He looks at me, and I can’t tell if he wants to kill me or propose again. He leans in, lowering his voice so only the three of us hear. “Why?” he says, and his eyes are so full of hurt I almost feel bad for him. “Why would a human girl choose a king of air over a prince of feasts?”
I swallow, my tongue thick as wool. “Because…” My mind races. I could say love, but that’s a joke. I could say power, but I don’t care about that. I could say survival, but that’s not something you say in front of a man who could snap your neck.
“Because he's one of the few men I think I could be happy with,” I say, and the honesty of it makes me want to cry, because the realization hadn't occurred to me until that minute.
He tilts his head. “Good answer,” he whispers.
Then he straightens, and the whole room seems to suck in its breath.
“I will not take another man’s bride,” Zomas announces, voice echoing off the hedge. “But the gods demand a wedding! If you are to be wed, it will be tonight, before the whole court, and with my blessing!”
The guests explode into noise. The nymphs swoop down on Ashton, pinning a garland to his head. The satyrs stomp so hardthe table splinters. Someone produces a veil and throws it over my face.
Zomas claps his hands. “Prepare the altar! Prepare the rings! Tonight, we join the house of wind with the Chosen One!” He raises his goblet again, and this time the wine sloshes onto the ground. “Let us marry them, and may the goddess herself sing at their bed!”
We jump off the table, where three nymphs grab me and start twirling me around, pinching my cheeks and fixing my hair. Ashton gets swept up in a mob of satyrs, who rip his shirt open and throw flower petals at his bare chest.
Within seconds, the feast is forgotten. Half the guests are moving the table, the other half are setting up a wedding arch made entirely of bones and white roses. Zomas stalks around, barking orders. The nymphs drag me into the center of the clearing, where they start covering me in white and gold. They try to take my bag, but I grit my teeth and keep hold of it.
I catch a glimpse of Ashton through the crowd. His face is pale, but he’s grinning like an idiot. He sees me, and for a second, he winks.
It’s chaos. It’s a circus. It’s a trick, probably.
I look for exits. The hedge is thicker than ever. At each possible break, there’s a satyr or two, arms folded, watching. The message is clear. No one leaves until the gods are satisfied.
One of the nymphs leans close and whispers, “If you run, they’ll hunt you forever.”
I believe her.
The clearing transforms in minutes. The table is gone, replaced by benches and an aisle. At the far end, beneath the wedding arch, Zomas stands, arms wide, ready to officiate. The air hums with tension and wine.
I feel Ashton’s hand slip into mine. His fingers are shaking.
“What do we do?” I whisper, teeth chattering.
“We go along with it,” he says, voice low. “It’s only real if we let it be.”
I nod, but I feel strange. I always imagined if I promised myself to someone for eternity… it'd be real.
We’re marched to the altar by a pair of nymphs. The crowd packs in behind us, leaving no room to breathe. Zomas stands over us, his face solemn and bright.
He starts to speak in the old tongue, voice booming, but I barely hear it over the pounding in my ears. My body is buzzing, not just from the tea, but from fear, from adrenaline, from the sense that if I move wrong I’ll die.
At last, Zomas turns to Ashton. “Do you swear, by wind and word and will, to protect your bride from all that would break her? Even from yourself?”
Ashton’s jaw flexes. He looks at me,reallylooks, in a way no one else ever has, and says, “I swear.”
A weird, hot feeling erupts in my chest. It’s not love, but it’s not not love, either.
Zomas turns to me. “And do you, Alette, swear, by life and earth and endless time, to stand with your groom, to keep his heart safe, to remember him even if the world unravels?”
I say, clear and strong, “I swear.”
The crowd sighs, a sound so soft it’s like wind through grass. The mood shifts, just a little, from farce to something close to holy.
“Now you may say your vows,” Zomas says quietly.
At the right moment, Ashton turns to me and says, “Alette, will you have me, now and forever? Will you let me love you, worship you, and care for you in all ways until my last breath?”
