Tethered

Twenty years ago...

The constellation Orion hung low in the autumn sky, as if the heavens themselves were protecting the land below. The sun had set hours ago, but moonrise was still moments away. It always seemed like the moon took centuries to rise in late autumn, and the night of witches was no different. In fact, it seemed as if the moon took even longer on the night the veil was the thinnest, as if the moonrise itself was an omen of the future.

In the Circle atop Stone Hill, two figures sat on either side of the sacred table. Negotiations had begun for an alliance to reforge the bonds between their two kingdoms.

“The child will be here before midnight,” the Queen of Averell murmured, adjusting her cloak to keep out the chill of the air. Her cloak shimmered like starlight, threads of silver blending in and shifting with the deep blues of the fabric. Although her hood was pulled up, a hint of a silver circlet peeked. “This negotiation must be quick.”

The second figure nodded. “Of course, Lisette. We’ve come prepared with what I’m sure will be an adequate proposal.” She shifted her weight to one side and withdrew a pouch from her cloak. Setting the pouch onto the table, Queen Maeve of Nymeni lowered her hood. A golden circlet sat upon her head, in stark contrast to the pitch-colored locks that were meticulously pinned back from her face.

“A pouch of gold? Maeve, you insult me,” Queen Lisette laughed, reaching to open the small leather pouch. “The child is worth more than – Oh.” As it opened, she saw that it was not gold coin, but herbs that the pouch held. “You don’t mean to Tether them, surely?” Her emerald eyes were wide.

Queen Maeve smiled, her charcoal eyes alight. “A Tethering is much stronger than a simple promise of betrothal. If the child will be as you say, what better way to solidify the alliance between our two kingdoms? An end to the Rift between our kingdoms, if you choose.” The autumn breeze rustled through the Circle, the energy surrounding the two royals almost palpable. “Your child would be High Priestess of all Castora, not just your Averell, however… quaint it may be.”

A look of calculation and amusement flashed across Lisette’s face for a moment and then it was gone. “And your Priestess would just… step aside for an outsider?”

“She would. She understands the… importance of an alliance. And a Tethered child would be protected.”

Setting the pouch back onto the center of the table, Queen Lisette leaned in. “I’d be sending this child to her death in more ways than one if I trusted solely your word. Tethering is dangerous, and a life of assassination attempts does not bode well for an alliance. That’s quite the opposite of peace, cousin.” The breeze shifted and the sky rumbled. A crack of lightning flashed through the dark sky. “Who would Tether to this child?”

“Our Priestess has a new child, a son of spring and strong. He would Tether with the child of your Priestess.” Maeve’s smile turned slightly. “Sarah understands the need for an alliance, and what better than an opposite to a child born on a storming witch-night?”

Lisette nodded, her thoughts racing. “She would doom her own child?”

“For a united Castora, she would do more than that. Neither you nor I have children of our own,” Maeve continued. “Let this Tethering be not just an alliance between our kingdoms, but unification. Name this child as your heir, and I shall do the same with the child born of spring. Their Tethering would bind them to each other, and upon their coming of age, they’d rule for the both of us.” She paused, looking at her counterpart, charcoal meeting moss in silent negotiation as another crack of lightning beamed across the sky. The heavens groaned and thick clouds began to obscure the stars above the Circle. “This storm-born child will have fight enough to withstand the Tethering, if this is any indication.”

“So, you propose to Tether two babes, and allow them to rule once they’ve come of age?” Lisette looked at Maeve, puzzled. “You, lover of power? You, the one that caused the Rift, are now proposing an end to it?”

“I am.”

“Then I suppose we are agreed. Send for your Priestess and her babe, and I will do the same for mine. We’ll need them both to perform a Tethering, regardless of the babes' parentage.”

Moments later, two thin ripples appeared at opposite edges of the Circle atop Stone Hill. The Priestess of Averell, Marisol, stepped through one ripple, with her newborn baby cradled close to her chest. The Priestess of Nymeni, Sarah, stepped through the other, a sleeping baby in her arms as well.

“Ah, Priestesses! Welcome!” The Averellan Queen’s voice cut through the air, pride and worry mixed. “Let us see this new joy of yours, Marisol.” Her hood was down now, her straw-blond hair loose and wild underneath the silver circlet that named her position.

Marisol nodded, stepping further into the Circle. “A girl, Your Majesty.” Marisol winced as a pain shot through her belly, the pains of a newly emptied womb. “As strong as we could hope for.”

