Sioned saw the rider top the hill, saw the frothy lather at his horse’s mouth, and a chill went down her spine. She heard him let out a yell, and saw the panic on his face. As he rode, she noticed the rise of dust on the horizon. He rode into the camp and skidded his horse to a top at Lady Avalon’s tent. He jumped down, hastily bowed to her, and began to tell her his news.
“My Lady, I fear I bring bad news to you.” He gasped for air as he spoke.
“Brennan!” Lady Avalon shouted as the rider dismounted. “Get over here, I need your assistance.”
“Shandra, get some water for this man, quickly! Rusik, tend to his horse, please.”
The messenger bowed before Lady Avalon, and thanked her, then proceeded to give her the news. “I fear we are about to be attacked, My Lady. There is a large army on the other side of the rise, and they are advancing this way.”
As he spoke Brennan ran up, and stopped short at the mention of an army. “How many warriors?” he inquired.
“I do not know, over a hundred, to be sure.”
Brennan cursed under his breath, and Lady Avalon gave him a reproachful glance. “Watch your tongue,” she said chidingly.
He blinked. “Yes, my Lady. My apologies.”
She shook her head and returned to the messenger. “How long until they arrive?”
“Not long, My Lady,” he replied between gasps for breath. “Perhaps an hour. Possibly less.”
Lady Avalon’s face darkened. “That’s not enough time to get ourselves out of harm’s way.” She bit her bottom lip thoughtfully. “Very well. We had best prepare for the worst.” She turned to Shandra. “Get the servants and the packhorses and have them retreat as far back as they can, and make certain this man is with you all when you leave.” She turned back to Brennan. “You I want to go out and make certain our guards are informed of this. Get them ready.” She walked over to the flap of her tent.
“What of yourself, My Lady?” Brennan asked nervously.
“I am going to warn the Princess and then prepare myself for the battle.”
“But, My Lady, you are far too precious to lose!” Brennan protested. “You should be with the servants, safely away from the battle!”
She turned to look at him. “I can be of more aide here than on the outskirts, Brennan!”
“But…”
She left the tent. “No arguments! Go on, now, we’ve got too much to do and too little time to do it in!” As she stormed from the tent she saw Sioned rushing up to meet her. “Good timing,” she muttered to herself.
“What is wrong?” the Princess asked worriedly as she caught the Lady.
“There’s an army approaching us.”
Sioned’s face paled. “What? Where? How long?”
“I won’t repeat myself, from the North, in an hour at the longest.” The Lady looked down at the Princess. “How’s that?”
Her face was downcast and dismal. “Fine, I suppose.” She looked up at the Lady. “What are we going to do?”
“We have no choice but to fight them, Sioned. You know that at least half as well as I do.” They continued to walk briskly towards Sioned’s tent. “I’m going to have to meet with Brennan to discuss a plan of action. We’re outnumbered greatly, here, and things are likely only to go from bad to worse.”
They entered the tent to find Valdrin sleeping atop a bedroll, wrapped in his cape. Lady Avalon arched an eyebrow at the young Sunrunner who proceeded to blush. “We are to be married,” she said.
“Get him up,” Lady Avalon said. “I’ll be waiting outside.”
It was only a few moments before the lady of Goddess Keep was called back in. She walked in to find Valdrin fully dressed and wide-awake. “We’re being attacked again?” he asked.
“It would appear that way,” The lady replied before explaining to the two of them the details of the situation.
Once she had finished Valdrin appeared thoughtful. “One hundred, you say?”
“About that.”
He nodded. “Alright, then.” The young mage straightened his clothing somewhat. “Let me help.”
Avalon smiled. “What do you have in mind.”
He shrugged. “The same thing you do. A meeting with Brennan, discussing our options, and then putting into play the best plan we come up with.”
Sioned sent out the call for Brennan and it was another fifteen minutes before he was in the tent ready to prepare for the upcoming fray. He pulled the tent flap back with impatience and looked at the three of them. “Strategy meeting, I take it?” At the nods from all of them he nodded. “Good. I was going to call one as soon as I had finished preparing the men, but it looks like I was beaten to it.” He sat down before the table that sat in the middle of the tent. “Well? Are there any ideas yet?”
