The Sword and the Sylph (Elemental Series) (23 page)

“No one told me we needed to write vows,” he said, following them out of the great hall.

“Don’t worry about it,” said Wolfe slapping him on the back. “You’re a man, just make something up, she’ll never know you haven’t prepared it.”

“That’s right,” said Drake, walking at his side. “And she’ll forget all about the vows once s
he sees the ring anyway.”

“Ring?” Suddenly Braden’s idea of a relaxing day was dis
sipating quickly. “I was so busy burying the dead and helping the wounded this week I forgot all about getting a ring.”

“Don’t worry about a thing,” said Wolfe in a low voice. “As your best man I’ll take care of that. Now just start thinking up some flowery words quickly.”

* * *

Portia walked down the aisle toward the trellis of roses with Rae-Nyst be
hind her, straightening her train. She wore her mother’s wedding gown which she’d cherished since she was a child, keeping it safe in a trunk, dreaming of the day she would wear it at her own wedding. Brynn-Riletta carried her baby in front of Portia, sprinkling rose petals in her path. The baby laughed and tried to eat one before his mother pulled it out of his mouth.

’T
was the gown of a fae she donned today and she felt more beautiful than she ever had before. The gown was white, and clung to her body and arms in a material made of the softest silk. The train spread out behind her the length of two people, trimmed in lace of one of the fae’s favorite colors – pink.

White, long tippets hung from her elbows, fluttering happily in the breeze as she walked.
She wore a crown on her head of small white and pink carnations and yellow roses as well. As she glided down the aisle, minstrels played a cheery tune and the birds in the sky chirped happily above her. Two doves swept down over her head, circling her in what she knew was a sign of good luck.

She missed her parents dearly and wished they could be here to experience this special day with her. But at least her fath
er got his dying wish in seeing them married at his bedside. She felt her parents’ presence in the air and this made her feel more at ease.

Portia stopped at the arbor of roses, and smiled at Lord Drake who went to stand next to his wife and son. Then Lord Wolfe came in, followed by Braden and she got nervous once again.

Braden looked so handsome, dressed in a fine tunic and hose of bright blue. She liked that he’d chosen the color of the sky, and knew he’d done it just for her. His hair was long and loose, the way she liked it, as it made him look like a fae himself when the wind blew it up into the air. He looked more nervous than she felt, when he walked over to take her hand in his.

She smiled at hi
m to let him know everything was all right. Then the music stopped and it was time for their vows. They didn’t have a priest or anyone to conduct the ceremony since they were already married. But today they’d exchanged the vows between them, and she only hoped she could remember what she’d practiced throughout the night.

“Go ahead,” said Juturna, nodding at Portia. “It’s time for the vows,” she said
with a smile.

“Braden,” she said, taking a deep breath. Suddenly her mind went blank. “
Braden I . . . I . . . I am sorry,” she apologized, “but I am so nervous I forgot the vows I’ve prepared.”

He had an odd look of relief wash over his face. “So did I,” he said, and she laughed when the wind called him out as a liar.

“Let’s just make some up right now,” she said. “I love you Braden, and no matter how scarred you are from your past, it no longer matters. As our love can transcend any hardships and I am looking forward to starting a new life and family with you.”

“And so am I
,” he said, taking her hands in his. “I knew from the moment I met you, Portia-Maer that you were the girl I wanted to marry. I thank the heavens every day that I found you, and I pray that you would be at my side for the rest of my life.”

“The ring,” whispered
Juturna, and Portia saw a shadow cross Braden’s face.

“Portia, I have to admit I was so distracted this week that I forgot all about a ring.”

“Nay, we have one,” said Wolfe walking forward, holding out his hand. He dropped something into Braden’s palm and then got back in line.

Braden smiled and held out a small ring made from chain mail. “Would you accept this until I can get you a proper one?” he asked.

“This is the only ring I want or need,” she said as he slipped it onto her finger. “How fitting, coming from one of the fiercest, best warriors I have ever met in my life.”

He leaned over
to her then, sealing their marriage with a kiss. The wind gently circled around them, also causing the hanging bells to bring forth a mystical tune as they moved in the air.

“I want to finish the rest of our ceremony up on the mountain with just our
friends if you don’t mind,” Portia said.

“Of course,” agreed Braden, giving the message to the crowd.

“I’m not sure I can stop Lord Solomon from sampling the food,” said Juturna.

“We won’t be gone long,” said Portia, gathering up her long skirt with the help of Rae
. Then taking Braden’s hand in hers, they ran up to the mountain with the other faes and their husbands right behind. Portia heard Juturna playing with Blaze and talking gibberish as she had promised to watch the baby until they returned.

Braden reached the top of the mountain
first, scooping up his new wife into his arms, feeling happier than he ever felt in his life. His bride was beautiful and his friends surrounded him. He was lord of a castle and the day was perfect in every way.

When the rest of the wedding party joined them, Portia asked him to put her down. Then she reached over behind a rock and picked up the urn that held the ashes of her father as well as the ashes from his mother’s hair.

“I want us to dump their ashes together into the wind,” she told him.

He held his hands over hers and together they released the spirits of their parents into the breeze
. With Portia’s flick of her wrist, the ashes swirled together in a beautiful glittering cloud of gold and blue. Then she dropped the urn down the side of the cliff, and together they watched the air lift the ashes higher and higher until they finally disappeared.

