Sweet Sorrow: Story for Dark Fairy Queen Writerly Bridal Shower

This is my contribution for #DFQWBS, Dark Fairy Queen Writerly Bridal Shower.  I raise my glass to Anna and Michael.  May you both have many years of love and happiness!

Title: Sweet Sorrow

Author: Sarah Aisling

eBook: Yes

Serina rushed through the fragrant woods, her bare feet skimming over the velvet moistness of the lush grass. The waning light heralded nature’s changeover: birds returned to nests, ruffling their feathers as they settled for the evening; bees meandered back to the hive; wild rabbits twitched their noses, taking in the smells of the falling eve; mosquitoes took flight, searching for suitable donors; the crickets began their sweet song.

As she neared the glade, Serina slowed her pace and allowed her eyelids to flutter closed. She listened carefully, over the drum of her own heart, to the sounds of the coming night. A blanket of misty coolness settled against the bare skin of her arms.

Tonight was different. The pleasant mist turned to a foreboding chill, slipping up her back and down her arms.

Steeling herself, she stepped into the circle of trees. Richard stood in the center of the small field, one booted foot propped on a boulder. The scarlet cape he wore spilled down his back and flapped in the slight breeze, a bloody wave on the shore of her heart. Serina studied his regal profile and the whorls of dark hair that curled over the edge of his cape and fell boyishly over his forehead.

“My love.” Richard turned her way, his dark eyes raking over her.

Serina sprinted halfway across the clearing toward him then stopped. “You shouldn’t.”

He took a few long, measured strides, eyes locked on hers. Lifting her trembling hand to his lips, he kissed it. “Shouldn’t what?”

“Say sweet things to me. This is the last time I shall meet you here. I am to marry in a few days’ time.”

“Who is he?” Richard still held her hand, his eyes intense.

“I—I do not know. It is an arrangement. My father says it will help strengthen alliances.” Serina looked away as the familiar dread rolled through her insides.

“Whoever it is, I hope he realizes what a lucky man he is.” Richard pulled Serina into his arms, cradling her head to his chest. “May he treasure you like the rare jewel that you are.”

Serina’s blue eyes brimmed with tears that scalded her cheeks on their way down. She was so ashamed. Tonight should have been spent enjoying one another, but Serina found that hard to do when faced with never being held in Richard’s strong arms again, never feeling the forbidden pressure of his lips moving against hers. They’d never fully consummated their relationship; her new husband would be within his rights to reject the union if she didn’t come to the marriage bed as a virgin.

Richard cupped her face and brought their lips together in a soft kiss. Not the passion-filled kisses of their past secret meetings but the sweet lament of a forever goodbye.

In a few short days, she would stand before her people and pledge herself to a stranger.

~*~*~

Serina stood at the entrance of the Great Hall. The room was overfilled with people both familiar and strange. Her groom knelt at the altar with his back to her as was their custom. She tried and failed to take a deep breath, cursing the corset for forcing her to take such shallow ones.

Before Serina was ready—not that she’d ever be ready to marry a complete stranger—the music began, and someone nudged her forward. Her parents, the king and queen, sat upon their thrones waiting.

As she neared the altar, she almost spoke up and begged her father to reconsider, to allow her heart to choose whom she would marry. Serina parted her lips, but the words died when she looked into her father’s steely eyes and his head shook imperceptibly. He knew what she was about to do.

Choking back a sob, Serina joined her groom at the altar, kneeling beside him. She wanted to despise him, but he hadn’t yet earned her disdain. Nothing good could come of rejecting her father’s wishes. She must try to love this . . . this stranger.

The King raised his scepter. “We are here today to bear witness to a union—of souls and of kingdoms. Would the couple please join hands and turn to each other?”

Serina offered a shaking hand to her betrothed and turned her face his way. It took great effort to hide her shock when faced with her beloved Richard. She could see in his eyes that he was just as surprised.

“So that is where you’re from . . .” Serina whispered.

Richard kissed her hand. “So this is who you really are.”

A collective sigh went up through the kingdom when the arranged couple seemed open to their union.

Serina and Richard gazed deep into each others’ eyes and shared a smile. It would be their secret . . . until death do them part.