Willow | The Wayfarer Series

Chapter 8

To say that Alodie and Jetta were happy to hear that I was getting married, was a huge understatement. It was exactly what the small town needed. We needed to have a party, we needed something to celebrate. All we have done ever since we got here, whether that was through time travel or by walking, is building. 

Had our town been a little bit more wealthy, I would have been expected to make my own wedding dress. Gareth had been sent out to the west, where there was a small town that did have a church and a goldsmith. He returned the following day with a priest. 

Alodie poked a few simple daisies in the braid she had made in my hair. It was getting very long, but not even the men cut or shaved their hair here. The flowers did make my hair seem more festive, it was the one thing that announced this regular day to be my wedding day.

I thought about my mom, about how she told me she wanted to make my wedding dress when I was older. My grandmother was a seamstress, a skill she had passed down to my mom. I had never been very excited by the prospect of it, convinced that my mom's terrible taste in fashion would only ruin my big day. Now the big day was here, and I was sitting in a dead woman's dress without my mom having even been born.

Jetta put her hands on my shoulders and her cheek against mine. "Smile, little tree." She told me. "Aldred will treat you well."

The sentence lingered in my head as we walked outside. Aldred will treat me well. Yes, for a man in this age I think he would. But I wouldn't be allowed to do anything but be his wife. The mother of his children. The thought alone caused my stomach to flip. Would he notice I wasn't a virgin? Was he one?

The men of our village were gathered on the right, while Alodie and Jetta walked to the left. The priest stood next to Aldred, who watched me approach with a faint interest in his eyes. There was no decoration, no beautiful white wedding dress. We were outside in the cold wind, a daisy flew away from my hair. 

I stopped at the front of the crowd. Aldred managed to give me a small smile, though he didn't seem that nervous. I had seen him joke and laugh with the other men more often than I can count, yet he seemed to struggle in doing that with me. I broke eye contact and looked at the priest instead.

He was far younger than I had ever seen a priest be. There were no grey hairs on his head. He was happy to be talking about god and even happier to marry me to Aldred. He had kind brown eyes that made me feel a little more comforted. I wasn't one to look for signs, I didn't even believe in them. But I could swear they were the exact same shade of brown that my mom had. 

I completely missed the first part of his speech, I was just looking into my mom's eyes. When I realised that was weird, I looked at Aldred. His eyes were light blue, like a summer sky or a baby boy's nursery. I could see some green swimming around his iris, now that I was so close to him. 

"I promise to protect you and provide for you." We had moved onto the vows without me even hearing my own wedding. Aldred did seem like he actually meant what he was saying. "To keep you safe and to never ask you to betray god." 

My heart was beating loudly in my throat. The priest nodded towards me, it was my turn. 

"I promise to love and care for you." I said. Alodie had told me her wedding vows, I wouldn't know what to promise if she hadn't. "To give you healthy children and a warm meal to come home to."

I had almost laughed when she said that. I couldn't imagine Anya telling her tinder date that she would give him healthy children and food, but here it was the bets promise a woman could make to a man. Aldred smiled warmly at me. A smile that managed to reach me too.