Hidden Darkness (Hidden Saga Book 4) (15 page)

Servants scurried about the palace’s great hall making preparations. I walked through, admiring their progress. Already the chairs had been draped in shimmering white fabric, and fresh flowers had been brought in to adorn every table. Delectable smells drifted in from the kitchen, the palace’s head chef already hard at work on preparations for the evening feast. 

My family’s ancestral home had hosted many special events throughout the centuries, but I doubted any of them could have rivaled the beauty of this one.

Not for me, anyway. I wanted everything to be perfect for Ryann, and thankfully, most of the supplies and the planning had already been in place, ready for the royal wedding which
had
been scheduled for next month.

Still, I’d expected a little more panic from my assistant Rikard and the wedding coordinator, Dagny, when I’d sprung the news on them that I’d moved our wedding to this evening and they’d have to get everything ready—ready or not. They only smiled, congratulated me, and got to work.

Probably had something to do with the fact they’d rather have me celebrating than rampaging through the palace threatening everyone’s jobs—or lives—as I’d apparently spent the past day doing.

Parts of the past twenty-four hours were a blur. Everything before that—crystal clear and fully intact in my mind. As Ava had sat with me, holding my hands, speaking quietly, the memories poured back into my brain, like a dehydrated sponge being flooded with water, blooming and growing instantly. My first encounter with Ryann as a child, our first kiss, all the happy times we’d shared—they were all once again entrenched in my recollections.

As for the memories of Ryann and Nox together—Ava said she could put them back into proper perspective in my mind—
or maybe
reduce them a little, if I preferred. I opted for the accurate version, the whole truth. Everything Ryann and I had been through had brought us to this point, and it was all worth it—every single moment of pleasure and pain.

The bedroom scene with Culley still made me want to punch a wall, but it was no longer Ryann my anger was directed at.

It was a good thing for Culley that he’d fled Altum already. My guards had done a thorough search and assured me he was gone. Extra security had been posted to make certain he didn’t return and interfere with the wedding somehow. Good Riddance. He was gone—but not forgotten. He wouldn’t get away with his crimes forever. Sooner or later he
would
pay for what he’d done to her.

I watched the decorator arrange tiny candle lanterns on a branch in the center of one of the tables. Similar centerpieces adorned the surrounding tables, and together with all the greenery and flowers, they gave the ambience of a secret garden. I grinned, knowing how much Ryann was going to love it.

“Not bad for a shotgun wedding.”

I turned to see Nox’s smiling face as he walked up and laid a hand on my shoulder, joining me in viewing the bustling scene. “I trust I’m back on the invite list now that Ava’s patched up that thick head of yours?”

“Yes,” I assured him. “Luckily Ryann has forgiven me for my behavior. I hope you can, too.”

“Don’t worry about it—I couldn’t detect much difference from your usual charming self,” he joked. “So everything’s all right then? You didn’t have to promise the Light Council your firstborn or anything to get them to go along with moving the wedding up?”

“No, surprisingly. In spite of my new habit of blowing tradition out of the water, they didn’t put up much of a fuss about it, especially when my mother spoke in favor of it and assured them Father would have done the same thing. Besides, I think I’ve scared them with my furious dictator act. Apparently, I’ve been a
bit
unpleasant to be around.”

He grinned widely and rolled his eyes. “You were a bit uptight.” Smirking at his vast understatement, he added, “But I
guarantee
you’ll be more relaxed by tomorrow. Speaking of… in the absence of your father… do you need me to have a
talk
with you?”

I folded my arms across my chest and shot a murderous glance in his direction. “Thanks, but no—I’m good.”

Now his laughter rang through the hall, causing the workers to turn their heads in our direction. He lowered his voice. “Seriously though, I’d be a terrible best man-slash-minister of ceremonies if I didn’t at least ask… no cold feet?”

My voice sounded as certain as I felt when I told him, “None. I’m more sure of this than I’ve ever been of anything in my life.”

His large hand clapped me on the back with enthusiasm. “All right then. Let’s get you hitched.”

There were actual butterflies living in my stomach. Either that or I was filled with so much anticipation my body was excited at the cellular level.

              Lad had sent me to my suite to be pampered and prepared while he took care of all the arrangements for our wedding. I stood on a small platform in the center of my room while the seamstress worked on the hem of my gown, hurrying to finish it in time. Grandma Neena had just returned with Mom, who was wide-eyed and grinning ear to ear.

              “It’s a good thing I already had my mother-of-the-bride dress,” she said, holding up a hanging bag emblazoned with the name of Deep River’s only nice clothing store. “Because if I’d had to attend my only daughter’s wedding in my work clothes,
someone
was going to have a very unhappy mother-in-law.”

              “He’s doing the right thing, Mom. You don’t even know all that we’ve been through.”

She nodded. “I know it’s right, honey. Momma explained a little to me. It’s your daddy I’m worried about. He’s more nervous than you and Lad put together.”

              “Poor Daddy. Where is he now?”

“He’s in the reception area, ‘supervising’ things with Lad and Nox. He must think he’s stepped through the wardrobe,” she said.

