Legon Ascension (32 page)

“Wow,” Ankle said.

“Wow” didn’t really cover it. Sasha had the grove grown for the occasion and the Elves did not disappoint. It was a large, flat, oval-shaped space with a perfectly manicured lawn. White chairs with soft seats were lined up in front of a raised platform and altar. But surrounding everything were Aspen trees, but not any normal Aspen trees. Their trunks were perfect, without blemish, and seemed to have a silver hue to them. The leaves were autumn gold and had been enhanced to slightly shine. The leaves had bright silver edges to them. If this and all the many flowers that littered the area weren’t enough, there were crystals in the trees making the canopy sparkle, giving the place a dream-like appearance.
 

They made their way to the third row and Emma found her seat. Almost all of the guests were seated.
 
Emma didn’t know many of them, but from all of the white she was seeing she could gather that all of the heads of house were in attendance. She turned to Ankle. “All twelve heads of the great houses are here today,” she whispered to him.

Ankle tensed and looked around. “Whoa, I mean, I guess it makes sense, but we better not trip or make ourselves look like fools. I don’t want to go home and tell people that.”
 

Trip? She hadn’t thought about that. She looked down at her shoes and cursed herself. There was nothing to be done now. Maybe Opes could help her out with a little magic…
 

She looked up to the platform where Legon, the groomsmen and Opes, who was conducting, were standing. Keither was the best man. Standing next to him was Barnin, then Edis, Sydin and Arkin. All were dressed in purple. It was tradition that the groomsmen wore colors that matched the color of the tattoo of the groom, and the bridesmaids did the same. Legon was in all black, accented with a white shirt and a high collar. Music near the entrance started to play. Emma turned in her seat, looking back to see an orchestra she hadn’t even noticed.
 

Sasha was, of course, the maid of honor.
 
It had been she who poked and prodded Ise and Legon into courting, so she’d earned it. She was in a pink gown that looked incredible on her. She moved with grace down the aisle, oozing with satisfaction at her handy work. Sasha was followed by Iselin’s sisters, who also looked radiant. Then it was time for Ise to walk down the aisle. Everyone stood as her father escorted her along. He was tall with brown hair and hazel eyes and wore a smirk that was probably a permanent feature on his face. Iselin was amazing, covered in white lace. Her gown was large and puffed out with a long train. Lace covered her arms down to her hands and wrapped around her neck up to her chin. Emma was confused. The Elves, while not immodest, didn’t hide their form or skin with any of their attire, but here today the bride and groom were all but covered with cloth. It wasn’t until Iselin passed her and Legon took her hand and turned to Opes that she saw it. On both their backs were openings that revealed their tattoos. On Legon the hole in the garment was surrounded by pink fabric and on Ise the hole was surrounded by lavender.
 

“What’s with the backs?” Ankle asked.

Emma whispered back, “Today is about Iselin and Legon being married. If you notice, on each the predominant feature in their attire is their mark, and today, as both those marks will be changing, it is the focal point… I think.”

Everyone sat. As Opes began his remarks, he spoke about the power of love and the responsibility of marriage. His remarks were not long. Unlike human marriages, there were no vows exchanged and no elaborate rituals performed. Instead, the audience was asked to ponder the meaning of this union and how they could best support the new couple. There was a flash of light from the altar and Legon and Iselin’s tattoos were changed.
 

* * * * *

Legon watched as Iselin walked to him, her father slightly holding her back. She looked stunning, and he used every memory technique he knew to ensure that he would never forget today. To his right stood Keither, standing as proxy for Kovos. Legon could see that today was affecting Keither as well. His position was a reminder of Kovos and his sacrifice. Today he would do his brother’s memory proud.
 

Teenki and Iselin approached and Legon took Iselin’s hand. They stood side by side, their hands hot in each other’s. Slightly turned to each other, Legon was able to make out Iselin’s elaborate hair, piled high on Ise’s head, and the lace dress, but it was her eyes that he couldn’t help but notice. They were the same blue green that had transfixed him when they first met, the ones that he saw every time his eyes closed. Now they would be the last thing he would see each night and the first each day.
 

