Page 28 of Enchanted Shadows (The Enchanted Kingdom #6)

I picked my soon-to-be bride up from the barracks, trying not to stumble as I took in her appearance. “You look lovely.”

And that was putting it lightly. I still had her necklace, so she had been unapologetically Kessara since the moment she’d handed it to me and came clean to the team.

She was wearing a long white skirt with what looked to be a tighter fitting white tank top on the top half of her body.

Makeup highlighted her natural beauty, and her hair was mostly down with a part of it braided around her head.

She had a small bouquet of flowers in her hand.

As far as royalty went, she looked casual. And I wondered for a moment if she preferred it this way, or if she would have wanted something grander. What had she always imagined as a little girl growing up in a castle? A huge gown with all the sparkles and glitter?

She took in my attire. Because Jorah had demanded it, instead of my formal guard wear, I was wearing a suit, shirt, and jacket. I had put my foot down at the tie. The tie was crossing a line. “You do too. ”

I put out an arm for her, “Shall we run off and get married?”

She inhaled deeply. “If we must.”

We were doing this at sunset, because of training, yes, but also because I knew how she felt about this time of day.

Our feet crunched against a mixture of leaves, grass, and small pebbles along the way.

Kessara had asked me this morning if we could do a modified version of the vows they traditionally do in Agria.

Since I had been absolutely unprepared to write vows of my own to her, not knowing exactly what to say, I had readily agreed.

As we neared the fork in the trail to The Dead Lake, I stopped us.

“Backing out?” she asked me, scanning my eyes.

What? “No.” I turned to better see her. “I just want you to know that I don’t intend to trap you with our sham of a marriage. I don’t expect anything from you. Other than the appearances we have to keep for a while.”

“General,” she began.

“Owen,” I corrected.

“Owen,” she amended. “I know you well enough to know that you wouldn’t want to cage anyone.

You let some of the women leave because they didn’t want to be there when you could have forced them to stay.

This may not be a marriage found of love, but it is one found of respect .

And those types of marriages are rare where I am from.

” She again inhaled deeply. “And I need you to know I am not expecting you to be my general-turned-personal-assassin. I’m not my brother Damek. ”

Didn’t she see that all of us—the team, myself, even Krew and Keir and Jorah—we all saw who she was. She was worthy of being able to live without constant fear. Something we all knew intimately. “You don’t think I would kill for you, Kessara?”

She smiled at me. “No, I think you enjoy a good fight so you absolutely would. And that’s the problem. You shouldn’t have to. ”

“There’s nothing quite like being called violent on the night of your wedding,” I told her as we fell back into step beside one another.

“Violently annoying,” she clarified.

We laughed. The heaviness of what we were doing and all the reasons for it fell away for a moment.

I wasn’t her general. She wasn’t a princess.

We were two people who respected one another.

Liked one another. And we had each other’s backs.

It would have to be enough. All of our safety was depending on it.

John Nottle had yet to return to Dra Skor with Keir and Esta, so I had insisted he do the ceremony.

Sure enough, he stood under the same tree he had witnessed both Krew and Keir bonded under.

Next to him was Amos, who had demanded he be present to be an Agrian witness to the ceremony.

It was just the four of us. At the end of the week, when we had another rest day, the reception would occur.

Which, based on our intel, would be around the same time that Kessara’s ex washed up on shore from Brakken.

I felt a brief sting of disappointment travel through me despite my best efforts. There would be no bonding ritual this time around. We were fresh out of miracles, so this fake marriage would have to do.

“Good evening; you both spiff up well!” John told us as he bowed to Kessara. Krew had already given me the prince title and ordered the very public declaration before parliament for the next large gathering. I was technically a prince now, too.

“Thank you,” Princess Kessara said.

“This should be relatively harmless,” he began.

Amos handed him over a piece of paper with what was evidently our vows.

“These are our modified Agrian vows we will do to uphold that tradition.” Kessara explained, eyes on Amos. “Minus a few words which may not apply in this particular instance. ”

John nodded at her graciously. “I can appreciate that, Princess. This has to be difficult enough for the both of you as is.”

My eyes went to hers. “Breathe. It’s going to be fine.”

She turned to face me, putting her somewhat sweaty palms in mine. “Forgive me for the nerves. I have never been married before.”