“They’re approaching from the North, right?” Sioned offered. “Well, then, why don’t we have the soldiers run out and around them and attack from the sides?”
“Hmm… a good old fashioned pincer-attack, eh?” Brennan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “It could work.” He pointed at the map before them. “We’ll have the servants evacuate as the fighting starts and send two thirds of the soldiers with them.” His finger moved along on the map. “The remaining third of soldiers will ride forward to take on the attacking army.”
Sioned frowned. “Brennan? That’s not quite what I said.”
He smiled at her. “I wasn’t finished, my Lady.” He returned his attention to the map. “If the enemy has seen us, then they’ll also see the rest of our army riding off with the servants. They’ll think that the ones confronting them is all they’ll have to worry about. They won’t suspect that those riding off with the servants are actually going to split off and attack them from the sides.” He smiled at Sioned. “Excellent plan, my Lady.”
She shrugged. “It was nothing.”
Valdrin stared hard at the map. “It’s most definitely an excellent plan.” He glanced up. “Will you need any help mobilizing the troops, Brennan?”
The soldier smiled. “Some, perhaps. Are you offering?”
“Of course.”
Sioned looked between the two of them as they stood. “What do you want us to do?”
“Get everything packed up,” Brennan replied.
“And make your way to the servants.” Valdrin shrank back slightly at Sioned’s reproachful look. “I don’t want either you or the Lady Avalon getting hurt, love. This is a battle, and in a battle there is steel.”
“I know that,” she said flatly. “And I am not going to let you run off like a fool risking your damned neck!”
He walked up to her and looked her in the eyes. “You are not going. I have come too far to lose you now.”
“That’s not fair,” she said. “I’ve come just as far as you….” She was interrupted as Valdrin kissed her soundly on the lips. She pouted as he pulled away. “You don’t play fair, you know that?”
“I’m a man, I’m not supposed to.” He motioned to Brennan. “Come on, let’s go!”
As the two men exited, Lady Avalon looked at Sioned with an eyebrow arched. “Well?”
“Well what?” Her arms were crossed beneath her breasts. “As if I’m going to let him have all the fun.”
“I thought as much.”
“Come, m’lady, we have much work to do.”
* * * * * * * *
“Did you see them ride off?”
Brennan nodded. “With my own eyes, M'lord.”
“Don’t call me that.” Valdrin gazed off into the horizon. “And the men. Do they know what they’re to do?”
Again, the captain nodded. “Aye.”
“Good.” Sioned and Lady Avalon had rode off safely with the servants, and the soldiers knew what the battle plan was. Good. The horse he was on stirred uneasily. Valdrin patted its neck soothingly. “It’s going to be all over soon enough,” he told the beast. “It just has to begin, first.”
Brennan’s face turned to steel. “Here they come.”
Valdrin nodded. “Alright.” He looked to the seasoned soldier. “Well? Do we dash in with blades drawn, screaming and shouting? Or do we wait patiently and attack at the last minute?”
He shrugged. “Either one.”
“Okay.” He heeled the horse forward and drew his sword. “GYAAAAAAAAAAAH!”
Brennan shook his head. “I should have figured as much.” He also drew his blade and heeled the horse forward, shouting wordlessly, the rest of the men doing the same. The soldiers before them gave a brief pause before charging towards them again. Brennan could see the looks on their faces. They were confident and saw his own army as fools. Barely twenty men facing an onslaught of at least one hundred? confident and saw his own army as fools. Barely twenty men facing an onslaught of at least one hundred? Head-on? They saw it as a suicide wish. And perhaps it would be.
Valdrin’s sword was the first to strike. He cut down a rider swiftly before parrying an attack. Brennan joined him moments later, his own sword cutting into the enemy. His men soon collided like a wall and the chaos that ensued was mad. He gritted his teeth as he pulled his blade from his opponent’s chest. “Any time now,” he muttered. A moment later his horse reared and a spear just barely missed his legs, though the horse’s chest wasn’t so lucky. He let himself fly off the beast, a firm hold still on the blade. He landed on top of somebody, a dead somebody. The seasoned soldier pushed himself up without hesitation and leaped forward again, his sword bared.
