The Heartwood Box: A Fairy Tale (14 page)

Genevieve laughed, grateful
for Sally’s supportive presence
.
She genuinely liked the woman Sally had grown into
.
The day passed faster than she could have imagined, and
before she knew it,
it was time to get dressed
.

There was a moment of respectful silence as Genevieve’s wedding dress was taken out and unwrapped
.
A
ll
three
girls
looked stunned
, Emily covered her mouth
, and Jane sighed
.

Genevieve felt
a rush of pleasure
at the girls’ reaction:
M
ama deserved it
.
Her mother
was an artist with a needle
,
and she’d
expended
every bit of her skill
on
her beloved daughter’s
gown
.

Rather than the expected tight bodice with a full skirt, they’d decided on an A-line: a plain white
silk
sheath, with
lightly-puffed
cap sleeves and
a square neck that was overlaid with a silk gauze overdress embroidered with tiny sprigs of flowers
.
It was deceptively simple, but the other women easily appreciated the consummate design skill and exquisite wor
kmanship necessary to make it.

The girls handled
the dress
with reverent care as they helped Genevieve put it on
.
Looking at herself in the glass, even Genevieve could feel how beautiful it was
—
and how perfectly it suited her.

Jane handed her
a
bouquet of
baby’s breath, which
matched the little sprigs on the dress
.
The final touch was a coronet of
the same flowers
, which S
ally placed on top of her head.

“Oh Jenny!”
M
ama gushed
.
“You were right about skipping the veil
—
this is better.”
Genevieve had insisted on leaving her hair to hang down naturally in preference to some elaborate hair-do.

“It’s the prettiest dress I’ve every seen, and that’s no exaggeration
.
You’ve outdone yourself, Mrs. Miran,” Sally said with her usual bluntness
.
“It’s perfect, Genevieve
.
Damian Black is one lucky man.” 

“Oh, my beautiful little girl,” Mama cried
.
“I can’t be
lieve you’re getting married.”

“No tears, any of you!” Sally ordered firmly
.
“Not you either, Genevieve
.
We didn’t spend all day getting you so pretty for you to blubber it
all away at the last minute.”

It was
well
-
timed
.
At that moment, her father called up the stairs to say it was time to go
.
All
four girls looked at each other
and then let out a loud squeal
.
Sally squeezed her hand, and
Genevieve smiled back at her.

It was her wedding day, and she’d never been hap
pier.

For the third time in as many days, Genevieve began the short walk to Titania’s Altar,
this time accompanied by
her parents and bridesmaids
.
It was a fitting culmination to the three most momentous days of her life so far
.
As they walked through the main street of the village, their small party was joined by neighbors
.
B
y the time they passed the
tents on the green
, almost the whole town was walking in the joyous procession
.

Genevieve felt the rightness of it
.
A
wedding wasn’t just for the couple involved
.
It was a chance for everyone to pay tribute to Titania and thank her again for the blessing of the
heartwood
she’d bestowed on their people so many generations ago.

Genevieve
couldn’t help a slight hesitation when she saw Damian standing with his brothers next to the plain stone altar
.
All three of them were dressed in their uniforms, which were surprisingly sober, consisting of a long, straight-cut black jacket and matching trousers, unadorned except for the trim, which was dark green braid.

The most striking feature of their attire was the silver sword each of them wore
.
Something in the way the swords glowed convinced Genevieve that they must be Fae-made
.

Damian did not take his eyes off her once
.
She was a little awed by how attractive she found him
.
She’d been told her whole life that it was improper to stare at a man or dwell on how handsome he was
.
She’d thought Damian good-looking in an obvious way, but now that handsomeness felt more dangerous, as if he were luring her in, enticing her
to come
closer so he could pounce on her
.
She feared she was blushing like a fool, but his gaze was so intense and possessive she felt a sudden alarm at what it would mean to be his
.

Sally’s light touch on her shoulder made her realize she’d stopped walking
.
Damian gave her an encouraging nod, which made her wonder if she’d just imagined his earlier expression
.
She clutched her father’s arm a bit tightly, but she did manage to walk the rest of the way to the altar
.

As soon as she was in place, everyone’s attention turned to the small grove of rowan trees directly behind the altar
.
The priestess emerged, walking with a tall man who could only be Declan
.
From a distance, Declan looked hardly older than the Black brothers, who resembled him very closely
.