“I can feel both of my parents with us,” she said. “And your mother as well.”

He couldn’t feel their presence, but was glad to know they were there.

“Try, Braden. Try to hear what they’re saying on the wind.”

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, suddenly remembering the voice of his mother. Then he heard words that surprised him and opened his eyes to be looking into the beautiful bilberry blue eyes of his new wife.

“What did you hear?” she asked.

“I . . . I am not sure if it’s true or not.”

“The wind doesn’t lie,” she reminded
him.

“I heard you are carrying our
child within you, tell me sweetheart, is this true?”

“It is,” she said with a nod
and a smile. Their friends called out their congratulations from behind them.

“There is just one more thing that happens at the wedding of a
sylph, and then we can get back to our guests and the festival,” she told him.

“Of course, anything you want, sweetheart,” he said kissing her hands. “Anything at all.”

“A sylph’s wedding is not complete until I become one with the air.”

“Aye
, go right ahead, darling.”

“But you need to do it with me, since you are
now my husband.”

“What do I do? Close my eyes or raise my hands
over my head?” he asked.

“Neither,” she answered
. “What we need to do is to get naked together.”

“I can’t wait to do that,” he agreed, not able to stop the smile from spreading across his face.

“Right here, right now,” she added.

“We’ve done it before,” he said, “let’s do it again.”

“In front of our friends.”

“What?” He looked over to the four friends standing there,
smiles on their faces. He did not want the men seeing his wife naked, nor was he wild about the idea of getting naked in front of the women either.

“Surprise, surprise,” said Wolfe
with a smile.

“And you thought wearing a crown
of flowers was bad?” said Drake, not being able to stop from laughing.

“It is the way of the fae,” said Rae. “Do not feel embarrassed.”

“I don’t remember you two doing anything like this at your wedding,” growled Braden.

“We are fae but not sylphs,” Brynn told him. “This is something special done only by an elemental of the air.”

“Oh, I see,” he said, deciding to just do it and get it over with already. He pulled off his clothing feeling the air around his bare skin. He didn’t bother to turn when he heard the guffaws of Wolfe and Drake from behind him. Nor did he dare turn around, not wanting the women to see that he was already aroused just thinking of Portia’s naked body.

“Your turn, Portia,” came the voice of Brynn.

Portia turned and asked him for help unbuttoning the back of her gown. When he slipped the gown from her shoulders and dropped it to the ground, exposing her bare back to their friends, he realized the men’s laughing from behind them suddenly stopped.

“I don’t fancy the men seeing you naked,” he whispered into her ear
, wrapping his arms around her.

“And neither do I
,” she said turning around, but becoming invisible as she did so.

“Where are you Portia? Braden
asked, knowing exactly where she was when he felt the tug below his waist.

“You playful little sylph,” he said, grabbing at the air, trying to find her. Then
she pinched his bare bottom and he jumped and turned quickly, accidentally exposing himself to the other girls. They laughed and turned around quickly to look the other direction, but Braden no longer cared and just smiled.

“Well, what did you expect?” he asked
Wolfe and Drake with a shrug, knowing he was not only exposed but also fully aroused. “You both are married to insatiable faes as well, so I don’t have to tell you what it does to a man. But I can tell you that from this day forward naught would embarrass me again. I have a beautiful wife and I am the happiest man alive and that is all that matters. And now that the ceremony is completed, we all know what happens at a wedding between
the Sword and the Sylph
.”

From the author:

I hope you enjoyed
The Sword and the Sylph
,
Book 3: Air,
in the
Elemental Series
. If you haven’t had the chance to read the first two, please do to catch up on what you’ve missed. The final book,
The Sailor and the Siren
is Ebba-Tyne’s story, and she is the elemental of the water. This book is scheduled to be released in July 2013.

If you would like to read more of my medieval series, you may want to check out the
Legacy of the Blade Series
and my
Greek Myth Fantasy Series
as well.

These are the books in the Elemental Series:

The Dragon and the Dreamwalker
– Book 1: Fire

The Duke and the Dryad
– Book 2: Earth

The Sword and the Sylph – Book 3: Air

The Sailor and the Siren – Book 4: Water (July 2013)

Or stop by my website at
elizabethrosenovels.com
to read an excerpt.

I’d like to leave you now with excerpts from both the other series. Thank you once again and happy reading!

Elizabeth Rose

Excerpt from
Lady of the Mist
:
Legacy of the Blade Series: Book 4

(Echo is the daughter of an infamous pirate and Garrett is a baron of the Cinque Ports.)

Garrett made his way to the forecastle and climbed the raised platform as they approached the other ship. Sure enough, black sails. This was the pirate ship he’d been searching for. What a discovery to finally find it.

The wind picked up from the approaching storm, filling the single square sail of the cog. The clinker-built hull had high sides, which served as good protection from marauders of the sea. However, this was a merchant ship and the flat bottom was designed for loading and unloading cargo in shallow ports, it wasn’t designed for rough seas. It could very well capsize in a strong wind. The ship held one hundred tuns in the hold, but now they were traveling light, at only half its capacity. This made him nervous. Garrett eyed the dark roiling sky overhead. He knew what he had to do, but still the crew’s safety concerned him.