Jaime's freckled nose and cheeks flush rosy pink. "Oh Seren! Yes, yes!"

He takes the ring. It's one of a pair and I slip the other ring onto my bony finger.

The crowd erupts with cheers. I wrap my arms around Jaime and smile. Or I feel smiley, but I can't actually smile, because I don't have any lips. "Kiss me, my love!" I murmur.

He presses his soft lips against my teeth. I can actually feel something now! I feel excited. It's a new burst of energy, like I felt when I first busted out of the ground as a skeleton.

Most of the crowd are cheering. I take a bow. "Thank you! Thank you! You're all wonderful!"

But I can hear a muttering from somewhere in the crowd. Someone muttering: "Oh ye gods! He's a good looking guy, but she's a bag of bones!"

I determinedly ignore the voice and don't look for who is muttering. I'm not going to let it spoil the prevailing good cheer.

The Mayor claps Jaime on the back. "Congratulations, you lucky fellow! Now everyone, let's wish the young couple all the best and give them three cheers."

The townsfolk cheer. Jaime is really blushing. The poor sweet thing is naturally shy. I put my arm around his shoulder. "You're doing fine, darling," I murmur.

00O00

The event is over and the crowd are beginning to disperse. The Mayor has something to tell me.

"Seren, you really must get a medical check up after your fight with Lord Mortis, just to make sure the fiend did not hurt you in some way."

"He blasted me to pieces and then knocked off my skull!" I replied.

Jaime groaned. "Oh gods. I really hate the thought of you being brutalised."

I clasp his soft hand in both my bony ones. "I put myself back together right away. I dunno what could really hurt me anymore."

"Nonetheless, a medical exam is in order," says the Mayor. "Most of our physicians are not qualified for cases where there is necromantic magic involved, but Dr Grimm knows the subject. I have arranged for him to check you over right away."

"Dr Grimm the mortician?" said Jaime. "The one who does autopsies?"

"The same," said the Mayor.

As Jaime and I walk through the town square holding hands, I catch sight of the blond woman. She's berating a guy who I recognise as a farmhand. "Answer me! Hey! Answer me!" she snaps at the farmhand and then she slaps him across the face.

I step forward. "Hey, hey, don't hit him."

She glares at me. "Little Miss Heroine of the Hour going to lecture me?"

"You shouldn't go around striking people for no reason," I tell her. "Sorry, what is your name? You didn't introduce yourself to me either of those times we met."

"Yeah, when your skull came flying across the square at me I didn't give you my name," she huffed. "I'm Mona." She points to the farmhand. "And he and I are in a relationship now, so you butt out. He prefers women with some meat on their bones."

"Are you OK?" I ask the farmhand. He nods. I'm not really sure what else to do, so Jaime and I hold hands again and make our way to Dr Grimm, the mortician.

"Well... Mona has the look of a shrew about her," says Jaime.

I nod. Nodding and shaking my skull is easier than trying to change my facial expression. Having no skin, flesh or lips makes my face hard to read. "Oh gods, yes. I'm sorry for that poor guy."

00O00

We enter Dr Grimm's gloomy parlour. Dr Grimm's ancient and stooped, nearly bald with just a few wisps of white hair. He peers at me through thick, pebbly glasses.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Sit on the slab, my dear," he says in his wheezy voice.

I sit on the slab. Jaime's still holding my hand. "There's nothing to worry about," says Dr Grimm. "My boy, you can leave everything to me, I'm the mortician. Please give us some room."

"Yes, Sir," says Jaime, taking a step backwards.

No fair. I think Jaime ought to be allowed to hold my hand through this. We are getting married!

Dr Grimm grips my skeletal hand with surprising firmness and shakes it. He's not shaking hands. What's he doing?

"Hey, hey!" I protest. My hand breaks off and slips out of his grasp and then scuttles along the floor and leaps onto a shelf. Then it makes a rude hand gesture at Dr Grimm.

"Oh gods, I'm sorry about that doctor," I say. "I'm trying to will it back. Um... just do what I want please, hand?"

My hand jumps onto the stone slab, then jumps onto Jaime's shoulder and with the tip of one skeletal finger, it taps him gently on the tip of his freckled nose.

"Boop!" I chuckle and my jaw rattles. I concentrate and my hand flies back to me and reattaches itself to my wrist. "I hope the hand with my wedding ring doesn't decide to run off."

