A bonded pair is a set (couple or triad) of Guardsmen, who have consummated the magical/psychic bonding process. Very little is understood scientifically about what actually happens when Guardsmen bond, only that post-bonding they show changes in chemical (hormonal) markers and have a psychic connection. While bonding is often initiated during sexual encounters, that is not always the case, given that some bonded pairs consist of close friends or siblings. Rarely, bonds are forged during crisis, often between unbonded Guardsmen who were previously not inclined to bond. There is debate about whether these "krisebindungs" (from the German, for "crisis bonding") are "true" bonds, and whether they can be broken (as some have claimed, although there is not scientific evidence of this, only apocryphal). Krisebindung happens so rarely, it is impossible to study to any meaningful degree.

Types of Bonded Pairs

Bond types

Handler/Protector
Protector/Handler/Protector (rare)

Relationship types

The following are relationships that have been identified in bonded pairs:
Romantic/sexual
Romantic/nonsexual
Non-romantic/sexual
Asexual
Platonic
Siblings
Cousins

Bonding can happen across all types of genders, sexes, and sexualities. Bonds have never been recorded to happen between parents and their children, even if the children were adopted, which seems to reflect the supposition that bonding is a psychological/emotional process and not a genetically-determined one. Bonds also do not occur between Handlers or between Protectors, nor has there been a documented case of a Protector bonding with two Handlers.

Age of Bonding

Bonding is far more critical for Protectors, who will eventually succumb to bond sickness and die if unbonded for too long past their age of maturity. This generally means that Protectors must bond by the age of 25 or face death. Due to this, many Guardsmen communities have developed diplomatic terms that exist outside of their tribe/state/nation's own government/political alliances for the sake of helping unbonded Protectors find a Handler to bond with in the extreme case that they remain unbonded in their homeland. (It is proposed that this is what resulted in the early forms of the International Guardsman Institute, a pseudo-governmental agency responsible for Guardsmen, which also exists outside of individual governments and works for the sole benefit of Guardsmen, regardless of their origin. For more on this, go to: International Guardsman Institute.)

Handlers do not face death if they do not bond by 25, but it does create a certain stigma within Guardsman culture, and it has been suggested that it also leads to multiple health issues (cardiac, respiratory) throughout life. However, it also leaves open the option for Handlers to bond later in life, and there are a number of cases recorded where Handlers between the ages of 30 and 50 bonded with younger Protectors. Alternatively, depending on the culture, this can be seen as problematic, especially when the age difference is 20 years or greater. The largest age spread on record happened in England in the 1950s, when a 57 year old unbonded Handler matched with a 17 year old Protector. While they were happily bonded up until their deaths, it caused quite a controversy both withing the Guardsmen community and also among with public, who saw such a match as borderline pedophilia.

Bonding Ceremony / Marriage

The bond between a Handler and a Protector (or Protectors) is almost universally recognized as a state of union or marriage across all societies in the world, although usually regarded differently than "normal" human marriage. There are a number of different ceremonies used to mark this union, which are discussed in the Bonding Ceremony page.

Unwanted/Rejected Bonds

Being bonded does not mean that the individuals involved are destined for happiness. There are cases of domestic abuse between bonded pairs, as well as adultery/cheating and issues stemming from substance addiction. Occasionally, a Protector and Handler who genuinely dislike each other will end up bonded, and must learn to live and work within close proximity while still maintaining separate lives. It is possible to do, but the primary hurdle is that a bonded pair must be in actual physical contact regularly, preferably for at least once a day for an hour or more. For couples who sleep together, this quota is easily met. For those who would rather live apart, this is usually resolved by sharing a meal during which time they maintain physical contact (holding hands or letting bare feet rest together are the most popular methods).

Bond Sickness will happen with both happy and unhappy pairs if regular contact is suspended for any length of time. Most healthy pairs can handle several days apart without severe affliction, and can even be functional for up to two weeks. However, at some point, the separation will instigate a cascading series of problems, including depression, fever, exhaustion, and joint pain up to delirium and heart failure. In fact it is assumed that the heart failure Protectors experience upon the deaths of their Handlers is a severe form of Bond Sickness that strikes so hard and so fast that the Protector dies instantly. There has been discussion among Institute researchers to try and have a heart trauma team on standby for a Protector when the known death of a Handler is immanent (e.g. cancer or other fatal illness) in hopes of reviving them in time to survive, but not a single Protector has agreed to participate, as most would rather die than outlive their Handler.

Historically, there are a few documented cases of a bond being so onerous to one or the other of the Guardsmen that they will reject the bond outright, resulting in the death of the Protector if not also the Handler. The most famous case of this was in Italy in 1854, when a young Protector, the daughter of a rich and powerful family, found herself bonded not to the Handler her family approved of and whom she loved, but a Handler from a disreputable family who was a known rake and gambler who had raped her. She took to her room and refused to see her bond mate, and after suffering horribly for nearly a month succumbed to bond sickness and died in agony. The Handler she had bonded to, ruined beyond all redemption, was challenged to a dual by the Protector's fiance, and both men died from their wounds. The famous opera by Georges Bizet, Fortuna, is based on this story.

Forced Bonding and Krisebindung

Forced bonding and Krisebindung are not the same, although the effects are similar. In both cases, a mature, adult Handler and Protector who previously have shown no inclination to bond despite repeated and/or long-term exposure will create a permanent, fully-functional bond due to peculiar circumstances.

Krisebindung is a scientific term used exclusively for when a pair bonds during a physical/emotional crisis. Most commonly they have been recorded as happening in reaction to either natural cataclysms (earthquakes, volcanic eruptions) or war.

Forced bonding is a less exact term, used in situations where a pair bonds in exceptional situations but outside of an immediate crisis. In one memorable case, a very young pair of children who did not know they were Guardsmen were shipwrecked together and stranded on a desert island. They did not bond until they were rescued years later, even after bearing a child together, when well-intentioned British sailors tried to separate them. The emotional toll of being separated for the first time initiated the bonding process. (This story is the basis for the popular movie of the 1980s, Blue Lagoon.) Far worse is when a mentally unbalanced Guardsman kidnaps someone they believe is their bondmate and holds them hostage until a bond takes. Fortunately in over 70% of those situations, the bond is considered a false bond and quickly dissolved when the couple are separated. However the remaining 30% often end tragically, usually when the Protector kills the Handler, thus technically committing suicide.