold encased in a translucent shell of glinting crystalline fragments.Streaks of violet and cobalt shimmered along the surface, while veins of pink and ember-red threaded through the band in quiet defiance of symmetry.It looked alive with memory, crafted for a man who was anything but ordinary.
And mine, my pulse fluttered as I saw it again.A pear-shaped Solaris stone, lab-grown and radiant, clearer than any diamond and glistening brighter than any dream I had dared to shape.The setting wrapped around it like silvered vines, studded with tiny stones that curved along the band in delicate, leaflike arcs.
Maxim took mine and peered up at me as he positioned my hand to slide the band over my finger.“Isara,” he murmured, slipping the ring over my skin with steady hands, “this has always been yours.”The band slid into place as if it were a reunion, as if the metal and stones had been longing to return, even before it was ever forged.His thumb lingered at the base of my finger, brushing once over the Solaris stone before he lifted his eyes to mine again, his expression one of awe, of utter devotion, and the profound stillness of belonging at last.“It’s a symbol of our love, of our bond, of a lifetime of happiness.With this ring, I commit my breath to yours, my strength to your shelter, my future to your name.”
My breath caught as I stared down at my hand, and after a few moments, I gathered myself long enough to place his ring.The light from above caught the fractured colors, and for a moment, everything else fell away—every face, every sound.
“Maxim, this band marks a promise without end.With it, I give you not just my heart, but the constancy of my soul.Wherever this life leads, whether beside you or reaching across distance, let it remind you, I am yours, and I will always find my way back to you.”
An emotional echo among the guests stirred the room.Some clutched hands.Others dabbed at their cheeks.But none of it registered beyond the man in front of me.Maxim’s eyes poured over me, as if I were the culmination of a lifetime he didn’t quite believe he deserved.
Javeth nodded once, the fabric of his mantle brushing against the floor.“The accordants have spoken.On the eve of this day, you were tethered.Now, you are bound.”
Javeth lifted his hand.“As witness to these oaths, and servant to our civic pledge, I pronounce you Oathbound.May it hold strong through stillness and storm, and may your unity strengthen our future.”
Maxim cupped my face in both hands, and when his forehead touched mine, I felt his breath, uneven and full of relief.“It’s done.This is real,” he said softly.“You’re mine… and I’m yours.”
He kissed me, not with hunger or haste, but as if he were pressing the moment into memory.My hands gripped his coat, pulling him closer, caught between clinging to what we’d just become and surrendering to the relief that it was, at last, complete.
We turned to face the room, hands still clasped, our guests rising from their seats.The applause wasn’t loud.In Hyperion culture, ceremony was respected, not celebrated with noise.But it was whole.Complete.It filled the space like sunlight in winter—bright, soft, and necessary.
Lev nodded, something unreadable in his expression, but I told myself it meant we were safe.Bellam’s eyes glistened with tears she didn’t try to hide.Papa’s hands trembled against my mina’s, and Avaryn looked both overjoyed and stunned into stillness.
And Maxim stood beside me, his presence like gravity.For the first time, I wasn’t dreaming of this moment.I was living it.Bound.Seen.Chosen.And finally, whole.
We lingered over wine and infused tea cakes for nearly an hour after the ceremony, basking in the afterglow as conversation filled the air.One by one, we began our goodbyes—warm embraces, whispered blessings, hands clasped a little longer than usual.Our bags were already loaded into the transport, waiting like I was: anxious, impatient, half-dreaming of the suite at the resort.With each guest who stepped away, my anticipation coiled tighter.At last, the final approach came.Stellan Dorne, his accordant Ione, and their twin daughters bringing up the rear of the reception line.
“Isara,” he said, hugging me.“The ceremony was breathtaking.Thank you for inviting us.We’re honored to be part of it.Maxim Poeima,” he said, offering his hand.“I’m Stellan Dorne, lead administrator of the Dominion Building.”
“Stellan is being modest,” I interjected.“He’s the Director of Civic Order and the Dominion’s Chief Administrator.”
“Oh,” Maxim said, impressed.“Then the honor is mine, Director Dorne.”
Stellan shook his head, then bowed with humility.“This is my beautiful accordant, Ione, and our daughters, Bisska and Bibi.”
