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"Knotting the two ribbons together," said the officiant, taking the theroo and one soul, on this, the twenty-seventh day of April in the 109th year of the third era"

Releasing the ribbons, he let the knot dangle between their arms

Levana stared at the knot and tried to feel connected Unified Like her soul had justdistance between them A black hole of silence He had barely spoken since arriving at the chapel

In the second pew, the baby began to mewl Evret turned and, annoyed at the distraction, Levana followed the look The nanny was shushing the child, bouncing the girl gently in her lap, and Levana recognized the embroidered blanket that the child had been swaddled in, the pale snowscape, the red ainst each other

"You will be exchanging rings?" asked the officiant

Levana turned back and realized that neither Evret nor the officiant were still paying the fussy child any attention

Evret nodded, though the action was curt Levana glanced at hiht a ring

Turning, Evret held his paluests other than the nanny and little Winter That guard friend of his, Garrison Clay, as there with his wife--a plain girl with strawberry-blonde hair--and their own child A towheaded toddler boy who had spent the cere down the aisle while his ave up, chased after hih their presence see this ceremony with so about this family

When they had first arrived, Garrison had pulled Evret aside They’d see, and she was certain he’d been trying to persuade Evret not to go through with it

The intrusion had not endeared the guard to Levana

But now, he stepped forithout hesitation and pulled a hand fro bands, each carved of black regolith polished to a fine gleam They were as simple as Levana had ever seen, and had never dreauard’s wife, not royalty

Her heart snagged, her eyes

It was perfect

Garrison did not look at her as he put the rings into Evret’s hand and returned to the pew beside his fae"

They turned, almost robotically Levana inspected Evret’s face, and his handsomeness warmed some of the chill from her bones She tried to express, silently, howshe wanted That he was everything she wanted

His dark gaze settled on her