The Duke and the Dryad (Elemental Series) (24 page)

She laughed and held her hand over her mouth, nodding her head. Then she ran off, teasing again, luring him to her.

“The rest of you may want to head back to the castle without me,” she heard Wolfe telling them. “Because I have an idea she was teasing me for the last sennight. And I have some teasing of my own to do. Something my body has been urging me to do for a long time now.” Then he took off after her, gaining quickly, as she led him back to the cave where she hoped this coupling would be just as exciting as the last.

Chapter 20

’Twas a sennight later, and finally the day of their wedding. Not nearly fast enough as far as Wolfe was concerned. Though he’d been coupling with Rae on a regular basis, and her strength had returned, he knew ’twould take longer for the forest to recover, though new life was already popping out from under the ashes of the forest floor.

He paced nervously in the great hall, waiting for his best man, Sir Braden
, to arrive. Finally, the man strolled into the hall slowly, as if he had all the time in the world.

“Egads, Sir Braden, we need to be at the stone circle at midday, and the sun is already high in the sky. Rae is going to think I backed out of our wedding.”

“Nonsense,” said Sir Braden. “Rae is the one who told me to stall, as she and her best friend from Thorndale Castle, Brynn-Riletta are planning something special and they were not quite ready.”

“Well, ready or n
ot, we are leaving for the stone circle now. The only thing special I want is Rae as my wife already.”

“You look elegant, my lord, if I may say so
myself.” Sir Braden held back a chuckle at the sight of Wolfe’s attire.

“You may not,” he grumbled. “I only wore this for my bride, so don’t get used to it, as you are never going to see the likes of it again. And wipe that smirk off your face.”

He’d planned on wearing his best tunic with his family crest displayed upon it to his wedding, and a simple pair of hose and shoes. But Rae worked with the ladies of the castle to create a special tunic for him. Special indeed, and if he wasn’t getting married in the forest, he wouldn’t be caught dead in a bright green surcoat with pink trim. But Rae insisted they match each other, as she was planning on wearing the gown she’d donned on the night they’d met. The green and pink one. So now they matched.

“I am not smirking,” stated Sir Braden. “I was only thinking that pink is a good color for you.”

“’Tis my wedding day, but I warn you it is not beyond me to take down the first person who laughs at me today.”

“Oh, I don’t think they’
ll be laughing. Trust me on that one.”

“What does that mean?” asked Wolfe. “You’d better tell me what they’re up to.”

“Can’t do that.” Sir Braden picked an invisible speck of lint from his own tunic of dark green, and Wolfe had half a mind of ripping it off the man and trading it for the one he now wore.

“Can’t or won’t?” he asked.

“Both. Now let’s get going, as your horse awaits. And so does everyone else, as they are all already at the stone henge waiting for you.”

“Alright,” said Wolfe, feeling anxious. “But just tell me – is this surprise she has planned something I’ll approve of?”

“Since when do you approve of anything that is out of the ordinary? Besides Rae, that is.”

“So it’s weird, i
sn’t it? Oh I just want this all to be over with already. Now come on, as I have a feeling I’m not going to like the surprise and want to go before I change my mind.”

* * *

“He’s coming, Rae-Nyst,” warned Juturna, gazing into her crystal. “Hurry up, everyone and get in place.”

Rae looked up from stringing the flowers and ivy into a crown, and smiled at her friend, Brynn-Riletta sitting in the stone circle across from her.

“Thank you and Drake for coming to my wedding,” she said.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” said Brynn. Her flaming red hair fell loose around her shoulders.

“Your husband, Drake, seems very nice. And also handsome.” She glanced over to Brynn’s husband who was instructing Wolfe’s men to line up across from each other and hold their swords up high like an arch to make a path for Wolfe to walk under on his way up to the sacrificial stone – now the wedding altar so to speak.

“Aye,” said Brynn, finishing off the last of the crowns made from nature, one for every person at the wedding today. “And Wolfe seems very nice also, nothing like the tales of
Duke the Destroyer
I’ve heard about inside my own castle walls.”

“He has changed,” said Rae. “And I ha
ve heard from Juturna that your husband was once feared and known as
The Dragon’s Son
.”

“I guess we’re a good influence on them,” Brynn said with a laugh.

“Brynn, I feel anxious and nervous. Was it the same for you on your wedding day?”

The girl laughed before she answered.
“Rae, I was married in a black mourning gown with wilted flowers in my hand.”

“Oh! Please don’t tell me being married is a bad thing?”

“Nay. But remember, I was forced to marry my husband before I knew I loved him. You two are already in love, anyone can see that. So you have naught to worry about, you would be fine.”

“Men, in places. Ladies, you too,” called out Drake. “And Sir Irving, as father of the bride, you need to bring your daughter up to the front of the stones.”

“I can’t believe Sir Irving is your father,” said Brynn shaking her head. “And we all thought he was just a crazy old man. He looks so different than I remembered him as a child. I am ashamed to say I didn’t know ’twas him.”

“Rae, quickly, get in place,” said Juturna, rushing over.
“Brynn, help me pass out the rest of the woodland crowns. The druids already have theirs, as well as all the guests, but Wolfe’s men need some, and of course don’t forget to save one for Sir Braden, and the most ornate one for Lord Wolfe himself.”

“Come on, Rae,”
said Brynn, giving Rae a hand to get to her feet. “This is your special day and something that neither of you will ever forget.”

* * *

Lord Wolfe rode up to the stone circle, the sound of chanting from the druids echoing through the forest. He stopped his horse when he noticed what lie ahead of him, knowing that this was going to be a day he’d never forget as long as he lived.

