Chapter 96

Magnificent fabric of deep red slowly fading until it turned to a light orange at the hem. 

Sheila had outdone herself.

Flame looked at herself in the large dressing mirror, Idah and Sheila were standing behind her as they finished setting up everything in its place. For once she welcomed the help, tonight was probably going to be one of the greatest and memorable days of her life. The girls had told her all about how important the ceremony was to their people, and they had taken her over everything that would be expected to happen so that she wouldn't look confused. By the time Idah was done with her face she looked completely different, but in a good and pleasant way. She breathed in, out, then she fixed the strands on her head that didn't require fixing. 

" When the king sees you he might just drop unconscious, " Idah cheerfully said, clasping her hands happily in front of her. She was the kind of girl who dreamt of such things, who liked romance books and who believed in destiny. She looked as if she was struggling not to burst out of joy and jump up and down. Chuckling, Flame sighed. Then she walked over to the chair at her dressing table and sat down to put on the nice silver like shoes that she had gotten as a gift just a day earlier. 

Drexel had given them to her, said he had seen them in a store at the border of Zalian and thought they would suit her quite well. She had been extremely grateful, he had saved her from worrying about what she would wear on the long awaited day. 

After she put them on, she turned to the two closest friends she had and asked whether she looked okay.

" You look beyond dashing!" Idah stated confidently.

" Enchanting is more like it, " Sheila agreed, then she smiled and added, " You look like a fairy, "

She was glad that they were there, otherwise she would have felt awfully lonely, and the idea of holding the ceremony would have probably not appealed to her as much as it did now. It was about five in the evening, apparently the event was strictly only supposed to take place once the sun set, it was their custom and she had no problem with it. 

A knock sounded on the door and Idah immediately rose up to go and open it. Meanwhile, Flame resulted to studying the lovely bangles on her wrist. And when she looked up she once again found Sheila lost in her own world.

" Hey!" She called her out. Shaking her head, Sheila apologized, then she asked Flame if there was anything she needed. 

" What's up with you? You keep disappearing into your thoughts. " Flame accused her. That was the third time she had had to return Sheila to the present. Chuckling awkwardly, Sheila assured her that she was okay, there was nothing to worry about.

" Wait, I think I know what's bothering you, "

" And what might that be?"

Flame leaned in as if she wanted to share a secret, then she giggled and whispered her suspicions.

" Drexel, come on, you can tell me. Is the reason behind your deep thoughts?" 

The dressmaker's face turned into a mask of pink, her lips parted and she lightly scratched the back of her neck as she looked around the room. 

" What? Of course not! That's absurd!" 

" Yeah, right. " Her tone was filled with sarcasm as she said that. Flame was sure that Sheila was worried because there were chances of him not being single soon. 

" You should see how flushed you've turned."

" Stop it!" 

" I should lock you in a room with him and see--" 

Their conversation was cut short when Viktor walked in. She knew why. Another aspect of their custom stated that the female to be mated was to be handed over by her father, and if he wasn't present then her brother, and if she didn't have one then it was supposed to be the closest friend to the male. And she knew that Viktor was the closest one to her angel. 

" I hope you fare well, " he greeted them as he stepped into the room, Idah following closely behind him. Seeming deep in awe, her chest rising and falling. She could feel the angels energy fill up the space. It was like a rush of adrenaline that rendered most breathless. But instead of moving away and trying to keep some distance between them, the silly girl was doing the exact opposite. She was looking at the angel all dreamily. Flame had come to a conclusion that the girl was infatuated by any male she came across who she found physically appealing. 

" Are you done?" Viktor asked, his voice low and husky. He looked different, for the first time Flame was seeing him dressed in something other than the leather meant for war. He was dressed in a creamy brown tunic shirt with golden buttons going halfway down the middle of his chest and pants in the same shade. There was however still a sword strapped to his side. 

" You look really nice, " Flame complemented him and he gave her a sincere though subtle smile, then he gestured to Sheila and said she was to thank for that.

" The Ikrea has arrived, " Viktor said, referring to the individual meant to lead the proceedings of the ceremony. Smiling, Flame nodded, then in Celith, she told Viktor that they could go since there was nothing else for her to do. He was clearly impressed with how much her skills in the foreign language had improved. She had actually been trying as much as possible to speak in Celith to everyone, that way they could correct her whenever she wronged. 

" You're a fast learner, " Viktor said as he offered her his arm, she crooked her own around it and laughed. She laughed because she felt delighted, even though there was still a dark cloud hovering above them they could manage to make the most out of the time they had. 

She had been in her room getting ready for almost the entire day, and although she had taken part in some of the arrangements,Kael and Phelan had basically taken care of everything. And she realized just how committed and helpful those two were, nothing was as it had been a few hours ago. The ceremony itself was to take place in the large ballroom on the topmost floor of The Triecan. She had literally never been up there before since it was only a large empty space with nothing in it. But on that particular day it had been transformed into the loveliest place she had ever laid her eyes on. 

Security had been increased. Nuriel had asked whether they ought to keep the event amongst themselves but Kael had turned down the idea immediately.

" I've already invited everyone, and after the ceremony were going to move to town for the feast!" The young golden angel had made the point clearly. He seemed to be enjoying the privileges of planning the event and getting to command everyone as per his wishes. He liked the sense of power and control that he received, for once he was in charge of giving the orders and he loved it!

Kael had done a brilliant job, the place was grand. The place was whatever word surpassed 'grand' . From the crystal like chandelier on the ceiling to many flowers that encased the place. Somehow, it resembled their fort. With the beautiful flowers that seems to be clawing on the walls, growing higher. A band was playing on a slightly raised platform in one corner. Her eyes slightly widened as she stared at the unique instruments they were playing. She hadn't expected as many beings to turn up, she was actually convinced that most if not all of Zalian was there. The room had been a mixture of mumbling and laughter before she stepped in, but once she did everything went still. The entire room got quite. She looked at the front and she saw two large seats. A throne. Her angel occupied one of them. 

He was dressed in pristine white, the shade almost as white as his feathers. She saw him and her heartbeat rushed, her throat suddenly felt dry. One single glance and she fell in love with him all over again.

The beings uniformly parted such that she bad Viktor had room to pass.

" The both of you deserve happiness. I hope you'll get plenty of it. " Viktor told her in a low voice. She looked up at him, smiled and nodded, unable to voice any words because she was feeling too many things at once. Her mind was all over her place, her thoughts were mixed up. but the only constant thing was her love for her angel. 

" Come to me, m'eudail, " The honeyed voice in her head. His presence in her mind. It erased all her fears, she looked at him and held his silver gaze. Her angel was the pure definition of phenomenal, seated with his wings spread out on either sides of him, his love for her clear in each action he made, each breath he inhaled.

" Ready?" Viktor asked. 

" Without a doubt. "

She straightened her spine, turning to the side to search for her friends, they were standing right there. They nodded and smiled, so she winked at them and took the first step forward,then the next...and the next. 

The beings bowed as she passed. But her eyes were as always, on her angel.