Grace looked down at him and frowned in confusion.
"We must get married before you could step on the land."
His voice was so entralling. Musculine, hard, loud, and clear. Every bit like a king.
Swallowing, she nodded her head. It was mentioned in his letter that in marrying him, she would belong to Nectaris and thus stepping back on it's land might reverse the consequences she had faced. So when she step down the bridge, she must be a Nectarian. Hence, they would've to marry first. It was only a theory, but Grace was ready to support him and take a risk. She might or might not get her voice back but she was definitely gaining him as a husband. So why not support him?
He dragged his eyes away from her and gave a nod to someone. The only woman with them stepped towards him. Now that Grace saw, the woman was very old. Old enough to be his grandmother.
Her groom's eyes met hers again. "Ready?"
Grace gave a nod again.
"Arwen, please start."
The woman, Arwen, wasn't his grandmother. She was the person who was going to wed them.
"In the presence of five witnesses and the holy goddess of the bridge, I start the ritual to perform the wedding of my king."
Holy goddess? Grace realised people here believed that the bridge was controlled not by an evil spirit, or a curse as people of Runecliff believed. Instead, here they believed it was a goddess. It proved that nobody knew exactly what power ruled over the bridge.
A very tall and large man with big hair gave her a white cloth. Retrieving the cloth, Arwen wrapped it over the adjoined hands of the groom and the bride. As Grace's hand was covered between her groom's hand and the cloth, she felt warmth in her body. She was now surrendering herself to him, becoming his bride.
"May this union be happy and glorious to our Nectaris," she heard Arwen say in a loud voice.
Grace looked at her groom. His golden eyes were cast at their wrapped hands, probably feeling the intensity of the moment. After all, he too, was tying himself to her forever. His mouth was now without a smirk. From the height she was standing on, Grace took a moment to see his hair. They were black, thick, curled slightly at the nape. The sunlight illuminated some of the brown locks in between.
"My king, do you take Grace Haddow for you wife?"
Grace's heart skipped a beat as her groom instantly looked up at her. With a nod, he spoke, "Yes."
"Miss Grace, do you accept yourself to be the wife of the king of Nectaris and be his queen?"
Without averting her eyes from her groom's, Grace gave a nod.
"With the Holy goddess in witness, I now announce Grace Haddow as the queen of Nectaris!" Arwen bellowed.
Grace closed her eyes, accepting her fate. The sounds of claps made her open them and she met her husband's golden eyes.
Her husband.
Her saviour, her groom and now, he was her husband.
"My queen can step down," Arwen said with a smile, the wrinkles on the sides of her eyes deepening. "Only then we must remove the tie."
With a nod, Grace was about to raise her feet to climb down. However, before she could do so, her husband's free arm instantly wrapped around her waist and she was picked off her feet. Wrapping her own freehand over his strong shoudler, She let out a gasp as he swung her over the rock and carried her down like she weighed nothing. Her feet landed on the ground and she raised her head, breathing heavily and trying to calm her thudding heart.
A faint citric scent engulfed her senses. His hand was still around her, other hand wrapped with hers. With their bodies lined to each other, their eyes met. Even though she had been this close to him that night, the darkness hadn't allowed her to see his face. This chiseled and perfectly formed face.
"Welcome to Nectaris," he said with a smirk.
She felt his breath on her lips through her veil. Slowly, his arm slid loose, touching the curve of her waist. With a blush, Grace unwind her hand from his shoulder and took a step back.
His hand raised and he pulled up her veil. For the first time, his face was clear in her vision. No curtain of viel or darkness.
He was handsome.
Perhaps the most handsome man she had ever seen, with the perfectly shaped eyebrows, a robust jaw and a sinful mouth.
Though he still had a carefree smirk pasted on his lips, Grace could see the depth in his eyes. He too, was feeling the strange flutter as he saw the person with whom he was going to spend his life with. They were partners. For life now.
"Can you speak now?" His gentle question brought her out of her thoughts.
She swallowed through her throat, deciphering if she could feel any change.
Arwen slightly touched Grace's arm. "Try to say something, my queen."
Grace licked her lips, wondering what to say.
"Say my name," her husband solved her misery.
When her eyes shot up to him, she saw his thick black eyebrows were raised up in curiosity.
Clearing her throat, she twisted her tongue to the upper side of her mouth to do something she hadn't been able to do for a year. Looking at her husband, she tried pronouncing.
His chin dipped twice in encouraging nods.
"Do-Dorian."
Her voice had come back! The vibration rang from her chest. She was speaking! It was the same melodious texture she had lost. Grace's heart accelerated with happiness. Her chest heaved up and down as she tried to speak again. "Dorian."
She looked at Arwen and the woman gave her a happy smile. "Congratulations, my queen."
Grace bobbed her head vigourously, wrapping her hand around the woman's wrinkled wrist. "Thank you." Her voice was a bit hoarse now.
Grace's eyes dragged back to her husband. His hand raised to her face and landed to the corner of her eye. His thumb brushed there and feeling the wetness, Grace realised she was crying.
Immediately, she raised her hand and dabbed the sides of her eyes. "Thank you," she said looking at the handsome face of her husband. He was the reason she could speak again.
Oh, it felt good to speak again. So good.
He didn't say anything.
Arwen unwrapped the white cloth from around their hands.
"You may now kiss your bride, my king."