The castle had finally grown quiet.
The laughter from the East and West Wings had faded, leaving only moonlight, distant footsteps, and the occasional muffled voice behind a closed door.
Jax made his way toward his chamber with the lingering warmth of Pixie Mead in his veins.
He was drunk.
Not embarrassingly so.
But enough that the stone corridor seemed unusually peaceful and his thoughts wandered wherever they pleased.
Unfortunately, they wandered back to a conversation from earlier that evening.
"Tradition says the bride and groom shouldn't see one another on their wedding day," Zee had explained.
Bunny frowned immediately.
"That's a terrible tradition."
"It's only until the ceremony," Llandra assured her.
Nyxian crossed her arms.
"So Llandra isn't allowed to see him."
"That is generally how the tradition works," Zee replied.
Nyxian's eyes narrowed.
"And the rest of us?"
Zee hesitated.
Technically, the tradition said nothing about them.
Llandra looked between the other Vixens, already understanding where the conversation was heading.
"If I must endure it," she said, "then we all will."
Bunny's ears drooped.
"That seems unfair."
"It is one night," Zee reminded her.
Nyxian sighed dramatically.
"One lonely, miserable, completely unnecessary night."
Llandra stepped closer to Jax and slipped her hand into his.
"Tomorrow."
He lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles.
"Tomorrow."
The other Vixens had reluctantly agreed to share Llandra's sacrifice.
None of them would visit him.
No exceptions.
Jax stopped outside his chamber.
One night.
He could survive one night.
He had survived a Flame Dragon.
Surely an empty bed posed less danger.
Probably.
He rested his hand against the door and exhaled.
"I really wish I wasn't sleeping alone tonight."
He opened it.
The chamber was dark, illuminated only by moonlight spilling through the tall windows.
Jax stepped inside and closed the door behind him.
"Funny."
He froze.
A second voice answered from somewhere near the bed.
"We were thinking the same thing."
A third added solemnly, "We gave tradition serious consideration."
"Extremely serious," a fourth agreed.
Jax turned.
Four familiar silhouettes waited for him.
Llandra stood nearest the bed, still dressed in the silk gown she had worn during the evening's celebration. Bunny sat beside Zee, barely containing her grin. Nyxian lounged against the pillows with the satisfied expression of someone whose plan had worked perfectly.
Jax blinked.
"I thought we agreed to behave."
"We did," Bunny said.
"For hours," Nyxian added.
Zee smiled serenely.
"Then we held another vote."
"And?" Jax asked.
"The decision was unanimous."
Llandra crossed the room and took his hands.
"I tried."
"I'm sure you did."
"I lasted longer than they expected."
"By nearly ten minutes," Nyxian said.
Llandra ignored her.
"I know what tradition says. I know tomorrow is supposed to feel like a beginning."
She looked toward the others before meeting his eyes again.
"But it doesn't feel like the beginning of us."
Jax's expression softened.
Tomorrow, Llandra would become his wife before her family, her kingdom, and the world.
In his heart, she had been his wife for some time.
So had the others.
The ceremony would make one of those bonds official.
It would not create it.
Llandra rested her forehead against his chest.
"I didn't want our last night before the wedding to be spent pretending we were strangers."
Jax wrapped his arms around her.
"Traditions be damned?"
"Traditions be damned," Bunny declared.
Zee gave a small nod.
"Just this once."
Nyxian grinned.
"At least until the next inconvenient tradition."
Jax laughed.
A few moments earlier, he had wished not to be alone.
Apparently, someone had been listening.
The door locked behind them.
The candles burned late.
And the castle's carefully observed traditions suffered a quiet and unanimous defeat.
In the royal chamber, Queen Lysara paused while removing one of her earrings.
A distant burst of laughter traveled faintly through the stone walls.
King Thalorien looked up from unfastening his formal coat.
Lysara listened.
Her eyebrows rose.
Another sound followed.
Thalorien glanced toward the wall separating their chambers from the corridor beyond.
"The young seem determined to celebrate until morning."
Lysara slowly placed her earring on the table.
