Holly
velvet ribbon around Liam and Rose’s wrists, speaks the ceremonial words, which they repeat, and then pronounces them man and wife.
It’s both a joy and a privilege to witness my sister’s happiness, but I weep tears for my mother, who would have given anything to be with us today.
As I talk with well-wishers after the ceremony, Gade watches me, and the entire village watches him—the impressive cloth trader who possesses a rude amount of unearthly beauty, which is how my next-door neighbor described him. Little does she realize how accurate her words are. If he removed his glamor and revealed his true princely visage, she’d likely have a seizure.
“Why do you cry?” the aforementioned prince asks, angling my chin up with his finger. “Has someone offended you? If so, point them out, and I’ll smite them to stone where they stand.”
“Gade, no. No smiting today, please. I miss my mother, that is all.”
He nods and, thankfully, doesn’t murder any of my neighbors.
When our turn comes, we congratulate my sister and her brawny new husband. The sour twist of Liam’s mouth as he inspects Gade tells me he’s not at all pleased to be upstaged by a handsome stranger. But Rose laughs and kisses his scowl away.
Sweet bread and mead are passed through the gathering. Gade swigs from my cup, then splutters and coughs. “Do not drink that. It’s terrible and likely poisoned.”
Beside us, the blacksmith and his family frown and whisper amongst themselves.
“He has a cold and refuses to take my remedy,” I tell them. “He can’t taste a thing.”
They raise their eyebrows and smile.
Gade draws my back against his chest, his breath rustling the flowers in my hair. “My sweet, delicious little liar.”
“Jealous of my skill?” I ask.
“Yes, and it will be an extremely useful talent for a Seelie queen to possess. Holly, I have much I wish to say to you, words of love I should have spoken long before you left my land. I need to rectify that as soon as possible.”
“Yes, the sooner the better,” I agree, my words drowned out by the cheers of the crowd.
Liam gives a touching speech about Rose’s good heart, her steadfastness, and the deliciousness of her smile, and I break my bread in half and pass it to Gade. He chews for a long time, his face tight with disgust. I bite my lip and stifle my laughter.
Rose kisses Liam, then holds their joined hands aloft. She whoops loudly, then takes off at a run, and all the guests, including myself and a confounded fae prince, chase after her. When we catch her and begin to tear strips from her apron made for this custom, Gade steps back from the mob, gripping my hand tightly and tugging me with him.
“Must everyone have a taste of her to mark the ceremony?” he asks.
“No, it’s a tradition and good luck to obtain a piece of a bride’s clothing. Nobody wants to maim her.”
“And I am glad of it. I was about to draw my sword and cut them all down.”
Liam swings Rose onto a stone bench, kneels before her, and lifts her dress. Gade grunts in surprise, raising an eyebrow at me. As my sister’s garter is removed and tossed to the crowd, he whispers, “I hope you do not expect me to do this at our wedding. In Faery, it would start a riot.”
I snort a laugh and elbow his ribs. “Remind me, did I actually agree to marry you?”
“It matters not, Holly sweetest. Before long, a faery bride you shall be.”
We eat and dance and sing, and as the moon rises, a procession forms that snakes its way around the village and ends in the main bedroom of our cottage.
We women divest Rose of her outer garments, and the men do the same to Liam. Flowers, dried and fresh, are strewn over the couple as they sit upright in bed, laughing and smiling back at us, then we draw the curtain and leave them to their wedding night.
Flasks of mead are passed around and jokes and songs hollered as the lovers consummate their vows. At the end of a particularly graphic song, I risk a glance at Gade, who hasn’t moved from my side. His glamor flickers, and a young girl across the room stares at his crown of silver, the elongated tips of his ears poking through his raven locks. Jasmin looks on, too, her eyes wide and mouth agape.
“Gade.” I clear my throat. “Your glamor.”
