Goddess Of Shendhea

7

The next morning came too soon as I was awoken just before the sun rose. A few different servants shuffled into my room after a kind-looking woman. "Good morning my Goddess," she smiled as she strode over to my bedside. "Are you ready?" Nodding, I swung my legs over and staggered away from the bed, my feet not wanting to function just yet.

That was the start of a very long morning. I'd been paraded to different rooms with my line of servants following me, bathed in a luxurious bathtub, and painted from head to toe with makeup and nail polish. My blonde hair was done into loose curls and someone had sprayed a sweet perfume around me before fussing around with my dress. The silvery blue material was draped around my body, the tulle twisting and turning with each movement.

Throughout the day, all I could think about was who I wanted to chose.

I loved the mystery with Kailani, along with the sense of wonder. Sadly, he kept to himself so I didn't know a ton about his personality.

Leo was especially romantic. He always grew me flowers, using his powers. Sometimes they would be a delicate rose, or an orchid; but I loved when he would grow me a daisy, as it was my favorite flower. He also had a great sense of humor that sometimes made me snort from laughing so hard.

I was a bit weary of Julius, though; one minute he was sweet and the next he was making me uncomfortable because of how forward he was. I had to admit though, it was exhilarating never knowing what he would do next. It made my chest pound a bit faster in my chest whenever I was near him.

Of course there was Maxwell as well, who I have probably spent the most time with. He was reserved, knowledgeable and very kind. I was reminded of home when I was around him; he seemed so normal.

I just couldn't shake that dream I'd had. Just thinking about how easily maxwell could read my mind, Leo could strangle me with his thorns, or Julius could burn me with his fire made my stomach churn in fear. Suddenly, someone called my name, pulling me from my thoughts to tell me that it's time.

I glanced down nervously at my fingers, which were fiddling with one of the hems on my long gown. The thin layer of sparkly tulle that covered the light blue chiffon underneath was slightly pooling around my ankles. My feet were inside a pair of simple, flat shoes.

Nervously waiting on the balcony overlooking the lake, I pushed aside a stray curl and tucked it behind my ear as a gust of wind whooshed around me. There were a few curls which had snuck past my shoulders to land on my chest but most of them cascaded down my exposed back.

I heard someone calling my name so I took a deep breath and squeezed my eyes shut. I opened them and let my breath out as I started to walk into the grand ballroom.

I kept my gaze level and thought to myself, look confident and you shall be confident. Here we go, I thought as I put on a smile and strode over to the men waiting for me.

A soft piano was playing in the background as I made my way to Julius. He winked at me as he bowed and kissed my hand. After a quick smile, I turned to greet Kailani. He very lightly took my hands in his fingertips, being careful not to touch me too much, and brushed his lips against my skin. I blushed at how much faster my heart was pounding in my chest. Turning to my left, I locked eyes with Leo. He smiled bashfully at me and quickly planted a soft kiss on my hand. I could feel my chest tightening as I realized I was going to have to make a decision soon.

When I finally stood in front of Maxwell, he gave me a worried look. I realized he was in tune with my feelings and assured him that I am okay, just nervous. Maxwell surprised me by pulling me into a hug and whispering, "I care about you," into my ear before kissing my forehead. When I pulled away from him, I couldn't help but smile shyly at him.

While walking to my designated spot to stand, I took a deep breath. I slowly exhaled and placed a smile on my face as I turned to face the whole kingdom. I was nervous speaking in front of this many people, but I suppose if I am their Goddess now, I am going to have to get used to it.

A man I had never had the pleasure of meeting addressed the crowd as he made his way to stand next to me. He turned toward me and put his hand on my shoulder, saying a quick and polite hello. I smiled to him and nodded before turning back to the crowd. He started to drone on about the ceremony but I couldn't listen to him because I was still trying to make the decision. I had a person in mind but there was someone else that I couldn't just shake.

"Alright Luna," the man said, turning to me. I snapped out of my thoughts and heard him ask me for my choice in my mate.

"Kailani," I answered, automatically. No going back now. I took a deep breath and looked as the man who was smiling as he walked toward me. For a moment, his smile looked slightly devious, but then I thought it was probably just my mind playing tricks on me. When he was finally next to me, Kailani took my hand in his and for the first time, I really felt the cold. He wasn't kidding; my hand went numb in a matter of minutes.

I smiled sweetly through the pain of the cold and batted my eyelashes at him. He took his other hand and lightly grazed my cheek as he put a stray hair behind my ear. His gaze was so intense, I forgot the man was speaking to us. I tore my eyes away from Kailani's as the man poked my arm.

"Um, I'm sorry...I didn't catch what you said.." I mumbled to him, embarrassed. Quite a few people in the crowd chuckled at my obvious lack of attention. I smiled bashfully, as the man repeated his question.

"Luna, Will you have Kailani to stand by your side as your mate, through anything that the universe may throw your way?".

"With all of my mind, body and soul," I repeated, stealing a glance at Kailani. He met my gaze and looked back at the man, but I saw his lips twitch upward.

"And Kailani, do you promise to help guide her in her journey in becoming the Goddess she is destined to be; showing her the ways of our people, and to never stray from her side?".

"With all my mind, body and soul," he answered, looking at the man the whole time. My heart sank a bit since he wasn't even looking at his mate when he made his vows.

"Luna, through your mate, Kailani, you shall be able to access the full extent of your abilities," the man said as he laid a piece of fabric on our intertwining fingers. He took the ends and wrapped them around and around again as he recited our responsibilities as Goddess and mate. The man instructed us to close our eyes and focus on one another's energy. I did as I was told and shut my eyes lightly as I let in Kailani's energy. A small gasp escaped from my lips as I could feel our energy flowing between the two of us. My lips pulled into a small smile as I felt closer to someone than I had in a long time.

"Luna and Kailani, you are now United as one," the man chimed, happily. We turned toward the crowd as they rose to applaud the new Goddess and mate. I finally let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding and felt the relief wash over me as I walked through the ballroom of citizens, hand in hand with my new mate.

Kailani led me me up the stairs and down a hallway I hadn't been down before, which had me curious as to what we were doing. He paused at a door on the right and squeezed my hand before turning the knob and pushing the door open.

"Welcome home," he said as he pulled me through the door with him. Inside was a spacious bedroom, with a desk and a bookshelf amongst other fairly normal household objects. The thing that stood out was the bed; it was a large, round bed with a white canopy that hung above it. I slowly walked over to the bed and ran the silky sheets through my fingers.

"You haven't even seen the most exciting part of the bed," Kailani whispered in my ear and I jumped, forgetting he was with me. He chuckled and held open the canopy with one hand, while beckoning me inside. I smiled, enthusiastically and crawled onto the mattress with my mate following close behind me. Kailani laid down next to me and pressed a button on a remote. Suddenly, the lights in the room turned off to leave a glow of lights all around us. The canopy was infused with tiny glowing lights that twinkled like the night sky.

"It's beautiful," I whispered, gazing up at the sight all around me.

"Almost as beautiful as you, my love," Kailani said as he grabbed his hand in mine and turned to look at me.

I slowly turned my head, only to be mesmerized by the man laying across from me. We stayed like that a few moments before turning our heads back up to the glistening canopy. And that's how I fell asleep. Hand in hand, laying next to the man that will be forever mine.