The stories shared during the evening had already left the castle's women in unusually affectionate moods. More than one unsuspecting husband had been greeted with surprising enthusiasm after the parties ended.
Apparently, the royal family would be no exception.
Lysara turned toward her husband.
A competitive gleam entered her eyes.
"Are we truly going to let the youth win this?"
Thalorien stared at her.
Then laughed.
"Win what, precisely?"
"You know perfectly well."
"I wasn't aware there was a competition."
"There is now."
He stepped toward her.
"Is that a challenge?"
Lysara lifted her chin.
"I'm an archer."
Her smile sharpened.
"I don't lose competitions."
Thalorien wrapped an arm around her waist.
"I seem to remember someone recently implying that I was getting old."
"I may have spoken prematurely."
"Have you revised your opinion?"
She drew him closer.
"Convince me."
The royal chamber doors closed.
The castle did not sleep as peacefully as tradition might have preferred.
Morning arrived without mercy.
Jax awoke amid the familiar entanglement of limbs, hair, blankets, and women who had collectively decided that personal space was optional.
It was hardly the first time.
He carefully escaped without waking them, dressed, and paused beside the bed.
Llandra slept at the center, one hand resting near the empty place he had left behind.
Today, she would become Llandra Darquebane before the eyes of her people.
Jax smiled.
"Worth every minute."
He slipped from the chamber and headed toward the kitchens.
Wedding day or not, breakfast still required supervision.
By afternoon, the palace had transformed.
Fresh flowers lined the corridors. White and gold banners hung from the balconies. Servants moved with carefully controlled urgency, carrying linens, trays, instruments, and last-minute messages in every direction.
The courtyard gardens had been chosen for the ceremony.
It was Llandra's wish.
No grand throne room.
No marble hall.
No golden dais separating royalty from everyone else.
She wanted grass beneath her bare feet.
Sunlight in her hair.
Wind moving through the trees.
The gardeners had turned the courtyard into something drawn from a dream.
White flowers framed the aisle. Silver ribbons drifted from the branches overhead. Rows of polished chairs faced an arch woven from living vines and blossoms.
More than two hundred fifty guests gathered beneath the afternoon sky.
Nobles.
Commanders.
Merchants.
Diplomats.
Representatives of the great houses of Etherevalis.
Many had come to witness a royal wedding.
Others had come to witness history.
A marriage between the princess of the Elven Empire and the mysterious human who had arrived from beyond its borders carried implications no treaty could ignore.
Jax tried not to think about any of that.
Legos adjusted his ceremonial jacket for the fourth time.
"You look nervous."
"I'm not nervous."
Heiron glanced over.
"You've inspected the same button six times."
"I'm making sure it remains attached."
"It survived the first five inspections."
Jax looked down at his own formal attire.
Solmere's tailors had outdone themselves.
The dark coat was tailored perfectly, trimmed with silver embroidery that echoed the patterns of Llandra's homeland without disguising Jax as something he wasn't. No crown. No excessive jewels. No attempt to make him appear royal.
He looked like Jax.
Only considerably more expensive.
Vaelrith approached from behind them.
"The ceremony will begin shortly."
Legos immediately straightened.
Heiron stopped smiling.
Jax studied the Spy Master.
"Any final warnings?"
"Several."
"Wedding related?"
"No."
"Then they can wait."
Vaelrith almost smiled.
"Agreed."
The musicians began to play.
Guests rose as Jax entered the courtyard with Legos and Heiron beside him.
He greeted those nearest the aisle, accepting nods, smiles, and the occasional wary stare.
Then he noticed the chairs.
Llandra's side was filled.
Family.
Friends.
Nobles who had watched her grow from a child into a warrior and princess.
Jax's side was almost entirely empty.
Row after immaculate row stood untouched.
The division was ceremonial, but it was also political.
To sit on the foreigner's side could be interpreted as a declaration.
Support for Jax.
Support for closer relations with Solmere.
Perhaps even support for abandoning generations of isolation.
Most of the nobles had chosen caution.
Jax understood.
It didn't particularly bother him.