There, to meet him
, was Drake Pendragon from Thorndale. The man and his wife had come to the castle three days ago at the request of Rae-Nyst. Wolfe had met the man on several occasions, but he remembered him as a hardened warrior, not a man who would be greeting him now with a smile and a damned crown of flowers upon his head. The bright pink and red was prominent against the man’s raven black hair and black clothing as well.

“Welcome, Lord Wolfe,
Duke of Manterra, and Sir Braden as well,” he said with a slight bow.

Wolfe slowly dismounted, seeing his own men all spo
rting tunics of bright green with pink trim, holding their swords upward in a canopy style, waiting for him to walk through the line.”

“Interesting,” said Wolfe, smiling, seeing how uneasy his men looked. Suddenly, he no longer felt foolish in his own w
edding attire. “So tell me, Sir Braden, how did you get out of wearing one of these fine tunics?” He didn’t bother to look over at the knight when he spoke.

“He convinced Rae-Nyst that the best man needed to dress differently,” Drake supplied the information
for him.

“And, Lord Drake, if I remember
correctly, you convinced her that since you are from Thorndale, you needed to dress differently as well,” said Sir Braden in his defense.

“I am wearing the crown,” growled Drake. “And by the way, here are yours.”

He held out two crowns woven of ivy, flowers and grapevines, one much larger and more ornate than the other. Neither of them was anxious to take them.

“’Tis your bride’s wish that you two wear these. She made them herself. And she wanted your men to wear them also, but they drew the line at the tunics and even
I could not get them to place them upon their heads.”

“Then we’d better not disappoint her,” said Wolfe reaching for the smaller of the crowns.

Drake pulled it away and handed it to Sir Braden, who snapped it up quickly, not wanting the alternate one.

“Your bride said this one is especially for you.” Drake handed him the crown with a dung-eating smile plastered across his face.

“Of course it is,” he said. “Why did I expect anything else?” He put the crown on his head, and mumbled to Drake, “is this what marriage is all about?”

“Just wait,” was all he said.

Wolfe approached the line and  Sir Theodore stepped out on one side, Sir Norman on the other, each blowing on straight trumpets close to his ears, almost causing him to go deaf.

“Enough!” he said, with a wave of his hand. Then he noticed all the crowns that Rae and Brynn had taken the time to make, lying on the ground behind each of his men.

“Men, you would do me, as well as my bride, a dishonor by refusing to wear the crowns of the forest that she made with her own loving hands. Now put on the crowns now, or you would all be cleaning the barracks as well as the armory with your tongues for the next week.”

Hastily, they all donned the crowns and then stood at attention again, their swords raised high.

“Now why didn’t I think of that?” asked Drake.

Drake led the way through the canopy of swords, with Sir Braden right behind him. Wolfe followed,
and the sound of flute music joined the chanting of the druids, making a very mystical, enchanting atmosphere.

When he reached the front of the line, his men in one action, lower
ed the swords and sheathed them. The sound of scraping metal made it more realistic than surreal to him. Just that small action made him feel more at ease.

Then he saw the most beautiful sight. Rae’s f
lower garden had grown unbelievably in the last two weeks, and the vines trailed up, intertwined with colorful roses around each of the tall standing stones.

The air smelled sweet and the breeze was warm. He felt as if he were
walking into the castle of a faery. The druids surrounded the inside of the outer stone circle, and everyone from his castle, as well as the servants and villeins huddled around, watching with wide eyes for the wedding to begin.

Brynn stood on the ground at the foot of the sacrific
ial stone, and Juturna was across from her. Drake and Sir Braden followed suit, and now they all waited for him.

The chanting stopped and so did the flute music
. Humphrey came up to greet him.

Then
Sir Irving walked up to the center stone with Rae on his arm, stopping in front of him and placing his daughter’s hand in his own.

“
The Duke and the Dryad
and two snow white doves . . . to show to everyone their true love.” Rae’s father pulled two doves out from under his tunic and let them loose up into the air. The flutter of their wings broke the silence, as they took off into the blue summer sky.

“I give you
my daughter, I do share . . . so please, Lord Wolfe, do take good care.”

“I would do that,” said Wolfe, to reassure the man his daughter would be looked after. He was happy he’d taken the time to get to know him. And even if the man was addled, it felt good to know he was once again going to be part of a family.

He smiled and feasted his eyes on his beautiful bride-to-be. Rae looked up to him with bright, clear, green eyes, her gown the same as that of the forest faery he had met the day he came searching for his bull. But this girl had a confidence in her eyes that he hadn’t seen then. She also had a glow about her that made her seem more alive, as if that were even possible.

“May I start
the ceremony now, Lord Wolfe?” asked the druid priest.

“Please do,” he responded, not able to take his eyes off the woman who was about to become his wife.

“I’ve asked Humphrey to conduct the ceremony in the way that the Fae of the forest celebrate a wedding,” Rae told him. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“Whatever your heart desires, my little sprite,” he
answered, feeling so happy that he no longer cared. He never thought his own wedding would bring on reactions such as this.

Humphrey reached out, wrapping vines around their hands, joining them together.

“Rae-Nyst, Elemental Guardian of the Forest, and Lord Wolfe, Duke of Manterra, do you both agree to honor the earth and all the elements of it, and well as honor each other, and love each other forever in this life as well as the next?”

“Next life?” Wolfe asked, not sure what tha
t meant, but deciding not to pursue it further when Juturna took that moment to clear her throat.

“I
do,” said Rae, staring into Wolfe’s eyes.

“I do, too,” he agreed, smiling and staring back at her.