The Shattered Way (Champions of the Crystal Book 7)

Chapter 27: The Wedding

A month later, they were back on Praxatillus, plunging into the Council's closing ceremonies and wedding planning. One of Sabrina's assignments was to find a Bathiran citizen to be one of her attendants; fortunately, Lyrabeth Deirian was good friends with one of the professors at the Academy, and Jiara Lin and Sabrina hit it off. Sabrina ended up inviting them both to be among her attendants, along with Mira, Lira, Scotty, and Therenden. It was evident that Marie was not going to be well enough to play her role, to Sabrina's great sadness; she had roused from her coma but showed signs of severe brain damage. The doctors thought it would take years for her to relearn enough to function independently. They were having success with regenerating the dead brain cells, but the knowledge they had contained was lost forever.

Ford, meanwhile, shouldered a great deal of the ceremonial planning, working with the Chamberlain of Bathir to make sure all the implements and ornaments were cleaned and taking the time to coach Sabrina when rehearsals began. She had been working on her upper body strength ever since their return, worried about both her appearance in a sleeveless dress and her ability to heft the huge Sword of Bahgheir, which was almost as tall as she was.

Lost in a whirl of social engagements, wedding planning and rehearsals of the investiture ceremony, and seemingly endless wardrobe fittings, Sabrina was startled to wake up one morning and realize that all the time had passed. She had been Princess of Bathir for a little over a year, and the wedding and investiture day had arrived.

"Good morning," Ford said, greeting her with a kiss and a cup of cocoa. He was not dressed yet but showed signs of having been up for a while. "How do you feel?"

"Uh...paralyzed with terror," Sabrina said after a moment's thought.

Ford chuckled. "If you can joke about it, I know you're all right. Don't worry, darling. We're already married, and you're already Princess of Bathir in your own right. The paperwork did all that. This is just a bit of theater."

"I never wanted to be on stage," she sighed. "And I'm not sure I'm joking."

"Father told me to give him a call if you showed signs of balking. Do you want me to?"

"No. I'm still moving under my own power; maybe after I get busy I'll be all right." Sabrina threw back the covers and got to her feet.

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The ceremony was scheduled for mid-afternoon. Sabrina and Ford had brunch together while the staff and attendants hurried around, gathering and transporting everything necessary for them to dress at the Assembly Hall of the Academy at Bathir. For security reasons, they were foregoing the traditional procession through the crowds gathered outside and would fly directly to the building; Sabrina had had to insist very firmly to be granted permission for a brief recessional afterward—not into the crowd, but at least out onto the steps to be seen.

Zepharan, serving as Ford's chief attendant since Aurora had decided to downgrade her role after discovering how much time motherhood demanded, stopped by as they were finishing their meal. "How are you two doing today?"

"I'm doing great," Ford said, "but then this isn't about me, is it? Sabrina's a little shaky. Have a seat and tell her that she's not making a mistake."

"I know I'm not making a mistake. I've already married you twice, remember?" she retorted, holding up her left hand to show the plain gold wedding band he had given her in their ceremony in Aunt Euphrasia's living room, nestled next to her mother's engagement ring.

Ford grinned. He had enjoyed their brief stay on Earth thoroughly, erasing Cynthia Grayson's initial bad impression of him and charming Aunt Euphrasia, who, despite having been introduced to him as Ford Tassan, told Sabrina that she knew an aristocrat when she met one. "Third time's a charm, isn't that the saying?"