She blushed and reached to smooth her skirts, trying to divert their attention.
“Are ye ready to walk down?” Liam asked, offering her his arm.
Taking it, she nodded. Errik reached for the bundle of wildflowers sitting on the dresser and handed them to her, completing her look, before he took her other arm. Together, the three of them walked through Murray Castle towards the Great Hall.
Paintings and tapestries were rehung all over the place. Fresh candles awaited the flame in every sconce and holder they passed. The sound of bagpipes started, silencing the crowd andechoed through every room in the castle, singing the song of sweet freedom and love.
“I only wish yer parents were here to see this. I just ken that they would be so proud of ye.”
Errik's words brought tears to her eyes that she quickly blinked away.
“Even though they cannae be, having ye two beside me is the next best thing.”
Liam leaned in to press a kiss to her cheek. A new song started and the oversized doors to the Great Hall wrenched open, revealing her to the clan.
It was just as Brid and Iona had said; every member of the clan had turned up for the wedding. Along with the majority of the MacKenzie Clan being there, it meant that there wasn't a single seat left in the Hall. Several men were lined along the back wall, having crowded in, refusing to miss out on such an event. Her eyes scanned the room, incredibly nervous at the number of eyes staring back at her. There were more people than she had ever seen. She hardly knew what to do with herself.
Halfway down the aisle, she found familiar faces looking back at her. Eloise sat with her uncle and aunt, each of them giving her wide smiles. It was quite the change from the normally downturned look Eloise had worn since the battle at the Lost Valley. Losing her betrothed had hurt Eloise so much that she had stayed tucked away with Flora's aunt and cousin. Watching her slowly come back into the world was a balm for Flora. Seeing her here was even more special. The pride in her uncle's grin brought tears to Flora's eyes. He had once only seen her as a disappointment, a burden. And now he looked at her as though she were the best thing to have ever happened to him. Behind his deep brown eyes, there was something that looked almost like her father. The grief and sorrow that accompanied that thought had her nearly tripping over herself. She so wishedthat her parents could have been here, and could have seen what she became. Flora nearly stopped walking all together.
“One foot in front of the other,” Liam whispered. “Look ahead of ye. Keep yer eyes on where ye are going and everything will be just fine.”
She did as she was told and focused her attention on the dais standing squarely in front of her, taking up the center of the room. Atop it, Seamus was standing, waiting for her. His hair had been braided out of his face as well, tied off at the nape of his neck, leaving only a rogue strand out that draped across the top of his forehead. Freshly shaved, his jaw stood out, strong and determined. The rest of his demeanor matched. Draped in the Murray tartan, he wore a dark blue shirt underneath, tying in nicely with her pale blue dress. His boots shone from the polish one of the stable boys had insisted on giving them. His sword gleamed in the light, the hilt shining out from the leather sheath that housed the rest of the blade. And then there was his crown. Tucked firmly on the top of his head, a simple gold ring carved with filigree signified him as their leader. The sight of it all together was nearly enough to make her knees buckle.
Yet, all of that faded away once their eyes met. Locked in on each other, Flora felt like she had finally found the thing she had spent her whole life searching for—home. His bright blue eyes spoke of love and delight without him needing to say a word. Though, he did manage to whisper in her ear once Errik and Liam had finished their job of escorting her to the dais.
“Ye are captivating. Breathtaking. For a moment, I could have sworn that ye were an angel. I am still nae convinced that is nae the truth.”
She flashed him a broad smile, pleased at his reaction.
“Ye are nae so bad yerself,” she flirted.
Before they could say anything else, the priest began the ceremony. Speaking of lifelong commitments and the trials theymay face, he urged them to remain true to each other. Flora doubted they would have any problems with that, considering all they had just gone through together. When it came time to say the vows, Seamus went first, his voice ringing out loud and clear for the entire room, the entire clan to hear. He wanted to make it known that he was claiming her to everyone and was not shy in doing so.
“From this day forward, ye will be my wife. I will guard ye with everything within me, including my body if necessary. I will love ye with every piece of my soul. And I will claim ye as my own until my dying breath.”
She repeated his pledge, the sanctity of the words weighing just as heavily on her shoulders now as they had the first time they had been spoken.
The ring came next, and when Seamus reached in his pocket to pull hers out, she couldn't help but open her mouth in shock at the size of the gem he presented. It was an icy blue oval that took up the length of her finger. The stone was rough and unpolished, but was the exact same shade as Seamus' eyes. It was the most stunning thing she had ever seen. She couldn't believe it was hers, even after he slipped onto her hand.
“It was my mother's. She would have wanted ye to have it,” he explained in a whisper.
She smiled softly, knowing just how much it meant to him, meant to both of them, for her to wear something that would remind them of his mother and all she had sacrificed to save them.
When the priest announced them as husband and wife, the entire room let out a great cheer, so loud that Flora couldn't hear for several minutes. That didn't stop the smile on her face, nor did it stop Seamus from sweeping her up and kissing her fully, getting another round of cheers from the room.
She could feel just how pink her face was when he pulled away. Brid and Connor were the first to congratulate them, with Connor pressing a chaste kiss on her cheek and Brid hugging Seamus tightly. The couple switched, with the girls embracing each other while Connor and Seamus shook hands before slapping each other on the back. Finn and Iona were next.
“I am grateful to be able to call ye family,” Iona whispered in her ear during their hug.
The sight of Finn and Seamus sharing a brotherly hug nearly brought tears to Flora's eyes. She never thought it would happen, but it had.
Errik and Liam were next, shaking Seamus' hand while giving him none too thinly veiled threats before they turned and spun Flora is a giant hug each.
Her family was next in line.
“I only wish that yer parents could be here to see ye, Flora,” her uncle whispered in her ear as he wrapped her up in a tight hug.
He went on to murmur some threats to Seamus about Flora's happiness that Flora and her aunt could only laugh at. She got an equally big hug from all of her cousin, along with a handful of compliments that all made her blush from the attention.
