The Sword and the Sylph (Elemental Series) (22 page)

“That’s beautiful, Braden and I am so happy for you.”

“Let’s go, Wife,” he said, scooping her up and all but running down the mountain. “I can’t wait to start my new life with you at my side, my little, wonderful sylph.”

Portia wasn’t exactly sure what happened to Braden in the last day, but she had a feeling something that happened on the battlefield with his father
that had changed his life forever.

Chapter 24

Portia-Maer waited nervously as she watched the entourage file into the castle gate, excited to think she’d once again be reunited with two of her best friends from childhood. She ran down from the battlements where she was breathing in the fresh air and renewing her strength after having healed over two hundred men’s wounds in the past sennight.

She’d felt happy that she was abl
e to help so many from Calila as well as from Banesmoor. But at the same time she felt a sadness in her heart for the many soldiers who’d lost their lives in the senseless battle.

They’d buried the dead at the foot of the mountain, with little wooden crosses marking where the loyal soldiers now re
sted. The countess was buried at Banesmoor upon Braden’s request, and Portia was happy not to have the murderer of her mother anywhere near, even if she was dead.

Her father’s ashes were mixed with the ashes from the braid of Braden’s mother and now sat
in an urn atop the mantle in the solar awaiting the right time to scatter them to the wind.

“Portia,” called Braden from the gateway as he greeted their guests who arrived to help them celebrate their marriage, with the festivities starting on the morrow. “Portia, sweetheart, come here as I have some people I want you to meet.”

She descended the battlements feeling like she was walking on air, making her way quickly over the cobblestones, not stopping until she landed in Braden’s arms. He picked her up and swung her around, kissing her passionately before placing her gently back on her feet.

“Don’t mind us,” said a tall, dark-haired man. “But wouldn’t it be better to save that til after the wedding?”

“Wolfe, stop it,” said a woman hitting him playfully on the arm.

“Rae-Nyst!” said Portia rushing forward to greet her friend who she hadn’t seen since childhood. She wrapped her arms around the dryad girl, laughing and hugging her
, running her fingers through her bright pink locks at the front of her face.

“I’ve missed you, Portia-Maer,” he
r friend said, giving her a hug.

“And I’ve missed you as well,” said Portia’s
elemental friend of fire coming into a circle to hug the two of them at once.

“Brynn-Riletta, you have a baby
,” Portia said, stepping back to look at the cute boy in her arms. “He looks just like you, except for the dark hair. Tell me what is his name?”

“His name is Blaze,” she told her
.

“Of course, what else would an elemental of fire name her child?
” The breeze blew by, giving Portia a message. She smiled and looked back to Rae-Nyst. “The wind tells me you would be a mother soon as well,” he said. “You are carrying a child. Congratulations.”

“Enough of this chit-chat,” said a man pushing forward, “I would introduce myself, I am Lord Wolfe.”

“Wolfe is my husband,” Rae told her.

“And the Duke of Manterra is also my former liege lord,” said Braden stepping forward to clasp arms with Lord Wolfe.

“Congratulations, Lord Braden, ’tis about time you finally had your own castle and a wife as well.”

“Don’t forget the title,” Braden reminded him.

“Pleased to meet you, Lord Wolfe,” said Portia, noticing the friendship between Braden and Wolfe. It did her heart good to see him smiling again.

“Pleased to meet you as well,” said Wolfe. “How did a pretty girl such as yourself get stuck with this ugly bastard?”

“Wolfe!” scolded Rae, and they all laughed.

“God’s eyes,” said Wolfe, noticing Braden’s arm. “What the hell happened to you? What is that marking?”

“I can answer that,” said another handsome dark-haired man stepping forward.

“Portia, this is my husband Drake,” said Brynn proudly.

“Now I see where your son gets his dark hair,” said Portia.

Drake reached out and kissed her atop the hand.

“And hopefully the charm of her father as well,” Portia added.

“Why didn’t I think of that?” asked Wolfe.

“I’m surprised Drake thought of it,” said Brynn
sounding very surprised. “It certainly isn’t in his nature to kiss a woman’s hand.”

“I learned it from my squire, Asad,” he said
proudly. “The man was the son of a sheik and knows much about pleasing a woman.”

“Well, mayhap you can try out some of that advice when we get alone,” Brynn told him.

“So you were going to tell us about the marking on Lord Braden’s arm,” Wolfe reminded him. “And enough with your charm already, Drake.”

“Aye,” said Drake. “I recognize it as the mark of the Klarens.”

“Klarens?” asked Wolfe. “Lord Braden, I don’t remember you saying anything about wanting to join the Klarens when I left you at the crossroads.”

“Don’t mention the crossroads,” Braden said. “I have ill memories of being in a crow’s cage and would rather forget it.”

“Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me,” said Wolfe. “But now, tell us why you are marked as a Klaren, please.”

“I have never told anyone, but
I am the son of a Klaren,” he admitted.

Portia noticed it didn’t seem to bother him that he was telling this to his friends.
What he said was true, that he would not longer hide who he was or be ashamed of anything from his past, and she was happy for him.

“Which Klaren was your father
?” asked Drake. “As I used to lead the Klarens at one time, though I am not proud of it.”

“
My father was Lord Muir,” he said.

“Aye, I knew him well,” said Drake with a slight nod. “He stole half my men and broke from the group years ago, deciding to lead them by his ways instead of mine.
”

“How come you don’t carry
the mark of the Klarens?” Brynn asked her husband curiously.

“Because I refused to desecrate my p
erfect body by burning my flesh,” he answered.

“No modesty here, is there?” asked Wolfe
. “Are you sure it wasn’t just because you were too afraid of being burned?”