“Valdrin!” Brennan shouted. “Valdrin! A little help would be nice!”
“I hear you!” the mage shouted back. He lifted his sword and a stream of light shot out of it with a bellow. He licked his lips as he brought it down again onto a man’s helmet, leaving him alive only to be trampled by his horse’s hooves. A few more minutes went by until the rest of their soldiers galloped towards them from the East and West. It was going to take them a few minutes to reach the fray. Valdrin hoped that the enemy wouldn’t be able to recompose itself in time to counter the pincer.
He parried an incoming sword but couldn’t act fast enough to stop the blade that was driving towards his chest. He started the spell to cast a shield but knew it was in vain. He was going to die, and there was nothing he could do about it.
The sword melted quickly as the soldier dropped it, wailing in pain. Valdrin blinked. He looked around, puzzled, until his eyes laid on Sioned. She was galloping towards him, her face set. As she pulled her horse close to his he frowned. “I am grateful, don’t get me wrong,” he said, “but didn’t I tell you to stay out of this?”
She nodded. “Aye, love, but didn’t I tell you to stay home?” She smiled at him. “One good disobedience deserves another.” She moved her horse so that while the horses were side-by-side the two lovers were back-to-back. “Miss me?”
He smiled at her and leaned over to kiss her. “Does that answer your question?” The mage called a fireball and scorched an arrow that was headed for Sioned’s head.
“How long until the rest of the army gets here.” A man fell from his horse, his armour on fire.
“Not long,” he answered her, bringing his sword down onto a man’s helmet, knocking him down, the helmet stuck onto his blade. He swung it sideways and smashed the helmet into the face of an oncoming soldier, knocking the man out of his saddle and the helmet from the blade. The roar of the rest of their army slowly grew until finally they clashed with the rest of the enemy army. Some of the soldiers were prepared, but Brennan’s men had kept the soldiers busy enough not to have noticed the oncoming pincer.
Before long the battle was over. Many of Brennan’s soldiers lay wounded or dead, but the enemy had been vanquished. Sioned smiled at her love as he wiped his brow. “A valiant fight,” she commented.
“Valiant fighting does not a victory bring,” Brennan said as he rode up from behind her. “Skilled fighting, though, is another story altogether.” He surveyed the battleground as the survivors began to prepare their dead for burial.
Lady Avalon smiled at them. “Well done,” she said with a nod.
“Pardon me, my Lady, but where did you come from?”
She nodded her head to the East. “I rode in with them.”
“Sneaky, my Lady.”
“Of course. How else am I supposed to have any fun?” Valdrin licked some blood from his lip as he held his arm. “This is all well and good, but can we start up with the burials then catch up with the servants? I’d like to go home now.”
* * * * * * * *
They rode into Stronghold’s courtyard a week later, the wounded still nursing their wounds. Valdrin’s arm was in a sling, as insisted by Sioned. He still didn’t think it was that bad, but she would not let it go. “You came along without my permission,” she had chided him. “You owe me this much, at the least.”
“I didn’t argue when you came into the battle,” he had parried.
“Yes, but that wasn’t owed to me. That was just common sense.”
He had become puzzled at that point. “Common sense?”
The nod she had given him while tying up the sling had been an amused one. “Of course. It’s common sense not to argue with a woman.”
“Good point.”
The rest of the week had been quite uneventful, and thankfully at that. They had all had enough of battles and the likes. The days were spent riding and joking pleasantly, while they spent the evenings huddled around campfires, telling stories and cooking food. The nights were spent sleeping soundly and warmly in their tents…. Well, most of them were sleeping.
They were first greeted with apprehension. Tiana and Danir both dashed into the courtyard, their eyes expectant. They first saw Valdrin, his arm in the sling, as he dismounted. “What happened?” Tiana asked him.
Danir frowned. “Your arm….”
He shook his head. “It’s nothing.”
Tiana looked around the courtyard, her eyes searching. “Valdrin?” She bit her lip. “Did everything go as planned?”
“Depends on how you define ‘as planned,’ m’lady.”
