"Fitting wife."
She didn't hear them over the pounding of her own heart. As she closed in on Baran, she caught a movement from the corner of her eye. Isao stepped toward the priest from the side of the room, and moved forward, matching her pace. They arrived together, completing the symbolism of two people from different parts of life coming together.
Baran held both hands over his head. "The wedding ceremony shall begin."
He intoned deeply in the ancient mystic language, his words a guttural sing-song that flowed like water. It washed through the chapel and over those in attendance, and Ren feared the chant would take her heart with her.
Her thoughts wandered, although she vaguely tracked the ceremony in the back recesses of her mind. She murmured when appropriate, and gave her hand to Isao halfway through the ceremony. But when she felt ice-cold fingers, she startled, and became fully conscious of the ceremony’s goings-on.
At least she didn't have to look in Isao’s eyes to know how he felt, she thought.
"Ren of the Nari Clan and Isao of the Hiwan Clan, I unite you and your people in marriage."
The finality of the words resounded through Ren like the vibrations of a gong. Ren sucked in a sharp breath, certain her heart would shatter at any moment. When the new couple turned to face the chapel, a happy cry rippled through the room. Fireworks flew through the air in orange and red spirals, exploding just before the rafters of the chapel with a spray of sparks. White doves scattered, released from cages at the very front of the room. The birds flapped past Ren, their movement past stirring strands of her hair. Bells began to ring, and in the distance, a subtle cry arose from the streets of the imperial city.
Isao leaned in close.
"We will walk together," he murmured. "The Path of the Sun and Moon will be quick, I think."
She nodded once.
Those attending stood with warm smiles as the newlyweds passed, heading down the flower-lined path and back into the castle. Once there, Isao navigated his bride through a short passageway before they entered the streets of the city together.
A wild raucous of cheers from those standing on the sides of the streets met them. Isao pasted a smile on his face, and Ren attempted to appear happy too. Her hand grew clammy resting on top of Isao's, but he said nothing as he led her into the path cleared for them. They turned to the right first, heading onto the prepared road that would lead them in a circuit around An Wan.
"Ren," Isao murmured under his breath, keeping his gaze straight. "You are a lovely bride."
His voice trembled a little, as if he had to force the words out.
Ren blinked. "Thank you."
The highly trained Karu unit waited outside, lining the street in a parade of honor. Emerald and gold tunics fluttered off their shoulders. The symbol of a winged lion filled their chests, wooden clogs, and the ceremonial hat that resembled a lions mane. Ren flinched when the first Karu soldier bent at the waist as she passed, murmuring, “I swear to serve you to the death.”
“Who are they?” she whispered to Isao.”
“The Karu. It is an honorary rank to those with exceptional willpower and skill with their special bushi sword. They are charged with defending the heart of the imperial city.”
Ren bowed her head to the closest Karu soldier and continued on.
Ren and Isao moved through the city without another word, smiling, nodding, and waving to the revelers in the street. Ren's stomach felt as if it was boiling and bubbling inside her, but she tried to disregard it.
When they completed the circuit around the city on the path, the leaders of the Nari and Hiwan Clans greeted them near the chapel again.
"Congratulations," Saemon said, his voice ringing down the hall. "You make a beautiful couple. Now that your trip on the Path of the Sun and Moon has been completed and the Imperial city has met the lovely Ren, you are expected at the feast in your honor in the great hall."
Ren's mother reached out to squeeze her hand.
Ren bowed to her new father-in-law, and with Isao at her side, followed him down the stone corridor and toward the celebration of her new life.
Saemon
"It is my utmost joy to present to the newlyweds what must surely be the greatest gift of all: Dhul powder."
Kenzo Ameya's eyes sparkled as he smiled. Standing at the banquet table with all eyes trained on him, he tapped on top of a jar he'd pulled from a container sitting on the ground next to him. Isao accepted it as his father passed it across the table, and momentarily studied its contents with a furrowed brow.
"This powder must be burned at the end of the banquet," Kenzo continued. "Why, you may ask? Because the rare, aromatic blend of the Dhul flowers will bring in – and solidify – the bonds now formed between the Nari and Hiwan Clans. What blessing could be greater at such a time as this?"
Saemon peered at the shifting, light-blue powder inside one of the glass jars that Kenzo Ameya now held high above Ren and Isao. The glittering light from nearby candles caught the glass of the jars and glinted.
Kenzo grinned at the new couple, giving a courtly bow as he set the glass container back on the table where Ren studied it with what appeared to be a pleased expression. She murmured something unintelligible to Saemon, words he assumed, upon spotting Kenzo's bright smile, to be ones of gratitude.
"May the happiest of blessings flow into your marriage," Kenzo declared as he reached for a nearby glass, holding it aloft. "A toast for the happy couple! Let us hold our glasses to the sky and ask for the blessings of the Sacred Triad to rest upon their beautiful shoulders. To Isao and Ren!"
An answering murmur rolled through the rest of the attendees at the feast. Saemon held his own glass high, then tossed the wine into the back of his mouth and swallowed.
Conversation throughout the hall dissipated into smaller discussions as Kenzo returned to his seat, beaming. The fluid roll of voices drifted above the table, stretching through the room. Only Ren and Isao seemed oblivious to the cheer of the celebration and the loosening effect of the premier wine.
The couple sat with stoic expressions and fixed smiles. They would spend two more nights apart before solidifying their new marriage.
Saemon kept a close eye on the conversations at the main table between the representatives of the different clans. He tracked the participants’ facial expressions carefully. Any sort of disagreement would not be welcome after so much work and attention.
He was momentarily distracted by the bustle of servants in and out of the main doors of the room bearing platters loaded with food. Bowls of leeks in a buttery sauce. A rich and creamy clam soup that would slip down the throat like silk. Plates of sweet rice mixed with coconut flakes and served with a mashed fruit compote. The resulting scent was enough to bring an air of merriment to the room.
As nothing seemed amiss in the faces of the servants or the stewards, Saemon relaxed, tuning back into the conversations around him at the table.
"It's unfortunate, isn't it?" Tieng Shorguz said.
He'd replaced the satchel he'd worn on his arrival with a pristine white vest, although he still wore his leather pants – the trademark of the Beast from the Uma clan. In honor of the celebration, however, he wore no visible knives.
"Unfortunate?" echoed Gavan Jenzud. His forehead furrowed. Compared to Tieng, Gavan looked like a mole with his hunched shoulders and beady eyes. "What's unfortunate during such a lovely event?"
Tieng shrugged, playing with the stem of his wine glass. "No one experiments with dangerous magic anymore. The Shurans did the world a disservice by dying during the Horat-Vu war. No one can really explore darker magic like the Clan of the Spiders did. Or at least, no one has the courage to anymore."