My heart squeezed thinking about how my father must be feeling right now. It was one thing to hear about this place—quite another to see it with your own eyes. And he had not a drop of Elven heritage to ground the mind-boggling experience.

Lad agreed that Daddy should attend the ceremony but told me I’d have to give him a small dose of my Sway afterward to prevent him from telling anyone how to get to Altum—or let Ava remove the memory altogether. It was the only way the Light Council would agree to his being here for the event. They still didn’t love it, but they understood—many of them were daddies as well.

I insisted mine be allowed to keep the memory of walking me down the aisle. After all, who was he going to tell? We were all planning to keep the fact I was married secret from our human friends, anyway.

              Which led me to Emmy. Her absence was the only thing keeping the occasion from being perfect, but it just wasn’t possible to have her here. As much as I loved her, she wasn’t known for her discretion, and her brain had been swayed enough for one lifetime.

Vancia would stand in, performing the usual duties of a maid of honor instead. She came into the room, speaking excitedly before rounding the corner to see us all.

“Ryann, you should see the great hall. The reception’s going to be—oh wow.” She stopped in her tracks as she saw me standing in the dress. “You look amazing. You really do look like a princess.” 

I glanced down at myself, at the exquisitely crafted gown, letting my fingers float over the white tulle A-line skirt that flared slightly from my waist and covered my toes. The fitted, strapless bodice had a sweetheart neckline and was intricately embroidered and covered with crystal beading.

I knew Vancia was right, and it was no credit to me, but rather my Elven dressmaker. This dress really was something out of a fairytale. I had never seen anything like it made by human hands.

The headpiece was made especially for me, too. It was a jeweled headband that resembled a crown with its multitude of crystals. I would wear my hair down in flowing waves, so it seemed like the perfect complement to the simple hairstyle and the diamond drop earrings Mom had brought with her from her own jewelry box.

“Something borrowed,” she whispered, her voice thick with tears as she fastened them on for me.

“And something blue. And old—like me.” Grandma chuckled as she presented me with a diamond and sapphire bracelet. “Ben gave it to me on our first anniversary. It’s a dream come true to give it to you on your wedding day. Especially since I know I’ll get to enjoy seeing you wear it for a long, long time to come.”

If Lad’s father Ivar had not allowed Grandma Neena to return to Altum and be reunited with her family, she would have eventually had to fake her death and move away from all of us—it would have been impossible to explain her unnatural longevity and youthfulness to her human friends and acquaintances in Deep River. Now, we could all stay together and keep being a family. 

I stepped out of the dress so Sigrid could finish her work. She whisked the gown away, promising to have it back soon as I slipped on a soft robe.

“Okay, makeup time,” Vancia announced. She plunked a heavy-looking bag onto the vanity tabletop, gesturing for me to take the chair in front of the mirror. “Into the hot seat you go.”

As she was a model, and none of the Light Elves even wore makeup, she’d volunteered for the task of making me glamourous.

I eyed the bulging makeup case. “Not too much, okay? I don’t want to look unnatural—just better.”

“Don’t worry—you’re in expert hands,” she assured, and then gave me a mischievous grin. “It’s fun to fix up someone else. I’m usually the one being tortured.”

“This is nothing,” I had to admit. “I let other people
bathe
me today—and wash my hair.”

Apparently, it was “tradition,” and since we were already abandoning so many of those, I went along with it to keep my female Elven relatives happy. They’d escorted me to a beautiful bathing room where I’d soaked in a huge tub, then endured an exfoliating scrub—okay, endured was probably the wrong word because it smelled luscious—and then given a relaxing massage by the Elven servants who attended me like workers in a high end spa. My skin had never felt—or looked—so good.

After that came a polish-less manicure that left my nails glowing. They curled and styled my hair, applying a sweet-smelling product that made the long locks shine and behave like they never had in my life. Maybe I should have been selling
that
instead of sweet tea. Human women would be trampling each other to get to the beauty supply store for this stuff.

By the time Vancia was finished, Sigrid had returned with the dress and a gorgeous pair of jewel-encrusted shoes. The Light Elves tended to go barefoot most of the time, but I hadn’t gotten used to the idea, and I really couldn’t imagine walking down the aisle on my wedding day without shoes.

I stepped into the dress first and waited as the seamstress adjusted the drape of it around my body and then moved behind me to fasten the bodice where it scooped low on my back. Because the back of the dress was so lovely, I wouldn’t be wearing a veil. It would seem like overkill anyway with the ornate headband.

When she finished, she stepped back and checked me over, then gave me a nod and left. I slipped the shoes on then turned to face Vancia and Mom and Grandma, who’d been busy dressing themselves.

Mom burst into tears. “Oh Ryann. You look like an angel.”

“She looks like an
Elf
,” Vancia said, clearly proud of her work.

“She looks ready,” Grandma said, adding a remark mind-to-mind just for me.
You feel ready too. I wouldn’t let you go out there if I couldn’t tell you were sure about this.

I gave her a teary grin in return and nodded repeatedly. I was ready. There was a knock at the door, and Grandma went to answer it, coming back a moment later. “It’s time.”

