As I held Clio close with our lips pressed together, I could feel my magic interact with hers, it flowed from my core to our conjoined lips and melded together supplemented by the magic circle, my core eagerly absorbed the excess magic and began to expand the moonlight liquid began to get compressed and turned almost like tar not quite solid but a higher viscosity than it used to be, as the core continued to expand.
When my core expansion had stopped and I began to focus on Clios changes, I could feel her core was going through a similar maturity I had before, her core was liquidizing, the abundant magic was making it a lot less taxing than when I did it through the aid of the runes and sigils. I began to feel a connection similar to when I did the ritual with Toskr, I could sense everything about her the fluctuations in her emotions, her magic that's when I sensed something else her body and spirit was changing subtly.
Cliondna's hair looked healthier, her skin felt softer, and I could feel the hidden injuries being washed away through the light of the illuminated magic circle, it wasn't anything bad just a build-up of testing potions on herself and some torn muscles, as I began sensing more and more about her I felt something change.
Deep within Clio, I felt an egg, not her core or the unborn child. It was an immaterial egg, this should have been her animagi form, but it was undergoing some kind of rebirth or evolution. Clios bird form was a sparrowhawk, the black egg was covered in a runic language I couldn't understand, it was elegant and glowed goldenly as it flickered across the shell.
As the shell began to break and crumble away, a pitch-black wing unfolded and stretched out from the confines of it. The span of the wing was larger than most almost 4 feet, as the wing broke away the rest of the shell another wing stretched out giving it a wingspan of nearly 8 feet. The pitch-black raven had a green star on its head and deep green eyes and I'm guessing Odin's blessing had something to do with the change. Odin had 2 ravens Hugin and Munin and they were said to be the personification of "Thought" and "Memory" which gave him the power to see beyond the present into other times. It was a beautiful creature and soon took flight around Clio's spirit.
As the connection deepened I could feel Clios life force hungrily devouring my own, it didn't affect me at all but I could feel the changes happening to her, it was as if her life force was being squashed under the pressure of my own, which was further pressured into the container that was her body until it was diamond-like, her life force wouldn't run out in well over a thousand years.
After what seemed like hours we separated and I looked into her eyes, they looked more vibrant, I could see them flicker with magic as it enhanced their beauty, she was smiling largely as she looked back at me.
(Clios pov)
I felt different now the ceremony changed me in some way, I could feel the plants and magic around me and fenris' as we kissed, my body felt stronger but lighter as well, the taste of potions that had been ingrained into my mouth faded away.
What felt different was something else, I don't know what you'd call it but deep within me I had changed, I could feel it, my magic felt more smooth and delicate, I could also sense that my animagus form had changed but I don't know how.
'I'll have to ask fenris about this' I thought as I opened my eyes smiling at my husband. I loved this man, he brought so much happiness to me, everything about him was something I loved. As I looked at him I could see an aura around the ceremony site, it was beautiful shades of greens and yellows flowed around the flower curtain, light browns streamed from the tree stump we stood upon, but what caught my attention the most was the aura coming from me, it was a mix of browns, yellows and greens, that looked like the nature we were surrounded by, but it was just more, more vibrant, denser, more fluid-like.
Fenris didn't have an aura, I'm guessing it was magic but why didn't he have one? I've seen him use magic, brew potions and even transform, he was magical I had seen it. When I looked at him with his bright smile that just melted away my thoughts my own mirrored his.
"Congratulations you two" I heard just to the side of us, it was the lady I hadn't known for long but would always respect, Astrid, the woman who had raised the man I fell in love with.
"Thank you, Astrid, for doing this for us" I beamed with joy.
"Yeah thanks, Astrid!" Fenris also announced with a bright smile as he held my hand.
"Ah, don't worry about it you two! It was a brilliant ceremony! I don't think I'll see another like it" Astrid had a huge smile on her face as well as I heard steps coming towards us.
"That was something! I've never seen anything like it! That light that came from the runes was like the gods were showing you they agreed!" I heard Ubbe shout as he stood beside Fenris and patted him on the shoulder.
Watching this small family interact made me even happier to now be apart of it.
(Fenris pov)
"I didn't expect it to work that we'll either, I could feel it, the magic was guiding us in our vows" I explained with a smile It meant that the gods and magic saw our union as worthy in my eyes.
"I know what you mean I could only say what I wanted towards the end" Cliodna agreed as she squeezed my hand lightly.
"Your union must be special" Astrid declared as she stepped towards us and brought clio into a hug.
"Welcome to the family Clio!" she shouted as she wrapped her up tightly.
"Thank you" Clio let out as she reached her arms around and hugged her back.
"Shall we get back and have a feast?" I asked.
"Yeah, tonight we drink!" Ubbe shouted with joy smacking me on the shoulder.
"Haha, let us go back then" I declared as I grabbed Clios hand when she had separated from Astrid.
On our way back to the farm we just idly talked and laughed about random things. Clio stayed close to me as we walked hand in hand. It didn't seem to take long to get back to the farmstead and commence a night of good food, company and drinks. Towards the end of the night, I and Clio slipped away and consummated the wedding.
The next morning I awoke in bed with my wife laid on my chest as she slept with a satisfied smile, when I looked at her I couldn't help smile and kissed her on the forehead and just laid there until she woke up.
It wasn't long until she did wake and looked up at me, her smile widened when she saw me looking down at her.
"Good morning my beautiful wife" I proclaimed cheerily.
