A Serious Case of Nerves
"You look lovely," Dove assured her, smoothing the invisible creases out of the snow-white dress. It was nerves. They all had an extreme case of nerves. Did the dress fit perfectly? Oh, but what if Aly tripped on the long hem of her dress? What if a thread came loose? What if, what if, what if. They couldn't stay away from people's minds on a day like this. It was infuriating.
Aly was clothed in a long white dress that swept the ground majestically as she walked. It was simple, with long sleeves and a low-but-not-too-low neckline. But on the top part of the dress, the part that covered her body, she had had the needle-women stitch the outline of a crow. It was faint, and only visible if you were right next to Aly. But it was there, in white thread, and Aly didn't overlook it. Her veil was just as simple, covering only her eyes and the back of her hair, -- which had grown quite long since the time when it had been shaved off – as she didn't want to be 'oppressed by the wretched thing.' On her feet she wore dainty white slippers that made no sound as she moved, and, because she had insisted 'just in case', she had a few flat daggers tucked underneath her dress in easy-to-reach places, but as invisible as the crow stitched onto the gown.
Dove smiled encouragingly at her friend. The newly-crowned Queen wore a dress no more elaborate than the almost-bride's, as was the custom. It was orange, Dove's favorite color, and the one that suited her best. She wore a simpler version of her elaborate crown to honor the occasion, and she was to be Aly's Female Companion, as the Copper Isles Wedding Ceremony demanded one. Sarai had sailed back from Carthak for the occasion, and she was sitting in the front row with her baby Mequen on her lap. The Ceremony would take place in the grand Ballroom, and currently Aly and Dove stood right outside the door. Nawat was waiting, as was the entire room and the Priest who was to join them together forever.
Taking a deep breath to try to calm her nerves – which was impossible – Aly signaled to the manservant to open the grand doors. She lifted her head high, Dove clinging to her elbow like a little child, and entered the room, walking slowly and regally. It seemed eternity that she walked up that aisle, with everyone's eyes on her. But she kept her eyes on the end of the long room, on her future husband.
In the crowd of Nobles that watched her, seated, could be found Sarai and Mequen, Winnamine and Nuritin, Taybur Sibigat, her mother and father Alanna and George Cooper, her brothers Alan and Thom Cooper, and all of her spy pack. Every one of them watched her proudly and eagerly, on the edge of their seats. Alanna and George had tears in the corners of their eyes, Winnamine and Sarai looked at her tenderly, Nuritin smiled, – which was rare in itself and a great compliment – Thom and George gazed at her as if in a trance; their sister, their twin and their little sister, was getting married! It just didn't fit. Her mother and father were melancholy, imagining scenes in which Aly was a little girl, cracking codes, pestering, or playing with her brothers. She had come such a long way since then.
The room was beautiful in and of itself, without any kind of preparations. There were stained glass windows along the two walls that faced outside, all depicting the Copper Isles past or things like flowers and crowns. The room was longer than it was wide, and it could seat over a hundred people, which it did right now. The walls were painted a creamy orange, and on the ceiling were more angelic scenes. Along the wall in front of which stood Nawat were portraits of all the Raka Queens, with the new addition of Dove's, and they were painted by the best artist that could be found. But Aly's friends and family had taken even more pains with the room. They had hung flowers from the magnificent chandelier in the center of the ceiling, draped white cloth everywhere, and strewn the floor with pink and white flower-petals. Not exactly Aly's preferred colors, but they matched the event very well.
And at the end of the room were small stairs that ended in a raised platform and a small table behind which stood the Priest. No, it was not a Priest, Aly realized; it was a Priestess! And by her clothes, Aly remarked, amused, she was the first Priestess of Kyprioth the Isles had known. Very fitting.
Nawat stood to one side in front of the table so as not to block the Priestess. He wore a dashing black outfit and in his hair he had put a few crow feathers to mark what he had once been, but was leaving behind for Aly. He smiled the biggest smile she had ever seen, and he radiated joy like a little boy. He had been waiting for this day for the longest time. Ever since he had first decided to become a man through love of Aly. When she saw him, Aly couldn't help smiling back, and then she was melting. She couldn't keep walking so slowly, but had to run up to him as fast as she could, embrace him. Dove seemed to sense this and tightened her grip on Aly's arm. Aly slowed down as the effect and looked at Dove gratefully.
When she was almost at the podium, Aly was surprised to find there was someone walking lightly just behind her. She didn't turn, as she recognized who it was the second after she felt his presence; it was Kyprioth. No one else seemed to see him besides herself. Slowly he walked up until he was right next to her, on her right side, where Dove was not. He was wearing a suit and a tie, which made Aly want to laugh, and had a grin to match Nawat's. He looked very amused. The jewelry he wore seemed more elaborate than usual, and he had his unruly hair in a pony tail. His salt-and-pepper beard had been trimmed, and he made sure it was more pepper than salt today. The God radiated light, almost like Nawat radiated joy.
Leaning in to speak in her ear, Kyprioth whispered, "I'm proud of you. Thought I might drop in to see you and your crow married. He's going to have a hard time if he thinks he can tame you." Kyprioth winked and then was gone. Aly turned her head the slightest bit to discover that he was seated next to her father and was talking animatedly with George, who, apart from Aly, seemed to be the only one who could see him.
Finally she had reached the raised podium. Dove let go of Aly to go stand on her right side as the bride marched up the steps to stand with Nawat. They smiled at each other then turned their backs on the crowd in unison to face the Priestess. Her voice rang out clear and true as she announced, "Alianne Cooper and Nawat Crow wish to be married on this day, the first of summer. Do you, Alianne Cooper, consent to take Nawat Crow as your husband from now unto death and beyond?"
"I do," Aly replied confidently, her voice echoing faintly in the large room. The Priestess nodded then turned to Nawat.
"Do you, Nawat Crow, consent to take Alianne Cooper as your wife from now unto death and beyond?" she inquired precisely.
"I do," Nawat told her solemnly yet as honestly as anyone ever had. He took Aly's hand wordlessly as the Priestess nodded to them and then spread her arms wide in an invitation to the future and its consequences and surveyed the rest of her audience.
"So mote it be!" she cried out, her voice ringing and reverberating in the room, and then vibrating in every onlooker's very bones. She lowered her arms to face Nawat and Aly, her eyes reflecting their immense joy, her posture containing her excitement as any trained professional's should.
"So mote it be," the married couple chorused back to her in unison once again, and clasped each other's hands tighter. The whole hall was filled with the clapping and yelling of the people in the audience as the newlyweds descended from the podium, hand in hand, to be embraced tightly and wetly by first Alanna, then George, then Thom, then Alan, then Sarai, and so on. From the doorway, Aly saw Kyprioth wink at her triumphantly and then disappear to wherever he spent his free time. There came a voice in her ear, Kyprioth's, as he whispered one last time before leaving entirely, "I'm proud of you." Aly smiled wider.
So there it was. The end. Or rather, the very beginning.