Kadam smiled at Ana and kissed her on both cheeks, then he clapped me proudly on the back and began lecturing me in his familiar way about the duties of a husband. He disappeared for a few moments and I pulled Ana close, pressing my lips to her forehead. I hadn’t been planning on asking Ana to marry me the way I had, but when I did, it felt right. We were already a bonded pair as goddess and tiger but I wanted more. I wanted Ana to be mine in all ways.
We separated for the space of a day. Kadam left with Ana so she could rest from our trials and have time to prepare for the wedding. I also slept and ate and slept some more during our time apart. When I woke, I felt ready in all ways except one. I wanted to give her something. A token of my affection. I mulled over the perfect gift, leaping through time to try to find inspiration, but I couldn’t settle on any one thing. Nothing I chose seemed right. Still, I gathered a few different tokens, hoping she’d appreciate at least one of them.
With a bag slung over my back, I set my sights on Shangri-La and was met by Kadam. The banns had been announced, and the fairies sang joyously over my arrival, excited to witness the nuptials of the goddess who created them. The trees and homes were dripping with jasmine and honeysuckle, and flowers of all types bloomed between every rock and around all the borders.
Kadam told me the Silvanae women had taken Ana off to prepare her. He said she’d be gone an entire hour, which gave me plenty of time to talk with Kadam.
“You know he’d be here if you wanted him,” Kadam said. “They all would. Sunil would be thrilled to give her away.”
“I know. We spoke of it but decided to leave them alone for the time being. Both of us know, like you, the burdens of having too many secrets to keep.”
“Are you never going to visit them?”
“Maybe someday.”
Kadam nodded. “It’s your decision, of course. I’m happy for you, son.”
“You knew, didn’t you?” I asked.
“I did.”
“You could have told us.”
“We both know I could not.”
We talked of Ren and Kelsey, Nilima and Sunil. Kadam was always careful only to add to the conversation when I spoke of what I’d seen first. It made me wonder what else he knew. Perhaps he was right, that it wasn’t always good to know the future. Knowing didn’t always make the journey easier.
There was a knock on the door. Kadam rose to answer it. “It’s time,” he said, turning to me with a smile.
Kadam stood next to me, both of us barefoot and wearing the white pants and white gossamer shirts preferred by the Silvanae people. The only differences between our clothing were the roses woven into the collar of my shirt and the Damon Amulet that hung around my neck. The warmth of perpetual summer enveloped us as the departing sun stretched its long rays over the land, as if the sun, too, was unwilling to leave before witnessing the wedding.
Then Ana appeared. As she walked toward me, the fading light framed her lovely form, bathing her skin in gold hues. But as brilliant a sight as she was, it was the smile she gave me that made my heart flutter in my chest.
Mine, I thought, proudly. Ana is mine.
Kelsey would have given me grief over such an assumption. I, of all people, knew that the goddess Durga, and no woman, in actuality, was a possession for a man to lay claim on. I’d even killed a man who’d assumed such about Ana in the past. However, I was also a creature driven by instinct, and right then, I was feeling decidedly territorial about the woman I loved.
I’d been happy before. Many times, in fact. But no event in my long life had ever filled me with such a profound sense of contentment. Everything that had happened to me, each moment in my life, had led me to this one, and I’d go through it all again just to feel the intense joy I was feeling at that moment. Watching Ana make her slow way to my side, I marveled at the sheer blessedness of the gift I’d been given. To be a husband to such a woman was a miracle I certainly didn’t deserve.
The birds sang in the trees, and the Silvanae stood on either side of the path, humming with their ethereal, lilting voices as a few of them played the pipes. Their haunting music was at once magical and singular, fitting for the wedding of a goddess. The fairies had fashioned a dress for Ana. The sleeves, narrow and tight on her arm, opened at the wrists in a swoop of material that resembled calla lilies.
White roses had been woven into her diaphanous train that, instead of dragging on the carpet of grass, was being carried inches above the ground by the winged fairies. Her long hair was braided with flowers of all colors and hung in rich waves down her back. Ana’s feet, like mine, were bare, but bangles of silver adorned her ankles and wrists so that each step she took rang with the sound of tinkling bells. The largest bouquet of flowers I’d ever seen hung down nearly to her feet.
When she finally stopped next to me, I held out my hands. She shifted and her bouquet fluttered and lifted away from her, transforming into hundreds of colorful butterflies. I heard gasps from the crowd as the beautiful creatures settled on the trees, houses, shoulders, and plants. My breath caught when Ana stepped closer and touched her palms to mine.
I couldn’t look away from her. Instead, my eyes traced the curve of her cheeks, the line of her jaw, the sprinkling of freckles across her nose, the slope of her lips, and then, finally, I was lost in the green pools of her eyes. Time seemed to stop as we stood there, enraptured with each other. The Silvanae voices had hushed and even the birds were quiet. The air felt expectant, heavy.
“Are you ready?” Kadam asked.
“I am,” I said, unwilling to look away from her.
“Then, let’s begin. Anamika, will you place your arms on top of his?”
She glanced at him, her eyebrows raised. “Like this?” she asked as her hands slid up my palms and locked onto my forearms. I gently held hers as well.
“Yes, exactly.” Kadam began. “The two of you are familiar with the warrior’s vow. I personally have taught it to you both, but now you will know its true origins. A long time ago, there was a man who embraced the life of a tiger. This man sacrificed everything for the love of a goddess. Their story was handed down through the ages. Though many forgot that the tiger was not simply her companion in battle, the one who carried her across vast plains, or the one threatening her enemies, they did remember the special bond that existed between them.
“Kishan, if you will repeat after me. Anamika Kalinga…”
I rubbed my thumbs on her arms. Energy hummed between us. “Anamika Kalinga,” I repeated huskily.
“I am yours in life.”
“I am yours in life.”
“And yours in death.”
“And yours in death.”
“I vow to respect your wisdom.”
She smiled when I echoed, “I vow to respect your wisdom.”
“And will remain ever vigilant in my duty to you as your husband.”
“And will remain ever vigilant in my duty to you as your husband.”
“For you, I will brave all things.”
“For you, I will brave all things.”
“And from this day forward, I will reverence you above all others.”
“And from this day forward, I will reverence you above all others.”
“Very good,” Kadam said. “And now the last part. Anamika Kalinga, I, Prince Sohan Kishan Rajaram, am now yours as you are mine. This is my vow.”
“Anamika Kalinga,” I said softly. My throat felt tight as I finished. “I, Prince Sohan Kishan Rajaram, am now yours as you are mine. This is my vow.”
I touched my forehead to hers briefly and then Ana repeated the same words back to me.
“Prince Sohan Kishan Rajaram,” she began. “I am yours in life. And yours in death.” I watched her sweet mouth form every word. She spoke with a surety and confidence that amazed me. Her steadiness was something I knew I’d cling to over the years. The Ocean Teacher had once told me I could be a rock that could withstand the buffetings of storms. Whatever strength I possessed, I knew it was because Ana was my anchor.
“I vow to respect your wisdom,” she said. “And will remain ever vigilant in my duty to you as your wife. For you, I will brave all things. And from this day forward, I will reverence you above all others.” Ana squeezed my arms. “Prince Sohan Kishan Rajaram, I, Anamika Kalinga, am now yours as you are mine. This is my vow,” she finished quietly.