Dr Grimm is making notes on a clipboard. Now he touches my forehead. "Cold bone..." he mutters.

"Cold bones, warm heart!" I reply.

Now he reaches his fingers in through my ribcage. I don't feel a thing, but I don't like him doing that!

"Hey, hey! Please cut that out."

"I am the physician here. It is essential that I do my job. I am the only man in this town who can tell if there is a flaw in the necromantic spell that keeps you undead."

"Oh gods, what if there is?" Asks Jaime. He looks anxious. I want to hug him to reassure him, but no... Dr Grimm must keep poking about inside me with no interruptions.

"If the magic fails, you will die young lady," says Dr Grimm. "By natural laws you would most certainly be dead."

"I appreciate that," I say. "By the way, is the casing of bone around my chest normal? And the casing of bone around my spine."

"It's not normal," says Dr Grimm. "It's a magical effect. It strengthens your skeleton and gives your spine support."

"And my eyes. I still have my eyes."

"Your soul is tethered to your bones. The eyes are windows into the soul."

"Ah. I guess that makes sense."

"You have such pretty eyes," says Jaime.

I swivel my skull around 180 degrees to look at him. "I just wanna gaze into your eyes."

"There's a time and a place, for flirting. It's not here, not now," says Dr Grimm. "Now hold still."

He taps my ribs with a little hammer, but I feel nothing. "Good and strong," he mutters.

Eventually he's finished with his weird examination. "The necromantic spell may last forever."

"So, a clean bill of health? Even though I've got no heart or liver or anything? I'm so relieved."

00O00

Jaime and I don't actually get to live together until after we're married. Those are the rules here in Willowmere. So tomorrow it's another date night. I'm trying to cook a chicken soup, but it's not going according to plan. First, I can't tell if the pot is boiling. I stick my skeletal fingers into the pot, but can't feel anything. Oh, clouds of steam are rising. It must be hot enough. But have I put the right amount of salt and herbs in? I try to taste, but I haven't got a tongue anymore. This is difficult.

Jaime arrives and my tiny kitchen is a mess, all covered with soot.

"Hey!" I fling my arms around him so my hair gets in his eyes. I gaze at him, into his warm brown eyes... He presses his lips against my teeth and his touch warms my very bones.

I serve him the broth. Just one bowl, since I can't eat. He puts a spoon in his mouth and his face gives an involuntary twitch.

"You don't have to pretend to like it," I say quickly. "I didn't really know what I was doing. My job is being a sword for hire, not being a cook. Let me take you to the tavern instead."

I well remember how awkward the feast was, so I buy him some bread and bacon which he can eat at his leisure while we sit together on a bench by the pond. I put my arm around his shoulders and we watch the ducks. "You're the one who's a great cook," I tell him. "Too bad I'll never taste food again."

After Jaime has eaten we dance on the lawn. It's exhilarating. "Try spinning me around my love," I urge. "Hold me tight and spin me around fast. I won't break."

Jaime puts his arms around me and I feel really excited. I don't have a heart to beat faster, but I feel all pumped up. He spins us around and I whoop... then my skull flies off again. It happens whenever I'm really excited. I find myself flying through the air and into the duckpond with a splash. Crud. Water and pond weed cloud my vision. I rise into the air, but there is weed in my hair getting in the way of my eyes. I can't see where I'm floating...

I land on a table and there are screams. I've floated through a window and landed in someone's soup. Three horrified faces look down at me. I'm in a bowl of soup on a wooden table.

"Sorry, so sorry. Please don't panic, everything's OK." I try to reassure them as much as a floating skull can reassure people. I rise into the air drippling soup and pond water and float out of the window and high into the air. Now I can see Jaime holding my skeletal body. I float down and reattach myself.

"Whew! Sorry about that."

"It was more alarming the first time you did it," says Jaime. "Now I see it as an adorable quirk. Hold on." He reaches and takes the pond weed out of my hair. Jaime's so understanding. I'm so lucky to have him. I can't wait to get married.

00O00

But the next day I arrive at the shrine for the wedding rehearsal and there's a bit of a commotion. The priest is arguing with Jaime.

"Hey, hey, what's the problem?" I call out, quickening my pace to a scuttle. I take Jaime's soft hand in my bony one. "Now then..."

"This wedding cannot take place," says the priest. "The vows say ''til death do us part.' Death has already parted you! A dead woman cannot get married!"