But as he came closer, Genevieve saw that his skin had a flawless smoothness and subtle glow that could not be human
.
Only the ancient expression in his eyes betrayed the fact that he was centuries old
.
To her surprise, he smiled warmly at her, his face full of good-humor and even joy
.
Somehow she’d imagined such a great warrior would be fierce and stern even at a wedding
.

H
er nervousness ease
d
a bit under his reassuring expression
.
Perhaps a miracle would occur and she would be able to get through her
own
wedding without humiliating herself by fainting, bursting into tears, or fleeing like a cowardly rabbit
.
Her courage did not come a moment too
soon
, as the ceremony began
right when
the two
reached the altar
.

The priestess said something about Titania and blessings and sacred unions which Genevieve couldn’t pretend to follow, and then her father was leading her forward to stand before Damian
.

“Sir…Damian,” her father said gruffly
.
“In accordance with Titania’s will I hereby entrust you with the key to my daughter’s
heartwood
box, and with it I entrust you with her happiness and well-being.” 

Damian answered,
“I vow upon my honor al
ways to cherish and protect her
and pray Titania’s help that I may be worthy of this trust.” 

The traditional words said, her father handed Damian a small gold key, which hung from a simple chain
.
Damian kissed the key and hung it around his neck
.
Her father kissed her cheek and took her hand and put it in Damian’s
.

They both knelt and exchanged the age-old vows, Genevieve “to lov
e, honor, and obey,” and Damian
“to love, honor, and protect.”  The
p
riestess gave the blessing and then nodded to her to rise
.

To her sur
prise, Damian remained kneeling
and was joined by his brothers
.

Declan stepped forward
.
“Damian has spoken his marriage vows before this company, but in taking a bride, my descendants have ever made greater vows than are even demanded by the
p
riestess of Titania, vows to me
.
Derek and Donal, you have both indicated that you wish to follow in the tradition of our family and pledge yourselves to protect and care for Damian’s bride.” 

“We do, sire,” both said.

“This vow can only be given with an open heart and clear conscience, free of any envy or malice
.
Can you both swear upon your honor that you so give the vow
?
”

“We can.” 

“Damian, such pledges likewise must be accepted with an open heart, free of any jealous suspicions, unselfishly, for the good of your bride and the Black Family
.
Can you with honor accept your brothers’ pledges
?
”

“I can, sire.”

“Queen Titania has ever understood what it means to my family when a Black marries
.
By her order, you three are released from the vows you made when you first took up arms for her sake
.
I would have your vow that
from this moment forward,
your first priority at all times will be the safety and well-being of the Black bride
.
Do you so swear?”

Donal, then Derek
,
and finally Damian said, “I swear.”  Afterwards Donal and Derek stood and took a step back
.

“Damian, I restate now the values that rule our family and comprise its honor, so that Genevieve and all assembled may hear them
.
It has ever been my belief that there can be no true happiness in marriage without trust between husband and wife
.
I am proud but not surprised that no descendant of mine has ever been guilty of infidelity
.
As you value your honor and your family, so long as Genevieve lives you will not touch another female
.
You will never lie to her or deceive her for any reason
.
You will never mock or belittle her or give her cause to fear revealing her true nature or feelings to you
.
At all times you will conduct yourself so that she may feel secure in your devotion and affection, no matter what conflicts arise between you
.
You will never forget that the fates have vouchsafed to you a great blessing—the greatest that can be given to our family.”

“It will be the study of my life to live by these precepts, sire
.
On my honor I swear it.”  Declan nodded
,
and Damian stood again
.

Genevieve almost fainted when Declan turned next to her
.

“Have no fear
,
daughter,” he said in a gentler tone
.
“You have given your vows, and I know they were spoken in all sincerity
.
I see already that you and Damian have the makings of a strong bond that will lead to your happiness
.
Still, all marriages have trials and conflicts
.
When they should arise,
I
ask
only that you recall
the vows Damian has made today
and the precepts he has sworn to live by.” 

He paused, and she nodded, unable to find her voice
.
He nodded back at her and then to her surprise addressed Donal
.

“Donal in particular, I charge you with helping your sister understand the import of these precepts
.
I ask
that
you
be a friend to her and actively take it upon yourself to rectify any misunderstandings
and
reconcile any differences that may arise between your brother and Genevieve.” 

Donal looked surprised by this
and said with a seriousness that was unlike him, “I promise to, sire.” 

Declan nodded, and suddenly Damian was before her with a smile that made her shiver
.