A/N: It's time for an AU fantasy adventure! :)

They turned Bo round and round, adjusting her garments and hair. She must be perfect for the celebration. Preparations have been brewing for weeks on end. All must be flawless to set the tone for the New Beginning.

The old way was used to mark Bo and the ranger that will accompany her. The land spoke to a 'wise woman' who chose and raised Bo. Now trained, Bo was meant to succeed in the task of bringing the riches of the sea to their land, as agreed to by the Council.

An old woman wearing deep purple looked upon Bo. "Today you will meet your ranger."

Bo was in a daze. After a few moments, she finally responded with a whispered "Yes." Then her attention absently fell back to the bustling noises of voices and movements around her.

"Yes is all you say?" Her confidant asked with narrowed eyes.

"Yes." She repeated in a dull voice. Bo had contemplated meeting her ranger almost as much as the actual deed of her future marriage, for this is the person she will spend all of her days with before the Binding. Until their journey ends with the Council's long awaited send-off across the sea, her last days on this continent will be with this ranger. Yet at the moment all Bo could do was stand in quiet bewilderment.

The old woman placed the back of her hand on Bo's forehead to check for illness.

Bo shooed her hand away. "I'm not sick….Usne, it's like I feel frozen in a daze."

Bo's mentor stared at her student and took in the tension that radiated from her. She then walked to the cabinet and removed a small brown bottle. "This will cure ya."

Bo opened her mouth to accept the drops and felt her muscles relax immediately. "Thank you."

"It's the least I could do, dear. Now come on. The time nears."

Hand in hand, they walked towards the hall. All eyes passed over them. The moment they reached the door, Bo could feel the weight of her future.

Tamsin had been scrubbed, scraped, and steamed in preparation. The passage back was a long one, but nothing compared to what she had already gone through. She hadn't seen her home since the day she was chosen. Rangers must be always moving to keep their senses strong: the words of her teacher. All she ever knew were her words, the ways of the forest, and the fight. Nothing else has filled her days, except the anticipation of having one more journey of servitude to the Binding.

"Tamsin, you look like a different person. Give me your hand." Acacia looked and saw Tamsin's nails cleaned and her scars rubbed soft with salve. "Strange isn't it?"

"Yes it is." She opened and closed her hands. They looked as if they belonged to someone else. The person she could have been if she had stayed. She might have found a partner and a house; had a normal life.

"This is the final stretch, Tamsin. Though I have a feeling you may realize how well it suits you to range. It's in your nature. The wise woman chose well, did she not?"

The question, directed to the group of women who labored over Tamsin's transformation from woodland creature to ceremonial symbol of hope, was answered with nods as short as mild politeness would allow.

"Humph. I forgot how dull civilized folk could be." Acacia winked at Tamsin, and then looked at the women. "Be nice or I'll make you clean me up!" For dramatics she patted her jacket creating a dust cloud as she walked out of the room.

When it was time for Tamsin to leave, she was finally struck by the thought of seeing her family for only one night after 12 years and then not again for many weeks afterward. As apprehension rose in her chest, she swiftly covered it with a curtain of hardened resolve and felt a familiar blank, alert calm take over.

The Hall felt ancient and powerful to Bo. She went over her speech again in mumbles as Usne led her to a chair next to a woman who seemed blank to Bo, almost unreadable. As she sat, Bo watched this beautiful blonde woman's hand squeeze the arm of her chair. The realization that this was her ranger brought a spasm of fear and excitement. Bo showed a smile as she greeted this stranger. In return, the woman smiled with formal distance. This was not a happy event for Tamsin, which struck a deep chord of recognition that this was not completely happy for her either. They have both given all to honor the council's contract and will continue to be obliged to it until the Binding is complete.

Bo placed her hand next to the ranger's. "Thank you Tamsin."

The tension Bo had seen in Tamsin's body entered the ranger's face. "It's smaller than your burden."

"You lost your family in childhood and I'll lose mine in adulthood. Both of our gifts to the Binding have no comparison," Bo replied solemnly.

Tamsin did not respond, but a silent fierceness vibrated the air around her.

Before Bo could say more, a loud ring announced their sacred agreement to purpose. It brought a hush in the audience. Bo stood up to speak to the crowd of hundreds. Her voice stronger than she expected, she spoke the words she had carried with her for many years. A well-known poem recited in her city for as long as she can remember.

To bind the land by marriage

The hills that meet the water

Blood be washed clean when next we meet

One to wed and one to carry the gift

Never will our feud be for naught

when the hills and sea are finally joined

It is me who has an honor none can match

It can be no one else.

For it was gleamed from our very soil.

It will be me

Who will be my love?

He is of the sea.

His land far

His name a word that will make prosperity for all.

Bo paused and looked at the figure beside her.

Who will bring me forth?

Bo reached a hand towards Tamsin and she reluctantly rose to a thunderous applause.