NINE

For every cape there is a magician, and every magician a cape. A tradition as old as Magika itself. The perfect balance. Day and night. Sun and Moon. The wielder and the Source.

As Kitaya gazed out the window of the antechamber, she reflected on the events that had led her to this point. When Aldeheid had first appeared in her orchard, she hadn't thought much of him, except that he was an idiot.

Well, he was still an idiot.

She had to wonder where she would be had he not come to her in his time of desperation. Or if she'd punted him out of her orchard instead of pondering his request. Perhaps she'd still be on earth, making her rounds around the realm, checking on all the thin spaces.

And where would he be? Kitaya had never thought of what would've happened to him if she'd sent him away. Maybe he would've wandered around earth until he found a place to settle down. Or would he had made the long journey to Kon in search of Mellidius.

"This isn't working, Kitaya." Aldeheid cut into her thoughts. He sat across from her, regaled in black finery. With the gold a red symbols stitched into the fabric, he looked as though he belonged in Kon.

"Again," Kitaya said, and Aldeheid released an audible groan. "Come on, angel eyes."

"Alright, alright." He breathed a sigh and held up his marked hand, balling it into a fist. With his brows knitted and his mouth pressed into a thin line, he was the epitome of concentration.

She felt a tugging sensation ripple through her marked hand and smiled. "Good work."

"It only took a thousand tries." He grimaced at the ether stones in his hand.

He is getting better, Kitaya thought. Slowly but surely. She could sense his frustration, and it didn't surprise her. Patience wasn't a virtue Aldeheid held dear. He wanted his progress overnight, not after years of blood sweat and tears.

"Actually, it took forty-eight tries, but that's two less tries than yesterday." She clapped her hands. "Progress, angel eyes." That got a small smile out of him. Kitaya crossed one leg over the next, arranging the folds of her pale yellow dress. "Can I ask you something?"

He went to rake a hand through his hair, but balled his fist instead. "Sure."

"What would you have done, if I hadn't brought you with me?"

"I..." His words trailed off, and he gazed out the window. "I don't know. I had no other... contingencies. Which is funny because I'd expected you to say no."

"I see. Well, for what it's worth, I'm glad I brought you along, angel eyes." She smiled as a blush crept into his cheeks. As much as his self-deprecating attitude grated on her nerves, she'd enjoyed having him around. If she'd been on her own after Gebarro placed her on leave, she may have driven herself crazy.

Voices drifted in from the Great Hall as the last of the guests got into position. Most of them were probably there to see if Kitaya was going through with this. After so many years, even she herself doubted that she'd ever find a magician that mildly piqued her interest.

But as she'd watched Aldeheid learn and grow into a better magician, her view of him began to change. She was able to see less of what he was and of what he was capable of. And it was that underlying potential intrigued her the most.

If anyone had told her all those years ago that he – the blithering idiot who'd stumbled into her orchard – would be her magician, she would've punched them in the throat. But it seemed even fate had a sense of humour.

"Ready?" Kemah appeared in the antechamber's doorway, regaled in the finest of his enchanted gear and grinning from ear to ear. This day had been his doing. He'd done all the planning, invited all the guests, made sure everything was in order.

"I am," Kitaya said. "Aldeheid?"

He exhaled a long breath. "As ready as I can be." He stood and offered her a hand up. As they walked, arm-in-arm to the door, she could feel the rigidity in his muscles, a clear sign of his apprehension. It was because of the trial.

They would have to perform it in front of the guests before the bonding. They'd done it successfully before, but Aldeheid was a defeatist at heart, she knew. He was probably thinking of all the ways this could go wrong.

Kitaya gave him a reassuring pat on the arm as they stepped into the hall. The guests were smiling and sending nods of encouragement as they made their way across the polished marble floor. The capes were dressed in Kitaya's favourite colour, yellow, while the magicians wore Aldeheid's favourite, black – as was customary.

Drapery and flowers were wrapped around the pillars that lined either side of the room and a group of musicians were playing softly in a corner. At the hall's center a circular dias sat, and atop it was the pedestal and cauldrons used for the trial.

Eriani stood at its left, hands clasped in front of her and her crown capturing the light. While her face was impassive, Kitaya could still see the disapproval in her stare. Kitaya didn't know what Aldeheid done to earn her altori's ire, but the very sight of him seemed to send the Konian Queen into conniptions.

Kitaya stepped up onto the dias alongside Aldeheid, and they took their positions on either side of the pedestal. She met his eyes, saw the fear in them, and gave him a smile.

Eriani stepped in front of the dias with Kemah at her side, and raised a hand to quiet the room."Allow me to welcome you all to the Nation of Lions, and thank you to those who traveled so far to witness this bonding ceremony." He voice carried clear over the room, its authority reverberating off the walls. As per tradition, we will begin with the trial, so that all witnesses present will know that these two can be as one." She turned away from the crowd to face the dias. "Kitaya, Aldeheid, whenever you're ready."

Kitaya placed her hands on the pedestal and nodded for Aldeheid to do the same. The sweat on his palms rubbed off on the back of her hands as he placed his hands atop hers. His roamed the cauldrons surrounding them, before meeting hers.

Sweat beaded his forehead and his adam's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed. "Kitaya I... I don't think I can do this." His skin was clammy, and he looked as though he was going to lose his breakfast.

