Page 92 of The Gambler's Prize
The crowd bursts into laughter. Grimes looks embarrassed, but determined.
“I mean it,” he says to Draved. “I can’t wait a moment longer.”
His kohl starts to run, black streaks down his brown skin. He’s crying properly now and so am I. I reach up and brush away his tears right in the middle of the ceremony. Stars, I love him so much. It scares me.
Judge Draved’s smile is warm as he says, “As you wish. I pronounce the two of you legally married in the city of Obal, through the entire reaches of the Rhennian empire, in the eyes of the world, and beyond.”
That’s the legal part. That’s all that matters. We’ve done it. We’re married, and no one can make us part now. Grimes pulls me into a rough kiss, while applause rains over me and I’m overcome with a feeling that’s both intense and soft and comfortable. I’m home. Before I can even detach my lips from my husband’s, we’re mobbed by the small congregation. No one ever gives the couple space or privacy during a Rhennian ceremony; this is a public celebration. There are hugs and kisses and loud congratulations.
My mother catches Grimes’ hands, smiling at him, pure joy on her face. “Welcome to our family,” she says in Rhennian.
Grimes gives her a little bow, looking so grave and handsome. “Madam, to love and protect your son is the great honor of my life,” he says.
She giggles. “Madam? No need to be so formal. You’re the man who’s making my son’s knees shake.”
Grimes looks at me, kind of scandalized, while I laugh though the happy tears that are still on my cheeks.
“I see where you get the forwardness from,” he mutters to me.
“Ready for a Callinthen tradition now?” I ask him.
He nods, looking half wary and half excited. He watches curiously as our guests head for the vases of flowers in the corners of the room.
“It’s time for the floral blindfold parade,” I say with a grin.
“That sounds… self-explanatory,” Grimes says. “But why blindfold?”
“It’s symbolic. We’ll be oblivious to the rest of the world for a few weeks as we take ourcirelli,” I say, using the Callinthen word for honeymoon.
He tilts his head and smiles at me. “Only for a few weeks? Who says I’m letting you out of the bedroom ever again?”
The look in his eyes turns my knees to liquid. I get a sudden vision of him scattering the flowers over our sheets later, and spreading me out to be taken on a bed of petals.
“Behave,” I say. “We can talk like that later.”
He grins with no remorse. “So what do we do?”
“First we have to stay totally still as everyone pins flowers to our clothes.”
I hold both his hands as our friends and family pin the blooms all over our jackets until we look like walking gardens. Breta has brought some redkiveflowers all the way from the dessert. They’re dried and pressed to ensure they survived the journey, but even so the sight of them brings me right back to where Grimes and I shared our first kisses. Judge Draved smiles as he attaches a huge yellow rose to my lapel, unleashing a gorgeous scent. Then, with a flourish, he takes two strips of silk from his pocket. The soft fabric is placed over my eyes by Prevana, who winks at me before my world goes dark. As Grimes is blindfolded, his hands get tense in mine.
“Don’t you like it?” I ask.
“It’s a little nerve-wracking,” he confesses, voice tight.
I should’ve known he’d find it worrying to relinquish control. I remember how he tried to hide his fear of the hot air balloon. Not so long ago, he wouldn’t have admitted any nervousness.
“Just say the word and we can stop,” I say.
I feel it through our grip as he takes a deep breath. “No. It’s okay,” he says. “You’ve got me, don’t you?”
“Of course I do.”
I hold onto one of Grimes’ hands and someone—my mother, I’m certain—takes my other hand. Grimes and I are led outside the courthouse. The outdoor air hits my nose, fresh but with a hint of smoke and horse dung from the cabs and carriages of thisbusy city. Immediately I hear the sound of clapping and wolf-whistles from onlookers on the street. There are always a few kids hanging around outside the courthouse, and people passing the time, looking out for weddings to cheer for.
“What’s going on?” Grimes asks.
“Now we walk around the city, and people cheer for us,” I say.
