“It’s that too.”
“I must say I don’t quite understand why we need to be dressed identically.”
“It’s just the way it is,” she stated.
“In your old world,” I told her. “We’re not in your old world. Since both Finnie and Circe are bound to this world everlasting, in order that they can be her bridesmaids, my-world Circe is marrying Dax in Lunwyn.”
“Yeah, but she’s giving him his kind of wedding seeing as they’re doing the Justice of the Peace thing when they get back home.”
I knew of this “Justice of the Peace thing.”
But for Noc and I to “make it legal,” at the inflexible demands of his stepmother, my dearest Jo (who was, indeed, very vexed Noc and I had wed without her), and even Valentine (who had reunited with her lover amongst great drama and had become quite the romantic, in a detached way, of course) we had not gone to a Justice of the Peace and then gone somewhere else to have some cake, as Noc shared with them at first we would do (to a calamitous uprising).
We’d had a “shindig.”
A large one.
I got a very fabulous dress out of the situation and we were showered with gifts that were all very lovely, even if we could afford to buy them ourselves. Not to mention, having this gave us an excuse to go on what was called a “honeymoon.” This we did in a tranquil place filled with astounding beauty called the “Caribbean” where we were able to make love on a blanket on a sandy beach with the sea lapping at our toes (amongst other places, a number of them).
The door opened and my brief conversation with Cora was interrupted when my husband entered the room.
All eyes, including mine, Cora’s, Maddie’s, Finnie’s, Circe’s, Aurora’s, Josette’s, and the bride—the other Circe (attired in a dress that was far more becoming than my own)—went to him.
His eyes came to me.
I saw his face go soft, his gaze drop to my gown and his lips tip up before his attention turned to the bride.
A bride he was “giving away.”
Although this was said to be against all tradition, Jo was not only my maid of honor at our other-world ceremony, she’d also walked me down the aisle and placed my hand in Noc’s.
She’d done this sobbing.
Like a ninny.
Gods love her.
“Is he ready?” Circe asked Noc as he approached.
“Babe, you don’t haul your ass into that sanctuary and soon, Dax is gonna tear in here and drag you down the aisle himself,” Noc answered.
Me and my friends all gave each other knowing, delighted looks.
Circe gathered her skirts and her bundle of adela tree twigs and bustled to Noc, declaring, “Then we must go. Dax impatient is not a good thing.”
“Dax impatient to make you his wife is probably a great deal worse,” I shared.
Circe gave me big eyes.
Even so, I noted they were glowing and happy.
Oh yes.
Yes.
I did so enjoy when a carefully crafted scheme succeeded.
At Finnie’s command, we all collected the arrangements of flowers we were to hold in our hands, and we lined up in order to start the proceedings.
I was the last in line before Circe and Noc.
Jo had been my maid of honor but Circe had also stood up with me.
And I was to be Circe’s maid of honor and Josette was also to stand up with her.
And an honor it was.
Indeed.
As we’d been told (and actually practiced the night before, for reasons beyond me—we were all walking down an aisle and then standing at the front of the pews, listening as the Vallee droned on and on, it was hardly worth the military-style drilling Finnie forced us through), we filed out and did as we’d practiced.
We all got to the front and took our places opposite Dax, who was standing alone wearing a well-cut suit, looking impatient (and looking that frighteningly).
He was scowling down the aisle (like Circe was going to do anything but maybe throw decorum to the wind and run down the aisle to him), waiting for the doors Noc and Circe were to come through when something not practiced happened.
This was Frey’s booming voice ordering, “Stand!”
I looked to Jo at my side and then watched as the meager audience (the outside of the Dwelling was heavily guarded, there were two Noctornos, two Dax Lahns and two Circes in that room and it wouldn’t do for anyone who shouldn’t to see that).
After all stood, suddenly, filing in from the side, came Frey’s men. As they moved along the back wall to the aisle, Frey fell in in front of them.
We then saw Apollo’s closest soldiers following Frey’s, led by Apollo.
When they traversed the aisle, Lahn and Tor got out of their pews and joined the men.
They marched up the aisle before Noc even guided Circe into the sanctuary.
When they made it to the front, they lined up around the bridesmaids and to the other side around Dax, turning and standing almost what appeared to be at attention, watching as my husband finally guided Circe into the room and slowly walked the bride down the aisle.
I reached out a hand and found Jo’s, hers already searching mine.
We held on as we watched Circe’s lips quiver while she made her approach, taking in the assemblage in front of her, a woman who was once violently stripped of everything, her family, her virtue, her freedom. She’d had no one to whom to turn. No one she could trust.
And now she had the armies of four countries at her back and six sisters at her side.
I felt my own tears welling when suddenly, the room filled with green.
“Fabulous.” I heard Frey mutter sardonically.