Legends of Marithia: Book 2 - Darkness Rising (26 page)

“
Aryun, I want Tusdar to
stand beside you in the march to Greenhaven. Let him taste the
glory of battle.”

Chapter 21 : A Prince Of
Scaled Blood

“
I have arrived in the
elven city of Veldrenn in the hope of protecting my daughter and
happened to come at a time of great celebration.

My journey had been eventless thanks to
my cloak of hiding, but it will not be too long before the
enchantment wears off. Not to matter, if I find Kari here… I am
certain that she will be glad to see me.

I must be certain not to alter events
that are to take place or we are all at great risk.”

(Aldorus – Master Sorcerer)

Veldrenn’s canopy had been shut
tightly for their protection, but was more breathtaking than a
starry night. Nicolai organised for all of the fairies to catch
fire beetles and placed them in the branches of the trees. It had
taken them a lot of effort, but the effect was extraordinary. The
elven army, with the exception of chosen guards to watch the
perimeter closely, had been granted a day of no training in return
for assisting with wedding preparations.

More wood was required to create a
grand archway for the wedding to be conducted under which was
wrapped in the rarest and most beautiful of flowers. Red Pillies,
famed amongst Marithians, opened and closed their petals for days
after they had been cut and were used exclusively for the royal
archway.

Many large tables were built and
readied for a celebratory dinner. Wood carvings were fashioned on
pillars that depicted the symbols and animals of fertility, love,
honour, and strength. Flowers were gathered from afar to be turned
into decorations that were placed all over the city.

Dragons flew far to return with the
best cows, wild pigs, game, and ducks. The cooks worked tirelessly
to create an immense feast. As a finishing touch, Andrielle
gathered all with the powers of magic to cast a grand enchantment.
Magical lanterns with everlasting flames within them hovered above
head height and glowed pink and purple.

The Knights of Veldrenn were in their
royal armour, standing in a great circle around the archway with
their swords vertical and resting their hands on the hilts. All of
Veldrenn had gathered for the wedding and watched as the feast was
laid out on the tables before them.

Makya, Trisa, Anakari, and a well
recovered Yuski were seated on the royal table, awaiting formal
proceedings. Dragons sat proudly in a long line stemming out from
the archway, with their heads held high and wearing their enchanted
armour. Karven and Nymira were directly beside the archway and Finn
sat beside his king.

Vartan was dressed in his dragon
armour with the additions of a black cape, the traditional colour
of elven weddings and wore the wedding crown of the elves. It was
also black and was made of the finest obsidian in all of Marithia
with gold markings. This was a glorious symbol of the unity between
humans, elves and dragons. He stared at himself in the mirror of
their royal home and let himself smile.

My love, I cannot wait to
marry you today
, said Helenia’s voice in
his mind.

And I you Helenia. I love
you
, he thought in return.

“
I can’t believe that I am
getting married. I mean, amidst all of this chaos… is this really
the time for a wedding?”

Leon put his hands on his son’s
shoulders and returned his smile. “Son, it is times like these that
are the perfect opportunity for such an occasion. Trust in your
queen, or should I say… trust in your family. You are about to be
crowned Prince of Veldrenn. It is a time of hope for Marithians,
myself included. You look like the man that I always knew you would
turn into, you look… like a future king!”

Vartan embraced his father, “Thank
you… that means more to me than you know.”

You really do look amazing
Vartan, I am so happy for you. Your father is happier today than
any day in his life
, said Keturah. Vartan
returned the praise with a gentle kiss on her forehead.

Leon nodded and began to
walk with Vartan toward his door, when he stopped and turned to his
father. “Before I am married today and while I have the opportunity
to ask this, there is something that I
need
to know. Now that I know the
truth of how you and mother were born, how did you both find each
other? I could never imagine being torn from the woman I love,
starting again from birth and remembering
everything
.”

His father sighed, led him to their
table and said, “If you must know now, I would be happy to tell
you. Have a seat.”

“
It is true that we had
been born as babies to two completely different families. It was
not easy, but we knew the price we had to pay for wanting a human
life and the joys that it may bring us. I used to draw pictures of
your mother from the time that I could hold a feather in my hand
and found my parent’s ink.”

“
Pictures… Do you still
have them?”

“
Of course, but most of
them are probably lost now as I imagine that our home has been
destroyed.”

Vartan’s face saddened.

“
There is one that I saved
and always carry with me.”

Vartan brightened when he saw his
father produce an old scroll that had been folded to fit into his
coat pocket. When he opened it, they both stared at the face of a
dragon that Vartan immediately recognised as his mother.

“
I can
feel
her in the picture. How… how
old were you when you drew this?”

