The Big Day.
Arietta wiped her sweaty palms once more, and took a steadying breath to calm her fluttering stomach.
I can't believe this is really happening!
Fergus stared at her, his eyes moist with unshed tears. "You ready?" he asked in a slightly brittle voice as emotion cracked it.
Arietta grinned and nodded enthusiastically, before threading her arm through his.
He smiled at her, feeling fit to burst with pride, and then the doors swung open, and she took her first tentative step down the aisle.
The chantry was filled to the brim with people, and every single smiling face turned to look at her. She grinned the whole way down the aisle. Blood was rushing through her ears, blocking out much of the music and singing, and then she noticed Alistair.
He still had his back to her, but she could tell he was eager to turn; his hands were tapping at his sides impatiently. The cloak on his back made her heart stop, and she nearly burst into tears, it was so beautiful. The Theirin mabari had her family's laurel wreaths around their necks.
Alistair turned to face her; his eyes widened and then he smiled at her, that slow smile she loved so much. His silver and gold doublet was tight against his muscular frame, his sandy hair was silky and perfect, his cheeks were a little flushed but he had never looked more radiant. She beamed back as tears swelled and threatened to spill from her eyes.
Alistair had to remember to breathe as he stared at his beloved walking down the aisle. She looked beautiful. He was glad he wouldn't have to say much during the service; he wasn't sure he could, with his throat tight with emotion and his mouth dry from his nervousness. But as she reached his side and their hands touched, none of that seemed important.
She reached Alistair's side, their hands touching lightly, and Fergus passed her over, kissing her on the cheek and clapping Alistair on the back. Her breathing was ragged as Alistair held her hand, and their palms were soon wet with sweat as they gripped each other firmly. She was barely paying attention to the words the Grand Cleric spoke, and suddenly Alistair was removing his cloak and draping it over her shoulders, his gentle touches sending fire through her body.
And then they were kissing.
Oh Maker, I will never stop loving this man!
The crowd erupted into cheers and whistles.
Their kiss ended far too soon, and they turned to face their guests; every single person was standing, cheering. Arietta looked to her brother who was fighting tears and beamed at him. She looked at Neri and Leliana as well; both of them were openly sobbing, as was Wynne behind them. Arietta burst into tears at the sight of them all and a bubble of laughter burst past her lips.
Arietta and her husband walked back up the aisle as people threw flowers at their feet. When they reached the end of the aisle Alistair scooped her up and kissed her passionately, and the crowd roared in celebration.
…
She held Alistair's hand tightly as she sat with him at the long table under the marquee. It was a brilliant day, the sun was shining and the sky was a bright blue. The marquee itself looked phenomenal. The ceiling was decorated with the image of two griffons, made from daisy chains; she had no idea how the staff had tied them all together so elaborately, but it looked spectacular. The yellow and white theme was everywhere, and always made Arietta smile when she saw it. Neri had truly outdone herself when she suggested such a wonderful and deeply personal idea.
Her best friend was giving a toast now.
"We certainly had our differences in the beginning," Neri said wryly, a smirk on her lips. "Arietta would get annoyed at me if I stopped too long to pick flowers or catch butterflies; we did have a Blight to stop after all!" she exclaimed with a chuckle. The crowd chuckled too, and Arietta couldn't stop the grin widening across her face.
"We once had a huge fight on top of a mountain – that was just after killing a high dragon, and just before we found the Urn of Sacred Ashes," Neri said nonchalantly "You're welcome, Grand Cleric," she added coyly, winking at the older woman, and Elemena shook her head slightly, in exasperation. "We saw some crazy things on our travels: werewolves, undead, talking and walking trees, Broodmothers," she shuddered slightly. "The dragon really was the least weird of the bunch!" She let out a chirp of laughter.
"It was hard at times," she said more sombrely. "We were frequently fighting for our lives, often before breakfast, although that might have been to our advantage, because have you seen how much Grey Wardens eat!? You do not want to get between them and breakfast!" She smiled brightly. "But despite the darkness, I was privileged enough to watch Arietta and Alistair's relationship grow. Heck, I'm half the reason they ended up together – they were both too awkward to start a relationship so I gave them a little nudge." She gave them a smug grin.
"Their relationship is the purest kind of love I have ever seen," she continued sincerely. "Sometimes when you meet a couple, questions like 'are they going to marry' come to mind. For Arietta and Alistair, it was never like that, it was simply when will they marry?" Neri looked at Arietta and Alistair fondly. "I truly believe you were meant to find one another through all of the darkness, and I know you'll bring some of that light forward as you rule Ferelden together."
"To the new king and queen of Ferelden!" Neri raised her glass and everyone drank.
"I love you," Arietta whispered in Alistair's ear.
He kissed her cheek, his lips lingering as he whispered to her," I love you too, always."
Fergus cleared his throat and stood up, tapping his glass with a spoon. "Alright, I wanted to say a few words." He smiled at Arietta. "My sister, what can I say?" He chuckled. "I can scarcely believe the little girl who used to get pushed in the dirt by mean boys is now my queen." He smiled warmly at her. "I always knew you would do great things, Sis, and Mother and Father knew it too. I wish they could be here today, but I know they are watching over us now, and they are smiling proudly from the Maker's side."
Arietta bit on her lip to stifle a sob as tears rolled down her cheeks, and Alistair squeezed her hand.
"Elissa is up there too, our baby sister. I know she's grinning brightly, bursting with pride." He wiped a tear from his cheek.
"You accomplished what we all thought was impossible: you ended the Blight. I know Neri has been hogging a lot of the credit," he smirked at the elf, and Neri stuck her tongue out at him, "but it was you who raised the armies and led them. Without you, Denerim would not be here, nor would many of us."
He raised his glass. "So on behalf of everyone here, and all of Ferelden too, I wanted to say thank you. You never gave up, you kept fighting, you went out of your way to help others when it would have been easier to turn a blind eye, and you sacrificed so much to save us all. You all did, and I know you will be wonderful rulers. To the new king and queen!"
Everyone cheered and drank.
Alistair took a deep breath, kissed Arietta's hand, and stood.
"Well, everyone else is doing it, so I thought I'd join in!" He chuckled, and then looked down at her lovingly. "Arietta, I love you," he breathed. "I won't tell you it was love at first sight, or anything clichéd like that. But it was scarily fast how quickly I fell in love with you."
She held back a sniffle as she stared up at him teary eyed.
"You are everything to me. I promise to treasure you, always, to be there for you, always, and to love you, always. There is nobody I would rather have as my wife than you, there is nobody I'd rather wake up to every morning, and there is nobody I'd rather spend the rest of my life with, however long or short that may be."
He wiped a tear from his eye. "I love you, with all of my heart, always."
She rose from her seat, crying uncontrollably, and hugged him. The crowd cheered and she kissed Alistair on the lips tenderly, tasting the salt of their tears.
A/N: Sorry it's a short one! Figured I needed to show the bride for a little bit :P
Thank you so much for the reviews, you make my day!
And of course my thanks to Lisa and ElyssaCousland for their snappy beta jobs.
To the guest that commented: I wouldn't trust those Antivans and their delicious honeyed voices either. But not many people can resist such charm ;)
I hope the wait until Thursday isn't too bad! You'll be pleased to know it's the longest chapter yet and Zevran finally makes an appearance.