You voted and I listened.

Jonas~~

"You're beautiful."

            Iris turns from the bathroom sink as she fastens her last earring. She wears the only dress we were able to find in her size that was a light purple, the color of wedding dresses on Amoria, the shade a symbol for beginnings. The hem at the front hangs just above her knees, the back falls just below. On Earth her dress came to the floor.

            The door frame between the bedroom and the bath supports me as I lean against it.

That night after we decided to not wait to get married, Iris and I found a town in Acquaellia with a church and was located between an airport and the Preeminence's home. I managed to get someone from the church on the phone and while Iris booked the inn, I reached out to a man who does wedding marks whose contact info the church gave me. It's surprisingly easy to plan a wedding when the only guests are the bride and groom.

            "Your tie." She runs her hand over the plum-colored fabric. "You brought it."

            "I didn't know if I'd ever make it back to Earth." The tie from what was supposed to be our wedding day in Elleany suddenly feels heavy. "I wanted to remember."

            She places her hands on my cheeks, pulling me down and pressing her lips to mine. "Is everything ready?"

            "If you are."

            "Almost. If you could . . ." She turns showing me the back of her dress where the two buttons at the collar are unfastened. After I button them, I press a kiss against her bare shoulder and slide my hand into hers.

I lead her out of our room and into the hallway of the small inn. None of the guests pay us any attention as we walk downstairs to the first floor, not knowing we're raggioets even if Iris's arms are bare, her Mark fully exposed, or that I am—or was—a Preeminence. And if they haven't realized we're Expired than they don't know we're not even Amorian.

            A couple of the guests are eating at a wooden table near the large hearth where no fire burns. The inn is made of cobblestone, inside and out, and without the fire the only light comes through the few windows and a wrought iron chandelier overhead decorated with bright green garland.

            Not only is it the only inn in town but it's the only place to buy a meal.

I hold open the door for Iris and she steps out onto the cream-colored dirt path.

The town is tucked within a forest, and there aren't any roads for vehicles, so getting here meant making a two-mile hike. In this part of the town, the trees don't grow too close together, and there's room for grass between the pathways.

Two creeks twist through the town, and we cross over a wooden bridge that's only a few feet in length on our way to the chapel. As the creek burbles beneath us, birds chirp from up in the trees.

This is a place where all you need to do is take a walk to be filled with peace.

            Our path cuts through the farmers market comprised of four stalls. Scents of cinnamon and baked bread waft through the air.

            Soon after we come to the chapel made of cobblestone like most of the buildings. Over the arched door, instead of a rose window, there's a flame cut out of the stone. I've seen in pictures of other churches in Amoria that when the sun hits it at the right angle, the flame looks real and becomes a light inside the chapel.

            I push open the wooden door. At the end of the chapel, the pastor I spoke with earlier this morning lights candles. On a table behind him are two green laurel wreaths. Not metal but real, fresh laurel.

            Together we walk down the aisle past the pews empty of friends, family, and enemies.

            The pastor smiles warmly. "Welcome," he says in Amorian.

            "Sto soleil." Iris squeezes my hand as she thanks him.

            "It is an honor to be able to marry a Preeminence and his bride."

            At the mention of my former title, my heart squeezes until I look back at Iris. Being a Preeminence is a temporary thing. Loving her is permanent.

            We might be able to avoid the town finding out who we are but with the pastor that wasn't possible. He already knew of Iris's Expired status but mine remains a secret as long as he holds to the tradition of not looking a Preeminence in their eyes.

            "Shall we begin?" he asks.

            "Yes." Facing Iris, I take her other hand in mine.

            "You know," she says in English, "we didn't even make it to this point last time."

            I snort. "Please don't jinx us."           

            Instructing me to kneel, the pastor lifts one of the wreaths and places it in Iris's hands.

            "Jonas." The laurel wreath rests lightly in her palms. "When I met you," she continues speaking in English, keeping our vows between only us, "I was certain you would be the last sight I ever saw—that you'd be my death. And I thought that again when we met next. Never in that moment would I have pictured us here. No one has ever made me as happy as you do. It doesn't matter where I am, you make me feel like I'm home. Jonas, I promise to make this new life for you better than the last. I promise to never let you forget that you are worth it. You are worth this chance you've been given. For as long as you'll have me, I'll be by your side, whether it's standing beside a fireplace at the Estate or in a cell. I love you. My heart is yours from this beat until its last. You are the only one I trust with it."

            The weight of her vow trembles through me as she places the wreath on my head.

            "Please rise, Preeminence." The pastor turns, taking the second laurel wreath from the table.

            And I rise, holding Iris's eyes the entire time. She's beautiful: inside and out: from her past, to her present, and to her future. Having the chance to be a part of her story is an honor that I will forever believe I don't deserve.

