Dom was standing among the party goers, nursing his drink.
Raoul's wedding had been beautiful, for all that it took place at a military fort in war time. The ceremony was held in the center square of the fort, in front of the flag poles. Neither commander liked fussy gatherings in the first place, so there was no need for huge altars, hundreds of flower arrangements, expensive apparal, or imported foods.
Raoul had dressed in a green Goldenlake tunic and tan breeches with his sword on his hip. Buri had dressed in a traditional K'miri shirt of cream that flowed almost to her knees and over a pair of brown breeches. One of the Riders had gathered her a small bouquet of wild flowers that grew just outside the fort.
Keeping in the tradition of breaking tradition, Raoul had Alanna stand as witness to his vows. Whereas Buri had Kel stand as her witness. Both lady knights were dressed sharply in shirt, tunic, and breeches in the colors of their home fiefs with their swords on their hips as well. They made a valiant effort to refrain from breaking into uncontrollable laughter as Alanna escorted the taller Kel to their positions for the ceremony.
Dom chuckled into his glass at the memory.
The ceremony was brisk, but meaningful. Since no priests could be found so close to the front line, Lord Wyldon had to act as the officiant. He led them all in the traditional prayers and Raoul and Buri exchanged personal vows to love, honor, and respect each other for the rest of their lives. There was no weeping from bride or groom, or even anyone in attendance.
Simple, brisk, but meaningful. If he ever decided to get married, that's what he'd want his ceremony to be like. Dom rolled his eyes. Of course, good luck convincing a woman to have such a simple, inelegant wedding. He wasn't itching to be married, despite his mother insisting he'd be happier. He still hadn't met that one woman who he would want to be with forever, and it seemed less and less likely that he ever would. He had noticed the last time he was in Corus that the ladies he used to dally and charm were shallow hearted creatures with only hot air between their ears. He wasn't sure what had changed, but something had.
He looked around the large space that was generally used as a mess hall. The tables had been moved to the sides so people could have room to dance. Some Riders had brought instruments and were able to form a small band. Raoul was leading Buri in a fun looking folk dance filled with turns and clapping. He also spotted his cousin dancing with his own betrothed. He caught Neal's eye as he led Yuki past and raised his glass to his cousin with a smile. Neal laughed and returned his attention to his beloved.
Dom was taking another drink when he felt a warm presence press against his side. He turned to look and was pleasantly surprised to see Kel standing next to him, sipping her own glass of wine. He gave her an easy smile that she returned.
"You looked lonely over here, so I came to talk," she said.
"I was just taking a break from dancing and reflecting," he told her.
"What were you reflecting on?" she asked, taking another sip of wine.
"Since when do you drink alcohol?" he asked, effectively evading her question. He didn't want to admit to Kel that he had been contemplating marriage.
"Since it's my lord's wedding reception and I was told that I needed to relax and enjoy myself," she replied.
"And who said that?"
"Meathead."
Dom chuckled. "And are you enjoying yourself?" he asked.
Kel paused before replying, "Yes."
Dom was curious now. What was it that she wasn't telling him? He decided to pretend not to have noticed and set his drink down. "Would you care to dance?" he asked, offering his hand.
Kel placed her wine glass down and there was no hesitation when she replied, "Sure." She placed her hand in his and he pulled her out towards the other dancing couples.