She hit him in the slung arm and he winced. “We’ve known each other long enough that you don’t have to call me that!” she chided him. A small smile crept onto her face. “ ‘Nothing,’ my arse.”
Danir’s arms were crossed. “Where in blazes did all of these people come from?”
Valdrin handed his horse’s reins to a stable-hand. “From Glenhaven, friend.”
He blinked. “I’m sorry?”
At that point they heard someone calling. “DANIR! TIANA!” They looked over to see a lively young woman waving at them. The two of them exchanged glances before smiling as Sioned dashed over to greet them with an encompassing embrace. “I am so glad to see you!”
“We can see that,” Tiana said. “I take it that…”
Sioned nodded as she wrapped her arms around Valdrin. “We are engaged to be married!” She glanced at his arm. “Once this has fully healed.”
“I told you, it’s nothing!” Sioned smiled and applied a bit of pressure, causing him to wince involuntarily and everyone else to burst out laughing.
* * * * * * * *
He worked his arm. It didn’t hurt. Good. He looked around the room for a heavy object and saw his sword sitting in the corner. He hefted it and swung it a few times. Very good. Much better. He smiled at himself as he put the sword down.
“Is everything alright?”
Valdrin glanced behind him to see Danir standing in the doorway, his arms crossed and an amused smile on his face. “Yes, Danir, everything’s perfectly fine.”
“That’s good to hear. Sioned was getting worried that your arm was never going to heal.”
“She’s not the only one.” He glanced at the sling that was lying on the bed. “Thank the Goddess I won’t be needing that anymore.”
Danir walked further into the room, the smile still attached to his face. “You’re a stubborn one, friend.”
He sat down in a chair. “Did you come here for any reason other than to tell me the painfully obvious, Danir?”
The young man laughed. “Well said, lad, well said.”
“What is it, Danir? I’m tired.”
Danir shrugged. “I’m just here to see how you’re doing, friend. Nothing more.”
“Are you sure you’re not spying on me for Tiana for Sioned?”
There was a pause before he burst out laughing. “You’ve caught me, Valdrin.”
“It was more than obvious, old friend.” He worked his arm.
“Stiff?”
He nodded. “A bit, yes. But that will pass.” He glanced at Danir. “Where is Sioned, anyways? I haven’t seen her for a week now.”
“She’s been busy getting everything ready for the wedding.” He walked over to the window and stared out into the courtyard. “Now that your arm’s fully healed, she’ll be wanting to set everything up.” Danir turned back to Valdrin. “Three days, Valdrin. That’s about how much longer you’ll be a bachelor.”
“Three days, huh?” Danir nodded. “By the Goddess, it seems like I’ve been waiting forever for this.”
“And those three days are going to seem like three more eternities, you know that, don’t you?”
Valdrin put a hand to his forehead. “Don’t remind me.”
Danir laughed. “Get some rest. You’re going to need it in the days to come.”
He blinked. “What? What are you talking about.”
“Just get some rest.” He smiled as he left the room, leaving a puzzled Valdrin staring after him.
* * * * * * * *
The next three days were like a whirlwind for poor Valdrin. Servants were rushing into his rooms and taking measurements. On the second day someone came in and asked for his cape. They took it away with barely an explanation, saying only that they were to make alterations to it. No one would explain to him what was going on. Danir visited him on that second day as well, to tell him what would happen during the ceremony. He also told Valdrin that he would be his best man.
As relieved as this had made the mage, his stomach still churned. “That’s good to know, Danir,” he had said. “But why can’t I talk to Sioned? Why can’t I see her?”
“Simple,” Danir had laughed. “It’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding.”
“Gee, thanks.”
Sarcasm hadn’t stopped the butterflies, though, and it hadn’t stopped the whirlwind of preparations. He wasn’t even allowed out of his room, and he had been told that it was normal. While he was in here having his measurements taken and, on the third day, while he was trying on his clothing and cape, Sioned was in her own rooms having the exact same thing done to her. This brought a bit of comfort to Valdrin’s confused state, and he was more than happy when evening fell and he was allowed to finally fall forward onto his bed and rest.