            "Iris," the pastor says as he places the wreath in my hands, "please kneel."

            She lowers herself until she rests on both knees.

            Once only a citizen I was never fated to meet, she kneels before me about to become my wife and, if destiny beats fate once more, my queen.

            "Iris, from the moment we met, I've never been able to stop thinking about how you make me feel. Whether it was about a headache and wondering if that was a bad omen to meeting your eyes and being terrified because I found someone who was like me. Then there was the fear I felt at finding you in my home but also the relief that came with it at having someone who would maybe understand . . . me. And then I fell for you. I don't think I've stopped. They say the longer you fall the harder the end is. And that scares me. Not knowing how many days I'll get to wake up beside you terrifies me. But you're worth that fear. You're worth every minute of it. Every second. I promise to be there with you on the days when the nightmares hit the hardest. When the past is more terrifying than the future." I place the wreath on her head. "I will love you in your past, your present, and your future, Iris."

            She raises her chin, revealing tears in her eyes. She grasps my hands, and I pull her to her feet.

            The candlelight casts its glow over her face and against the leaves in her hair; she might as well be an angel.

            The pastor places his hands on our shoulders. "From this moment on, your two souls have been entwined to become one. Go and let no one but your Dates separate you."

            Something courses through me and maybe it's me falling deeper in love.

            He lowers his hands and steps back as I pull Iris to me, my mouth meeting hers. She wraps her arms around my neck, and I feel her smile against my lips.

            "Hello. . . Mrs. Blackwood."

            Her smile turns into a grin, and I slide my hand into hers, pulling her down the aisle and out of the chapel, and I don't stop until we've made it around the side of the church.

            "You're in an awful hurry to leave."

            I box her in between the wall and me. "It was a bit distracting kissing you in a church." I press my lips to hers, and she pulls back, eyes glinting with mirth.

            "But against the side of a church is better?"

            Groaning, I sag against the wall beside her. "You're enjoying this aren't you?"

            "Immensely." She steps away from the wall. "Don't we have an appointment to keep?" She offers her hand.

            I sigh. "If you insist on punctuality." I place my hand in hers and we step back onto the path, following it to where the trees grow closer together. Somewhere through the trees there's the hum of a waterfall.

            "How does it feel to be tied down, Preeminence?"

            "I'm only about three minutes into married life. I'll let you know in a week or so."

            "A lot could happen in a week. We might have even adopted a dog by then."

            "A dog?"

            "Or a hamster."

            I laugh. "Maybe we should start with a fish and make sure we can keep it alive. And I'm sorry to say they don't have hamsters on Amoria."

            "We've managed to keep ourselves alive; isn't that the most impressive feat of all?"

            I stop walking to kiss her, threading my hand behind her neck. "And we've done an exquisite job at it."

            "But you don't think we can keep a hamster alive?"

            "I've heard they're notoriously difficult to keep alive. Do you even want a hamster?"

            "Well, no I don't but—"

            I kiss her again. "I think a dog sounds perfect."

            "Wait." She wraps her arms around my back. "You do?"

            "I've never had one before, but I think together we could handle one."

            Laughing, she adjusts her laurel wreath, and we continue down the path. Sunlight filters through the leaves overhead casting shadowed designs against her arms.

            After a minute of silence she says, "Eventually we'll have to keep a child alive."

            I wet my lips, trying to stomp out the flicker of fear in the pit of my stomach. How will I handle seeing our child Marked with their Expiration Date?

            "If my Zeta can do it, I don't think we'll have anything to be worried about."

            A few minutes later we come upon the cottage I visited earlier before I went to the church. The door opens before we knock, and the man in the doorway drops into a bow.

            "Preeminence." He looks at Iris. "And can I now say Mrs. Blackwood?"

            Iris squeezes my hand. "Yes, you can."

            The man opens the door wider. "Please come in."

            He's rearranged since I was here earlier. His couch and table have been pushed to the side and he's brought out a brown reclining chair and a small stool. Beside the stool on an end table is the pencil like tool he'll use to give us our new marks.

            It's not the device that's used to Mark Expiration Dates, but the same ink will be used, the kind with Amorian blood mixed into the formula that's resistant to fading and melds with your skin instead of onto it. It's how Expiration Dates grow with us. How my Mark looks at if its days old versus twenty-two years.

            The man sent us a few designs last night with our chosen constellations, and Iris and I were able to select our favorite over dinner.

            I shrug off my blazer and roll up my sleeve before sitting down in the chair and lying back.

            He takes a wet cloth and wipes off the inside of my arm. "So you're prepared, Preeminence, it will hurt, but once it's done there will only be some soreness. Maybe some bruising." He picks up the pen. "Are you ready?"

