Page 69 of Leviathan's Song
“Their feelings are probably going to be hurt.”
I sighed. “I know. We can always do a bigger wedding later, if it’s important to them,” I said, knowing full well it would be. I was their only child, after all, and a daughter at that. Especially for my father, since elaborate weddings were expected in elvish culture, there would be some disappointment about my elopement.
“At this point though, I don’t have time for anything more than just making it legal.”
She stared into space, playing with the ends of her hair for a long time, lost in thought while I fashioned some hair pins for a little girl with an aptitude for illusion.
“I still can’t believe you’re doing this. I mean, don’t get me wrong—I’m ecstatic about it—but… wow. I mean…married. Are you sure this is what you want?”
I was quiet for a moment, checking my feelings and my heart for the umpteenth time. I wanted to be absolutely positive I was giving her an honest answer.
And I was.
I wanted this. I would have been willing to wait, but now that the opportunity had presented itself and Levi was on board, I wanted it, and I told her so.
She sat quietly for a moment digesting my answer, and then muttered, “I guess you won’t need all those condoms after all.”
I blinked. “Whatdid you say?”
“I said, I guess you won’t ne—”
“Iheardyou. That wasyou!?What? How!?” I was on my feet before I’d realized I’d moved. “Sidney, I thought that was mymom!” I felt my horror on my face, remembering the embarrassment of thinking my buttoned-up mother had sent me along with a mega-pack of specially bought Voider condoms.
Sidney froze, and then was suddenly laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes. “You should see your face! I just packed them in with some food and posted it to your parent’s house to be included with your travel rations.” She gasped for breath and tried to collect herself but failed, collapsing into another fit of laughter.
“Did you, ya know, happen to need them at all?” she asked teasingly with her voice pitched high, wiggling her eyebrows and failing again to contain her laughter. “Because I have some questions about mer anatomy. I just want to know if he has a fish di—ow! Ack!” I smacked her with a stack of papers from my desk.
“I. Thought. Those. Were. From. My. Mom!”
And that was how Levi came in to find me angrily chasing a flapping, screeching magpie around our shop with a rolled-up stack of papers.
Chapter 26
Even though Sidneytried to pull rank with her “best friend card” and send Levi packing for the night so we could have one more sleep over, he couldn’t handle more time away from me again so soon. His dad had confirmed that new bonds were much more forceful in the beginning and that it would mellow a little bit more as it, and we, matured. I couldn’t really complain though, because curled up against Levi’s chest was my favorite place to sleep. Somehow, I just had this feeling it wouldn’t be Sidney’s last chance to elbow me in the face all night.
Even so, she showed up late-morning and kicked him out “so we could get ready.” While I was expecting this to be a very pragmatic paper-signing and get-this-show-on-the-road sort of endeavor, clearly my friend had other ideas. When she showed up with armloads of curlers and flowers and told my boyfriend to get out, I was so touched I almost started crying on the spot.
“No! Don’t do that. You’ll make your face all splotchy. I’ll be super bummed if you don’t throw some proper elvish hurrah at some point, but just in case youdon’t, I’m taking my maid-of-honor duties seriouslythistime,” she said, dumping her armful of supplies and three bouquets on my bathroom counter.
“Where did you get all these flowers?” I marveled at the ranunculus, peonies, dahlias, and tulips all crammed in together.
“Pike Place in Seattle,” she chirped. “Sit. Are we doing curls or braids, or curls and braids? What are you going to wear?”
By the time we were done, I was in a royal blue, lightly beaded maxi-dress with a half up-do of curls and braids. She redid my hair three times before she was satisfied with it. While I did our makeup, she pieced together bouquets for both of us that paired well with both my dress and her blush-colored one, then tucked a few extra flowers in my hair for good measure. A few quick little boutonnières, and we were ready to meet the boys. I had thebestbest-friend, and I told her so.
“I know. Let’s do this!” Her excited clapping made me grin even more than her smugness.
I packed a small bag with a change of clothes—and some overnight things because Levi said he had evening plans for us—and then it was time to meet the boys at the courthouse in Oar’s Rest. We arrived to find them in sharp, tailored suits that made Sidney’s jaw drop.
Levi just chuckled at her and explained that he needed it for events sometimes before turning his happy smile back to me. I’d never seen his expression so warm and joyful as he took my hand and brought me closer to him.
Grim looked… well, less grim than usual. He seemed a bit curious, but his usual intensity was dialed back. When I’d asked Levi who he was bringing as his witness he’d said he would bring Grim, and mentioned, “For someone who always has something to say about my life choices, he’s been surprisingly supportive about our relationship.”
I couldn’t have really explained it, but something about Grim in a suit for this made a lump form in my throat. Even though the gesture was small, and perhaps even expected, it made it feel like he took me seriously. Like he took this choice we were making together seriously.
Sidney—bless her—would go to battle for me no matter what, she’d proven that to me for years. Even if my ideas were silly and she disagreed with me, she’d back me up with guns blazing, and I loved her for it. IknewI could count on her support. But Grim was kind of a wild card to me. I knew Levi loved him, and they were childhood best friends, but he’d never said a word to me even though I couldn’t deny he’d still managed to be gracious and polite. I’d heard him voice his displeasure to Levi the night I’d had to stay over, even though I didn’t understand it, so I knew he wasn’t the type to go along with just anything. Having his approval of this, like my own parents’, wasn’t something Ineededbut was something I desperately wanted.
Sidney’s excited chatter broke through my train of thought as she dug out the little boutonnières and tucked them into Levi’s and Grim’s coat pockets. Levi thanked her, and Grim gave his flowers a tiny, bemused smile, which made me want to laugh and cry at the same time.
