The Coolness of Your Shadow
Chapter 13 (Bethany x Alistair)
“I swear unto the Maker and Holy Andraste to love this woman the rest of my days.”
“What in Andraste’s mercy is going on out here?”
Alistair couldn’t see the man whose outburst interrupted his wedding, but he recognized the voice. No matter. Eamon was too late; they had both already said their vows, Alistair’s a stuttering mess, Bethany skipping half the words to get to the end faster and having to start over. Both her hands were in his, giving him little squeezes when he couldn’t quite get the words out. It wasn’t his fault. They never made him stare into the eyes of beautiful women while reciting memorized verses in the monastery. Never thought he would need the practice, he supposed. And Andraste could forgive him for this, but her words had never carried as much weight as these.
He was going to love this woman for the rest of his days.
Stuttering or no, he had gotten the words out, and Bethany was his wife, and Eamon, another archdemon, or the Maker himself couldn’t undo that. Well, perhaps the Maker could, given that the chantry ordained the thing. He supposed the Maker had undone one very famous marriage in Thedosian history, a very historically important marriage, now that he really thought about it. And while his mind skittered over these thoughts, his head swiveled of its own accord toward the commotion that was his uncle elbowing his way to the front of the crowd.
“Alistair,” Bethany said gently, slipping a hand from his and reaching for his face with the softest of touches, “Kiss me.”
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