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Poems of Ecstasy

éLISA

I t only took a month after the Riders’ return from Devansi for Riv and élisa to turn their whirlwind engagement into fast-tracked nuptials.

élisa was even more keen than Riv to amend for the lost years. ‘We’ll cut out twenty-odd years apart and take a few weeks to get married instead of waiting six months or a year.’

‘Planning and executing a wedding in just one month will not be without its challenges, my angel,’ Riv quipped.

Yet somehow, it all came beautifully together with Mirage’s precise organization and support.

Early on the blessed day, the couple slipped away for a civil ceremony at Eden II’s Courts, where J’Kuu Kabi bore the honor of uniting them for life. They repeated vows repurposed from the first covenant they wrote themselves decades earlier.

Only Killen, his two trusty K?str?l companions, Riv’s fellow Riders, and their spouses were present.

For the small, formal event, élisa wore a slim-fit suited jacket with straight-cut large pants in a xentium and gold weave.

At the larger reception on the Rings, she went for a sexier, bustier dress in chrome.

A silver, diamond, and chrome braided arm piece was strapped around her left bicep, trailing down to her hands. More diamond jewelry adorned her waist, right hand, and neck.

Gems sat in her open and wild hair, showing off her Katánian crest and koya feathers that rippled and shone like a true K??nerē bride of Katánian high society.

When Riv pulled her to his side to kiss her forehead, her body was suffused with a longing that raised the temperature in the room. The mere sight of his chiseled face and pale eyes gazing at her with such adoration left her feeling breathless and elevated, as if she were on top of the world.

He wore a fitted silver-colored silk ankle-length Edenite kanzu tunic. Open to the waist to show off his pale, muscled chest, covered with a silver Katánian talisman and jewels.

She devoured him, her eyes raking from the top of his lengthy, flowing silver hair, trimmed silver beard, and captivating mouth. ‘You are my heart’s desire.’

‘Can you say that once more in front of all our waiting guests?’

With a chuckle, Riv squeezed her hand as he led her into the plexiglass pyramid constructed on a vantage point of the two halos that encircled Eden II.

When the couple walked into the venue with over two hundred guests, the place erupted in cheers.

Elisa gasped, grateful for all their friends and guests who’d forgiven her for her actions long ago.

‘Don’t think about it,’ Riv murmured as he saw her eyes cloud with regret. ‘We have each other now, and we have our son.’

His soft chiding helped halt her sorrow, and her eyes turned to Killen, who loomed tall and proud as he shared an ancient Katánian blessing before their much-awaited wedding reception began.

His deep base resonated through the glassed-in atrium, where he stood facing his parents and their guests.

‘ We honor the importance of family.

We celebrate the coming together of two unique cultures.

It is said that through others, we are somebody.

Through this marriage, we broaden our family circle,

We call to mind our heritage and recall those who gave us life.

We remember those of us who have passed over and could not be here today.

We ask that they be with us in our thoughts.

We bless the bride and groom, now wrapped in ecstasy and passion.

So that they may always find prosperity in love and devotion.

We pray that children bless this couple because children give glory to a home.

We honor their friends and fellow Riders.

Whom both Riv and élisa are blessed to have in their lives.

We wish everyone to leave more hallowed than when they came.’

As stars twinkled down on them, Riv smiled into élisa’s eyes and embraced his son in gratitude before turning to their guests.

‘Friends, our love story began seven thousand and seventy nights back when unfortunate events wrenched apart our love story and first wedding. Still, fate brought us back together when we found each other again a few months ago on the other end of Pegasi. Sharing this moment with you, one planned decades ago, is a miracle come true for us. We thank you for waiting with us.’

The guests cheered as Riv raised his glass, first to his radiant wife on one side, then to his strapping, handsome, and fierce son on the other. ‘Evermore.’

‘To eternity,’ the guests replied, intoning an ancient Katánian wedding toast.

The reception celebrated and cherished Riv’s Edenite heritage and élisa’s Katánian origin.

It came together in the table adornments, decor, and lighting, which Mirage designed to reflect the night sky above Katánopolis.

Everyone was dressed to the nines for the auspicious event. Still, for once, the aura of the Riders and their women was overshadowed by the three mammoth Katánian warriors who caused a stir in full Ka??m??r? dress uniform, the most suitable military attire for the wedding of Katánē’s Queen, the KiaMalkia .

In honor of his Mother’s nuptials, Killen decked himself in a gray, black, and gold piped and starched livery, a metal cuirass, and a matching gilded helmet with a sweeping silver and gold crest worn bound on the top.

Kaxim, as the King’s Armorer, wore a scarlet plume, and Kione’s was a deep sable. They each sported long flowing capes made of chrome plumage that concealed razor-like edges sharp enough to slice a man in two. They also acted as impromptu shields, blocking sword and mace blows in the case of an ambush.

