It served as a symbolic substitute for the sacred Fire of Marzen that burned within the palace. Only royals were permitted to wed before Marzen's eternal flame, but nobles and commoners alike honored the tradition by lighting their own ceremonial fire, replicating the sacred rite as faithfully as they could.
The warmth of the flames flickered across their faces as the ceremony proceeded.
Apart from her own wedding, this was the only other Lamorian ceremony Circe had ever attended. The previous afternoon, a rider had arrived at the cottage bearing an invitation addressed to Ragnar. A relative of one of his old comrades from the army was to be wed, and their presence had been requested. That was how Circe now found herself seated beside her husband, observing quietly as the ceremony unfolded before her.
