Vaalbara; Visions & Shadows (36 page)

             
“You want to marry me?”

             
“I want you to become my wife, Alchera.” My breath came quicker as my smile grew bigger.

             
“Of course I will.” I flung myself into Raighne’s waiting arms. “Yes, yes, a million times, yes!”

             
Jason yelled from the back, “Cradle snatcher!” 

             
With the laugher and the joy, I didn’t even notice Carter shimmering from the room.

~*~

Now I know how Princess Di felt, Sid.

             
Of course I didn’t get to plan my own wedding. Not with a sister, a mother, and so many girlfriends doing it for me. Instead, I got to watch them argue it out amongst themselves which was way more fun.

             
Months of planning got squashed into a week. We would have the wedding in less than five days! The same day the crowning of the new King would take place.

             
No one knew who it would be, though. Sure there were rumors that it would be Eamar. The only problem was that he was unmarried. Who would be the Queen? That led to rumors that Eamar would be the first King without a Queen by his side.

             
For the first time since I had arrived on Vaalbara I truly felt like a princess. The girls spoiled me rotten during the day, while at night I got to spend time with Raighne. We got to lie down under the stars - cuddling and kissing until I had no breath left in me. I couldn’t wait to be his wife.

             
So here I was, the night before my wedding, and I was waiting for Fleur and the girls to come fetch me. River and the guys were having a small bachelor party for Raighne. I was dreading the evening ahead, wondering what the girls were going to do with me, when something suddenly hit my window.

             
“Pssst!” A soft whisper came from outside. I knew who it was and it made me smile from ear to ear. I leaned out and there was Carter, standing below my window.

             
“Can I help you?”

             
“I am here to save you, fair maiden.” He was whispering, as he placed a ladder up against the wall. “Come quickly!” I loved this friend of mine. He had turned out to be such a joker and huge source of support.

             
I climbed down as quickly as I could, playing along.

             
“Where to now?” He bowed slightly.

             
“A starlit picnic, of course. We do not want you fainting tomorrow from hunger, now do we?”

             
He held my hand as we walked in a comfortable silence. When we neared the picnic spot, I was ordered to close my eyes, which I did obediently.

             
“On three, you are allowed to open your eyes.” He guided me the last few steps and then counted to three.

             
I opened my eyes only to suck in my breath. Before me was the most beautiful setting I’d ever seen. He’d laid out a checked blanket with different kinds of breads and eats. Surrounding the blanket was a sea of different colored candles in little brown bags. They looked like little fireflies in the tall grass, and it felt like I was walking in a fairyland.

             
I stood there with Carter holding me from behind, as I admired his hard work.

             
“You did all of this just for me?”

“Just for you.” His voice was light. “May I ask you a question?”

             
“Sure. Shoot.” I moved carefully between the candles.

             
“Why Raighne?” I stopped and looked at him. “Why did you say yes to Raighne?

             
“Because I love him, of course.” I gave a small laugh, thinking how silly his question was.

             
“If I had asked first, would you have said yes to me?”

Shock flooded my system as I bumped over a candle, but luckily it died. I couldn’t look at him. “Carter, you’re my best friend.”

             
“Do not lie to me!” He shimmered. Appearing directly in front of me, he yanked my body into his arms. “I know you love me. You love me, Alchera, you do.”

             
“As my friend. Raighne is the man I—”

             
He cut me off. “Is it because of what happened in the shack? You have not forgiven me at all, have you?”

             
I stared at him, shaking my head. I thought we had moved past this. “Carter, I
have
forgiven you. Don’t do this. You are my best friend, but Raighne is the man I’m going to marry tomorrow.”

             
His arms held me so tightly it hurt as he shimmered us away.

             
We reappeared in the Chapel. Carter threw me backwards with such a force I flew against the wall, falling between the neatly stacked chairs. I got up slowly, my body registering the pain and shock. I scanned the Chapel for Carter, my eyes taking in the decorations and flowers in place for my wedding tomorrow. Though none of that mattered now, not anymore, not with Carter standing in the aisle I was supposed to walk down.

             
“You have one of two choices, Alchera.” He looked at me with the saddest look in his eyes, and my lips started to tremble. “You will either walk towards me tomorrow or stand at my funeral the day after.” I looked at him in disbelief. I wasn’t sure I had heard him right until I saw Adeth’s blade in his hand.

             
“N-no… Carter. Put that thing away.” 

             
“Your answer.” His voice was a low hum. I looked into his eyes but there was only sadness. He shimmered to me; his left hand wrapped around my throat, as he pushed me against the wall. “Your answer, Alchera!”  His voice thundered through the Chapel, making the walls shake and the vases shatter.

             
“Carter, please don’t.” Tears streamed down my face. I couldn’t believe what he was doing.

             
You’re hurting me, Carter. Why are you doing this to us? Please, let me go.

             
He dropped me to the floor, and took a step away.

             
“I love you so much more than he does.” Then the sadness began to fade, until his eyes were nothing more than the dead pale eyes of the Carter I feared.

             
My friend was gone.

