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Stories from the Verse
In Verse Proportion
Chapter 45: Kondor 187
Table of Contents
Previous chapter: Brown 209
Leah awoke easily enough, and with a helping hand stood. She was a bit unsteady on her feet, but Kondor would not have called her drunk (although he doubted whether she would pass a breathalyzer test). She readily accepted his arm around her, helping her down the steps off the dais. As they crossed the room toward the door, everyone stood up and bowed their heads.
She had a bit of trouble on the stairs, and it was a slow climb, but they reached their floor soon enough and stumbled down the halls to the guest rooms. Kondor had been sleeping in his old room, but the Slade’s room had been made up for them as a honeymoon suite.
As he reached the door, he said, “Well, there’s another custom from my world, I suspect as Shakespeare apparently said more honored in the breach than in the observance, but I’d like to observe it, and this is my one chance.”
“What’s that?”
“The groom,” he said as he scooped her into his arms, somewhat awkwardly perhaps (the noise that came from her wasn’t exactly a scream but it was certainly more than a squeal), “carries the bride across the threshold. Are you all right?”
“Ye-es--yes, just surprised. That was unexpected,” she said, and paused a moment before continuing, “but not unpleasant.”
“Good,” he said. “Hopefully that’s what tonight will be like.” He pushed through the beaded curtain and carried her to the bed. The covers had been pulled back, and he placed her gently on the sheet, pressed himself on top of her, and for the first time in their lives pressed his lips against hers in what he hoped was a sensuous kiss.
It left her breathless and smiling.
“Hold that thought,” he said, and he crossed back to the doorway, securing the wooden door and shutting out the rest of the world for the night.
There is a behind-the-writings look at the thoughts, influences, and ideas of this chapter, along with twenty other sequential chapters of this novel, in mark Joseph "young" web log entry #440: Changing Worlds. Given a moment, this link should take you directly to the section relevant to this chapter. It may contain spoilers of upcoming chapters.
As to the old stories that have long been here:
