Nicklaus had his eyes on the entrance, so he was the first to see Ophelia when she returned. In her hands was the wine jar she had taken with her. She looked less pale now due to the heat from moving from place to place. As she looked up their eyes met. She stopped and then continued walking as if nothing happened. Nicklaus also looked away, his eyes had turned again and they were bent on remaining that way, so he closed his eyes resignedly.
Ophelia bowed to her elders and began pouring wine in their tumblers, starting with the eldest. She then moved on to serve the werewolves. She then stood beside Nicklaus with the jar.
This time it was Temis Harman that continued explaining the rites.
"The groom will now carry the bride, sit her on his thighs while she gives him wine to drink. The groom will the feed her wine too."
Alkal was a very conservative town, so the women could not explain this part. As the Temis was explaining, they had all lowered there heads but even so they were still blushing hard like maidens.
Nicklaus was so excited that he had carried Ophelia before Temis Harman was done explaining. Even though the girl was thin and as light as feather, her body was still very well developed. Because, he had carried her in a hurry, her dress was pulled down and her mounds were peeking out of it. She looked so innocently alluring this way, his eyes glowed even more.
Since he didn't pay much attention to the instructions, he ended up doing a mouth to mouth wine exchange with his bride, he couldn't hold it in any longer. When Nicklaus finally met her lips, he felt his hunger been satiated. His heart stopped throwing it's temper, he could feel it settling like a child that was been coax to sleep, it had finally stopped threatening to burst out.
Ophelia was too stunted to feel anything, her silver eyes where widely opened and her hands were fighting for her freedom on their own. The moment she broke free, she jumped down. Her face was so flushed that it was blooming roses continuously.
Everyone's lips twitched continuously.
Artima coughed and warned Nicklaus in a serious tone but her expression was lacking.
Willie Thain found the situation very amusing. Somehow the couple had managed to turn the atmosphere around. It was not so solemn anymore.
" The next rite is the fishing. Even though it is called fishing. You are not going to be catching any fish. Instead, you will be hunting for your vow bracelets in the River Aurora. If you are not able to find the bracelets till dusk, you'll need to wait for a month again.You will be accompanied by Temis slovic and Mona Lisa." explained Artima.
The new couple and the elders went to the river Aurora. along the way, the werewolf king who had visited many kingdoms still took in the beautiful sceneries before him. He had been told that Alkal was a savanna with many species of animals but a few dangerous ones, but he wasn't told that they had very fine little mammals that he could make different delicacies with. Nicklaus turned away and put his hands in his pockets to save the poor animals from the calamity of his rumbling stomach. He thought that if his friend, Derrick was here, there would be no saving the animals. Sensing danger, the little mammals scurried into the safety of the vast grassland. The grassland was a vast meadow of beautiful plants. As the path turned narrower, they came across a brook. The brook had very clear water, one could see their reflection perfectly in it, just as in a mirror.
"This brook is our main source of water, because the water is too shallow, the dam is very small and could be overlooked. We will follow this path down to the river." Mona Lisa said as they walked on.
"Your town is beautiful" said Nicklaus but he was looking at the quiet Ophelia whose ears were still very much red from his teasing earlier. He had been observing her every move. Every step she took was poised if there had been calculated geometrically. So graceful that even with his perfect hearing, he could not hear any movement. She had tied her hair into a bun but her fringes still covered her eyes. How he wished to always look into that sea of silver that she was always hiding from the world. Her beauty was too otherworldly. He felt very proud of himself for being able to make her his.
Ophelia was too focused on the road that she didn't notice Nicklaus's eyes.
After another long walk, another breathtakingly beautiful water body graced their views.
"River Aurora" whispered someone.
" This is the river." said the Temis.
"wow" exclaimed Ophelia. Nicklaus, whose hers were always trained on her smiled too. This was the first time that she had expressed the enthusiasm of a young woman. Her silver eyes sparkled brightly beneath her fringe.
"We will wait here while you both will walk into the river. You need not waver. Aurora doesn't sink people." Said Mona Lisa.
In unplanned synchronisation, they step into the water. The young woman who despised the cold so much resentful took the second step. She could feel the coldness from the water biting into her skin with every step she took until she was submerged into it.
Under Aurora was another beautiful world. From afar, she beheld a wondrous site. The first thing that came to her view was a castle located on a mountain made of pure gold. The surface of the mountain was rough due to weathering. You could even see potholes dug by erosion on it. White light shown from the sky towards the mountain which inturn refract the light to the Castle making it glow a shade of white and gold. Behind the Castle stood a giant tree with leaves of different colours. It was the legendary Life Tree that is believed to be the giver of life. Oddly, the tree would sway when wind blew across it but the leaves wouldn't. Opposite the golden mountain was a normal mountain with trees and shrubs on it and a fountain of deep blue water flowed down it. As Ophelia got nearer she realised that the normal mountain was in fact not normal at all. It looked like the head of a human but it was too large. The blue water was coming out from its mouth as if he was vomiting it. The head even looked like it was frowning. She could see different animals with wings flying everywhere on the mountain. Lost in the marvellous site, Ophelia did not notice that someone had arrived until...
"You love beautiful things?". It was Nicklaus!
Ophelia just glanced at the handsome double personality freak and turned again to study the place looking for clues on how to complete her mission.
"This is the Legendary City of Heroes written in the Chronicles. It is the most mysterious place in the world. It is said that the people who visit this place tell a different story every time. Many theories have been passed on, though none could justify the reason for that to happen, it simply because this place is so vast that they all saw different parts of it."
Ophelia didn't respond. She was annoyed that he was talking too much but not irritated. She knew that as a king, he had to know the history of many places. She look around again. They needed to find a way to get to the castle. Their position was adjacent to both the golden mountain and the giant head mountain and in-between is a deep valley.a Ophelia threw a stone down but no sound was heard at all like the stone had disappeared.
'All these just to get married? Which crazy ancestor made this rule?!' thought Ophelia. She was enraged.
Still, she continued studying the terrain, hoping to find a clue. Nicklaus kept his eyes trained on his 'wife', amused by how concentrated she was on such a small task. It showed how seriously she takes everything.
" You are so focused. Don't tell me you are that eager to marry me?". Nicklaus had a mischievous smile on his face. He seemed to be enjoying himself like a tourist; here to catch somel fun.
Ophelia was so annoyed that she wanted to throw him a fist. 'This self conceited bastard!', She screamed in her head.
"This is a marriage of convenience. It's an alliance, of course I should out in some effort", replied Ophelia calmly; she did not show any emotion.
"I can fly you over"
"...."
"Lycanthrope have good strength and stamina; I can take you to the clouds".
Ophelia felt like the conversation had strained. He was talking about flying why does it feel he was... he was...
'oh no! I've let my thoughts go astray', Ophelia turned around, hiding the blush that was already creeping down her neck. Her face was so red.
She didn't know when Nicklaus had reached her side until she was flicked on her forehead.
"What are you doing?" She tried her best to cover up her blush with a cold face. Nicklaus was more pleased with himself now. His 'wife' was just too cute.
"Your mind is wondering off, I brought back. What are you thinking?". Ophelia looked at the man's serious face and felt had she was thinking too much indeed. She blushed even more. When she was not paying attention, Nicklaus swept her up into his hands...