Shortly after, Prince Hadrian and Princess Phillipa entered, walking hand in hand. At that, we rose, and it was difficult to see the procession until they were very close to the front.

Poor Prince Hadrian had a layer of sweat across his forehead already, exhausted from the trip across the temple. His pallor was only heightened by the sight of Princess Phillipa, all rosy cheeks and fair skin.

“This is another concern,” Etan whispered to me. “Her father is dead, so her older brother is king, yet he didn’t feel obligated to come and give her away himself. He didn’t even send a noble to act in his stead. What does that mean?”

“It could mean that this event doesn’t matter to them. But I can’t imagine why. They’re marrying into the largest country on the continent, and that offers unparalleled security. None of this wedding makes sense. The pace, the events around it . . . none of it.”

He inhaled deeply, as if he were calculating, trying to make sense of the information in front of him. His expression didn’t give anything away if he’d figured something out.

“Please sit,” the priest said, his expression serene. “Today we unite not only two souls, but two kingdoms. In the scope of eternity, it is hard to say which of these is more precious. It gives us all a moment to reflect upon our own lives, upon our own small kingdoms, the ones we build around ourselves.”

My hands had been up by my chest since we’d taken our seats, fiddling anxiously with my rings. But these words broke through my worry, and I moved them down, holding on to the edge of the pew.

“It is a wise and valuable thing to build up your kingdom, to make walls and leave a legacy that will follow beyond you. It is worthy to make, to grow, to establish. It is the reason so many reach for greatness, the reason so many aspire for glory. We all want our very small kingdom to have a name; we want it to be remembered.”

He looked around the room, finally resting his eyes on Hadrian. I don’t know what he saw in his face, but he frowned and spoke much faster when he started again.

“But possibly more important than that are the other little kingdoms around yours, the ones you have an opportunity to join with. There is also value in this, in partnering, in coupling. Because what is the point of a kingdom, big or small, if it is enjoyed alone? What value is a castle that only one man walks through?”

Etan’s hands came off his lap, also wrapping around the edge of the pew, his right hand resting up against my left, so that I felt the warmth of it—maybe even, I thought, his steady pulse. Was this touch intentional?

“And so, let us pray and bless the union of Prince Hadrian and Princess Phillipa, of two souls and two kingdoms.”