“I think my wife can vouch that that is not true. After all, I did carry her through a raging fire.”

“Stop it, you two,” said Rae, “we are here for Portia and Braden, not to best stories of who is the bravest.”

“That’s right,” Portia broke in. “After all, there is no question that my husband is the bravest
, by far.”

That got a grumble from the men and they all started spouting off about their heroic deeds
at once.

“Come on,” said Portia
to the girls. “Let them try to impress each other, but I have had enough. Let’s go up to the mountain where we can talk about more important things.”

“I agree,” said Brynn, handing her so
n to Drake. Her husband took the baby in one arm, reminding the other men that he was the first to have an heir.

The three faes climbed the mountain
together, quickly making it to the top by racing each other there. Laughing, they dropped to the ground, sprawling out as they looked out over the mountain to the sea.

“Now ’t
would be perfect if only Ebba-Tyne were here,” said Portia.

“We don’t know where to find here,” said Rae, “but I am sure we will all be reunited soon.”

Portia had the best afternoon talking and laughing with her long lost friends. She asked them about being pregnant and how it felt, and when her stomach jumped at their answers, she laid her hand atop it and listened to the voice of the wind.

“I am with child too,” she exclaimed. “The wind just told me.”

“Are you going to tell Braden?” asked Brynn.

“N
ot yet,” she said.

“Aye, I know the playful fae side, I was going to reject Wolfe’s proposal of marriage just to tease him but Juturna told me no
t to,” said Rae.

“Juturna is here as well,” Portia
said, getting surprised reactions from both her friends. “And I don’t intend to play fae games by not telling him right away. ’Tis just that he has been through some hard times lately and I want to wait for the right moment.”

“Well, then let us start p
reparing for your wedding,” suggested Brynn.

“Tell us what you want to do.”
Rae looked at her excitedly. “I had everyone wear crowns of flowers. It was very beautiful.”

“Even the men?” asked Portia with a slight giggle.

“Even the men,” Brynn answered for her, smiling as well.

“Nay, I don’t think we’ll be doing that,” she said. “But I have something I want to do that w
ould mean a lot to me, and mayhap you two can help. But I am not sure that Braden is going to like it.”

Chapter 25

The day of the wedding was beautiful. The sun was shining and the smell of lilacs was strong on the breeze. Braden couldn’t be happier. The courtyard was decorated with each of the four elements by request of Portia-Maer.

Brynn-Riletta had placed over a dozen golden urns and sconces around the courtyard filling each one with flames she brought forth from the element of fire. Rae-Nyst’s gift for the wedding w
as a huge arbor of mistletoe and blooming roses, as well as vases of flowers everywhere you looked. They’d even brought several earthen basins from the kitchen’s castle and filled them with water and floated rose petals atop, in honor of their missing friend, Ebba-Tyne. And hanging throughout the courtyard were small bells and pieces of painted metal hanging from strings, which clanked together in the wind, making music – the gift of the air.

“So, you are finally going to have to wear a crown of flowers,” said Wolfe, laughing, as the three men shared ale in the great hall.

“Well, that’s where you are wrong, Lord Wolfe,” said Braden. “And I believe I would have the last laugh, as my wife is not quite the wild fae as your own. She has crowns of flowers for the faes only, so I am free of that. And I am pleased to say I would also be wearing a simple tunic and not one of bright green and pink like you had to wear.”

“Thank the heavens for that,” stated Drake, quaffing down some ale and placing his tankard back on the
table. “That wife of yours, Wolfe, had all of us wearing flowers in our hair, and that is something I am not going to miss.”

“Well, gentlemen, I can assure you my wife is more human than fae
,” Braden announced. “She would never expect me to do anything out of the ordinary like that.”

“Don’t be so sure,” said Wolfe, mumbling into his tankard.

“If you know something I don’t,” said Braden, “spit it out already. I expect you to tell me rather than to let it be a surprise.”

“Aye,” said Wolfe, “just like you did at my wedding, right?”

“That was different. I was sworn to secrecy,” stated Braden.

“As
am I,” said Wolfe. “Actually, my little fae is no good at keeping secrets, and that’s how I know what they have planned for you today.”

“What is it?” he asked, looking to
Drake. “Is she going to have me dressed in strange colors after all?”

“I don’t know,” said Drake, shrugging his shoulders. “My little fae is better at keeping her mouth shut.”

“Wolfe?” asked Braden, not liking the sound of this at all.

“All I can
tell you is that I promise you - she is not going to make you dress in strange colors - or anything at all, for that matter.”

“Good,” he said, bringing his mouth to the tankard in his hand, then stopping and
looking up suspiciously. “Wait. What the hell does that mean?”

“Well, you’re about to find out,” said Drake,
“as here come the girls now.”

“Le
t’s go,” said Brynn, to the men. “Juturna is trying to keep the crowd from eating the food that’s laid out on the trestle tables outside and it isn’t easy. Lord Solomon is here as well, and that man can really eat.”

“Well, it’s time,” said Wolfe, slapping Braden on the back. “Are you nervous?”

“Nay,” he admitted. “The priest has already married us by the request of Portia’s father. Today is more like a celebration, that’s all.”

“That’s right,” said Rae, taking her husband’s hand. “They are just going to recite their vows under the trellis and then the celebration will begin.”

“Vows?” asked Braden getting to his feet, his stomach suddenly feeling unsettled. “What vows?”

“Didn’t you prepare vows to say to Portia?” asked Rae. “She’s been up all night
thinking of what hers would be, afraid they won’t be good enough to match yours. She told me you have a way with words when speaking to a woman.”