He woke up the next morning feeling more than refreshed. He breathed deeply as he opened the window. He stared out at the garden and found himself gawking. It was decorated with banners and arches and… and more things than he could take in. He closed the curtains and stared blankly at the wall. “By the Goddess,” he uttered. He looked around briefly. “I knew there were preparations going on, but I had no idea they were so grand.”
“What did you expect, Valdrin?” Danir entered the room without knocking, and Valdrin did not even notice. What he did notice was that the man was dressed up quite well.
“What’s with the outfit?”
“You’re getting married today, you know.”
“Yes, but not until late-afternoon. That’s what one of the servants said yesterday.”
“It is late afternoon. You’ve been asleep for a long time.” He cocked his head to one side. “And you can tell. Your hair is a mess.”
Valdrin ran a hand through his tangles. “Yes, I suppose it is.”
Danir laughed. “Come on, now! If you don’t hurry you’re going to keep everybody waiting! Take a bath and get dressed. I’ll be waiting here.”
Valdrin walked out of the bathing room twenty minutes later, his hair completely dry. He was wearing his underclothes and blinked at Danir. “What’s that?” He pointed to a package that Danir was holding, wrapped up quite nicely.
Danir gave a slight start. “This?” He put it down on the bed. “It’s a present from your bride.” He glanced at him. “Do put something on, Valdrin. I think you’re a good looking man and all, but I’m quite happily married.”
He gave him a scowl before tossing on a robe. He stared down at the package, a puzzled look on his face. “What is it, exactly?”
“Damn it, Val, how in the hell should I know? Just open the bloody thing!”
Laughing slightly, the mage carefully pulled open the package and stared blankly at what he saw. There was a desert blue sash with tiny stars stitched on it, a silver circlet studded with amethysts, and an earring made up of a beautiful silver dragon that held a piece of amber in his talons. Valdrin sorted through these things. “What are these for?”
“Simple, really.” Danir stood and flapped out his own desert blue cape. “The sash is to wear over your shoulder so it drapes diagonally down to your waist, the circlet is to wear because, quite frankly you’re going to be a prince now, so you need something akin to a crown, and the earring goes in your ear. It’s all quite traditional, Valdrin. Now, where’s the necklet you’re going to give her?”
The mage blinked. “The what?”
“Necklet. Didn’t anyone…?” Danir shook his head. “Oh, dear. I knew I had forgotten about something.” He rubbed the back of his head as he spoke. “You two are supposed to exchange necklets at one point in the ceremony. I know, I know, it’s a bit different from what you’re used to, but it’s the way the Sunrunners do things.” He cursed lightly. “Now what do we do?”
“Simple. I make one.”
“I’m sorry?”
Valdrin smiled at Danir. “I’m a mage, my friend. How the hell do you think my hair dried so quickly?” He closed his eyes and began to chant under his breath. His hands began to glow and he weaved the air between them. Something began to form in between his hands. Danir marveled at the dragon necklet that sat in-between Valdrin’s hands, one latch on a wing and another latch on its tail. Emeralds were scattered among its scales, and amethysts sat in its eyes. Valdrin smiled at Danir. “How’s that?”
“Very nice,” he answered. “Now, please, get yourself dressed. There isn’t much more time to go.”
Valdrin nodded and began to dress himself. He pulled on a silver shirt and carefully buttoned it up. It was a silk shirt, and more than comfortable. He looked in the mirror and nodded. It looked good. He turned around and looked about the room. “Danir, where are my pants?”
“Hanging up over there,” he replied, pointing to one side of the room.
“Ah, I should have seen them there. Thank you.” Valdrin walked over and took the pants from where they were hanging and pulled them on as well. He took a belt, black with a silver dragon as a buckle, and put it on. He looked at himself in the mirror before mentally smacking himself in the head. He undid the belt and tucked his shirt into the pants. “That’s more like it.” He turned to the bed and put on the sash before flapping out his cape. There had been some slight alterations made to it. The lining was a deep, royal blue, and it had purple along the hemline. He draped himself in it and fastened it. He picked up the circlet and turned to the mirror. The mage carefully arranged his hair before putting on the circlet. He stared at his reflection. “How do I look?”
“Good.”
“I would like to look better than simply ‘good,’ Danir.”