“Stop, you’re going to make me cry,” she said into his mind, but it was hardly a command or even a request. She was just as happy as he was.
 

Opes was talking about something, but he wasn’t sure what it was. Elves kept weddings short with the bride and groom being mentally connected. They almost never paid attention to the words that were being spoken. So common was this that Opes had to jab their minds when it was time for them to have their tattoos changed.
 

Legon refocused as Opes spoke. “And now in the name of the White Dragon, I Perpetuo you Iselin and Legon for time and for all eternity.” There was a flash of light and Legon felt his tattoo change.
 

Legon looked into his wife’s eyes, which were glassy and shiny, then he leaned forward and they kissed. It wasn’t long or passionate; it was a soft and caring kiss that said from both, “You are more important than anything else in this world.” Then the guests clapped and the orchestra started to play. Legon was soon to learn that the reverie and reserve that was the norm for his race was done for the day.

Once the main event was done the bride and groom were swamped with guests congratulating them. Legon felt time blur as they were approached by each head of house, his family and Iselin’s family and the procession of all their friends. Before he knew it, the sun was setting and the grove was being lit with magical lights in the trees. People began to dance and eat and Legon and Iselin were pulled onto the dance floor for their first dance.
 

Everyone cleared off so they could have it to themselves, and Ise leaned into Legon. “This has been a lot more fun than I thought, but I’m a little tired,” she said into his ear.

“I know what you mean, but I’m glad we didn’t sneak off.”

“And our families are so happy. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone cry so much in one day as your mother.”

Legon chuckled. “Yeah, she’s like that at weddings, but to be honest with you everything has been a blur since our marks were changed.”

The song had changed and people were now on the dance floor. Ise let go of Legon and smiled.

“Thank you,” Sasha said, taking Iselin’s place.

Sasha beamed up at Legon. “So you’re pretty proud of yourself, aren’t you?” he asked.

She shrugged in a non-committal way. “Well, I mean, with us being connected and all it was pretty easy to find the right one for you.”

Legon laughed. “Really? Well what about all the girls you tried to set me up with before?”

She was unfazed. “They were merely to show you just how perfect you and Ise are together. Think of them as a point of reference.”
 

“Excuse me Un Prose, but my I cut in?” a sweet voice said.

Legon turned to see Edling, with his mother standing next to them. Sasha’s face flushed a bit and the woman spoke again. “May I have a dance with the new groom?”

“Of course,” Legon said.

Edling’s mother went on. “Edling dear. You and your friend here should catch up. Why don’t you two dance together?” She said, giving Edling a not-so-subtle nudge. Sasha went on her own accord, but Legon saw her give him a stern look.

“Thank you for that,” Legon said, taking the sable-haired woman in his arms and started to twirl.

“No, thank you Un Prosa. He won’t stop jabbering about her, but he doesn’t have the nerve to do anything about it—it’s a start.”

“So, it doesn’t bother you that she’s human?” Legon asked.

“No, I suppose it should, she being mortal and all, but it may not go anywhere, and if it does go somewhere, then they were meant to be, right?” She said. Legon nodded.

Before long, Opes came back up to Legon with Iselin in tow. It was time for them to leave. As was the tradition, an Ascended would fly the new couple to wherever it was they were going for their honeymoon. Even though Iselin was Ascended, the gesture was a gift to the new couple, so Opes would be taking them to the Golden City. The City was named such because it was grown entirely out of Aspen trees and was kept in a perpetual state of autumn. It was this city that that inspired Sasha’s grove today.
 

The guests cleared off the floor and Opes transformed into a giant red dragon. Iselin and Legon used Ope’s leg as a step and sat sidesaddle on his shoulders. Legon felt a sticking spell and Opes launched into the sky. As they flew away from Seeon, Legon wrapped his arms around Iselin and they looked off into the horizon.

