Beneath a canopy of russet, gold, and evergreen, Logan waited for Polina at the end of a row of white folding chairs. It was September 23, the fall equinox and the day of their wedding ceremony. A witch stood next to him. Not a Hecate like Polina, but a practitioner of witchcraft. She wasn’t a demigod like his soon-to-be wife, but Logan sensed magic in her, a positive energy that leached from her blood-colored robes and infused the air around them.
A chorus of hollow sounds began from behind him. His gaze darted to the group of forest fae that made up the orchestra. They were long limbed, fair skinned, and had gossamer wings that made it impossible to mistake them for human. He didn’t know the names of the instruments they played. There was something that looked like a flute but was made of wood; a long, straight horn with an upturned end; a board with strings; and a drum made from a rotting stump. The melody enhanced the sense of belonging to the living mountain—earth and wind and wood coming together in unison.
His gaze wandered over the guests. Grateful and her family, Silas and his brother and sister, Logan’s restaurant manager Dustin and his wife, some folks from the restaurant. He’d invited his father, but the man was too busy to come. Just as well.
And then his heart stopped. Polina stood at the head of the aisle wearing a dress that looked like Mother Nature had sewn it for her. The material was thin and textured with leaf-shaped cutouts that revealed a shiny layer underneath. Layers of white feathers started mid-thigh and flowed outward to the runner that covered the dirt path. As she drew closer, he could make out threads of gold embroidered into the torso. That’s what gave the material its texture. It was lined with gold.
Polina’s red waves were swept up into a neat set of curls that proved a backdrop for the tiara that adorned her head. There was no veil. She smiled and took his hand.
Truthfully, he felt unworthy of her in his common black tux, but then he remembered that not only was he worthy, he was responsible. He was the vessel of her soul. The carrier of her light. He could heal her, make her stronger, care for her in a way no one else would ever or could ever. He was her perfect match.
“We come together to celebrate the union of Polina Innes and Logan Valentine. Do you both come of your own free will?” the officiant began. Her voice sounded older than her physical appearance, raspy as crumpled parchment.
He answered affirmatively and Polina echoed his sentiment.
“Know now that you enter into a binding of heart and soul. Come with full awareness to this table of elements, for what is done cannot be undone. You have marked each other’s souls. Parting will not break this bond, nor reverse what change it brings in you today. Do you consent to this union in full knowledge?”
“Yes, we do,” they answered.
The witch retrieved a cord from a small table behind her. It looked to be about nine feet long and consisted of five silken threads of different colors braided together. She grabbed his right hand and firmly placed it palm to palm against Polina’s.
The officiant tossed one end of the cord over his wrist. “We call on the air, pure and white, to send new hope and dreams to this couple.” Under and over Polina’s wrist, she wrapped the cord in a figure eight pattern. “We call on the earth, signified by the brown, to ground you in each other.” She wrapped again, the cord forming an infinity symbol around their wrists. “We call on the metal element, silver, to help you be mirrors to one another, reflecting the truth of who you are and who you will be. We call on wood, represented by green, to bless you with new growth, for that which does not grow and change withers away.” She wrapped one more time. “And finally, we call on the water, represented by blue, to wash away the mistakes you’ve made and will make with each other, so you may begin again.” This time she tied the cord.
As they’d practiced, Logan leaned forward and placed a kiss firmly on Polina’s lips.
The witch turned to take up the rings, placing one in his left hand. “You may now promise yourself to the lady.”
Logan held up the ring and Polina obliged, sliding her finger into it. “On this day, I promise to be your guardian in life and death, the keeper of your affections, the caretaker of your pure and lasting love. My life begins and ends with you.”
The officiant handed Polina a ring. She held it between them and he slid his finger into it. “On this day,” Polina said, “I promise myself to you. I give you eternity and bind my soul to yours for all time. My life begins and ends with you.”
The officiant manipulated the cords and removed them from their hands without untying the knot. “Now that you have been bound, may you strive to uphold the permanence of this commitment. May your union last as long as this knot remains tied. Blessed be.”
The fae began to play again and Logan walked side by side with his bride into his new life.