Page 184 of Enchanted Heir
And not only did I get to marry Krew, but I got to take some of his magic too. I was nervous. I was horrified. But more than anything, I felt ready.
I would not change this even if I could. Krew was...everything. It wasn’t that I wanted to rule the realm with him, it was that I just wanted to do anything and everything with him. I wanted to build a life with him. One that would hopefully last longer than the rest of his father’s life.
“Ready, love?” he whispered at the kitchen door as he put my white jacket which matched my dress around my shoulders.
I was already moving. “Ready.”
He pulled my hand, turning me back into him. “Are you really? Because if you are too nervous or scared about the magic, it doesn’t have to be tonight.”
I giggled. “You let me go through four hours of Silvia getting me looking like this just to offernowfor a do-over?”
His lips turned up at the ends. “I guess I did, but you do look stunning.”
I leaned in to brush a kiss to his lips. “I’ll never be ready for the magic, but I am ready for you, Krew. I’m ready to start my life with you.”
He closed his eyes and gave me a nod before we made our way into the cold and out to the meadow.
Owen and the officiant were already there. The officiant was an older man with gray hair, one of the sages who worked in the royal libraries. Krew had to ask for his help in the past and somewhat trusted him, but just to be sure, he’d also bribed him handsomely to help us tonight.
“Good evening,” the man said with a nod. “My name is John Nottle and I am here—” He paused. “Well, I am here because I have all the proper paperwork to say all the fancy words, but the two of you will be doing all the work.”
I smiled. “Thank you for being here so late.”
He dipped his head in my direction. “You are very welcome, Your Soon-to-be-Grace.”
I caught my breath as Owen busted out laughing at the look on my face. “In an hour you’ll really be a princess, honey. Though the rest of us won’t officially be able to give you those titles for a while.”
I opened my mouth and shut it. “I never thought of that.”
John smiled freely now. “I cannot tell you how refreshing that is to hear. That you are not just after titles and crowns.” He paused. “Or worse... the magic.”
My eyes went to Krew’s. “No, I just want this man. For the rest of my life. That’s all.”
It was fairly dark with only the almost-full moon to light our ceremony, but I didn’t think I imagined the watery sheen in Krew’s eyes.
John gestured with his free hand, the other holding some sort of book. “Then let’s get to it, shall we?” He walked us over to the edge of the meadow to a spot under a massive tree. “This will truly take much less than an hour. You will do your rings and vows, and then we will do the bonding. It’s quite simple and straightforward.”
I took a deep breath. This was it. Every step I’d taken since coming to the castle had led me right here. Right to him.
Maybe fate wasn’t such a prick after all.
Owen had fetched our rings earlier in the day. He had Hatcher purchase them for us from a little shop in Rallis. Later on, I’d get to choose a ring for Krew from the royal jewelry collection, but for now, I had a very basic and simple silver band to slip on his finger. He’d probably only get to wear it for a few hours anyway, so it was mostly just for tradition’s sake.
Owen placed said ring in my palm and I turned toward Krew, grabbing his hand and gently sliding it on the top of his ring finger, stopping right at the knuckle. Then my eyes met his steel blue ones and held on.
“You have been the best thing I have ever tried to avoid.” I laughed. “I do notneeda castle, or a crown, or any of the things this level of the kingdom offers me. I truly do not even need the magic, I just needyou. I choose you, Krew. And I’ll keep choosing you, time and time again. I don’t know what our future holds, but I know every day I’ll spend as your wife is a day well spent.” I smiled. “I promise to help you, likely annoy you, but also love you in every way that I can.” I took a deep breath and swallowed down the emotions rolling through me in waves. “No matter what this cruel world may throw at us, I stand steady next to you. And standing next to you, I know now the darkness never stood a chance. I love you. I vow to love you and protect you, all the days of my life.” I slid the ring the rest of the way down, while still looking into his eyes.
Krew sniffed, swallowed hard, and then took his ring for me from Owen. It again was a simple silver band; our rings matched. And even something about that made my heart burst in my chest, filling me with warmth all over. We matched. The most mismatched couple that had possibly ever graced the kingdom were now going to match.
His eyes locked on mine and he took a step closer, like he couldn’t stand to be even a foot away from me. “I give you this ring and my magic both, every piece of me that I can give to you, I do freely, none of them in any effort to change you,” he paused and brought his other hand up to my cheek, “but to protect you. Because getting to love you has been the greatest ... wellsurprise,” he grinned, “but also the greatest gift of my life. I am honored to get to love you. For as long as my lungs find breath and my veins flow with blood, I vow to love you both fiercely and relentlessly. No matter the distance, from the bottom of the sea to the very peak of this mountain, from the darkest of nights to the lightest of days, I will crawl, fight, and claw my way back to you. Always. I love you. And I vow to love you and protect you, always.”
A tear slipped down my face as he slid the ring the rest of the way down my finger. I’d noted his adjustment to the traditional last words. His vows were far better than mine, and everything I didn’t think I deserved or would ever in a million years hear.
Those words were just words, but wrapped in such a promise of devotion, they were absolutely everything.
John reached out to put a hand on either of our shoulders. “By the power vested in me, Prince Krewan Everett Aiken Valanova and Jorah Collette Demir Valanova, you are now husband and wife.”
Krew didn’t wait a second more before kissing me breathless. He kissed me so long, in fact, that Owen clearing his throat was the only thing that stopped him.