Chapter Nineteen

Reflect and Prepare

“What is it that controls the future? Is it the past? I would say so. Without the past we have no point of reference to move from.”

-Articles of the Mahann

Keither sat on the edge of the bed, running his finger along the intricate flames of the sword. His mind reviewed the three years following his brother’s death. What would Kovos think of him now? Everyone else’s opinion had changed. He’d gone to school with the Elves, married Sara and was even relatively fit. He patted his belly—well, maybe not fit. He still could not fight to save his life and had some social issues, but he’d moved up fast in rank, earning the title of Supply Commander. When the invasion happened, he would be one of the lead people in taking care of supply routes and rebuilding efforts. A soft hand rubbed his back.

“What are you doing up so early?” Sara asked groggily.

“Today is the day it happened.”

Lethargy left her and she sat behind him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. “Are you ok?”

Keither turned his head, giving Sara a kiss. “Yeah, I’m just looking back at everything, you know?”

She nodded.
 

The morning was uneventful. Keither always cleared his schedule on this day. Sara and he would spend the evening with Keither’s family, well, he should say just his parents. No one had heard from his other brother in a few years. There was no reason to think that anything was amiss, but there wasn’t much in the way of communication with people in the Cona Empire. Legon and Sasha’s plan had worked. The Cona lands were all but shattering under their own weight. Keither sighed. The invasion would happen within a few years. The Cona Republic and Pawdin Empire were not taking anything to chance. They would not invade until they knew they would have a clear victory. Keither, while he hated to think of people suffering, agreed with this. The war would not be won with forces of the Cona Republic. While more trained than the average Cona Empire soldiers, the Republic was vastly outnumbered. This meant that the Elves would have to carry the standard of the resistance across Airmelia. The Iumenta forces had to be weakened in order for this to work. If they were equal to the Elves, then all would be lost. If the Iumenta’s strength was that of the Elves then the Elves would be forced to take on their equals along with the human military of the Cona Empire—a war the Elves could not win. But the Iumenta were not as strong as the Elves, not anymore, and the Cona Empire itself was beginning to crumble. Sometimes Keither wondered if the Elves and Cona Republic would have anything to conquer in the next few years.

* * * * *

Legon and Sydin walked down the road that led to the harbor. Today they were going to inspect the state of the house fleet. A majority of ships were out to sea but much of the fleet was anchored in the harbor. Also, several ships were under construction, including a new carrier. Each of the Great Houses laid claim to some military prowess. Naval power was not the claim of House Evindass, that honor belonged to House Insa. Their navy was large and powerful, bringing the Impa forces to their knees in the War of Generations. Their Navy was almost the entire focus of the House military. When the invasion came it would be House Insa that would command the Elvin fleet. House Floren would be handling any construction and food needed as they focused on plant growth. House Coreen would lead the ground forces. If the Pawdin Empire had a set of Great Houses that were more powerful than the rest they would be Evindass, Coreen, Floren and Insa. Evindass was all about magic. Evindass had the most Venefica and Ascended. They also were the primary suppliers of crystals and crystal development. It would be Evindass that would control the magic users in the war, putting them in charge of securing the air.
 

Legon stood, looking up the bow of the massive carrier sitting in dry dock. This one and her two sister ships would be released into the water within a month. There were others too, some coming out from storage, but many new vessels were under construction.
 

“Where does the fleet stand?” Legon asked.

“When these are done we will have ten carrier battle groups. This is the largest our fleet has been since the War of Generations. With the other houses, the Pawdin fleet will be able to secure the coast,” Sydin said with pride.

Legon knew they were going to need every ship. The Cona fleet would be large, if not mostly human and ineffectual. The learning houses for magic were going seven days a week now, with Venefica coming from everywhere to prepare themselves for the coming war. High above Seeon, Ascended after Ascended jumped in and out of the city’s air space as all came in for advanced training and conditioning. The Pawdin military had taken a back seat since the War of Generations, but now everyone was trying to re-hone their skills. Legon toured the rest of the fleet with Sydin until after lunch, then returned back to the palace.