             
“No, Carter! Come back!” I got up, reaching out to him. “I love you. I love you, too. Please don’t go. Don’t you dare leave me!” I was sobbing now, my heart breaking as he stepped away from me.

             
River and Raighne came through the doors of the chapel. Then it all happened so fast. I looked from Carter to Raighne, and then back to Carter holding the blade. His right arm went up into the air as he readied himself to bury the blade in his heart. But he didn’t count on River being there who was, after all, the fastest of all the guardians.

             
He tackled Carter just in time, but Carter jumped up in one fluid movement, landing on his feet a few steps away from me.

             
“How could you, Alchera? How could you? After all those nights I held you. After all those nights you cried in my arms. You think Void will be your worst nightmare. You are wrong! You might have made your choice for now, Alchera, but I will come back for you. One way or another, be it in your waking hours or in your dreams, I will come for you and you
will
be
mine
.” With his cold voice sending shivers down my spine he shimmered away, leaving only his frightening promise behind.

             
Raighne grabbed me to him; his familiar scent comforted me immediately. How was it possible that I could have been such a bad judge of character? I really thought Carter had changed; he had seemed like such a good soul. It looked like he’d overcome the shadows - that he was free of Adeth’s spell. But, in the end, I was wrong. There was no escaping it. Once if the shadows were in you, you were lost, with no hope of ever being saved. Would I join Carter?

             
“Are you all right? Did he hurt you?” Raighne held me at arm’s length, giving me a quick once over.

             
“N-no.” The one word sounded lost as it drifted through my lips. I was still in shock. I had just lost my best friend. I had just looked into the eyes of my torturer who had promised to come back for me. My Carter was gone; Adeth’s puppet was all that remained. “He’s…gone.”

             
“We will find him. He will not hurt you.”

             
“You don’t understand.” I sounded impatient. The chapel began to fill up with people, as River had gone to call Eamar. The news had obviously spread from there. “The Carter that stood in front of me was the one who tortured me. My friend is
really
gone.” I tried to take a breath at the same time a cry escaped, creating a terrifying sound.

             
“We will not let him near you. You will be safe. Everything is still fine for…tomorrow?”

             
I broke free from his arms. “I love you with everything I have inside of me. But I can’t marry you tomorrow.” I started shaking my head as I walked past him. My heart felt heavy with loss. “I just lost my friend.” I took a deep breath. “I saw his soul die, and I would like to take a moment to mourn my friend.”

~*~

That night I slept in Alandra’s arms; she stroked my hair while I cried. When the sun rose with its promise of warmth and light, I felt drained. I got up and got ready for the celebration just like it was expected of me. I looked pretty because I was supposed to, and I smiled because everybody smiled. Even without a wedding…Vaalbara was still choosing a King.

             
The chapel stood ready, food was being cooked, and there was a dress fit for a queen. …But there was no one to wear it.

             
“Alandra, I need to ask you the biggest favor ever?”

             
“Go ahead.”

             
“Could you check if Raighne is okay? I kind of told him that I didn’t want to get married anymore? Just for today, that is. You know, because of last night’s mess and everything. Maybe Jason and Sarah would like to use it.”

             
With a wicked smile she walked to the door. “I will send him to you. You can do your own dirty work.”

             
Seconds later there was a quick knock on my door. It swung open and Raighne appeared. “You look… beautiful.” He looked as handsome as I had ever seen him in his black suit. Walking over to me, he placed his right hand around my waist and gently pulled me to him.

             
“Are you still sure about today?” He pushed a strand of hair behind my ear. “We are already dressed.”

             
“It just won’t feel right.” I leaned into him, whispering into his ear. “I could always propose to you again, ask you to elope with me?”

             
“Was that a proposal?” His lips grazed my jaw line all the way up to my earlobe.

             
“I guess so.” My breathing quickened, as his lips trailed up and down my neck.

             
“Mine was a million times better.” Before I could respond, he kissed me with a passion I’d never felt in him before. Raighne held me to him, and just as my arms slipped around his neck, he broke the kiss.

             
“Why did you not tell me about the nights with Carter?” I took a step back. “What did Carter mean exactly by
all
those nights you cried in his arms?” I turned my back to Raighne, not knowing how I was going to put any of it into words.

             
After a few seconds of silence Raighne’s fingers brushed my elbow. “I am still the only guardian who cannot communicate with his charge using telepathy. You are keeping things from me, Alchera. Important things. And by doing so I cannot protect you properly. You need to be honest with me…please. Why can you share your fears with Carter but not with me?”

             
I swung around. “It’s not that! I’m trying to
save
you the worry, Raighne.” I tried to hold the tears back. “The only reason Carter knew was because he could read my thoughts. When I had the nightmares, I woke up and he was there. He was always there. We never spoke of it, not to each other, and I didn’t want to worry you with it. We were happy. We were planning our wedding.” I moved towards Raighne, taking his hand and holding it to my heart. “I’m too scared to talk about my dream. I’m scared that if I talked about it, it would become real. I would somehow give it life.”

             
Raighne lifted my chin. “Tell me about the dream, Alchera. We have to be prepared.”