Page 199 of Tiger's Dream
“This way, you will always know I speak the truth. It is a sign of my fidelity.”
“Does marriage tempt you to lie to your husband already?” I teased.
Leaning closer, she murmured, “I am assuming, of course, that my husband will never give me cause to lie.”
I laughed. “It’s perfect. Thank you. Can I give you your gifts now?”
Her eyebrow raised. “You have more than one?”
“I do.”
Kadam assisted by taking the items I’d placed in a bag and handing them to me one by one. “The first,” I said, “is a belt woven from phoenix feathers. The new phoenix, Nightfall, offered them as a wedding present. It took me a while to get them to lie straight. It turns out that phoenix feathers are very unwieldy.”
Ana took the gift and stroked the feathers. She lifted her head, her face surprised. “There’s magic in them!” she exclaimed.
I nodded and smiled. “There’s a bit of magic in all my gifts.”
“What’s next?” she asked eagerly, handing the belt to one of the Silvanae women.
Kadam passed me a small seedling in a clay pot. It was only a few inches tall.
“What is it?” she asked, taking the plant.
“A mango tree, or at least it will be someday. It represents our new union, which will hopefully grow as tall and fruitful as this tree.”
She passed the little tree back after touching her fingertip to one of the three quivering leaves. Next, I gave her the gift Lady Silkworm had fashioned from the fabric Nilima had given her. The finely woven veil was the same color green as Ana’s eyes. She lifted it over her head and the fairies helped hold it in place. The fabric shimmered and sparkled with a power of its own. For a moment, I was distracted by the sight of her beautiful eyes framed by the veil.
I cleared my throat. “This one is to replace the traditional mangalsutra. I know it’s a simple thing but I’ll add to it later. The pearls are apparently incredibly hard to find.” Ana smiled and turned so I could fasten the thin chain around her neck. The one black pearl slid down, finding the center of her delicate neck.
“I love it,” Ana said, turning to me and touching the shiny pearl.
“I know none of these are traditional gifts.”
“Ours is not a traditional union,” she said, taking my hands and squeezing. “The greatest gift you will ever give me, Sohan, is the choice you made to stay by my side.”
Clearing my throat, I said, “Last is a ring.”
“But you have already given me one.”
“I’ve modified it.” Closing my hand, I whispered some words and light bloomed between my fingers. When it dimmed, I showed her what lay in my palm. It was the silver ring with vines entwined, but now brilliant emeralds rested between each loop with a large cut emerald in the center surrounded by diamonds. “It’s from the gem you gifted my parents when you visited. Kadam saved it all these years,” I said. “The green is the exact shade of your eyes.”
Ana held out her hand and I slid the ring onto her finger. “It’s perfect,” she said, grasping my hands.
“Right,” Kadam said. “Then, if the two of you are ready, I think it’s time we cap this most auspicious occasion with the groom kissing the bride.”
I gathered Ana close, a smile on my face as I lowered my head, but just as my lips touched hers, she spoke in my mind.
There is one more gift I need to give you, Sohan, she said.
And what is that, Hridaya Patni? I asked, more than a little distracted by our kiss.
She didn’t respond with words. Instead, her mind opened to me. Ana peeled back the layers of her soul, shining beautiful light on everything she had been, all she was, and all she would become. We embraced with all that we were, holding nothing back. With all the barriers stripped away, we discovered one another on levels so deep and so profound that nothing would ever be able to come between us again, sealing forever the bond that had its beginnings so long ago.
Though to the others, the kiss was over in a relatively appropriate time, we’d spun in each other’s arms, drifting through time and space, lost in each other so completely that not even a goddess or her tiger could have found us.
Chapter 38
Wanderer
