“On this most sacred of days, let us bless this union.” Grey Feather nodded to Earth Bear.
Earth Bear approached, carrying the stone bowl with its bundle of burning sage and an eagle feather. He waved the feather over the bowl, and fragrant smoke wafted over and around Roman and me. Then, Earth Bear nodded to his father and stepped away.
“You must give me your daggers,” Grey Feather commanded.
Red Bird stepped before us and presented the weapons.
I took mine, Roman took his, and then we handed them to Grey Feather.
Grey Feather gazed at each of us in turn. “I’m going to slice your hands and draw blood. You will press your palms together and combine your life essence. In so doing, any time you are separated, you can keep track of one another by dropping blood on your blade and reciting the ancient scripture. Right now, you can only see yourselves in the gleaming surface of your knives. But, when your blood unites, you can see and protect one another.”
Another shiver washed through me. Everything about this ceremony spoke to my soul.
“Hold out your hands,” Grey Feather said.
We each extended our palms to him.
Grey Feather took my knife and dragged the tip across Roman’s skin, from the wrist to the base of the fingers.
Roman didn’t flinch.
Grey Feather placed the dagger back in Red Bird’s hands. Then, he picked up Roman’s knife and made a similar cut across my palm.
I winced at the bite of the deadly blade as it parted my skin. Beads of blood seeped from the cut.
“Clasp your hands together,” Grey Feather said, placing Roman’s knife upon the leather next to my blade.
We pressed our palms together and looked into each other’s eyes.
Grey Feather’s weathered hands clasped our hands, and he began to intone the sacred scripture.
The torches held in people’s hands flickered and danced, shooting flames high into the air.
A collective gasp sounded all around us.
The two daggers resting on the suede pulsed with an iridescent glow. Electrical currents vibrated from one blade to the other like miniature lightning bolts.
Our conjoined hands grew hot.
I felt as if we were both plugged into the current of the sacred earth.
A benevolent smile tugged at the corners of Grey Feather’s lips. “You are always joined from this day forth. I shall now bless this union, a role I am honored to perform. My only wish was that Moon Lee could be here. I hope he gets the news, wherever he is, that you are married. Roman…he loved you as a son, and you, Olivia, as a daughter.”
Tears welled in my eyes.
“If you have any words to say, please say them,” Grey Feather said, stepping back.
With our hands still clasped, Roman said, “Olivia, when I met you for the first time, I thought you were crazy.”
Earth Bear translated this for the tribe, and everyone laughed.
Roman continued once the laughter had subsided. “The strong fire inside of you matched your gorgeous hair. Getting to know you has been an honor, and I am so grateful to be your husband. I promise to keep you safe. We might always find ourselves in danger, but I will always protect and watch over you. If we are separated, I will find you. And most importantly, I will always love you.”
Tears streamed down my cheeks. Roman’s tender sentiments split my heart wide open. I so wished my father could be with me today to witness me marrying this incredible man.
I managed to compose myself. “Roman, when I met you, I wanted nothing to do with you. I had been deeply wounded and betrayed by a man I thought I loved. Hence, I despised all men. You taught me to love again and that there are good people in this world. Not all men are schemers. You turned out to be a wonderful man who always had my back. You took away the pains of my soul and molded them into the fires of love.
“As you know, many dangers await us. Yet, I’m ecstatic to be having a child together. I hope we will conquer everything together. If we are separated, I will only be faithful to you. You have my word. And I will love you forever, my beloved husband.”
