Dark Under the Cover of Night (The Kingdom of the East Angles Book 1) Read Free Page B

brother for a moment longer before turning her attention
to her betrothed. Cynric took a gulp of mead from his bronze cup and saluted
her. This time Raedwyn held his gaze and smiled back.
     
     
    ***
     
    The
Handfast ceremony took place at noon. Raedwyn stood before Cynric in her
father’s hall. She felt like a queen, dressed in a magnificent gown threaded
through with gold and with flowers woven through her hair. This was not a
Christian but an ancestral ceremony that took place on the day sacred to the
Goddess Frigg, protector of marriage and childbirth. Raedwald had converted to
Christianity and had worshipped at the altar of both religions simultaneously
for many years, even if he was not a Christian at heart – much to Seaxwyn’s
joy, for the queen had always remained loyal to the old gods.  
    “Do you
both enter into this bond with a free will?” King Raedwald’s voice echoed in
the silent hall. Beside him, Queen Seaxwyn looked on, intently watching her
daughter’s face.
    Both
Cynric and Raedwyn nodded their assent.
    “Is there
anyone present who protests at this union?” Raedwald continued.
    A brief
silence followed Raedwald’s words before the king spoke once more. “Then make
your pledges.”
    Cynric
turned to Raedwyn and looked into her eyes.
    “I,
Cynric, pledge to defend my Lady Raedwyn, with my life.”
    “And I,
Raedwyn, pledge to never harm nor bring dishonor on my Lord Cynric.”
    Then
Cynric knelt and picked up a sword sheathed in a gem-encrusted scabbard. “Take
this sword, Dragon Hammer, as a token of my fidelity.”  He gently placed the
sword in Raedwyn’s hands.
    Raedwyn
looked down at the gift. The sword was heavy in her hands, a valuable and
exquisitely crafted weapon. Now it was her turn to give him a gift. 
    “Take this
shield as a symbol of my family’s protection.” She handed Cynric a great lime
wood shield studded with an iron boss. He took it reverently, admiring its fine
craftsmanship.
    Then
Cynric reached out and clasped Raedwyn’s left hand in his. He had large, blunt
hands; rough and coarse compared to his fine physique and handsome face. Queen
Seaxwyn stepped forward and wrapped a ribbon around their joined hands.
    Cynric and
Raedwyn looked into each other’s eyes and Raedwyn’s heart pounded nervously as
they spoke the next words in unison.
    “May we be
made one.”
    Seaxwyn
unbound the ribbon and passed it to Raedwyn, before they shared a small cup of
mead. Cynric sipped from the cup before passing it to Raedwyn. She took a sip
and returned it to Cynric who drained the rest in a single draught. Then they
shared a piece of honeyed seed cake. It felt oddly intimate for Raedwyn to
break off a bit of cake and gently feed it to Cynric while he did the same. An
ancient ritual, only the bride and groom were allowed to eat the seed cake. The
seeds represented fertility and abundance while the honey symbolized harmony
between the new couple. Raedwyn hoped the seed cake would indeed work its
magic. 
    The
ceremony ended with Cynric pulling Raedwyn into his arms and kissing her. It
was a brief, hard kiss that crushed Raedwyn’s lips against her teeth. The crowd
cheered exuberantly and Raedwald stepped forward to congratulate his new
son-in-law. He then enveloped Raedwyn in a bear hug.
    Burying
her face in her father’s chest, Raedwyn felt like a little girl again. Despite
her eagerness to be married, now it had happened she did not want to leave
Rendlaesham and her father’s protection. Raedwyn fought back tears and stepped
back from the king. You’re not his little girl anymore , she reminded
herself as she gave her new husband a bright smile and took his hand in hers, it’s
time I grew up .
    Well-wishers
swirled around the newly wedded pair and the festivities began.
     
    ***
     
      That
eve, nervous despite the mead she had drunk throughout the day, Raedwyn sat on
the bed in the bridal chamber, in an annex at the end of the Great Hall, and
watched her new husband