"Morning Fenris! What are we doing today?" She asked, kissing me happily as we held each other.
"We should get back to the kids really, it's Yuletide and I have a ritual for them to perform to help their magic mature" I explained.
"Speaking of magic, mine feels different now" she announced looking at me.
"That's because you are in the second stage of maturity, before the ceremony it was the first stage now it should be like water, I am in my third now my magic is like honey, it's thicker, what other changes have you felt?" I explained and then asked wondering if she felt what I did in the ceremony.
"Well my body feels stronger and lighter, the taste of potions isn't in my mouth any more either, I can feel our connection like I do with my familiars but it's different slightly, but the most obvious change is the auras I can see and feel, and something deep within me," she told me with a thoughtful expression.
"You must have gained a stronger and healthier body from my Odins blessing, the taste of potions fading is probably from a cleansing of your injuries and the auras you feel are they from plants?" I explained
"Yeah, I can feel plants and see their auras as well as wood" she answered.
"You might have a slight blessing from Gaea or Fyorgyn, can you see an aura around me?" I asked
"No, and I want to know why it's obviously magic I can see my own" she explained
"Ah that's because I've pulled it into my self, learnt that trick from Toskr, anyway the changes deep within is probably the change in your animagus form" I clarified
"I guessed that but how?" She asked and it made me realize she didn't have a mindscape like me and couldn't go visit it as I did with my inner wolf.
"Ah remind me later to teach you the mind arts, and it changed when we were kissing, it's still a bird just a different species and a lot bigger" I notified her.
"What are the mind arts? And what species? How big? How do you know this?" She started to bombard me with questions.
"Okay, okay, first the mind arts are a way to protect your mind from others this is called Occlumency the mind art to intrude into someone's mind is Legilimency, I've not really trained legilimency but I'm a natural Occlumens, secondly your animagus form should be a Raven with an 8-foot wingspan, and third I watched it evolve and some changes happen while we kissed" I answered
"That sounds useful, and that's twice the size of a raven! What do you mean you watched it?" She shouted in shock
"I don't know how else to explain it I searched our connection as it was being formed and saw a black egg with golden runes and watched it hatch." I explained before I continued "Anyway lets get up and have something to eat and then we will go back home"
"Zodry!" I shouted and with a pop, the little guy appeared at the side of the bed.
"Yes Master Fenrisúlfr, Mistress Cliodna!" Zodry shouted with a bow towards us. He must feel the connection to Clio now.
"Zodry please make some breakfast," I asked
"Master Fenrisúlfr, miss Astrid won't let me make breakfast she threw me out of the kitchen!" He shouted with tears running down his face.
"Ah, don't worry about it then Zodry can you collect our things please we'll be going home today"
"Yes, master it's shall be done!" Zodry announced and popped away.
"Let's get up then sounds like Astrid is making something to eat" I indicated as I got up from the bed and we got dressed, as we entered the room Ubbe and Egil was sat at the table talking I could hear Astrid humming away in the kitchen cooking.
"Morning all," I say as I sat down with Clio
"Ah hears the happy couple! Your up later then usual" Ubbe laughed with a wink.
"Haha well we had a late-night" I laughed and Clio smacked me in the arm shouting at me "Fenris!"
As I laughed along with Ubbe, Egil greeted us "morning you two"
Astrid soon made her way in, placed some food on the table and sat down beside Ubbe. "So your finally up, what are you two doing today?" She asked smiling at us.
"We were going to head back to the kids can't leave them alone on Yule" I confirmed
"Yeah I'm sure Trippy has been running around after them" Clio chimed in
"Oh it's been a short visit but it was good to see you fenris and I'm glad I got to meet you Clio, but make sure to visit when the baby arrives!" Astrid declared like no wasn't an answer.
"Whos Trippy?" Asked Egil interrupting
"Trippy is one of the elves I'm bonded with she's been looking after the kids while I'm here but I'm sure Aileens kept them in line" I answered with a chuckle but continued "We will certainly come to visit Astrid your gonna be a grandma"
"Whos Aileen?" Egil asked again
"Aileen's the leader of the kids sort of, I've been teaching her magic and she's becoming good at Transfiguration" I explained as I started to eat.
"So have you been teaching them anything Clio?" Asked Astrid
"I'm more of a potioneer then anything else so I've been teaching a few kids who wanted to learn" she explained
"Oh what potions can you make?!" Egil asked excitedly with shining eyes.
"There's a lot of potions I can make but my favourite to brew has to be the fire protection potion" Clio declared
"Fire protection? So fire doesn't hurt you?! What else??" Egil babbled on
"Well strong flames could hurt you but most won't, and regermination that helps with plants" explained Clio.
She had actually brewed a lot of the regermination potion to help with our garden, the fire protection potion only helped with normal flames it wasn't strong enough for dragon or fiend fire, even my natural flame was stronger them a normal fire. The idle chatter continues for hours as we sat there and just enjoyed our time together.
"Okay it's been good to see you all but we should be getting back now, we'll come visit in a year or so" I announced as I stood up with clio, we made our way to the door and gave hugs and man hugs good bye
"Zodry!" I shouted and with a pop Zodry appeared in front of us.
"I'm here Master Fenrisúlfr, Mistress Cliodna!" He shouted as he bowed.
"We are ready to leave Zodry" I announced, with a nod of his head he stepped forward and took my free hand as my other held on to Clios and with a pop and the uncomfortable feeling of being dragged through a hole by the navel we apparated away.