            I look at Iris. "Yes. Yes, I am."

*****

            It's hours later when we leave the cottage, the insides of our right arms baring our new marks. Seven stars were used to represent Orion's hourglass figure and belt, and lines with either arrows or circles on their tips connect the constellations to the three stars making up the slightly bent line of Pyxis. A waning gibbous moon is placed on the lines between the constellations representing Earth's moon. Two other moons, a waxing and a waning crescent are placed on branching lines surrounded by stars with dotted lines sprouting from them in various lengths to make them look as if they're flickering in the sky inked into our arms. Those are Amoria's moons; no matter if I'm here and Iris is on Earth, we'll be connected.

            "How's your arm?"

            "Sore but when compared to when my Mark burns, it's nothing.

            "You like it though? You're . . . you're happy with it?"

            "I love it and you."

            I rub the back of my neck. "How do you always see right through me?"

            She waves her hand in the air and walks ahead of me. "I didn't want to scare you, but I can read minds."

            "Mmhmm." I grab her by the hips from behind. "I'm sure you can."

            Laughing, she swats at my hands, and I let her go.

            "My brother is going to kill us, you know."

            She tosses her hair with a flick of her hand. "I'd like to see him try since he's already failed once."

            I roll my eyes. "Don't remind me."

            A minute or so passes before I hear the waterfall from earlier. Iris stops.

            "What?"

            "I thought I saw something earlier and wanted to check it out."

            I nod, following her off the path, and we twine through the trees until we come to a pool of water the creek pours down into before it again narrows and continues on through the forest.

            She lets go of my hand and faces me.

            "I thought you were hun—"

            She kisses me until I stumble back against the nearest tree. Her hands run up my chest, my neck, and into my hair, knocking the laurel wreath to the ground.

            When she pulls away, we're both gasping for air.

            "You tricked me."

            With a smile, she shrugs. I take her face in my hands and kiss her before pulling her down toward the sandy shore of the pool. As I slide off my shoes and socks, Iris removes her wedges.

            "Why am I getting a bad feeling about this?"

            I pull off my blazer again and remove my tie. "I don't know what you're talking about."

            She shakes her head, and I unbutton my shirt. When I look back up, she's staring at me.

            "I want to swim," I say as if I don't notice—don't feel her gaze on me.

            Biting her lip, she dips her toes in the water.

            "How is it?"

            "Not bad."

            I drop my shirt on my blazer and leaving my pants on, I wade into the water; the temperature feeling much like a swimming pool.

            "How are you planning to dry off?"

            Stopping in the center of the pool, the water coming to my waist, I look over my shoulder. "I was thinking you could take care of that."

            Water hits me in the back of my head, and when I look back, Iris stands ankle deep.

            "Careful," I say, my tone serious, "you wouldn't want me to have to dry you off, would you?"

            She wades into the pool, water slowly seeping up her dress, darkening it. "I've long ago accepted that my clothes will forever be in danger of getting wet when you're near."

            "I haven't the faintest idea what you're referring to."

            She raises her eyebrows as she takes my hand. "Really?"

            I pull her toward me and brush the hair from her face. "I've never once dropped you into a body of water." I grin, and she looks delightfully annoyed at my blatant lie.

            "I don't know why I married you."

            "My winning personality and mansions?"

            "That's probably it."

            Sliding my hand down her arm, I grab hold of her leg and wrap it around my waist.

            "If you're about to push me—"

            I kiss her. "I would never." I grab her other leg to join the other. She wraps her arms around my neck and tightens her legs around me.

            "Seriously, Jonas. If you drop me . . ."

            "You have very little faith in the man you just married."

            "Oh believe me, I have a lot of faith in you and your tendencies to ruin my dresses when there's water present."

            I kiss her nose. "I absolutely will not train the dog to push you into any bodies of water."

            She raises her brows again.

            "I promise."

            "Jonas . . ."

            "Why would I need to when I'm so good at it." I lift my legs, sending us both dropping the rest of the way into the water.

            "I hate you." She swims toward the shore, but I pull her back, crashing my lips against hers. I wrap her in my arms, biting down on her bottom lip.

            She lets a moan slip out while I chuckle pulling back only an inch.

            "You married a Preeminence." my lips brush hers. "You had to know I was a little evil."

            Her eyes fly open. "Don't you dare—"

            I drop her, and she goes under the water, her hair and face completely submerging. When she surfaces, there's fire in her eyes that not even the water dripping from her forehead can extinguish.

            I really will have to dry her off now.

            I bite down on my smile.

            "Jonas Regulus Blackwood."

            I raise my hand. "Present."

            "I'm going to kill you."

They're married. They're actually married.