Page 48 of Return of the Darkness (The Lost Kingdom Saga #3)
Caellum
C aellum had spent most of his life in wariness and uncertainty, worried for himself, his siblings, and the mood his father might be in.
But as he strode through a field of flowers, with the morning dew dampening the ends of his trousers, any uncertainties about his life drifted away on the breeze.
A glow of pink tinted the field of white irises as the sun rose behind the clifftops and glinted across the ocean, a serene backdrop for their fairytale.
The breathtaking haze of petals stretched as far as the eye could see until reaching the sea on one side, and the forest on the other, where a row of guards stood.
Their backs were turned, watching for anyone approaching.
Caellum let loose a shaky breath as Sir Cain grinned. The man who had been a father figure to Caellum, when his own could not, clasped his forearm and embraced him with a pat on the back.
“Everything you asked for is all set up,” Sir Cain said, a smile plastered on his face.
He walked alongside Caellum into the clearing, where a woven archway stood, intertwined with the same vines and white flowers from the chairs at their engagement ball.
Off to the side were three men playing stringed instruments, the only other people present for the marriage between a king and princess.
Caellum had always expected their wedding to be a large affair to symbolise Garridon becoming whole again.
Perhaps they should have waited to provide their people with such a joyous moment, but this felt right.
“The blanket and all other items are by the cliff's edge.” Sir Cain guided Caellum’s shoulders and positioned him off-centre to the archway, turning his back from where he knew Sadira waited with her guards.
He took several deep breaths, reminding himself to enjoy this one peaceful moment together before they travelled to the Unsanctioned Isle to aid Elisara, as per the request on Larelle’s letter that reached him late last night.
Elisara appeared to have lost control over her shadowed soldiers, who had invaded not only the settlements of Garridon, but Keres and Nerida too.
Caellum and Sadira had one moment together at sunrise, but by the time the sun was signalling the beginning of afternoon, they would set sail for the Unsanctioned Isle.
“Ready?” Sir Cain asked. Caellum looked up at the sky as eight birds soared past the clouds. Eight hawks, one for each member of his family. As the birds settled behind him on the treeline, where his bride waited, Caellum smiled. The largest one seemed to watch him closely.
“Ready,” Caellum breathed. Sir Cain nodded, and music wove amongst the flowers, along with the many butterflies floating into view.
Caellum straightened the lapels of his forest green jacket.
He wanted to reach for the crown atop his head and check that was straight too, but a breeze brushed Sadira’s scent towards him and wrapped around his heart: roses and morning dew.
She was near. Sir Cain squeezed his shoulder, and Caellum turned.
During the time he had known Sadira, the king had described her in many ways: beautiful, breathtaking, ethereal.
Yet as Caellum’s eyes watered, he could not think of a single word in existence that captured the woman who had claimed his heart forever.
Sadira was the first breath of countryside air, calming his whole being, and the first glimpse of spring flowers to signal a beautiful day.
Sadira was both the rise of the sun and the power of rainfall; she was his beginning, end, and his constant in the unknown. Sadira was simply everything.
Caellum did not blink back his tears as he watched his queen.
She held a bouquet of irises in one hand, perfectly plucked from the surrounding field, while her other was looped with Taryn’s arm as he escorted her down the makeshift aisle.
Taryn faded from view, though, for Caellum only had eyes for Sadira as she glided through the flowers.
Her gown appeared white from afar, but as she approached, he saw it was the palest sage.
Caellum smiled. It matched the dress he had first seen her in as she had exited the carriage in Garridon for the very first time.
The dress cinched at her waist, while the bodice accentuated her chest just so.
White lace patterned its structure, fanning out into off-the-shoulder sleeves.
The numerous, bunched folds where her skirts met her bodice cascaded into silk, embellished with white lace in the pattern of flowers.
Caellum’s gaze trailed Sadira until they locked eyes.
She beamed. Her curls hung over her shoulders, pulled back by what he knew would be a single green ribbon that matched the green of her eyes.
A few curls were left to frame her face, and the crown of Garridon rested atop her golden hair, as it rightly should.
The sun finally began to crest over the clifftops, it bathed Sadira in a warm, golden light.
A breeze rustled through the irises, and a flight of white butterflies fluttered around the soon-to-be Queen of Garridon, whose delicate laugh melted into the music.
Taryn bowed to the king and extended his arm for Sadira to move her hand from his to Caellum’s.
The pair turned to face one another in the centre of the archway.
Behind them, Sir Cain stood with an open book.
Caellum did not need to say she looked beautiful.
He knew Sadira was aware as he watched her, mesmerised.
Biting her lip, she glanced down briefly with a smile before looking up at Caellum again.
“We are gathered here today in intimate company to bless the marriage of Caellum Balfour, King of Garridon, and Sadira Mordane, soon to be Queen of Garridon. I have only wed two people before, two people who meant just as much to me as the two of you do now, not only to myself but the entire realm.” Caellum smiled.
“So, I will read the sacred words I once recited at your parents’ wedding.
” Caellum tore his gaze from Sadira to look at Sir Cain.
Emotion brimmed in his commander's eyes, and a slight crack broke his voice as the eight birds settled atop the archway above.
