Page 25 of The Witch’s Fate (The Lunaterra Chronicles #13)
RYKER
W hat will come, I don’t know.
Whether I will return to the battlefield or whether war will end.
Whether I’ll have to leave my mate or whether she will come with me.
But what I do know is that this moment is one I never thought I would have, let alone one I could dream.
And I will cherish it as every love should be cherished.
With cheers and loud masses, the wedding celebration spills outside the city gates.
Banners fly on the city walls, their colors bright and fresh in the sun.
People of all walks of life have come from miles and miles away.
From different lands and of all ages. It’s as if a new city has sprung up outside the walls, filling in every blank space in the small villages that already huddle close to the city.
There are hundreds of tents and wagons and firepits. Pots and pans clang and merchants shout about their wares, so many voices that it’s hard to make out what they’re saying.
Everything is loud and bright for the royal wedding. And hope is felt in every way for a new day.
It’s made even louder and brighter from the time I spent in the solitude of the country with Idalis. The celebration and bustle is exhilarating. There is only happiness, made even greater with Idalis at my side.
She clings to me. Stoic with her draped hooded dress.
It’s thin but a dark crimson, which complements her pale skin, allowing her to see but hiding her all the same.
She’s lovely even if she attempts to hide.
I heard her cast her spell for protection and for only blessings upon blessings for today.
With her hand in mine, I am sure that is what the day will bring.
I take in the banners and tents and crowded streets. All the excited onlookers milling everywhere. Children running and playing games. Men and women laughing together.
And, for the first time…I think of my own wedding.
Glancing down at my mate, I wonder if she will want one.
I wouldn’t have a wedding so large. My wedding, I think, would be suited to me and Idalis.
A gathering of our closest friends, perhaps, in the rolling fields near her home.
Dinner and dancing afterward. We would not draw crowds like this, and for that I am glad.
My friends will love her. She’s a vision in her gown that flows down to her feet.
My pack…when I see them again, will love her as well.
That time will come soon as I’ve written to let them know that I have found a mate.
My throat tightens as emotions overwhelm me, and I push them down.
Everything will come in time, that I am sure of.
Idalis looks around, wide-eyed, at the joyful chaos around us, her hair flowing down her back in curls and her cheeks pink with excitement. Although she may not want others to see her, she certainly enjoys seeing others.
It’s been quite a long time since she was in a crowd of this size.
I let her take her fill. Then, when she bites her lip, I pull her into my arms and hold her close. Nothing compares to her. Not the cities or the celebrations or the grand displays.
I know that she’s nervous, because inside the city walls, there are more people waiting for us. My commander Jorge. The prince and the princess…although I have been told something has changed. Many of my comrades.
“They will all love you,” I promise her.
“I’m the witch who is so frightening she must live alone. So powerful she should be feared.” She smiles, letting out a nervous laugh. Apprehension shines in her eyes.
“You don’t live alone anymore,” I point out. “And you are lovely. Many lovely people wish to live in solitude.”
“Do they?” she teases. “Are you sure about that?”
“I have enjoyed my solitude with you.”
She tips her face up to mine for a kiss. “Don’t leave my side, please.”
“I would never,” I swear to her. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” Idalis answers.
She lifts herself on tiptoes for one more kiss before we step inside to join the celebrations.
The kiss seems to go on forever, and I wouldn't mind if it did. It is a kiss shared with every part of me.
My soulmate.
My fated lover.
Mine forevermore.
My powerful little witch.