THE WEDDING WAS REALLY QUITE simple.

Red flowers in her hair, trimming the bodice of her gown and decorating the circle. She and Alastair were standing in the circle of petals, facing one another. His suit of clothing was the deepest blue, representing the Durand house. He wore the colours that he had inherited from his father without bitterness now. A simpler coronet rested on his head compared to hers; a crown of thorns alternating with the red jewels of Mordania. Hers were the spikes of Mordania, interlaced with thorns.

The scent of roses and peonies mingled with the iron tang of blood and the sweet aroma of incense. Candles had been lit around the circle, and a priest stood outside it, conducting the ceremony. Birds were chirping, the sun was shining, and Mordania herself could not have afforded such pleasant weather for a marital union.

Kaiden, Holly, and other guests stood clustered at the sides. Shania had even made the trip with her husband and small children present, running around and playing in the scattered flowers.

Something seemed to glow inside of her, a warm ember burning in her chest as she looked up at her future husband.

"Welcome, welcome," said the priest, his voice echoing throughout the field. "You have been invited to witness the joyful union of Jovana Dusang and Alastair Durand, to become husband and wife, as well as joined forever as queen and king of Atla and Mordania."

The small crowd fell silent, chatter ceasing into stillness.

"Do you, Jovana Dusang, vow to be with Alastair Durand for the rest of your life, living, breathing, and unto the next world?" asked the priest. "To adore, to will what is good for him, and to love him until death do you part?"

She nodded. "I do."

"And do you, Alastair Durand, vow to be with Jovana Dusang until you die, until you pass into the next life?" The priest turned to Alastair. "To protect, to cherish, and to love her until death do you part?"

Alastair cleared his throat. "I do."

The betrothal was always more elaborate than the wedding, probably to deter couples from wanting to separate before the wedding took place. Yet the simplicity of the ceremony somehow still managed to take her breath away, leaving her brimming with joy that could not be taken away. Not by anything. She would not let anything or anyone steal this happiness from her; she would fight with tooth and claw to keep it.

"Then I do declare the two of you husband and wife," announced the priest. "Queen Jovana and King Alastair Durand of Atla and Mordania!"

Alastair bent down and kissed her, a quick, soft press of his lips to hers, but when they parted, she thought she felt the glow in her chest spread throughout her body, lighting her blood on fire. They had come so very far with infinity stretched out beyond them.

Jovana smiled against Alastair's mouth before pulling away. the brocade of his jacket smooth against her fingertips, touching the whorls of gold embroidery.

Cheers erupted around them, and she even thought she heard some firecrackers from the small gathering, but all she could focus on was Alastair's blue eyes, his hand holding hers, his smile beaming. There was nothing that could distract her from this... from her husband.

"We're married," he said, reaching a hand to cup her face. She could read the words in his eyes: my queen. Swearing devotion to her, fealty, an allegiance that would never end.

She was so full of joy she thought it almost hurt, the sensations too powerful not to break something in her. "That, we are."

How they had both tried to escape this fate. How they had both fought and bled and kicked and screamed, clawing tooth and nail to keep from this life - spent together. Mated. They hadn't wanted this, yet they had found their ways back to one another anyways. They had created a life together. They could rule an empire together.

And they would. Conquerors, rulers, kings and queens of this expanse of their vast world. Her heart was so full she thought it might burst.

She caught sight of Holly and Kaiden's grinning faces, wearing matching flower crowns. Kaiden's was crooked, the coronet of white calla lilies hanging over his left ear. It must have been thrust most reluctantly upon him, but he didn't seem to mind.

"My congratulations to you," Kaiden said, as Alastair and Jovana stepped over the threshold of the circle, breaking the enchantment. He tipped a glass filled with golden liquid toward them. "It is such a momentous occasion, isn't it?"

"When will you be marrying?" Alastair asked, raising an eyebrow. "After all, you are free now, aren't you, to travel the world and have grand adventures with your wife?"

He hinted towards Kaiden's plans, or at least snippets of them that he had shared. The man was still awfully secretive, at least to the two of them.

"When we get married, you'll be the first to know," Holly broke in, sipping her champagne. Something about her expression was pensive, as though she had something she needed to share but wasn't sure how to say it. She seemed distracted, and Jovana wanted to ask her about it, but she didn't think it was the right time. "My best wishes to both of you. I'm not sure there is a pair better-suited."

Kaiden nudged his bodyguard and best friend with an elbow, the pompous veneer coming back over his face. "Aside from us, darling."

Jovana laughed. Never in a thousand lifetimes would she have thought herself capable of being friendly at all with Kaiden Thorne. Nor would she have thought it possible that she would be married to a man whom she had once despised - though she realized now that it had only been a childish rivalry with time wasted fighting instead of realizing each other's admirable traits.

Kaiden clinked his glass against Holly's. He wore a fine linen suit of green embroidered with gold like Alastair's, bringing out the gilt flecks in his eyes. Only, his embroidery was leaves and vines, while Alastair's depicted wind and snowflakes. "If I may propose a toast... To the king and queen of Mordania and Atla!" 

The gathering of guests echoed his cry, all of them toasting with enthusiasm. The atmosphere was jubilant, celebratory.

Alastair and Jovana found glasses being shoved into their hands, and they both indulged heartily. The wine was sweet, bubbles tickling the roof of her mouth, but she preferred the rich, darker port of Mordania. Thankfully, that was present as well, and she took a satisfying sip.

Leaning back against Alastair's chest, she almost thought nothing could ruin her happiness.

Well, that was until a woman clad in black entered the scene in a flurry of dark silk, her face obscured by a hooded cloak edged with lace. She broke through the circle of flowers, scattering petals everywhere as her boots stomped on the delicate blossoms, crushing them.

"I need to speak to the queen and king, post-haste," she said, and her voice, though guttural, seemed like it was affected that way. Like she was trying to hide her identity.

The two of them exchanged glances, hands on their weapons. "And who are you?"

"Someone you can trust," she said lowly, and they both looked down to see a scroll in her hand of yellowing parchment.

As they went with the woman to a more private alcove. One meant for trysting lovers or assassins, it was a space of secrecy. The stranger flung off her hood and revealed herself to be none other than Nadia Thorne. Green eyes fiery, her stare was intense as it pierced into theirs.

"The two of you are in imminent danger," she said. "You, and my son both."