Sharon Shinn - Reader And Raelynx

They played cards, talking idly, until well past midnight, when all of them were finally yawning. “Shall I come dress you in the morning or do you feel able to handle that task yourself?” Kirra asked Senneth on the way out.

“I think I can manage, thank you.”

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”

INthe morning, the house was filled with all the bustle of a grand event, so Senneth and Tayse didn’t look for much interaction with Kirra. Tayse rose and left the room while she was still half asleep; she was certain he had gone to work out with some of Malcolm’s house guards. But he returned in plenty of time to bathe and change into his Rider regalia-a formal uniform of black and gold, topped by a sash embroidered with the king’s gold lions.

“You look very handsome,” Senneth said. She was wearing a long-sleeved dress of deep blue, embroidered at the cuffs and hem and bodice with a complex border of gold. The necklace Tayse had given her hung just above the neckline, perfectly covering her Brassenthwaite housemark. She had made some effort with her hair, threading blue and gold ribbons through it, and touched up her pale cheeks with a hint of rouge.

“And you, serra. Extremely beautiful.”

“I will be glad when this is over and we can be on our way.”

He grinned, and bowed her out of the room.

The wedding guests were beginning to assemble in a large, formal hall on the first floor. Columns, archways, and topiary had been decorated with intertwined ribbons of Brassenthwaite blue and Danalustrous red, and someone had coaxed red chrysanthemums and blue delphinium to bloom out of season, for vases of the cut flowers were scattered throughout the room. Kiernan and Harris were standing in a group of Brassenthwaite men, holding what looked like a serious conversation. Senneth nodded their way but did not bother to join them. A harpist and a flautist sat in a corner, offering light music; servants circulated with trays of drinks. Sunlight streamed in through the eight huge windows that lined the east side of the room.

“A pretty day to be married,” Tayse observed.

“And then a pretty day to travel,” she replied. He laughed at her silently.

Finally, finally, all the guests had gathered. A small red bird with a black tail swooped in through the high doorway, circled the room once, and landed on one of the beribboned plants. Senneth supposed it was Donnal. He rarely attended even informal dinners at Danan Hall, for he was peasant-born and not comfortable in the company of nobles, but clearly this was an occasion he wanted to observe. She waved and he dipped his head in acknowledgment.

He was the last to arrive. Now the music changed, sending a cue to the bridal party. Malcolm entered with Kirra on one arm and his wife, Jannis, on the other, and strode to the front of the hall where a magistrate stood waiting. Casserah and Will were only a few steps behind. She wore deep red; her dark hair was unbound down her back. Will wore blue with touches of scarlet. He had attached a red blossom to his jacket with a ruby stickpin. Kiernan and Chelley and Harris went to stand beside Will while Malcolm, Jannis, and Kirra arranged themselves around Casserah.

The magistrate raised his hand to quiet the last mutterings of the crowd. He was tall and big-boned, with a shock of white hair and a lined, handsome face. Senneth judged that he had observed pretty much everything the world had to offer. “Those who have chosen to marry step forward. Tell me your names and your stations,” he intoned.

Senneth took a quick sip of breath and glanced up at Tayse. In almost the same words, a magistrate had married them last fall. He smiled down at her and put his hand on the small of her back.

“I am Casserah Danalustrous, serramarra,” the bride said, speaking with utmost confidence. “Daughter of Malcolm and Jannis Danalustrous and heir to all their property.”

“I am Will Brassenthwaite, serramar…”

It was clear that this ceremony was going to take a little longer than the one that had united Tayse and Senneth, so she let her mind wander a bit. Therefore, she was not paying attention when Tayse nudged her and nodded toward the front of the hall. He raised his eyebrows as if to ask what was wrong.

She focused on the wedding party. The cleric was speaking, but Casserah was not attending. She had turned to look at her father and he was staring back at her. After a moment, he nodded, and Casserah faced the magistrate again. Senneth saw her hands ball up at her sides.

Standing next to her sister, Kirra carefully turned her head, searching the crowd for Senneth; her eyes asked a question. Senneth lifted her hands in a gesture that signified ignorance. But the black-tailed songbird had taken wing. He fluttered out the archway and disappeared.

“Something’s happening,” Senneth breathed to Tayse.

He nodded and put his hand surreptitiously to his sword. Most of the men present had buckled on dress swords, if they bothered with weapons at all, but Tayse, as always, was armed as if he might have to go into combat at any moment.

No one else seemed to realize there might be trouble. Even Kiernan looked stolid and just a little bored, his arms crossed on his broad chest, his eyes fixed on his brother while his mind probably was busy calculating tax rates or land yields. The cleric, who was now deep in some kind of homily, continued speaking in a deep and solemn voice.

It was less than ten minutes before Donnal returned, arrowing in through the doorway and straight to Kirra. He landed on her shoulder, which caused one or two people in the audience to murmur and laugh, but Senneth knew he did not have Cammon’s ability to put his thoughts directly into someone’s head. As unobtrusively as possible, Kirra stepped away from the bridal party, the bird still on her shoulder, and ducked into a doorway leading to a servant’s hall.

This Kiernan noticed. He unfolded his arms and gave Malcolm an inquiring look. And when, a minute later, Kirra hurried back in and headed straight for her father, Kiernan took five long steps over to join her. They stood there briefly, conferring, while the crowd began to mutter and the magistrate’s sonorous voice stuttered to a halt.

“Marlord, is there a problem?” the cleric asked.

Malcolm spoke up calmly. “Finish the ceremony.”

“What’s wrong?” Will asked Casserah.

Malcolm’s voice was a little louder. “Finish the ceremony. Bind them in marriage. Perhaps finish it more quickly than you planned.”

Will appealed to Kiernan, who was still standing beside Malcolm. “What’s wrong?”

At that moment, Senneth heard the thrumming sound of hundreds of booted feet, as if all of Malcolm’s house guards had suddenly been called to formation. They must be outside and some distance away, but there were enough of them that the noise carried. Even farther away there was the silver call of a bugle and a man’s voice raised in what was clearly an order to march out.

“Danan Hall is under siege,” Malcolm said coolly. “Finalize the wedding. Let them speak their vows.”

Now the crowd was alive with agitation, and a few people fled for the door. But Kiernan and Malcolm stood fast, both of them watching the cleric, and Casserah took Will’s hand.

“Yes,” she said, serene as ever. “Finish this.”

“Then-then-” the magistrate stammered, leafing through his book to the final pages. He looked quite pale, and his deep voice was suddenly breathy. “Bound together in friendship, bound together before witnesses, bound together in marriage,” he rattled off. “From this day forward, you will be known to all as husband and wife.”

“That’s done, then,” Kiernan said, loudly enough for everyone to hear, and the whole crowd fell apart.