“ Do you promise to nurture your marriage with the same intent the god of this realm once did in its creation?” At the same time, Sadira and Caellum said, ‘“I do,” prompting Sir Cain to continue his questioning until all but one remained unanswered.
“When your union faces stormy weather that might threaten to uproot all you have created together, do you promise to brace through that storm, side by side? When sickness invades the mind or body of the other, do you promise to be a healer, comforter, and friend? Do you promise to love one another from this day until your dying breath?”
“I do,” Sadira and Caellum said for the final time, a smile on both of their faces. A sniff sounded from behind, where Taryn stood watching his king and now queen.
“It is my… greatest honour”—Sir Cain no longer hid his emotion as tears clogged his throat—“to pronounce you husband and wife, king and queen, partners in this life and the next. Cal.” Sir Cain grinned.
“You may kiss your queen.” Caellum wasted no time in solidifying the display of his marriage and his hands gripped Sadira’s waist as he pulled her into him, prompting her to lock her hands behind his neck, bringing them closer.
When their lips interlocked, he wished they could stay in this moment forever.
***
The crashing waves against the cliffs below almost drowned Sadira’s laughter as strawberry juice dripped down her chin. Caellum caught the drip with his finger before it could fall and stain her chest. Sadira watched him lick the red juice from his fingertip.
“I could not eat another thing,” she sighed, shifting to lie on the blanket.
Caellum pushed aside the platter of Sadira’s favourite foods: strawberries, honey cakes, peaches, and jam-coated pastries.
Downing the remnants of the sparkling celebratory wine, he lay down beside her, and together, they stared up at the sky as it slowly lost its pink hue.
It would not be long before they had to abandon their moment of blissful solitude.
“There is a tradition in the Wiccan culture on days like this,” Sadira murmured, tracing circles on Caellum’s hand.
He hummed in silent question, watching the clouds float above them.
“Each family presents a piece of fabric from their home. The pieces are woven together and tied around the couples’ hand, signifying the creation of a new family.
” A sad lilt entered Sadira’s voice at the word family as the realisation dawned—they only had each other.
His family were gone, and Sadira had yet to untangle her many thoughts and feelings about Soren.
Not wanting Sadira to feel the absence of her family, Caellum reached for his jacket and tore off the sleeve.
After ripping it again to form one longer strip of green velvet, he turned on his side and dangled the fabric between them.
“Will this do?” he asked. Sadira’s eyes watered, but she grinned and reached for the hem of her dress.
Caellum did not laugh at her frustration.
Instead, he dropped his piece of fabric and reached for her gown, easily tearing off a small strip.
“Show me.” Caellum wiped at Sadira’s stray tear, and then lay back on his side, watching the sunrise behind her, depicting his queen as a painting he would hang in every room of their castle.
Sadira gently knotted the two pieces of fabric together and pulled Caellum’s hand from his side, balancing it in the air between them.
She traced the lines on his palm before sliding her hand into his and wrapping the fabric around them, securing the knot under Caellum’s wrist with a giggle.
“It is not as easy without an extra pair of hands.” Yet she continued wrapping until it was complete.
“And so, the Mordane and Balfour families are bound together. My home is your home, my heart is your heart, and my life is yours from this day until we part.” Sadira leant down to Caellum to place a gentle kiss on his lips, one which quickly deepened.
“We may not have our families,” Caellum murmured as Sadira pushed him onto his back and crawled on top of him.
“But this celebrates us, the family we have become and will be.” Caellum wove his hand into her hair, prompting a groan from Sadira as she lifted the skirts of her dress to press against him with more ease.
Caellum tightened his grip on her hair before trailing it down her body to drift under her skirts, clenching the soft skin of her thighs.
Sadira pulled back. Her breathing was rushed as hair fell over one shoulder, and a glow returned to her eyes.
A shadow fell over them as Sadira grew a row of bushes behind the pair, shielding them from view until it was only them in the field of irises on the cliffs overlooking the ocean.
“I love you,” Sadira murmured, resting a palm against his cheek. Caellum kissed her before pulling back.
“I will love you for eternity. There is no war, no threat of darkness, no death that could ever keep me from holding you in my heart forever. And when we are but seeds returned to the earth, I will find you again. Our love will bring us together in every lifetime.”
Sadira deepened their kiss and brushed her hands against Caellum’s as he stroked her inner thighs.
She reached for the waistband of his trousers and gripped him, trailing kisses along his neck.
He inhaled sharply and squeezed Sadira’s hand, still bound to his.
She moved back and forth over him, a tantalising depiction of what was yet to come.
A delicate sigh drifted from Sadira’s lips as she lowered herself onto him, causing Caellum’s eyes to roll back in pleasure.
And when he finally opened his eyes again, he saw Sadira’s crown glinting in the rising sun as she rose and fell above him: his wife, his queen— his .
When she opened her eyes, they softly glowed, but no sign of her power manifested.
He did not question it, even when the glow matched the shimmer to her skin.
Caellum simply watched his queen, savouring every moment.
Gripping harder onto Sadira’s hip, he let her show just how much she loved him.