"Iris? Iris, is that you?" Perivale suddenly yelled from the next cell as though he had finally recognized her voice.
It took you long enough, Iris thought angrily, wondering how he hadn't recognized her voice after all the times she had pleaded with him to stop abusing her.
"Shut up you villain! I never should have allowed you to take her!" her father snapped, throwing the words through the wall at his new prison mate, "This is all your fault! I should have fought you harder!"
For just a moment, Iris allowed herself to imagine that the last few years of her life had not been her father's fault, that Perivale had stolen her away just as he had Melia from her father. Would she be able to forgive her father then? Iris thought that she probably could have.
Absentmindedly, she took a step forward and felt a hand wrap around her wrist.
"Iris, please, you have to forgive me," her father pleaded, "I never should have allowed him to take you. I... I'm sorry."
Shock caused Iris to gasp and stare at her father. She couldn't believe that those two simple words had come from his mouth. Never had she been able to imagine an apology coming from his lips.
"You can forgive me, can't you?" He continued, his face taking on a remorseful strain. For just a moment, Iris was drawn in by him. Then she began to feel the grip of his impatience, his fingers tightening around her wrist.
"Come on, forgive me already!" he snapped at her, "I'm your father. You must get me out of here. You wouldn't even be alive if not for me!"
"Get your hands off me!" Iris snapped and she yanked her hand out of his grip, ready to bash his head with the lantern if he would not release her. As he let go of her wrist, he stumbled backwards and barely managed to catch herself on the door frame.
"I can promise you that you will never see the light of day again," she said and a little louder so that Perivale could hear, she added, "I hope the two of you will be very happy together."
Chapter 20 - Ember
Standing at the altar, gazing at Iris as she fluttered down the aisle toward him, was one of the most joyful moments of Ember's life. She was a radiant beauty in a white and lilac layered gown, carrying a bouquet of midnight purple and lilac roses. A floral crown of the same flowers decorated her head, and she looked like the most beautiful fae queen who had ever lived.
She is to be my queen, Ember thought, his heart stopping with just how lucky he had been to find her. Every subject in the kingdom seemed to have turned out to witness their wedding, the guests spilling out of the chapel at the top of the mountain. Her wings fluttered, catching the sunlight that filtered through the open windows, and Ember marveled at seeing her fly for the first time. She moved so gracefully that not a single person in the chapel could take their eyes off her.
When she came to stand beside him, Melia, who had been her faithful servant, almost never leaving her side, since coming into her service, carefully laid down the train of her gown on the dais steps. With a curtsey, she stepped back into the crowd to join her father, who had been invited to stand close to the front of the crowd. Ember thought it might have something to do with the lack of her own parents’ presence that Iris had insisted upon his being there, but he did not question it. He did not want to mention the man in the dungeons at all. He had much greater plans for them.
The fae priest, who stood at the very head of the ceremony in ceremonial robes of blue as pale as a summer sky, opened his mouth to begin the ceremony, but Ember quickly raised his hand to silence him.
Before we begin, I would like to make an announcement and ask Iris a very important question. He held out his hand to the gorgeous woman beside him. Her eyes sparked with nervousness, but she smiled and placed her hand in his. Leading her to the edge of the stone steps, he stood to face the entire audience and said loudly, "Many of you know the manner in which Iris came to be here today, but I wish to make it very clear to you all that she is not my property or my slave bride. Iris is a free woman. And so, there is something I must do before going through with this ceremony."
There were gasps of surprise when Ember turned and dropped down onto one knee before Iris. She looked just as shocked as the audience felt, especially when Ember reached into the inner pocket of his suit jacket with his free hand.
"Ember? What are you doing?" Iris asked, seeing for the first time the ring he held out to her. It was a ring made from two bands, one silver and one gold. Caught in the middle was a large purple stone that, when moved, danced with ripples of blue. When Ember had visited the jewelry maker just days earlier, he had seen it and known that it belonged upon his wife's finger.
"Iris, will you do me the honor of marrying me?" he asked, squeezing her fingers in his.
Gazing up at her, he was fearful for a moment that she might reject him. What if his announcement in front of almost every subject of the Spring Isle had given her the leverage she needed to be free of him once and for all? He couldn't exactly accuse her of running away and breaking the law after they had all heard she was a free woman.
The moment he saw the sheer joy on her face, he kicked himself for ever thinking that she would do something like that to him. Tears sparkled at the corners of her blue-purple eyes, and she struggled to speak past a lump in her throat, "Yes!"
Clearing her throat, she repeated the answer much more loudly and the crowd instantly began to cheer. Iris gave Ember only a moment to slip the ring onto her finger before she flung herself into his arms and began to cover his face with kisses.
The rest of the ceremony went off without a hitch, their only surprise being what they experienced upon their first kiss as man and wife.
The moment the priest had given the go ahead, Ember swept Iris into his arms, tilted her backwards and planted a most passionate kiss upon her lips. The spark that passed between them was so bright and electric that it almost blinded him even with his eyes closed. The united gasp that erupted from all those behind him led him to realize that the crowd had to have seen it too.
"Wha...what was that?" Iris gasped, blinking up at him as he pulled back slightly to look down at her.
"The kiss of fated mates," the priest announced for them, raising his hands to clap and cheer their king and queen's good fortune.
"But it's not the first time we have kissed," Iris protested quietly as if she were fearful someone might hear and begin to question.
Ember gently pulled Iris back up to stand beside him and shook his head, "Perhaps fate thought we had a few things to work out before we were rewarded."
He shrugged. He most definitely felt as if he had been rewarded. His fated mate was the most beautiful fae in all the kingdoms, and as of now, she was his. Not only that, but she had chosen to be. He had given her the choice and she had still chosen him.