At this, North and Vali exchanged both rings and swords, as was customary.
Vali slipped the intricate woven band of silver onto her finger, tiny gemstones in the shape of leaves and flowers glittering between the interlaced bands. It was beautiful.
She placed a simple gold band on his finger. There would be a time to tell him the significance of the band, but not yet.
Like he could feel its power, he stared with awe, eyes glassy, matching her own feeling of warmth towards the male in front of her. She blinked away the moisture.
The priestess gave them a secret smile as she held their hands in hers.
“This union, and your love, is blessed.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, a thread of untouched magic wrapped around their joined hands, the runes flaring to life once more, and for a moment, a stirring emerged from deep within North’s soul. She blinked and it was gone.
Vali’s presence entwined with hers, their threads of fate weaving together.
Vali’sattentionneverstrayedfrom his bride for long, her royal air in full force as she drank demurely from her glass of sparkling wine. Her straightened spine was inches away from resting against the back of her chair.
That could not be comfortable.
The first time he saw her that day, walking towards her at their ceremony, he wanted to run. To her.
Before their Dreamroot trial, he was so scared of failing. He had this overwhelming feeling of heartache at the thought of losing her. When their vows were complete and their souls joined, he almost couldn’t control himself, so entranced was he by her.
The feeling was strange, as he’d never thought of her in that way before. He and North had been in and out of each other’s lives for centuries. She was beautiful, of course, but walking down that aisle, knowing she was about to be his ... It changed something.
It had taken every ounce of his self-control not to whisk her away then and, again now at this very moment, to his bedchamber.
Though they hadn’t discussed it, it was customary for a wedded couple to consummate their marriage, paying homage to the gods thatblessed their union. Freyja herself would roll in her grave if a couple did not fulfill their most basic instincts to join physically with one another.
As if North could hear his thoughts, all her queenly disposition fell away under his eyes.
He saw the female there, strong and vulnerable, capable and in need. Of course, he could also see what others saw—the cold queen, formal, just, but unwavering in her convictions.
She was more than that. He understood the facade of the crown better than anyone—he bore it as well. The weight of his own crown now heavy on his brow.
The rest of the evening went by in a blur, from toasts at the supper, the delicious food, and his brothers dancing with his new bride, to finally being able to hold her himself. Vali didn’t take it personally that she was rigid in his arms, keeping a respectable distance and unable to hold his gaze.
She bowed gracefully to their guests, and when they paraded into the streets to greet his—their—people, she waved and threw petals and flowers with her magic to the elflings who had come to celebrate them. He caught her small smile as she interacted with the little ones, the only emotion she’d shown since their ceremony.
As he knew she would, she abided the festivities like a queen, and when he closed the door to his chamber, shutting out the world, she stood gracefully with her hands clasped together, looking out the window.
His steps were silent as he took his place beside her, hands firmly in his pockets. He dug his fingers into his thighs so he wouldn’t reach out.
Though his instincts were to claim his wife, his other senses kept him from acting on his baser needs.
“Do you think they were there?” she asked quietly, her eyes sad. He didn’t need a bond to know who she meant.
“I don’t know. I would hope that my mother and father were able to watch from Valhalla above.”
He didn’t say anything about her parents, as they were likely in Hel. There was no interaction between the living and the souls that were banished there, no way for the souls to keep an eye on the living.
She took a deep breath like she was attempting to dispel the sadness that enveloped her, turning to him.
“Did you enjoy yourself today?”
Vali cleared his throat. “I did. And you?”
“Yes, it was lovely.”