Still, his eyes drifted toward his shadow.
I could fix that.
Warden would certainly attend if summoned.
Gryph could probably manage one of the wider aisles.
Fang would take up very little room, provided no one objected to a giant serpent coiling beneath the chairs.
Then there was Dante.
Jax pictured a Flame Dragon more than fifty feet long attempting to lower himself delicately into an elegant white wedding chair.
The chair vanished beneath him.
Then the row.
Possibly the garden.
A smile tugged at the corner of Jax's mouth.
Perhaps not.
Summoning even Warden would probably send half the nobility running for the gates.
The music changed.
Every thought disappeared.
The guests turned toward the far end of the aisle.
Llandra appeared beneath the garden archway.
Jax forgot how to breathe.
She stood between her parents, barefoot as promised.
A crown of white flowers had been woven into her long golden hair. Her gown flowed around her in layers of pale fabric, elegant without appearing fragile, royal without overwhelming the woman wearing it.
The afternoon breeze caught the edge of her veil.
For one suspended moment, no one moved.
Then she began walking.
King Thalorien stood proudly at her right.
Queen Lysara walked at her left.
They were not presenting a political asset to the court.
They were walking their daughter toward the life she had chosen.
Llandra's gaze remained fixed on Jax.
With every step, the gathered nobles seemed to fade.
The palace disappeared.
The politics vanished.
There was only her.
By the time she reached him, tears had already formed in her eyes.
Not graceful tears carefully controlled for the audience.
Real ones.
Jax had prepared words.
He had rehearsed what he would say when he first saw her.
Every one of them abandoned him.
"You're beautiful."
Llandra laughed softly through her tears.
"So are you."
Legos snorted behind him.
Heiron elbowed his brother before the sound could become a laugh.
The officiant stepped forward.
"Who brings this woman to stand beside this man?"
Thalorien looked at his daughter.
Then at Lysara.
"Her mother and I do."
He paused.
"With her blessing."
Llandra squeezed his hand.
"And with ours."
The King embraced his daughter.
For a moment, he held her as though she were still the little girl who had run through the palace carrying a wooden bow far too large for her.
Lysara joined them, kissing Llandra's cheek and whispering something that made her daughter laugh through her tears.
Then Thalorien turned toward Jax.
He clasped Jax's forearm.
The grip was not ceremonial.
It was personal.
"Take care of our little girl."
Jax looked him directly in the eye.
"I intend to spend the rest of my life doing exactly that."
Thalorien held his gaze.
Then nodded.
He stepped away.
Everyone expected him to return to his place beside the Queen.
He did not.
The King walked behind Jax.
Legos glanced toward his father.
Heiron straightened instinctively.
Thalorien stopped between his sons and took his place with the groomsmen.
No announcement.
No explanation.
He simply stood there.
The King of Etherevalis had left the place reserved for royalty.
He had chosen the place reserved for family.
Jax looked back.
Thalorien gave him a small nod.
That was all.
It was enough.
Queen Lysara watched her husband for a moment.
Pride softened her expression.
Then she looked toward the empty chairs on Jax's side.
She gathered the edge of her gown, crossed the aisle, and sat in the first row.
A murmur moved through the guests.
Vaelrith observed the Queen's decision.
Beside him sat his wife, composed and silent, though her eyes shone with understanding.
He looked toward Dawn.
She remained on Llandra's side among the attendants, exactly where she wished to be.
Dawn met her father's gaze and smiled.
Vaelrith inclined his head.
Then he offered his arm to his wife.
Together, they crossed the aisle and sat behind the Queen.
The murmurs grew louder.
An elderly nobleman stood next.
He hesitated only briefly before crossing.
Then a merchant and his wife.
A commander.
Two diplomats.
Another noble family.
One by one, people rose from Llandra's crowded side and moved into the empty chairs behind Jax.
Some did so because the King had shown them it was safe.
Some because the Queen had made her position clear.
Some because politics had finally aligned with what they already believed.
Others simply decided that no man should stand at his wedding with an empty family behind him.
Jax watched the rows fill.
