Riven: A Merged Fairy Tale of Beauty and the Beast & Sleeping Beauty (The Enchanted Rose Trilogy: Book 3) by R.M. ArceJaeger

Author:R.M. ArceJaeger [ArceJaeger, R.M.]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Platypus Press
Published: 2015-07-01T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

It was a beautiful day for a wedding. The skies were clear and the temperature mild, with a warm breeze that teased the pollen from the flowers and tickled the guests with the promise of summer.

Inside the house, Rose helped place rosemary and myrtle wreaths on her sisters’ heads—flowers for love and joy in marriage, and the making of happy memories. Their fresh scent was pleasing even from a distance, and the blue and white flowers added a festive touch to her sisters’ tresses.

“You look like two princesses,” Rose said as she stepped back, surveying her work with approval.

“We do!” Chase giggled, peering at her reflection in the small hand mirror they had found in the trunk. “Oh, Adara, did you ever think we would look so fine?”

Adara shook her head, her eyes wide as she took her turn with the mirror.

Just then, the front door edged opened and Aunt Tess stuck her head inside, her body blocking the room from the eyes of their guests. Though Rose could not see the villagers beyond her aunt, she could hear their gay chatter as they waited for the ceremony to start.

“The grooms are coming,” Aunt Tess announced. “Be ready.”

She took a step back and Mercer slipped into the house, shutting the door behind him.

He stared at his daughters for a long moment, the corner of his mouth twitching with repressed emotion behind his beard.

“Well, I never thought I would see a woman prettier than your mother,” he admitted gruffly, “but I should have known you two would prove me wrong. You look lovely.”

“Thank you, Father,” Adara said, fighting back tears.

“Are you sure you want to go through with this?” he asked, looking from one daughter to the next. “I have my sickle waiting nearby in case you change your minds and want me to chase off your fiancés instead.”

Chase rolled her eyes even as she smirked, “Careful, Father, you know that Gareth is very strong. You might get hurt if you try to stand in his way.”

“Harrumph,” he snorted. “Come here.”

Mercer embraced them all, reaching out to pull Rose into his arms when she hesitated, not wanting to infringe on her sisters. “Ah, my girls. My baby girls.”

They stayed like that until the distant sound of drums and pipes grew too loud to ignore. Reluctantly, they broke apart.

With a crooked smile, Rose gave each sister a kiss on the cheek she headed outside. Aunt Tess was standing with the priest to the left of the front door; Rose took up her position on the right. Their part in the ceremony was simply to act as guards on the house—the priest’s part would come at the end, when he would issue a blessing on the newlyweds.

The grooms were riding slowly up the road—Gareth from the village and Jon from his farm. Friends accompanied them on foot, filling the air with laughter and music. Jon reached the house first and dismounted, handed the reins off to a friend, but he waited for Gareth to arrive before making his way through the gate.

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