The Mark of Arella(Book One of the Dragonfly Chronicles)

Chapter Eighteen

They sat on the grass talking and finishing up their coffee and pastries. Rhylan had set aside the lunch portions so they could stay wrapped and cool. Lilly noticed a bottle of wine in the bag and raised her eyebrows. "Will we be drinking that later?" Rhylan smirked and said, "I was thinking we could have a glass or two later. We haven't really had a chance to celebrate our bonding and I thought it might be nice to do that. If you want to celebrate the bond that is." He looked at her with a question in his eyes. "Are you happy to be my mate Lilly? Could you put up with me and my stubbornness for hundreds of years? Maybe longer?" Lilly laughed and said, "Oh, I think you might get the bad end of that bargain. Are you sure you want t put up with me for that long?" Rhylan grabbed her hand and held it to his heart. He said, "Yes, I am yours forever Lilly and could not think of or want anyone else but you. You have been in my heart and mind since I was a boy and that will not change." Lilly smiled and grabbed his hand and placed it on her heart and said, "then I am yours as well, as I too can only think or feel for you." Rhylan breathed out a sigh of relief. He hadn't known how nervous he was asking this question until this moment. He said, "then would you do one more thing for us? We are mated and bonded, but we haven't had the bonding ceremony. The ceremony is what officially binds us together in this life and the afterlife. Some mates do not go this far as they feel being mated is enough. To me however, it is the final confirmation that we both not only accept our bond but want to honor and cherish each other for eternity. That we choose each other in our hearts and I wish to do this with you."

Lilly was looking at Rhylan, the longing in his eyes, the hope, the love she could see there and knew 100% in her heart that she wanted him, all of him and so she looked straight into his blue eyes and said, "Yes". He smiled at her and before he could say anything dozens of tiny gold beings flitted around them. They went up to Lilly's face and flew all around her giggling and whispering "you are here, Arella's heir, the Queen of Fannon returns." Lilly looked at the tiny beautiful creatures. They were unlike anything she had ever seen. When they flew together they looked like sparkling gold. She whispered to Rhylan, "What are they? They are beautiful."  She reached her hand out to touch them and one landed on her palm.  It tickled a little. The creature said to her, "We are pixies. We govern the gardens of Fannon and the sprites, she waved to the larger ones by the trees which Lilly hadn't noticed until the pixie pointed them out, govern the trees. My name is Una and we are blessed to have Arella and Baelin's family return to our woods". Lilly and Rhylan looked at each other. He said, "Return? I thought this place was hidden enough that no one would know of it." "Oh yes," said Una, "This place is sacred and hidden to all except the offspring of Arella and Baelin. This was their garden sanctuary. They used to come here frequently when they lived. We have been waiting a long time for the two of you to come here together. We knew when the Prince started coming here as a young man that soon you would be coming too Princess, my Queen."

Lilly looked at Rhylan with confusion, why did they keep calling her Queen? She was about to ask this very question when one of the pixies light started to grow larger and larger until a full sized faery with glittering wings appeared and stood before them. Lilly gasped in awe. She was lovely. Her entire body shimmered with a glittering powder and her wings were delicate and moved as quick as a hummingbirds. Her hair was golden and the curls were pinned up into a golden crown with tiny flowers laced thru the spaces in the crown. The pixie bowed to them and said, "Your majesty's, my name is Joella, and I am the Queen of the pixies. We have long been waiting for this moment and it is my honor and my duty to perform the bonding ceremony for you."  Confusion must have shown on both their faces because Joella smiled and said, "I heard you discussing the ceremony and this might be your only chance in a long while to take your vows." She snapped her fingers and both Lilly and Rhylan were suddenly wearing different clothes. Lilly was in a beautiful sheer white dress that glittered with tiny white diamonds along the bodice and skirt. The back of the dress was open in a v-shape that fit to her body snugly and showed the beautiful contours of her back and shoulders. You could see her dragonfly mark and it glimmered with color. The dress had ¾ length sleeves that allowed for her bonding tattoo to show. The pixies flew around her head, taking out her braid and tying up her curls. Then they brought out a delicate diadem made of tiny dragonflies and diamonds, placed it on her head and pulled a few ringlets of hair thru it. She looked at Rhylan and he was standing in a deep blue tunic with light brown pants. The tunic brought out the beautiful color in his eyes and he looked so handsome she caught her breath. The pixies had also given him a crown, but it was thicker and looked heavier than hers. It also had tiny dragonflies embedded into it. He smiled at her and said, "You are exquisite". Lilly's face beamed with happiness.