Bound Essence series, Part One

SITARA

P​acing back and forth in the tent, all she could feel were the souls of the recently dead leaving this plane of existence and the weight of it all brought her to her knees. Her father had insisted that she stay in the tent no matter what, but she couldn't let this go on any longer. Could she?

As she knelt on the tent floor trying to breathe through the agony, she became aware that she was no longer alone. She looked up to find herself surrounded by the recently dead. Some faces she'd known since childhood and others she realized were from the tribe her father and his men were fighting. She's always had the ability to see and feel spirits but she'd never seen or felt so many at once.

She crawled backwards like a crab trying to get away from them. ​Her back hit the end of the tent and a strange keening sound left her throat. They began to approach her all at once. She shut her eyes and held her hands out in front of her and yelled, "Stooop." ​She opened her eyes to find that they stopped shuffling forward. They were within an inch of her, reaching out for her. She calmed her breathing as best as she could given the situation and in a strangled gasp, stammered "What... What do you want?" ​

Their ghostly bodies straightened. They parted and looked towards the back of the tent. A lone spectral figure walked towards her. She recognized him instantly, how could she not? He was her father's right hand man. He'd taught her how to hunt and use a bow and arrow.

​"Arin" She gasped. Reaching out to him, she grasped his hand giving him corporeal form.

"You have to stop them. The fighting can't go on or all will be lost." He said.

"How?"

​"Trust in your power. Grant us access to your body." ​Though she was still scared, she trusted this man with her life. She nodded and let her psychic guards down. ​

The souls of the dead flowed into her all at once, leaving her gasping on the floor. She stood up slowly, aware that she was no longer just her, but more.

She could hear them all. Feel them all. The fight was not Hjalmar's doing as they were led to believe but someone else's. Someone who for whatever reason was still somewhat hidden from her gift of sight. Then, she saw his face clearly from the thoughts and memories of the enemy's dead. She did not recognize it. ​

She took a deep breath to steady herself and walked out of the tent. For a moment, she stood looking around at the carnage and destruction around her. The dead littered the canyon floor and the pain almost brought her to her knees again. She squared her shoulders and started walking. She instinctively walked in the direction of her father, she could feel the essence of the dead leave her and join with their physical bodies. Her breathing got a little easier, as she watched in astonishment as the bodies rose and followed her. ​

Standing in the middle of the battlefield, she watched as her father's men, men she'd known her entire life, recoiled from her in fear. The opposing force was no better, not that she could blame them, she could only imagine what they saw when they looked at her. To her right stood all her father's dead warriors and to her left, Hjalmar's. ​By the time she got to her father and Hjalmrar, they were locked in combat. It took them a minute to realize that the sounds of battle around them had faded.

They both turned to look in her direction. ​She was getting used to the look of fear on Hjalmar's face but the fear on her father's face tore at her gut. She took a deep breath and addressed them. "Someone else is pulling the strings and making us fight. Just think for a minute." She paused. "Who has the most to gain by wiping us out?"

She reached out to Hjalmar and he hastily took a step back. Her father tentatively took her small hand in his much bigger one, and her love for him grew a hundredfold. Though he was shaken he still trusted her. ​She projected the man's face into his mind. "I do not recognize the face." He said. ​She turned to Hjalmar and offered him her hand again. This time, he took it and a string of curses left his mouth. "That whoremonger son of a bitch.. That's my uncle's bastard son." He exclaimed. ​

He turned to her father and let out a pained, resigned breath. "It seems we have been deceived. But as it stands, there is still too much distrust for anything less than the joining of our tribes."

​"And how do you propose we do that?" Her father asked suspiciously. Hjalmar turned to look at her, raised an eyebrow and said, "Well, I have a son, you have a daughter..." He let that statement hang in the air.

Her father turned to her. She knew what he wanted from her. Even knowing that without an alliance the war may continue, he was leaving the decision of marrying Hjalmar's son up to her. Her father was a warrior born and bred. He was a warrior before he'd met her mother, the love of his life. She taught him a different way.

He will still fight when necessary but he was a man who no longer revelled in war. Her mother's love had made him a kinder, gentler man. Next to him, stood the ghost of her mother, who'd died giving birth to her. She has been with her since birth, the first ghost she'd ever seen. Her mother smiled in encouragement. She looked at all the faces surrounding her, the dead and the living alike and nodded her head once.

A few days later...

The moon shone bright through a circle of trees. Within that circle, stood a crescent-shaped altar. Upon which, a goblet of mead, incense, sea salt, a bowl of water, an athame and a binding cord were all lovingly laid out. In front of the altar, stood a high priestess. To her right and left, two lines gathered. A young man walked down the middle, wearing a sword that looked as long as he was tall but he walked straight and proud, looking every inch a laird's son as he took his place to the right of the altar. His father has made a treaty with the neighboring tribe and this marriage solidifies it. Though he's not particularly happy about getting a wife, he's not unhappy about it either.