She turned her hands over to clasp his and gave them a gentle squeeze. "We can. We did it once; we can do it twice."

"Is there a problem, Kitaya?" Eriani asked, her annoyance clear in the angled set of her brows.

Kitaya resisted the urge to scowl at the Queen and kept her attention on Aldeheid. "We'll stop if anything goes awry, alright?"

Aldeheid gave a slow jerky nod, his mouth pressing into a thin line as he turned his attention to the cauldrons. The words of the spell tumbled from his lips, slow and stilted, as though he were forcing himself to speak. A cooling sensation rippled over Kitaya's arms as her magic flowed from her, a stark contrast the warmth of the pedestal.

The air came alive with a buzz of anticipation as the guests looked on.

Tendrils of magic twirled around the dais, taking on the reds, oranges and yellows of fire. Kitaya followed their snaking paths with her eyes as they descended into the cauldrons.

Swirling clouds of fire shot upward, nearly touching the ceiling. Wind rushed in from the windows, making the curtains flail wildly. The heat was intense enough to trigger the enchantments on Kitaya's dress. It cooled against her skin, but that did nothing to stop her eyes from watering.

She pulled her hands away from the pedestal and the flames dissipated in a cloud of smoke. That was as good of a demonstration as they were going to get without burning the castle to the ground.

A thunderous cheer rose from the crowd of guests, compounded with whistles, and stomps that shook the ground.

Kitaya grinned at Aldeheid and he blushed, his shoulders slumping with relief as he exhaled. "Well done, angel eyes." She gave his hands another squeeze.

Eriani sileneced the room once more. "The trial is completed and passed. We may now proceed with the ceremony." She and Kemah stepped onto the dais, the former looking none-too-pleased and the latter giving them a smile and nod.

"Before we begin," The Queen continued, looking out over the guests. "Is there anyone who believes these two should not be bonded? Step forward and state your reasons." The room stayed silent, and so did Eriani. She surveyed each and every person as though she were waiting for someone to have an epiphany.

Kitaya looked up at Aldeheid and rolled her eyes, and his lips twitched with suppressed laughter. The awkward silence became so unbearable that a few of the guests shuffled on their feet, the rustling of fabrics echoing through the silence of the hall.

"Kitaya, Aldeheid." Eriani looked at each of them in turn, with a gaze that could melt steel. "Are you both certain this is what you want? The only way this decision can be reversed is if one of you dies." The Queen's gaze settled on Aldeheid, as though she were considering making that a reality.

Aldeheid and Kitaya exchanged glances. "Yes," they chimed in unison.

"Then join your marked hands." Eriani nodded to Kemah, and he handed her an assortment of beaded chains.

Kitaya threaded her fingers through Aldeheid's, the swirling lines of her mark running into the jagged lines of his. Their eyes met, and he looked away quickly, his face reddening.

"Our oldest and most sacred union. As it was in the first days of Magika, so shall it be until the end of time. One magician. One cape. Bonded under the eyes of the gods." One by one Eriani draped the beads over their hands. "Amethyst for good health. Diamond for prosperity. Jade for protection. And Onyx for strength."

The last two strings went around their necks instead of their hands. "Sapphire for the wielder." She had to tiptoe to drape the chain of brilliant blue beads around Aldeheid's neck. "Strong and gallant, the mighty sword that pierces the skies of Magika. Ruby for the source." The blood red beads fell heavy around Kitaya's neck. "Supportive and sturdy, a pillar that not even the gods can shake."

Kitaya took a breath, knowing that the worst of it was to come. She'd been told there was a bit of pain involved in the bonding, but that was fine. Pain was no stranger to her, nor she to it.

A bright flash lit up the dais as Kemah changed to cape form, and Eriani began chanting the rite – ancient words that dated back to the days of black sun.

Kitaya clenched her jaw as a searing heat radiated through her marked hand, looking down to make sure her flesh wasn't burning. She may have pulled away and ruined everything if Aldeheid wasn't holding onto her so tight.

His hand shook slightly, causing the beads to rattle, and he gave her a tight half-grimace half-smile.

After what felt like an eternity of chanting, the pain subsided into a subtle warmth. It radiated up her arm and into her chest, tingling all the way to her toes. It was like stepping out into the morning sun after a long night of cold.

The last words of the rite rang out into the chamber, and Eriani lifted the ceremonial beads from their hands, revealing their marks. Kitaya had jagged lines running through hers and Aldeheid had swirling lines running through his.

He pulled his hand away examining it as though it were a foreign creature attached to his body. It would take a while for them to get used to their new marks. Lady Hiroh had told her they would remain sore for a day or two.

Eriani took both their marked hands and raised them for the room to see. "Let it be known to all those present that these two are now bonded. Magician and cape. Weilder and Source. To Kitaya and Aldeheid!"

The guests raised their fists in solidarity and boomed a thunderous: "To Magika!"

[A/N]: Happy New Year's Eve Eve! I just wanted to take a moment to thank you all for making 2018 so special. Thanks to all of you beautiful people, Magika is over 12k reads and is nerve-wrackingly close to 1.4k votes. Big shout out to everyone who's been leaving votes and comments. I appreciate it so much, and here's to much more success in 2019. Cheers!