But One Star of All

Seventh Entry - Concurrent Lives

A year later my mother wept as she helped me dress for my wedding. She brushed underneath her eyes as she slipped the vibrant, verdant silk up over my shoulders and wound the matching, gold-shot scarves around my waist. Every hem was hung with beads, and my dark hair as well. I very nearly jingled. Lastly she settled me before her, balancing her palate on my lap, and painted my eyes with green and my lips with gold.

She cupped my face in her hands, liquid diamonds trembling on her eyelids. "He may be the only man capable of burning as brightly as you are."

I laid my hands over hers, just as happy and still wistful for the house I would tonight be leaving behind. "And you and Father taught me what kind of man would be worthy."

My father and mother both stood off my shoulders to walk with me toward the dais on which Thranduil would meet me. Unlike I, Thranduil walked alone. His nearest relatives lived half a world away. His father had come from a distant land and married here, so both had always been rather alone in comparison with the rest of us. His mother, too, had died in battle, when he had been but a child.

I hoped his family could see him from the stars, and see the quiet happiness that lay in his eyes. Still he grieved for his father, but I prayed that I could make him happy enough that sometimes he could forget the wound in his heart where his father had once lived, and now only slept.

We met on the small pedestal, joined hands, and turned around one another as we spoke the words promising our lives to one another and to our children. Thranduil already knew I wanted more than most. He had promised that he accepted that challenge.

"To live in your light," we murmured together, turning. "To banish your darkness. To this I hold and write on my heart. Should I revoke my word should my own breath be taken. In this and firstly this I promise: our lives are one."

The surrounding crowd cheered, and I made them cheer even more when I beat Thranduil to the kiss, taking him by the face, rising onto my toes and pressing my lips to his. I knew he would have enjoyed his dramatic showing but every now and then I did like to take the crowd's attention myself. He chuckled against my lips. "Aren't you a wily one."

"You know me well enough; you should have prepared for it."

"You are far too unpredictable for that, my lady."

I made to step off the dais, as the music had begun, but he kept hold of my hand and drew me back up the first step again, twirling me once and tipping me back, bending over my shoulder to kiss me again. "I however do have my unpredictable moments as well."

I nibbled his lip. "Shall we make it a competition?"

He gave me a sly grin. "Is it not always?"

So it was decided then. I grinned as well.

Throughout that evening we made it a game to see who could accomplish the highest number of unexpected things without being caught-mostly by each other, but also by our fellow celebrants. I slipped grapes into Thranduil's wine when he wasn't looking, and he put basil leaves in my salad because he knew I hated them and it was only my lifelong ladylike habits that prevented me from throwing them on the ground. I found sprigs of mint tucked into my clothes in odd places, and returned the favor by braiding the ends of Thranduil's long hair whenever he didn't realize I had both of my hands free-a dangerous state of being for him to allow, truly.

I also managed to brush the edge of his ear in gold when I rubbed the last of the glimmering powder from my lips, having never cared for its texture. His ear glittered every time it slipped free of his hair, and I laughed every time I saw it.

We didn't know who had won when we snuck away into other halls.

"Who is this poor fellow who has decreed that our revelry is over?" he wanted to know, nudging me sidelong toward a fountain that bathed us in its mist. He twirled me twice and sat me on the edge of the fountain. "As I recall we never set an end date."