“What about it?” Glowing eyes cut my way. “You don’t like it? I specifically chose gold and crimson for the rather plain doublet because I know you are fond of me in these colors.”
“How could you know that?”
He chuckles. “When I’m in your company, I pay great attention, Holly. I notice when your eyes darken. I hear every hitch in your breathing, every skipped beat of your heart, every—”
“Your glamor, Gade, it isn’t holding. Do you want everyone to know a faery stands among them?”
One shoulder shrugs. “In truth, I would not mind.” Then he stares at the shine of his silver-tipped black boots and the butter-soft dark leather hugging his thighs. “Oh, I see. The bedding ceremony distracted me. I lost focus.”
“You’re lucky everyone is drunk. Now quickly, put it back.”
He inhales deeply and his glamor stabilizes. “No longer are you allowed to tell me that faeries are barbaric. Mortal marriage traditions would raise a blush on even a river nymph’s cheeks.”
“I suppose that’s fair,” I agree, laughing. “This is because mortal marriages are more often than not about property. They’re business transactions. So we need proof that the girl is a maid to be certain who fathered any forthcoming children.”
“I forget that humans breed like hob rabbits. But… your sister is not a—”
“How can you tell? No, don’t answer that question. Many cheat by making a small cut in their skin and letting the blood drip on the sheets in advance of the bedding ceremony.”
He laughs, then stops abruptly. “Come. We must leave. It’s unbearable having you so close with all this talk of bedding. The desire to touch you consumes me.”
Heat flushes over my skin as I realize what he means. I grip his forearm. “Perhaps I shouldn’t leave Rose so soon after mother’s death… I could stay a few more days.”
“She is safe, and her man is strong and hale. We will visit them soon.”
“We?” I ask. “You’ll come with me?”
“Of course. I cannot keep you safe from another realm.”
“Who killed your uncle?” I whisper. “Was it you or me?”
“Good point,” he concedes as we find Jasmin. She blushes furiously as we say our goodbyes, and I instruct her to kiss Rose and Liam for me and promise her that we’ll return soon. Gade kisses her hand, and her knees buckle.
As we walk into the garden, he says, “Your friend is sweet and fair, but something isn’t right with her. She stares overly.”
“Only at you, and probably because you terrify her. Believe me, there is nothing wrong with Jasmin Petalfeather.” Of course there’s another reason she quakes in Gade’s presence, but I’m not about to inflate his ego any further. It’s big enough already.
“With a name like Petalfeather, are you certain she has no fae blood in her veins? And why in the realms would she be scared of me?” he says with mock innocence.
“It’s a mystery,” I say, rubbing my cheek against his arm like a cat. “How do we return to Faery?”
“The well at the edge of the forest. Ether created a return portal and has left it open. All we need to do is jump.”
“Down the well? No, thank you! You can travel by that dubious method and send Ether back to get me.”
“There’s nothing to fear. Trust me, Holly. When have I led you astray?”
“Many times.”
“In the name of Dana, Mab, and the Elements Five, I would never allow harm to befall you. And should you choose to run, know this—I am faster than you. Much faster.”
We arrive at the well, and he leaps onto the edge and holds his hand out to me. “Come. Take a look.”
“I’ve been wondering… Is it possible for humans and fae to have children together?”
“What an odd question to ask at such a time. Hoping to distract me so you can make a run for it?” A devilish smile curves his lips. “But the answer is yes. And as soon as we return, we’ll begin our attempts in earnest and spend much time practicing.”
Gingerly, I climb up beside him and stare down at the gaping hole. No water shimmers in the moonlight. There’s only a bottomless, black void below.
He huffs a breath. “Since you’re having trouble committing, allow me to assist.”
Without warning, his shoulder digs into my waist, he hefts me over his back, and then jumps.
“Close your eyes, mortal,” he yells.
“You promised not to call me that.”
“Apologies. I look forward to being punished for my transgression.”
His laughter echoes until I pass out, the velvet darkness swallowing me whole.