A few chairs remained vacant.
That no longer mattered.
His side was not empty.
He glanced at his shadow.
I suppose I won't need Warden after all.
The officiant waited until the guests settled.
Then he smiled at Jax and Llandra.
"Shall we begin?"
Llandra slipped her hands into Jax's.
"Yes."
The officiant spoke of partnership.
Of trust.
Of two lives joined not through obligation, but through choice.
He spoke of the responsibility carried by those who promised themselves to another.
Jax heard most of it.
But his attention remained on Llandra.
Her veil still covered her face.
When the officiant motioned to him, Jax lifted it slowly.
The fabric fell behind her shoulders.
Tears traced paths down her cheeks.
He did not see pointed ears.
He did not see royalty.
He did not see the princess whose marriage might alter the future of nations.
He saw Llandra.
The woman who had challenged him.
Trusted him.
Fought beside him.
Chosen him.
Completely.
The officiant turned toward Jax.
"Jax Darquebane, do you vow to protect and honor the woman before you for as long as you live?"
"I do."
"Will you stand beside her in hardship and peace, in victory and loss, placing neither crown nor ambition above the bond you make today?"
"I will."
The officiant looked toward Llandra.
"Llandra of Etherevalis, do you vow to protect and honor the man before you for as long as you live?"
"I do."
"Will you stand beside him in hardship and peace, in victory and loss, choosing him freely each day as you have chosen him today?"
Her voice trembled.
"I will."
The officiant stepped back.
"You have prepared vows of your own."
Jax took a breath.
The words he had rehearsed returned, though they no longer felt like a speech.
They felt like truth.
"I will protect you."
His thumb brushed across her knuckles.
"I will honor you."
Llandra's tears came faster.
"I will stand beside you. Not above you. Not ahead of you."
He smiled.
"Beside you."
His voice lowered.
"Always."
Llandra tried to answer immediately.
Emotion caught the words.
She laughed once, wiped at her cheek, and tried again.
"I choose you."
Her grip tightened around his hands.
"Every battle."
"Every storm."
"Every joy."
Her voice steadied.
"I choose you."
Jax forgot the audience.
Llandra leaned closer.
"And wherever your road leads…"
A tear slipped free.
"…you will never walk it alone."
Something inside him went still.
He had awakened in this world with no family.
No memories.
No understanding of where he had come from or why he had been brought here.
For so long, his past had been nothing but an empty place he could not fill.
But Llandra stood before him.
Thalorien stood behind him beside his sons.
Lysara sat with Vaelrith and those who had chosen to cross the aisle.
The Vixens watched from Llandra's side, their love no less real simply because today's ceremony belonged to her.
He was surrounded.
Not by obligation.
By choice.
Jax looked into Llandra's eyes.
"Never."
The officiant raised his voice.
"With the blessing of the Silverbough Throne and before all gathered here, I pronounce you husband and wife."
A smile spread across his face.
"You may kiss your bride."
Jax pulled Llandra close.
He did not rush.
He kissed her as though the courtyard were empty and the world had narrowed to the woman in his arms.
For one heartbeat, there was silence.
Then the gardens erupted.
Applause thundered through the courtyard.
Cheers rose from both sides of the aisle.
Bunny cried openly while insisting she was not crying.
Zee wiped her eyes with considerably more dignity.
Nyxian applauded with a grin wide enough to alarm several nearby nobles.
Dawn embraced the bridesmaid beside her.
Legos shouted loud enough to be heard beyond the palace walls.
Heiron joined him.
Thalorien stood taller than he had in years.
Lysara made no attempt to hide her tears.
Jax and Llandra finally parted, though neither released the other.
She rested her forehead against his.
"Hello, husband."
Jax smiled.
"Hello, wife."
They turned together to face the gathered guests.
Jax looked across the courtyard.
His side was no longer empty.
When he had first arrived in this world, he had awakened alone.
No memories.
No family.
No idea where he belonged.
Standing beside Llandra, with friends and family filling both sides of the courtyard, something finally settled into place.
Somewhere along the way…
He had stopped being alone.