JOHAN

I watched as the small figure of my wife-to-be walked towards me. The only thing I knew about her to be true is that she is a chieftain's daughter, the future spiritual leader of her people. I've heard the rumors amongst my father's men, the men that were on the battlefield that fateful day. They said the dead rose and followed her across the battlefield like a silent, undead army. All my father would tell me of her was that she was a great beauty and that she possessed untold powers.

As she drew nearer, I could feel an inexplicable pull. I studied her as she slowly made her way towards me. She will barely come up to my chin. As she walked, a hush fell over the grove. All types of animals sat at the base of the trees watching the proceedings. A small bird landed on her bouquet and chirped at her. She smiled and nodded to the bird, as if understanding the chirping noises the bird had made. The bird flew up and landed on a nearby tree branch, not far from where I stood. She kept walking slowly towards me and as she drew nearer, I could see her toes peeking out from under her dress. And that brought an involuntary smile to my lips.

She walked through a beam of light and it made her look almost unreal. She looked younger than her nineteen summers. As she stopped in front of me, she looked up and a small shy smile graced her lips. I couldn't help but smile back. I looked down into her almond shaped honey colored eyes and felt a weird tingling in my chest.

SITARA

The scene looked exactly like I have been dreaming about for as long as I could remember. I watched my surroundings in a detached manner, after all, my whole life has been leading up to this moment. I walked towards the high priestess and my husband to be.

On my head, I wore a wreath of interwoven rosemary and sage intertwined with forget-me nots. For my bridal bouquet, I carried white orchids, yellow daffodils, gillyflowers, with a few forget-me-nots and cherry blossoms sprinkled in as well as some rosemary and sage.

I was dressed in a beautiful cream colored gown with leaves and flowers embroidered into the bodice, the hem and the sleeves. The dress was a gift from the laird, my soon to be father in law. Though it is not customary, I was barefoot and every step brought me closer to Johan, the blue-grey eyed boy I have dreamt about since I was eleven. With every step, I could feel myself absorbing the power of the earth through my feet, felt it coursing through my body, filling me with raw unfettered power.

I've felt different ever since the battlefield, when the recently dead rose and followed me. My father later told me that my eye color had changed from their original warm honey to a swirling, shimmery see through silver. The lines closed to form a layered semicircle, three people deep, around us. The altar completed the circle so that from above, it looked like the high priestess and Johan and I formed a triangle.

The high priestess raised her hands toward the sky. "Greetings and Welcome"

Everyone replied, "Greetings"

"We call upon the ancient and mystical elements of air, fire, water, earth and spirit to join us and bless this union." The priestess turned to Johan.

"Johan, do you come before us of your own free will?"

Johan answered "I do."

She then turned to me, "Sitara, do you come before us of your own free will?"

"I do."

"You stand within this circle before me and all that is living, both here of your own free will. Face each other and raise your left hands." We complied. The high priestess made a small incision on my forearm, then did the same to Johan's, then joined our hands with the binding cord.

"As your blood run together, flowing and mixing, so too do your life forces become one. As your hands are bound, your lives and spirits are joined. With the binding of your hands, I bind your love with protective energies to watch over your bond this day and for however long you wish to be tied to one another.

Repeat after me, "Blood of my blood, Bone of my bone. I give you my body, That we may be one. I give you my spirit, Til our life is done. Heart to thee, Body to thee. Always and forever, So mote it be"

We repeated the words, "Blood of my blood, bone of my bone. I give you my body, that we may be one. I give you my spirit, Til our life is done. Heart to thee, body to thee. Always and forever. So mote it be."

Everyone else joined in. "So mote it be."

"With the giving of your oaths to one another, we welcome you into your new journey in life. May the gods be with you and bless you. May you see your children's children's children. May you be poor in misfortunes and rich in blessings. May you know nothing but happiness from this day forward."

The priestess untied the bindings and handed it to Johan and I. Johan took it and put it in his pocket.

"You may now seal your vows with a kiss."

Holding my hands in his, Johan lightly touched his lips to mine. It was like being struck by lightning. A trail of heat started from my lips and traveled straight to my core, leaving me to feel like I've just been branded. Johan must have felt something too because he pulled me closer, wrapping me up in his arms and deepened the kiss, leaving us both breathless.

Afterwards, the wedding party moved into a clearing not too far from where the ceremony was performed. Bonfires burned bright and tables were laden with food and drink. My father and Johan's had gone all out. Johan took my hand and led me to the head table. As I sat, I could feel the calmness which always preceded one of my visions. I quickly lowered my head so as to not frighten my husband's family, my new family. Johan took his seat as his father raised a goblet and a hush settled over the crowd.

