Wickedly Ever After: A Baba Yaga Novella(18)
“Put out your right hand,” she said to Barbara. “And you, your left, so that it is resting upon hers,” she said to Liam.
Then she unwound the belt from around her slim waist, a long strand of pearls intertwined with emeralds that gleamed in the sunlight like the first green shoots of grass in the spring.
Holding the belt loosely between her delicate fingers, she gazed into their eyes. “You are very certain this is what you wish?” she asked, looking particularly at Liam. “A hand-fasting here is not like the marriages of your world. This commitment is binding today and forever; there is no going back.”
“I would never choose a life without Barbara in it,” he said softly. “In this world or any other. She is my treasure and I am honored every day that she has chosen to be with me.”
Barbara blinked away tears she didn’t know she could cry and nodded her agreement.
“Very well,” said the Queen. She wrapped the pearl and emerald strands around their wrists, saying as she did so, “As the High Queen of the Otherworld, and as a representative of the all-powerful goddess who shines down upon us all, I bind you, Barbara and Liam, heart to heart, mind to mind, spirit to spirit, that you might live all your days in love and your nights in joy. In the name of the goddess, so mote it be.”
For an instant, Barbara could feel a shiver of power tremble through the beaded cord and the ground under her feet seemed to shudder under the weight of destiny. Liam’s hand tightened around hers and his smile lit up like the sun that never actually shone on this land.
Then someone coughed and the moment was broken. When she looked away from her truly-husband’s face, the Queen held out a goblet made of gold and studded with diamonds, rubies, and sapphires. From within its depths, a glistening liquid gave off the aroma of a perfect summer’s afternoon, with just a hint of the graveyard lying underneath.
“Drink together from this cup, but do not drink deep, for the Water of Life and Death is potent stuff.” Again, the Queen spoke mainly to Liam, who nodded, then took up the cup in his free hand and swallowed the tiniest sip. A beatific expression crossed his face and Barbara and the Queen exchanged a rare smile of accord. That first taste was one you never forgot.
Then it was Barbara’s turn and it was official. Their marriage had been acknowledged and she was free to give Liam occasional small amounts of the nectar, which would extend his life. As a plain old Human, it wouldn’t boost his magical powers as it did Barbara’s, since he had no power to boost in the first place. But she didn’t care about that. She cared only that he would be able to grow old by her side slowly, until the end of their days.
***
“That went surprisingly well,” Liam said as they walked back toward the doorway between the worlds. Ahead of them, Chudo-Yudo pretended to chase little Babs, who in turn pretended to threaten him with her miniature sword.
Barbara heard Liam’s barely suppressed sigh and linked her arm through his. “Don’t worry,” she said. “Chudo-Yudo may look like a dog, but he’s really a dragon under all that fur. She can’t hurt him. Besides, she’s very careful.”
Liam gave her a sideways grin, flashing those dimples she loved so much. “To be honest,” he said ruefully, “since honesty seems to be the theme of the day; I kind of wish I had a sword too.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “What? Since when?”
“Remember that movie I made you watch? The Princess Bride?”
She chuckled. “I remember I didn’t want to watch it because I’d never seen a movie before and I didn’t want to start with one that had some silly princess in it. Then it turned out that there were fire swamps and Rodents of Unusual Size, and pirates, and sword fighting. I love that movie.”
“Me too,” Liam said. “I’ve secretly wanted to learn how to use a sword since the first time I saw it.”
“Well why didn’t you say so?” she said, only a little exasperated. “I’d be happy to teach you. You and Babs can take lessons together.”
He looked at the ground, a sheepish expression on his face. “I didn’t want to just learn the basics. And I figured you’d think it was silly if I told you I wanted to be able to fight like the Man in Black. I know that’s impossible.”
She leaned in and kissed his cheek, loving him so much it made her feel like she’d swallowed the full moon in all its radiant glory.
“It’s only a little impossible, and I’m a Baba Yaga; you know that’s my specialty. Besides, you’ll have plenty of time to practice now. Lots and lots of time.”
And they walked down the hill to join Babs and their faithful dragon-dog and get on with the rest of their lives. Happily ever after—or at least, together, which was almost the same thing.
***
“You are looking very pleased with yourself, my dear,” the King said to the Queen after their visitors had taken their leave.
“Am I?” she asked, leaning back in her chair and taking a sip from a golden goblet. “Perhaps I am planning something particularly entertaining for when we retire to our private chambers this evening.”
The King raised his glass to her. “I look forward to discovering exactly what that is. But I suspect that smile you are trying to hide arises from some other source entirely. Not that I mind.”
He gazed at her fondly. “You know, you may fool the Baba Yaga and her new husband, and you may fool the members of our court, but you cannot fool me, who loves you well and knows you best. You intended for her to succeed all along, is that not so?”