“And do you, King Gideon, accept this woman to be your lawful lady and wife, married and joined by the Medium in all holiness?”
A tear trickled down Collier’s cheek. “Yes,” he said firmly, squeezing her hand in return.
Maia held her breath. She had been waiting for this moment her entire life. Her heart filled with gratitude, and she felt, unseen around them, silent witnesses to the union. Even as children, they had been meant for each other. All that had passed before, all the troubles and doubts and sadness, seemed to melt away.
“Then, as High Seer of the maston order, I join you two in marriage, bound by the dextrarum coniunctio to last beyond death itself. I invoke this Leering to grant you all the Gifts of the Medium. I Gift you both with blessings on your marriage. I Gift you with protection from the Myriad Ones. I Gift you with the perpetual sanctuary of this abbey, Muirwood. I bless you with the Gift of Firetaming that you may pass, when your mortal life is through, beyond the Apse Veil and into the world of Idumea. By the Medium, make it thus so.”
“Make it thus so,” Maia murmured, as did the voices of others.
Then, releasing her hold on their shoulders, Sabine used the palm of her hand and invoked the irrevocare sigil, drawing the eight-pointed star in the air between them.
“Forever and always,” Maia said, releasing the hem of her robe and letting it fall down around her ankles.
“That is barely long enough,” Collier answered with a smile, bringing her knuckles to his lips. Then, without waiting for permission, he dipped his head and kissed her again, this time as her husband.
They emerged from the abbey from the pewter doors they had entered a short time ago, holding hands as husband and wife. They were dressed in their beautiful wedding clothes, each wearing a coronet or crown. A sea of faces awaited them on the grounds of the abbey, and as soon as they emerged, this crowd of well-wishers raised their voices in a sustained enthusiastic cheer.
In the crowd, Maia saw many of the Ciphers with whom she had studied, several of them dabbing their eyes. Practically jumping up and down in the front of the mass were Davi and Aloia, and Thewliss and Collett were there too, trying to keep the girls’ feet on the lawn and failing. The rulers of the other realms had gathered in a place of dignity near the front, along with the members of Maia’s Privy Council who had not attended the ceremony. The lord mayor of Comoros, Justin, the Earl of Caspur, and Lord Paget. They led the cheering. Small flower petals began to stream from somewhere above, coming down like little snowflakes.
Maia felt the Medium swell in her heart as she looked at her people with mingled love and gratitude.
Collier held up his hand for silence, and the murmuring praises quickly ceased. He turned to Sabine and gave her a knowing look and a wink, which alarmed Maia. The High Seer smiled, nodded to him, and stepped back slightly.
After releasing Maia’s hand, Collier stepped off the porch of the abbey and turned to face her. She looked at him incredulously, her concern growing with each moment. His look said just trust me, but she was not certain what he was about.
Then, without a word, Collier knelt before her. He lifted his hands and removed his golden crown and set it before her feet. He bowed his head before her. Maia stared down at him and was trying to puzzle out his sudden gesture when the King of Paeiz left the crowd and spanned the short distance to her. He knelt next to Collier, removed his crown, and set it before her. Maia’s heart hammered in her chest as the King of Avinion approached. Then they all came, removing their crowns and laying them at her feet. They were all kings and rulers in their own right, but they were paying homage and fealty to her.
Maia stared at the bowed heads, her eyes awash with tears. She felt Sabine’s hand on her elbow.
“I know you do not want this,” her grandmother whispered. “But they would all have you to be their queen and ruler.” Addressing the crowd now, Sabine said, “Kneel.”
The congregation obeyed, including Maia herself, and she felt tears gush from her eyes as Sabine lifted the coronet from her head and held it aloft.
As Maia shuddered from her shoulders down to her knees at the responsibility that was about to be settled upon her, as she listened to her grandmother pronounce the words of authority, she saw Collier peeking at her, a smile on his face. A smile that said the Medium truly did give a person the fruit of their innermost thoughts and intentions. He had wanted to unite the realms under a single ruler. But only by giving up his crown had he achieved it.
And as difficult as the task seemed in that awful moment, she was grateful to have her husband with her to enjoy the long journey together.
EPILOGUE