“You look fine, Valdrin.” He stood. “Finer than fine. Stupendously fine.” He walked up to his friend and placed a hand on his shoulder. “You look like royalty.”
He paused as he looked further at himself. “How about my hair?” He began trying to arrange it. “Is my hair fine?”
“Oh, stop bloody-well fussing over it and get out there! They’re all waiting for you!” With that the Best Man began to push the Groom out the door and towards the wedding.
* * * * * * * *
Valdrin and Danir stood near the fountain, and looked toward the pathway into the garden. Sioned and Tiana stood just outside the entrance, and waited for their cue to enter. Valdrin was dressed in his finest, his cape brushing his ankles. Across his chest he wore the sash, the tiny stars glittering, and on his brow he wore the silver circlet, the amethysts winking in the sun. From his ear hung the earring that Sioned had given him earlier. He shifted nervously from foot to foot, as he awaited Sioned’s entrance. Danir wore the traditional Battle Commander uniform, and his cape of desert blue fluttered slightly in the breeze.
Tiana was the first to enter, and as she walked you could hear the silk of her blue gown rustle gently as she walked. She took her place near the fountain, and turned to watch Sioned as she walked forward. Sioned was dressed in a pale yellow wedding dress. The entire dress was studded with tiny diamonds and pearls, which winked playfully in the sun. The dress was cut to her waist in the back, leaving her entire back exposed, and the front of the dress came to her neck, where a thin ribbon encircled her throat. She wore the silver circlet across her brow as well, the amethysts set in tiny stars across the front. Her hair was bound up in pale yellow ribbons that were set with moonstones and opals.
Valdrin felt his heart leap in his chest as she walked toward him. He could hardly believe he was standing here, watching this vision approach him. He could scarcely believe either, that she was about to pledge her love for him forever. He felt a tiny tear of happiness form in the corner of his eye.
Sioned approached her lover, and smiled at him as she turned to face Lady Avalon. She slipped her hand in his, and gave a slight squeeze. She nodded to Lady Avalon, and took a deep breath. Lady Avalon smiled at the two, then began the ceremony.
“Friends, family, we are here to celebrate a union of two hearts, destined to become one. It is a special bond created between two who love as deeply as they, one that shall never be broken. It is a merging of the mind, the body, and the spirit, as well as the heart.” She smiled at the two as she continued.
“Sunrunner, Mage,” she nodded at each as she spoke, “Two powerful beings, each with your own vows to uphold, now begin a life together, and as such, must honor and uphold the vows of the other as well. I ask you now, Valdrin Maintrisk, can you honor and respect your bride’s chosen path in life?”
Valdrin nodded, and Lady Avalon continued, “Will you always strive to love, cherish and protect her, care for her in sickness, comfort her when she is down, and share the joys of life with her?”
“I shall. He said, and turned to smile tenderly at Sioned.
“Sioned, will you honor and respect your husband’s duties and responsibilities?” Lady Avalon looked at Sioned, who nodded. “Will you always strive to love, cherish and respect him, care for him in sickness, comfort him when he is sad, and share the joys of life with him?”
“I shall.” She turned to face Valdrin, and smiled back at him.
“Valdrin, you may now place the necklet around Sioned’s neck, thus sealing your vow to her.”
Valdrin turned and took the necklet from Danir, and placed it around Sioned’s throat. The gems winked and sparkled playfully in the sunshine. As he did this, he said, “For you, my love, I shall always be here. I shall forever treasure this gift you have given me. You are the sun, the moon and the stars in my world, and without you I shall forever live in darkness.” He then gently placed a kiss on her cheek.
“Sioned, you may now present Valdrin with his necklet, thus sealing your vow to him.”
Tiana handed Sioned the necklet, 7 tiny silver dragons, each with emerald eyes, and placed it around Valdrin’s neck. As she did, she said to him,” I do swear that I’ll always be there. I’d give anything and everything, and I will always care. Through weakness and strength, happiness and sorrow, for better, for worse, I will love you, with every beat of my heart.” She softly kissed his cheek, then turned to face Lady Avalon again.
“As you have both sworn your love for each other, then so shall you be husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.” With that, Valdrin took Sioned in his arms, and passionately kissed her.

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