While the guests gazed on with wonder at the titanic Ka??m??ric Sāb?r Hawks, they downed traditional cocktails and mouth-watering canapés.

Followed by a sumptuous dinner catered by Kage Sable’s chefs.

It featured a menu that took élisa and Riv down memory lane, recreating the dishes they’d shared as a young couple.

From a decadent soup that was a nod to the simple broths that élisa had made him when they’d first met, to a sizzling noodle stir fry and crab patties reminiscent of the street food they’d enjoyed from their local Pika markets.

Instead of a formal wedding cake, Kage whipped up the most memorable gesture to the couple’s favourite sweet course. The result was a tower of fluffy hot cakes, rich and buttery, with plenty of sync berry syrup to soak in.

They were served with lush Tansinian vanilla ice cream and a dessert bar for those wanting to explore more sweet treats.

Once sated, dancing followed, where everyone gyrated to Xion’s DJ beats until dawn broke over the moonscape.

Riv and élisa danced together, and she smiled, her eyes brimming with happiness and pride as she twirled in her man’s arms.

‘This turned out well,’ élisa said as Riv led her into a smooth spin.

‘It did, didn’t it?’ he said, bending down to sneak a passionate kiss.

‘I’ve never seen you so happy,’ she said with a smile.

‘I am happy,’ he said. ‘Aren’t you?’

‘Beyond.’

‘This is the culmination of everything I ever dreamed of.’

élisa nodded. ‘More than I hoped. I can’t wait to make new memories with you,’ she said.

‘Woman, I have plans to make up for all the years apart. Get ready to anoint every room in our home, woman. Lights out, stroking and reloading over and over again.’

élisa cried out in surprise, which Riv silenced with a long kiss as she melted into him.

A little later, Riv took over the mic to serenade élisa with a rousing poem.

He unfurled a paper from his book of ancient poems and read it out with timbred measure. ‘This time, I wrote this myself. For you, my love.’

‘I yearn for you,

like a ship lost in a storm,

longing for land,

finding only a vast and empty ocean.

I am a man enchanted by a waking dream,

a sorcerer that seeks my heart.

If I attempted to capture this love in writing,

Not even the greatest tomes could contain it all.

Like a withering creature,

I grow gaunt from loving you, élisa.

Your bright mouth and its loveliness,

Your fragrance, the look of you -

So perfect are your teeth that one might mistake

Their whiteness for the palest flower

Cut from a garden of eternal beauty

Where new rains fell, and the trees of Eden flourish

My love, I want to savor your sensuous beauty and grace.

You are like a place where the new grass grows

Where it sways after the blessing of the rain,

When the sun reveals its light.

Your body is lithe and straight of limb.

Your body should always be clothed in fine-spun silken robes.

The curves of your breasts are like plump, round fruit.

Hail, Eden, I will know this bliss again

When the night turns dark,

And I am nestled between her breasts,

My life will be fulfilled.

When I lay down to sleep

I rest, assured, she lies right next to me

Oh, sweet Eden,

May I never be denied my well of happiness.’

The room erupted in cheers and wolf whistles as Riv’s voice trailed away.

He gave élisa a slow, seductive smile as she clapped her hands to her reddened cheeks.

Urged by their guests, she took a slight bow, her face suffused with pleasure.

To his surprise, she stepped forward and nabbed the small mic in his hand. ‘My turn now,’ she announced.

Riv’s brows shot up to his hairline. ‘Is that right?’

‘Stand over there,’ his wife commanded, pointing him to a spot on the dance floor before her. ‘This one’s for you. It’s not one I wrote but an ancient poem I found and fell in love with because it reminded me of you.’

élisa lifted a hand to silence the growing whoops and applause that rose from their guests.

She didn’t consult any book or paper as she spoke low and sweet.

He’s equal to the Gods, that man

Who stands across from me,

Face to face, close enough to sip

His voice’s hoarseness,

Is what excites my mind

His laughter glittering

His silver hair flowing

His pale eyes blazing

His mind an incandescence

Nothing could compare to my King

So, when I see him, for a moment,

My voice goes,

My tongue freezes.

Fire,

Delicate fire in the flesh.

Blind, stunned, the sound

Of thunder, in my ears.

Shivering with sweat and cold

Tremors over the skin,

I turn the color of dead grass,

And I’m an inch from dying.

With love for you, Riv Sable.’

Overwhelmed with emotion, the Rider surged forward to capture her in his arms.

As she folded into his embrace, he leaned down. ‘ Malaíka , your poem was a touching gesture I will never forget. I look forward to love waking me up every day.’

‘I am always an inch from dying around you, Sable. I was, and still am, in love with you, and no one will take my love away.’

‘Evermore for eternity.’