“
I would have drawn this
picture of your mother when I was nine years old.”

Vartan brought the picture close to
his face and whispered, “By the gods.”

Returning the scroll to his father he
beamed when he asked, “Mum will be born again soon,
right?”

“
Of course, but nobody
knows how long that will take. After all, we need more dragon eggs
for one of us to be reborn and it may take some time with
everything that is going on in Marithia before more dragons are
created.”

Vartan, not being a pain
and I know how much this means to you… but don’t you have a wedding
to go to?
Asked Keturah.

“
Father, let us not be
distracted. Please, tell me how you found mother.”

“
Of course I can. As we did
not know what we both looked like, or where we could find each
other… this
was
a
difficult task indeed. We each had our responsibilities to our
families and once we had come of age, we knew that we needed to
find each other. Your mother and I travelled the lands from city to
city in an effort to find each other. It took five long years until
we found each other again. We had both passed each other on a dirt
road on horseback and we
felt
each other’s presence. Our horses stopped and we
turned to look back at each other. Twenty three years is almost a
lifetime to wait to be with the one that you love. From that day,
we were inseparable. When you mother is reborn, I will request for
mother dragon to end my human form and for me to be reborn as a
dragon so we can be together again, for eternity.”

Vartan put his hand on his father’s
and smiled warmly, “Thank you father. You have shown me the power
that love can have, and I am ready to be married to the woman that
I never want to be separated from.”

Arm in arm, they opened the door and
began the walk toward the ceremonial arch.

Helenia stood tall and walked
gracefully in her black high heels that were adorned with streams
of sparkling diamonds. She wore a white flower in her hair as a
symbol of purity and her long silky black dress shimmered in the
light with every step. On her head lay her shiny gold crown, laden
with jewels and carvings of elven symbols. She turned the corner
near Karven’s tail and the entire city was silenced by her
beauty.

Seated near the royal table
sat Lynn who had now become a songstress of Veldrenn. She readied
her violin and began to play the traditional elven wedding
song,
Yue’Xuan
.
The beauty of the song brought tears to the eyes of humans who had
never heard it.

Andrielle led her daughter by her left
arm and wore her royal armour that shone brilliantly. Leon was
dressed formally and stood beside his son; both of them could not
take their eyes away from Helenia.

Vartan smiled as she now stood in
front of him, lovingly watching him with eyes that made all jewels
pale in comparison.

Andrielle took her place beside them
and smiled as she remembered her own day of celebration with the
late King Arman. Her eyes watered momentarily as she allowed her
sadness to slide through to the surface. Regaining control, she
spoke loudly and clearly.

“
Welcome people of
Veldrenn. We are united here today to celebrate more than just a
wedding. We are here to celebrate the reunion of humans, dragons
and elves and the age of a new future king who will lead us to
victory!”

The crowd erupted in cheers and she
gently raised her hand to ease them down.

“
It is unusual for such a
ceremony to take place without a proper betrothal, but as your
queen, I will allow us to bring our people into our new age and
create new traditions. For those of you who have never witnessed an
elven wedding and are unaware of what takes place; it is customary
for silver rings to be exchanged and for a promise to marry each
other.”

Andrielle reached into an ornate
purple and gold box placed nearby and produced two silver rings,
placing them into the palm of Vartan and Helenia’s
hands.

“
Sir Vartan and Princess
Helenia, with these rings, you promise that it is your heart’s
desire to marry one another. If it is what your heart truly
desires, then you will place these rings, starting with Helenia’s
hand.”

Vartan looked at his bride and spoke
warmly, but loudly so that everyone would hear his voice. “I
promise that it is my heart’s true desire to marry you, Helenia.
There is only place for one woman in my life, and that is
you.”

A single tear of joy
streamed down her face. Holding her left hand, he slid the silver
ring on her ring finger. It first appeared too large to fit, but it
glowed as it moulded itself to fit her finger and the word,
Vartan
, was embedded on
its surface.

Her voice broke as she spoke the
words. “I also promise that it is my heart’s true desire to marry
you, Vartan. I have loved you all my life, and nothing would bring
me more happiness.”

She lifted his hand,
removed his glove and slid on his ring finger. She watched as it
also glowed, moulded itself to fit snugly and her own name,
Helenia
, was
embedded.

“
The betrothal is complete,
and although this will likely be written into our history as the
swiftest of betrothals…” Andrielle said with a cheeky
smile.

The crowd erupted in laughter before
quietening down.

“
It matters not… because we
are about to shape the future of all Marithians who will live
peaceful lives and be able to read about this important time in
their history books. Please join hands.”