Flower Falls and Crystal Calls

Ever After

Chapter 51

With Elle back in Paddra, it did not take her long to fall into a pattern she was familiar with. Although it had a few tweaks thrown in for good measure. Kurt was not as happy when he found out there was no electricity and the things that went with it, but he didn't complain too much. He was usually kept busy with Yeul as she told him about the city and the political connections between the tribes. With him previously working on his law degree, that was the kind of stuff that was right up his alley. At least Elle was glad to see him settling in.

As for Elle, she had been able to heal her shoulder once they had time to think past the overwhelming fact that she was really back. None of her friends had been happy to hear what had happened, but they had all seen her in worse shape at least once, so they did not make a big deal out of it once they saw her healed.

They had only been there a week when a ceremony was held to officially make both Bachmans members of the Farseer tribe. It was nice for Elle to be able to walk anywhere she wanted without an official escort, though that didn't mean she was often alone. If it wasn't Yeul and Caius, then it was Kurt or Laer.

When she finally went back to training, Kurt had gone with her the first few times. Most notable was the first time that Caius and Yeul went as well. Everyone was excited to see the Guardian spar with the Emissary after so long. Even Yeul wanted to see, which was the only reason Caius had agreed.

Kurt nearly passed out as he watched his tiny sister run circles around Caius. Not that the Guardian wasn't fighting back. He did end up having to be pulled from the fence by Laer when Caius finally managed to knock Elle into the dirt. He had never wanted to punch a man more than he did at that moment, and he wasn't entirely sure which one of them he wanted to hit. However, the urge left as he watched Caius help his sister up, and they healed each other as they were both smiling. He shook his head and realized Elle was even crazier than he knew. More so now that she had powers to go with it.

After that, Kurt made sure he never watched her practice again. Not that he didn't already know that her career put her in danger in both worlds, and he wasn't the kind to try and stop her. Still, that didn't mean that he had to watch it.

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It wasn't until nearly six months had passed before Elle and Caius finally had the ceremony to bind their lives to one another. Neither of them felt it was necessary, nor did they feel the need to have something big. However, this was something more than them both. It was the first time that anyone could remember a Guardian marrying. Add to that the fact that Elle was the Emissary, and there was no way they could do anything without the whole city wanting to be involved, which was why it had taken so long to plan.

Elle was touched that Yeul wanted to personally be involved. The Seeress ensured that everything would be perfect. Even Kurt and Laer were involved. The latter of which came after a long conversation she had with him. He admitted to being a little hurt, but more than that, he refused to allow anything to come between their friendship and just wanted her to be happy. It didn't make things perfect between them, but it was the first step on the long road to becoming the kind of friends that last a lifetime.

When it was all said and done, Elle agreed to wear a dress for the ceremony, but she still sported her beads and feathers instead of jeweled combs. The process was unlike anything Elle had ever seen before, but it wasn't complicated. Both she and Caius had to walk down a path together to reach the Seeress. In this, she was not just their friend, but also the highest authority in the city, and would officiate the ceremony.