JOHAN

From beside me, I felt my new bride shiver, not the slight kind of shiver like one would get from an unexpected breeze, but the kind that left you shivering as if someone had just walked over your grave. From the corner of my eyes, I noticed the way she held her body rigidly in the chair, as if afraid to draw breath. Was it the moonlight, or did her eyes just change color? Is it true then? Is my new bride a sorceress?

My father raised his cup and addressed the crowd. "With this union, we can now join forces against a common enemy. An enemy that seeks to destroy everything that we hold dear. An enemy that is such a coward, that they attacked us and made it seem like we attacked each other."

Aldair, Sitara's father, spoke next. "I am told by my daughter that the joining of our tribes will bring the generations to come, peace." His voice boomed across to everyone in the clearing as if amplified. I've never met him until now. But listening to him speak, I could see why he was their chosen chieftain.

"As many of you know, my daughter is very precious to me. And like a true leader should, she has chosen to put her people first."

He raised his cup, "To my daughter's happiness and our people's future."

I've heard rumors about him, heard how ruthless he'd been. Until he'd met his lovely wife, Sitara's mother, Raven, he'd lived for battle. His wife had tamed him a bit but he was still a warrior. He just didn't go looking for a fight. But you can be damned sure he'd finish it if a fight came looking for him.

EDAIN

Won't be long now. My brother is stepping down as laird and appointing Johan as his successor. Not a problem, I can control the boy. But that new bride of his is rumored to be a sorceress, and if they sire an heir, they will be harder to dispose of, plus I'll have to deal with their brat. I didn't even bother with my own brats. I don't want to deal with anyone else's.

I stayed in the shadows. Let my uncle's bastard think that he was running things all so that I could deliver the final blow without anyone being the wiser, let him think this coup was his idea. The fool still believed I was helping him become ruler of our lands. Right up until the moment I buried my sword in his chest a few hours ago.

As I looked around the crowded clearing, I felt a tiny tinge of regret, it was so fleeting and was gone so fast, it left me to wonder If I'd felt it at all.

The hairs on the back of my neck rose, sending a shiver down my spine. I looked around at the wedding feast, my eyes landing on my new niece-in-law. I was startled to find her staring straight at me, and I could swear her eyes looked silver in the glow of the bonfires. Must be a trick of the moonlight. Or are the rumors true then, Is Johan's new bride really a sorceress?

Everyone cheered but me. I looked to the trees in the northern part of the clearing, where I had a few trusted men waiting on my command to slaughter every living thing in the clearing, including my brother and nephew.

SITARA

"Who is that?" Johan looked to where I was looking and waved at the man who gave us a small bow.

"That's my uncle Edain"

"Oh." I whispered as I felt a shiver run down my spine. As the night wore on, it was getting harder and harder to breathe. I was unable to shake the feeling of dread that weighed on me and seemed to center around Johan's uncle, Edain. I couldn't get a clear image, I never do when my own future is involved, only shadows and feelings. And what I felt made me want to run to the farthest cave and barricade myself in.

The festivities wound down and Johan and I were accompanied to the marriage hut, where we would be spending our wedding night. If Johan had been part of my tribe, the next morning would find us moving into a home he would have built himself in preparation for our joining. But since he's from a neighboring land, on the morrow, we will set out for his keep, which was a three-day journey from my village.

Earlier in the day, I came to the hut to make preparations for the wedding night. In a corner of the hut, stood a small altar. On it there was a candle holder, dried lady's mantle, a small white candle, water from a nearby spring, a key, a small bottle of birch oil and a small bottle of thyme oil. I began by pouring some water into the bottom of the candle holder, then added a pinch of lady's mantle into the water. Positioning the key in front of the candle holder, I then anointed the candle with three drops of birch oil and three drops of thyme oil, lit it and recited the incantation.

"Blessed Goddess of the Hearth, bless our Sacred Fire, our Union and this Place... We share with you these offerings and give honor to your divine grace!"

I turned to find Johan leaning against the center pole watching me. He looked to the altar questioningly.

"Offerings for the Goddess Frigga." I explained.

"Goddess of marriage?" He asked.

"Appropriate don't you think?" I asked.

"I didn't realize your tribe worshiped the same Gods we do." He said.

I raised an eyebrow as I looked at him but I didn't say anything else. He smiled.

"Why did you agree to marry a complete stranger." He asked as he unbuckled his scabbard, laying his sword on the floor by the makeshift bed, within easy reach.

'Why did you?"

"I am duty bound to obey my laird." He answered softly.

"As I am duty bound to obey my chieftain." I replied, bowing my head slightly.

"Are you really a sorceress?" He asked.

"I am a shamaness."