union in a human wedding ceremony as other mermen do.”
Huh. She’d put away images of herself in a flowing cream dress, a tiara of fall leaves in her hair, and carrying a cascading bouquet of copper and cream roses long ago. But Gailen was right. She wasn’t as affected by environmental allergies as before. She could have that ceremony on the surface, and Bella and Jonah could be there.
Gailen turned toward the Life Tree and offered his hand once more. “Are you ready?”
She linked their fingers. “Yes.”
Gailen led Starr into the center of the Life Tree sanctuary where all his friends and new family had gathered.
He straightened and pulled shoulders back.
King Kadir addressed the visiting dignitaries. “Today, a loyal hero of Atlantis unites with his soul mate. His bride will embrace their connection to become a queen. That is the way in Atlantis. With the new covenant we forge, it will become the future of all cities.”
Loyal hero of Atlantis?
Gailen?
Heat burned his ears, and he reflexively contracted his broken thumbs. But his king looked at him with pride.
Starr was so serene, not because she held herself apart with the film, but because she’d opened herself to the Life Tree. She wanted to be with him. She wanted this life, and she had no doubts.
A new calm fell over him too.
Gailen had thought he’d wanted a bride. Any bride. But that was a mistake.
He passed before King Kadir, who lovingly embraced his Queen Elyssa and their young fry, Prince Kael. The other couples floated around the dais. They knew the same truth that he now did.
He’d always wanted his soul mate, who was Starr, and if he could only go back and talk to himself from the past, the warrior who’d so bitterly thought this moment would never come, he would say to wait. Wait just a little longer.
Endi and the other single warriors jostled awkwardly, their expressions mixed between happiness on his behalf and anxiety on their own.
Just wait, he wanted to say. Do not become bitter. Your bride is coming.
But it wouldn’t have helped him. Some things had to be experienced.
They crossed onto the dais, and he shifted his fins to feet.
Starr bounced lightly on the soft loam with him.
Little shards of Sea Opals glittered on the dais. The slender branches of the young Life Tree stretched toward the surface with hope, and the peaceful tinkling of its tiny resin gemstones tumbling through the branches filled his soul with rightness.
He knelt before the white trunk and placed his hands on the knotted scar. It had been cut down, and Queen Elyssa had miraculously regrown it with her powers.
“I, Gailen of Atlantis, present Starr as my chosen bride. Shower your blessing and healing on our union so she may give us a young fry.”
He kissed the scarred trunk.
The Life Tree made a clear, happy chime.
He stood and bounced back. “Now you repeat the vow.”
Starr knelt. Her soul linked to the Life Tree, strengthening her connection to it and to him. “I, Starr of Atlantis, present Gailen as my chosen husband. Shower your blessing and healing on our union so he may give us a young fry.”
She kissed the trunk.
The Life Tree chimed a more metallic tridents-scraping-daggers sound. The visiting dignitaries murmured uneasily, but the warriors of Atlantis didn’t react. It had happened so many times, it was no longer unsettling, just different.
Starr rose and went into his arms.
Queen Elyssa softly vibrated a human wedding song. The tree glimmered in reaction to her. The light of the Life Tree glowed over their gathering, blessing them and strengthening their community.
Starr looked up, and her smile intensified. “It feels like we’re standing beneath a field of starlight.”
He pressed her body to his. She fit against him perfectly, relaxing into his touch, and rested her head on his shoulder.
His heart swelled with protectiveness. He would care for her forever. And he would never let the sadness that had touched her when they first met return.
And there, in the upper branches, a tiny white flower unfurled.
He guided her to the blossom. She carefully plucked it and sipped the bead of nectar inside. This would make her temporary elixir transformation permanent.
Queen Elyssa’s song finished, and then a guard at the front of the Life Tree signaled to King Kadir. Their joyous time was over.
King Kadir made the announcement. “All visitors, you now see why we fiercely protect Atlantis. Soon this happiness experienced by our warriors will flow over to everyone. United with modern, mainland brides, our