any of those girls would fight against such a bond. Even the Guardians of Briya before us had issues with their wife, and she came to them willingly.
Knowing that Isla has accepted us and that she’s willing to give us a chance makes my heart swell. Like Caelan said, I’ll do whatever it takes to make her happy. I’m sure Mal already has a plan to track down Isla’s brother Alistair, but I make a mental note to bring the matter up with my brothers again later.
We’re quiet the rest of the walk, presumably lost in our own thoughts. Isla looks around curiously the entire time, even though there’s not much to see besides trees and snow. When we catch the first glimpses of the village, she perks up and points at a few buildings as she babbles in my ear.
The paths are much easier to walk here, so I carefully let her down and take her hand instead. I’m nervous and giddy to introduce Isla to my family. I wonder what they’ll think of her. But more importantly, I wonder what she’ll think of them.
“Not much further, beautiful.” Caelan takes Isla’s other hand and continues walking toward the main road of the village.
There are only a few people out and about, and they don’t pay us any mind at first. Sometimes it can be awkward dealing with the public, even here where I grew up. People call us gods and they show us respect, but they’re always nervous and wary around us. We make them uncomfortable.
Isla points to a storefront window and I focus my attention on her and the present. When I turn to give the store a second look, I’m surprised to see that there are decorations covering the entire front of the shop and hanging in the window. The display shows three full moons, four beasts, and a girl wearing a crown.
“Did you know they celebrated Guardians’ Night here?” Caelan asks.
I shake my head slowly and look around the street. Every storefront seems to be decorated similarly, and there are lights and ribbons hanging above us covering the main streets of the village. I knew Guardians’ Night was considered an official holiday, but we’ve never visited any towns during it. For the years the Beasts’ Moon was present, we stayed holed up at home the entire week, feeling miserable and lonely. Every other year on Guardians’ Night, we were required to attend court at the castle, or to visit some of the other kingdoms and the Guardians there.
“Interesting,” Caelan says quietly as we continue on our way. Runa and her family live in one of the largest houses on the main street. The closer we get to the center of town, the more people we see. Isla looks curious and excited.
When a young couple and their child step out of one of the shops and move to walk around us, Isla calls out to them. “Hello!”
I’m surprised at her boldness and impressed that she’s already trying to learn our language, even if she’s only using simple words like hello. Mostly, I’m nervous that she’s drawn any attention to us. I sort of hoped we’d be able to slip in and out of the village without making a scene.
The man and woman look up to return the greeting, and their faces fill with shock when they recognize me and Caelan. I smile at them awkwardly, and I nearly groan when they bow to us.
“Guardians, good morning! My sincerest apologies. My wife and I didn’t realize it was you at first,” the man says anxiously. He keeps his eyes down to avoid looking directly at us. The woman is trying to get her daughter to bow to us as well, but the child stares up at us obliviously with wide blue eyes.
“That’s perfectly alright,” Caelan says in a friendly tone. “We were trying to be a bit incognito this morning, but our wife apparently had other plans.”
The man and woman look up at Isla at the same moment, and their expressions light up with understanding. The woman gasps and brings her hand to her chest. “You’ve finally chosen a mate? Oh my goodness, congratulations!”
I frown at that word—mate. My brothers and I can’t stand that word, but it’s the word they teach in school when children first learn about Guardians. It’s the word used in all the texts that have ever been written about us, in reference to the woman we share a soulmate bond with.