Ren normally dealt with stress well.
He was normally quiet, calm, controlled and disciplined but he'd never felt anxiety like this. Even during long and tiring missions he could always remain focused and calm, ready for orders from Jaune or a signal to make a move. But this was something entirely different, something that four years of training at Beacon and five years of service as a huntsman had left him entirely unprepared for. He looked into the mirror, straightened his bow-tie and spun about on his heels.
"How do I look?" he asked.
"Nora's a lucky girl y'know" Jaune replied soothingly. Jaune looked at Ren's hands to see that they were trembling.
"Pre-wedding nerves huh?" He said jokingly. "Don't worry, I'm sure Pyrrha has everything under control with your dearly beloved." Ren prayed silently that he was right.
"Look, sit down and have a drink. You'll be fine." Jaune said, passing him a glass of water.
"Thank you," he replied, still struggling to calm his nerves. It was supposed to be the happiest day of his life. He was marrying the woman of his dreams, his little sloth, his Nora but he couldn't figure out why his hands wouldn't stop shaking.
"Ren," Jaune began calmly "you're the luckiest man alive, you're marrying the love of your life, the one you've been with since before we started at Beacon.
"Stop worrying!" His leader commanded. "It's not every day that you get to marry your dream woman." He slipped his scroll out of his jacket pocket and typed in the passcode and after a few seconds, Jaune spoke up.
"Look at this" he said. He showed Ren a picture that they had taken on their first double date just before they finished at Beacon. "You can tell that she would have married you on the spot from the look she gave you." He explained, fiddling with his engagement ring. "And," he added "Pyrrha keeps telling me how she and Nora keep discussing kids' names and have been doing since we left Beacon."
"She loves you Ren, you have nothing to worry about" Yang said, poking her head round the door. Both of the huntsmen were on their feet at once, almost as if they had been brought to attention. "Relax boys." She said in an easy tone as she wandered in with the rest of team RWBY waiting behind the door.
"We were just about to take our seats in the hall. Don't keep your lady waiting, Ren" she said as casually as ever, laughing down the corridor. Ren took a long sip of his water and placed it down on the wooden table next to him.
"Jaune, please tell me Nora is ok. She doesn't deal well with waiting like this."
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S BAD LUCK FOR THE BRIDE TO SEE THE GROOM ON THE WEDDING DAY?!" Nora yelled. "I WANT MY REN!"
"Nora, please calm down." Pyrrha said uncovering her ears. "Now let me help you with your dress." Pyrrha said soothingly. Nora slumped on her chair and allowed her friend to close up the zip on her dress.
"I miss him, Pyrrha, it's been all weekend since I last saw him and we haven't booped in a week." She complained grumpily.
"Too much information, Nora."
"Sorry" she sighed. Nora stood back up, walked across the room and collapsed onto the couch in the corner, "this is the longest time we've been apart for in forever. I miss him - his smell, his soft green cashmere robes that he always wears. The scent of tea leaves that follows him everywhere, his smile, his big pink eyes, his…. EVERYTHING." Tears were beginning to form in her eyes as Pyrrha walked over gracefully and sat down next to Nora, gently placing the crying bride's head on her lap.
"You're the luckiest girl in the world today," she began softly. "Ren loves you more than any of us thought was possible." She told her friend, smiling. "I can't wait to see the look on his face when you walk down the aisle. I'm telling you, his eyes are going to light up when he sees you in that dress. The same way they do every time he talks about you."
"But I can't bear being apart from him for so long. I miss him holding me tight, kissing my hair and him smiling every time I say boop." She was close to tears now. Pyrrha sighed and checked her scroll for the time, and she showed Nora the screen. Nora eyed the device quizzically and then realisation struck her.
"3:25! Come on Pyrrha let's go! Ren's waiting!" Pyrrha smiled.
"Let's go get you married." The redhead looked about for her smaller friend only to find the door almost torn off its hinges.
"She is eager" Pyrrha chuckled to herself as Nora slammed the door open and bounced down the corridor towards the hall. Pyrrha, still amazed that her teammate could run so fast in heels, chased after her in the hopes that she could keep up.
Ren was stood by the altar with Jaune behind him as he surveyed the wedding guests. Team RWBY were their usual colours; Yang in a long, flowing bright yellow dress, Blake was next to her in a dark purple dress and a grey shawl, she had her arm around the blonde's waist and each had an engagement ring on their fingers. Weiss was fiddling with the clips in Ruby's hair, making sure that her short hair was staying in the bun that took hours to orchestrate and that she hadn't smudged the make-up that had taken all morning to apply. In truth, Weiss seemed more like Ruby's carer than her lover.
Ren looked down at his watch and began tapping his feet when he heard a thundering noise in the distance.
"Right on time," Jaune whispered to him as Ren's little copper headed bride rounded the corner and stopped dead on the spot at the other end of the Aisle. Pyrrha rounded the corner soon after, out of breath from the pursuit of the bride to be, and winked at her own Fiance and giggled as he blushed.
"Are you ready?" Pyrrha asked Nora.
"More than I've ever been in my life" she replied confidently as they stepped down the aisle. As she paced down the aisle, with Pyrrha by her side, she saw Ren's eyes grow wide and light up as Pyrrha said they would and tears began to fill her eyes again. When Nora reached the altar with Pyrrha behind her she looked up into Ren's eyes and he looked down into hers.
"I love you, Ren" Nora whispered with tears streaming gently down her face.
"I love you too, Nora" he replied with tears welling in his deep pink eyes.
They both turned to the officiant and began to recite their vows.
"Nora Valkyrie, you've been by my side since long before I can remember, we've been inseparable and I couldn't think of anyone I'd rather spend my life with, you're my little sloth, my perfect soulmate and my best friend and I could never live without you."
"Lie Ren," she said through tears. "I never want to be apart from you ever again, where you go, I want to go too, I love you and every time I would say 'boop' I was always, always, always saying 'I love you' and I always meant it" Crying and sniffling could be heard throughout the hall from the guests.
"Do you, Lie Ren take Nora Valkyrie to be your lawfully wedded wife from this day until your last?"
"I do" He said firmly with tears rolling down his cheek and his eyes, firmly locked upon Nora's.
"And do you Nora Valkyrie take Lie Ren to be your lawfully wedded husband from this day until your last?"
"I do" she said sobbing with her eyes fixed upon Ren's.
"Then by the power vested in me by the Kingdom of Vale, I pronounce you husband and wife."
Nora lept upon Ren and pressed her lips firmly against his and wrapped her arms tightly around him as he did the same. When their lips finally parted, they gazed into each others eyes with tears streaming down their faces, their eyes red from crying and smiled.
"Boop" Nora whispered tapping Ren's nose with her finger.
"I love you too" Ren said.