I squeezed her hands gently. “Well, me neither. But the way I see it, you get the perk of protection without having to deal with any of the rest. So what’s there to be nervous about? Short of your country forcing us to consummate the marriage in front of them, it’s going to be fine.”

She thought on that a moment. “You have a way with words, anyone ever told you that? I was feeling calmed, up until that last bit.”

I laughed. “Now let’s hurry up and get married before you feel the urgent need to insult me again.”

John was taking us in, smirking. “Shall we?”

I gave him a nod.

He welcomed us and read from what he’d brought with him about the honor of what it was to bear witness to a marriage, and then we were on to doing our vows.

“Repeat after me, Owen.”

I looked to him and listened in, never having heard these words before in my life. What if I stumbled? Or messed it up and somehow ended up married to myself? That would be just my luck. At least it’d be a handsome marriage, though.

“I vow to be your light in the darkness,” John began.

I smirked as I looked at Kessara and repeated, “I vow to be your light in the darkness.” I continued repeating the lines John fed me.

“Your warmth in the cold, and a shoulder to lean on when life is too much to bear on your own. I will protect you, honor you, and respect you. In light and darkness, silence and laughter, I will be by your side. ”

There were no romantic declarations of love, and for that I was grateful. It made all this easier.

I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out the ring Keir had helped me pick out.

He was better at jewelry stuff than I was, but a perk of marrying the brother king’s half-sister was that I got access to the royal jewelers and didn’t have to pay with my own coin for the ring.

It was oval cut and huge, sparkling even in the night.

Her gasp was the only indication she gave of liking it.

It was then Kessara’s turn. She said the same words back to me, squeezing my hands hard enough that it was beginning to hurt, but I allowed it all the same.

Amos handed over her ring for me, a simple silver band.

I was surprised she had one at all. I was even more surprised to find it fit. How did she know what size to get?

John stated, “By the power vested in me, honorary Prince Owen Gerald Raikes, and Princess Kessara Astra Zavatari, you are now husband and wife.” John didn’t even require us to seal it with a kiss, as was the Wylan tradition.

He was being as gracious as possible given the circumstances.

I loved him for it. This was why I had insisted it be him. He had a way with people.

But then Amos spoke up, “Could the two of you at least peck a kiss? It wouldn’t surprise me if her mother demands you kiss in front of her as a test. Might as well get some practice on your wedding night.”

Kessara turned to argue, “Amos, you cannot just spring that on him.”

I squeezed her hands gently. “I can assure you, I will endure.”

She looked to me, eyes wide. “We do not have to do that.”

“Kessara, it’s just a kiss,” I told her.

And then before she could apologize again for me having to kiss my own damn wife, I kissed her.

My lips brushed against hers gently, and I took just one moment to take in the feel of them on mine, the softness of her lips, and the smell of her amber perfume, before I pulled back .

Kessara’s eyes went to my mouth quickly, before popping back up to my eyes. “I?—”

“Don’t,” I snapped. “Stop apologizing to me.” I looked to Amos. “Was that good enough?”

“For now,” he said with a nod. “I suggest the two of you take the extra time together in the evenings to get used to being around one another. And don’t take off those rings.”

She turned to glare at him, and the way in which she did was all princess. “We spend every day together.”

“You know what I mean,” he told her.

“Not even five minutes into my marriage before you start making demands, Amos.”

Amos gestured with his head toward me. “He knew what he was doing when he offered to marry you, Z. And he still did it.”

Before she murdered the man in cold blood, I grabbed her hand and wrapped it around my bicep. “What’s done is done. Let’s get back to our cabin, shall we?”

She was still shaking her head as she began walking with me. “Unbelievable.”

By the time we made it to the cabin, she was relaxed, until we made it to the few steps up to the door, then she tensed from her shoulders all the way to her feet.

“Kessara, nothing is going to happen. The peck was it. I’m sleeping on the couch.

There’s a bathroom for you to change in, and Wren brought your clothes over.

We get one night and then you’ll be back at the barracks until training ends, other than our planned alone time in the evenings.

Come on in and I’ll pour you a whiskey.”

She looked to me and took a shaky breath. “I thought you’d never ask.”

I threw my jacket off and rolled up my sleeves before pouring her a drink and setting it on the table .

She took it, bringing it up to smell.

I sat across from her. The woman with my ring on her finger. My wife. I put my glass out toward her. “To a happy marriage.”

She reached her own drink over and clunked it against mine. “For as long as it may last.”