I nodded, those butterflies upping their game and careening around like kites in a hurricane.

“You sure about this, baby?” Mom asked. “It’s not too late, you know. This is a big commitment—even more than it is for most people. I want you to be happy, no matter what.”

“Thank you,” I said, meaning it in every sense of the word. “For everything. I am happy. And I
will
be happy with Lad—forever.”

She nodded, satisfied. “All right then. Look out everybody… here comes the bride!”

*     *     *

The only reason I could believe it wasn’t all some fantastical dream was that I’d been living and breathing a real-life dream since the first day Lad had surprised me at the spring-fed pool in the woods.

              “You ready for your moment in the spotlight?” Daddy smiled down at me as we stood just inside the grand double doors of the royal residence.

“Umm… I’m ready to get married.” My lips trembled as I said the words. “The spotlight I could live without, but you know… the royal thing. Are you ready?”

Tears shone in his eyes and the tip of his nose was red. “Not a bit. Not a bit, but let’s do it anyway.”

We both laughed with tears in our eyes. The doors opened, and we waited our turn as Vancia stepped out onto the winding pathway through the center of Altum. After a few beats we followed, making our way toward the wedding spire I could see rising over the river in the distance.

              With its soaring walls and the colossal support columns formed of interwoven tree roots, Altum’s vast common area was more beautiful than any man made cathedral could ever hope to be. Flickering white candle lanterns had been suspended all along the processional path, which was otherwise dark. It was lined with Elven people of all ages. As I passed, each one uncovered a glowing stone and held it up, bathing me in its colored light.

              To those watching from the cave-like openings high on the cavern walls, it must have seemed like the globes of colored light were dancing over the ground on their own.

              Groups of musicians were positioned at regular intervals along our route. Somehow they all played the same entrancing tune on their exotic stringed instruments, keeping perfect time with one another, though the path to the river was too long for them to actually hear each other the whole way. They must have been using mind-to-mind communication to stay in sync.

The melody itself was enchanting—soft and lilting in places and then soaring, the beautiful notes enveloping me in emotion that threatened to lift me from the ground and float me down the aisle. 

              I swallowed hard, battling another surge of nerves and disbelief. Could this really be happening—to
me
? Not just the fact that I was the focus of every eye in a mythical underground world, or that I was wearing this exquisite dress and listening to an otherworldly orchestra play in my honor, but that I was going to spend the rest of my life with Lad.

Nothing would be able to separate us after this day. It had been such a battle to get here, I halfway expected some villain to jump out of the darkness and stop me from reaching the altar. Or maybe someone would step out of the crowd and object. Glancing from one side to the other, I searched their faces, seeing nothing but peace and benevolence.

              A little girl—she appeared to be about seven or eight—lifted a hand and waved to me with an enthusiasm that made me smile. Despite what Culley had insinuated, these
were
my people. They did accept me. Even if it hadn’t been obvious on their faces, I could feel it. Either that, or these folks sure did like royal weddings.

              “Wow. This is some kind of crowd,” Daddy muttered under his breath. His voice was shaky.

              “I know.” I squeezed his hand. “It’s a little bigger than First Baptist Church, huh?”

              “I’ll say. Good thing they don’t expect the bride’s family to pay for the reception in the Elven world. We’d be serving peanut butter and crackers.”

              We both giggled and continued toward the bridge spanning Altum’s impressive central river. The wedding shrine had been erected atop it, high enough to provide a view of the ceremony for all the onlookers. The extraordinary structure was doubled by the river’s reflection, making the scene nothing less than magical.

              The arch was constructed of woven vines, the same one that had been used in Nox and Vancia’s recent wedding. This time it was overflowing with various types and sizes of flowers—all of them white—in contrast to my bridal bouquet, which was bursting with fall color, a fragrant mixture of sunflowers, roses, hydrangea, wax flowers, and spider mums. A crystal chandelier hung from the center of the spire, casting an alluring glow that drew me forward and gilded the top of Lad’s golden head.

              Nox and Grandma Neena stood beside him, and my mother stood just to the side with Lad’s mom Mya. Parents played a big part in Elven weddings as they were normally the ones who’d arranged them. The two women had such different lives, but standing together dressed in their finery, they looked remarkably similar. Mom’s Elven heritage was more obvious tonight than it had ever been in her life.

As Daddy and I completed the last curve of the path and stepped onto the bridge, I caught sight of Lad’s face, and suddenly, all the dazzling decorations paled in comparison. Even from here, his emotion was clearly visible. He broke into a melting smile, his green eyes shining with elation and love.

You are… too beautiful for words. I can’t believe you’re mine.

Always,
I told him, my bottom lip already quivering. I was never going to make it through this without crying. The best I could hope for was a tearful, elegant cry and not the full waterworks that would ruin all Vancia’s hard work.

As we reached the center of the arch, Daddy kissed my cheek, whispered, “Love you, baby girl,” and stepped back beside Mom. Lad and I reached for each other at the same moment, joining hands in an instant of joyous connection.