“And her name?”

“Eaving.”

The Queen smiled, lifting the newborn from Marisol’s arms and motioned for her to take a seat at the table. “See, Maeve? Our Priestess has been blessed with another healthy babe, on this witch-night. She’ll need a good Nymenish name to help weather her storms, though." She thought for a moment, glancing at her counterpart. "Nerissa will do just fine.”

“How fitting,” Queen Maeve replied, a hint of a sneer in her voice. “Well, let’s proceed now that everyone is here. Come on then. Let us make good this alliance.”

“Your Majesties? Why were the babies summoned as well? If a betrothal is to be made, it is customary that the mother is present. But the children?” Marisol looked at each queen before her eyes met the Nymeni Priestess’ steely gaze and realization dawned on her. Marisol shook her head as panic hit her. “No. No, no, no. You can’t be serious? Fellow Priestess, surely you disagree?”

The Nymeni Priestess, Sarah Blake, shook her head, her steely gaze faltering for a moment as tears pricked the corners of her eyes. “It’s the strongest choice to unite Castora. Betrothals can be undone. Tethering is a permanent choice, the binding of fates. It's the best option for our kingdoms.” Her voice was strained, but firm.

“This is a death sentence for the babies. Is there no other way?” Marisol pleaded as she watched Queen Lisette place her new babe on the rough quartz tabletop of the Circle. Sarah handed her bundle over to Queen Maeve to do the same.

“This is the way it must be,” Sarah whispered, her voice barely audible above the rustling trees. “I am ready.” She stepped close to the table, nearest to her son. She watched Maeve carefully as the queen unwrapped the baby from his blankets and Lisette did the same for Marisol’s babe.

Marisol inhaled sharply. She stood, willing back tears from her emerald eyes. Her baby lay on top of her blankets, and Marisol brushed her hand along the baby’s feet. With an unsteady voice, she quietly replied. “I am ready.”

Lisette clapped her hands together once and stood at the heads of the babies while Maeve stood at their feet. With Marisol on the west side of the table and Sarah on the east side, the queen of Averell produced two thin white candles from her cloak pouch and set them on the table in front of her. Marisol lit one and Sarah the other, and the four women spoke in unison.

“Gracious Yalthyr , Hear our plea,

Tether these souls, we ask of thee.

On this night of magic’s warm embrace,

Two souls entwined, their destinies we trace.

Moon and Stars, weave Fate’s threads,

Bind these hearts for their journey ahead,

Seal them in unity, promised with a ring,

For peace to this land their union will bring.

Mend what we have ripped apart,

Tether Eaving and Lukas in a union of hearts.”

Marisol and Sarah mirrored their movements carefully. Their hands hovering over each baby’s chest, twisting and pulling until a heart thread from each was loosened. They gently pulled until the threads were not attached to their own babies, but instead swirled and glistened in the moonlight. Both Priestesses made eye contact, nodded, and walked around the table to each other’s baby.

Sarah took the thread from her baby, a golden shimmery strand, and tied it around the tiny wrist of Marisol’s baby. She whispered as she tied, “You are Tethered to my son, Lukas Alaric, heir to the Nymeni throne. May you bring peace to our peoples.”

Marisol copied Sarah’s movements, tying her daughter’s silvery thread around Lukas’ wrist and whispering to him. “You are Tethered to my daughter, Eaving Nerissa, heir to the Averell throne. May you bring peace to our peoples.”

Lightning cracked in the sky, and the heavens rumbled ferociously as the clouds began to part. The moonlight shone into the clearing, centering on the Circle. As the threads absorbed into the babies’ wrists, they left behind a small scar. A thin band around each wrist, with a small heart shape where their heart-threads had been tied. Queen Maeve took her pouch of herbs and sprinkled a pinch over each baby. “Many blessings, future king and priestess. May you bring peace for a thousand years.”

Queen Lisette took the pouch from Maeve and sprinkled a pinch over each baby as well. “May you be blessed with light and laughter all your days.”

The babies stirred, and the queens scooted them closer together, until both babies lay in the center of the table. Eaving stirred fitfully, and Lukas shifted. Lightning cracked as their hands touched, and their fresh scars met, the heart shapes matching up perfectly. The sound of two heartbeats echoed through the clearing, beating chaotically until they slowed to match. The babies’ hearts were in sync, beating together effortlessly.

The Tethering had worked. For now.