Chapter 4

~.~

Some changes have definitely been made to our wedding parties in the last three months. Eret lost his groomsmen, seeing as they only wanted to be in it for the food, and now our lineup goes as follows:

My Maid/Matron of Honor:

Amalie and Stephanie

My Bridesmaids:

Vanessa, Christy, Hanna, Ruffnut and Astrid

Eret's Best Men:

Snotlout and Andrew

Eret's Groomsmen:

Hiccup, Fishlegs, Tuffnut, Teeny, and Ug

No-Name agreed to be the ring-bearer. The three main members of Eret's crew had come into the real world as well, along with the rest of his crew, and, surprisingly, the Meathead and Berserker tribes have come as well, along with the people on Eret's old island, Wolfsbane (including Eret's ex, Jasmine, and her parents).

But, thankfully, Drago, along with Grimmel, have both stayed in the Viking world…even though they're both dead and gone, thankfully.

I have no one to be the flower girl, so we've omitted that part.

Now, everything is in order as it should be.

We had chosen a three-tiered red velvet cake for our main cake, and a two-tiered chocolate cake for our other cake, considering we now have over 500 guests (combined with our families (my 23 family members (not including my half-sister and cousin that are in the wedding) and Eret's 3 (not including his mom and sister), the 50-person population of Wolfsbane, the 200-person population of Berk, the 100-person population of Berserker Island, the 100-person population of Meathead Island).

So. Many. Invitations.

We had originally thought to get married at the same church my parents got married at, but since the church doesn't sit over 500 people, we have to hold it at a local theater, with the reception there as well.

But all of that is behind us.

It's the morning of our wedding.

Eret and I have decided to stay local, since the whole owning a bookshop in England thing was a lie.

I wake up for the last time in my parents' house. Eret and I recently purchased our first apartment, and we're ready to move in on our wedding night.

Anyway, it's about 8AM when I wake up, and my bridal party is there, ready to help me get ready.

By this time tomorrow, I'll be married to the love of my life.

We head to the venue, to our private room, and we get ready.

I hated being without Eret the night before.

But soon, I'll have him all to myself.

It's about 9AM when I'm fully ready, and I have an hour until the ceremony starts.

UGH.

And of course, me being me, I get paranoid and anxious about all the things that could go wrong.

What if the cakes don't make it?

What if the car Eret's in crashes?

What if he doesn't like the dress and leaves me for Jasmine?

What if?

What if?

What if?!

"Breathe, Becky. Everything is going to be okay." Astrid tells me, massaging my shoulders.

"Astrid, I can't help it."

"I know you can't. The hour will pass by faster than you think. Wanna watch a movie to pass the time?" Astrid asks me. Good ol' Astrid.

"Sure."

We get out Astrid's recently-acquired iPad and go into Netflix and watch Ella Enchanted, a movie that always reminds me how much I love Eret.

Soon, 10AM rolls around, and the girls go line up.

Their music, "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes" instrumental, soon starts, and they head down the aisle.

About halfway through, there's a knock at the door.

"You about ready?"

My Dad.

Well...one of my dads. I have many adoptive dads in my secret world, and only two of them are in the real world, them being Alvin the Meathead and Frank Thorston. Well, if you don't include Gobber.

My secret world is complicated, okay?

Anyway, my dad opens the door, and he tears up, considering he wasn't able to walk his first daughter down the aisle.

"I'm ready."

"Let's get you married, then."

I link arms with my parents, with my rose bouquet in hand, and we wait for my music, "A Bird Without Wings" by Celtic Thunder.

The music starts and the double doors open.

I only have eyes for Eret, and, apparently, he only has teary eyes for me.

Walking down the aisle, I keep my eyes on Eret.

Eret is my true love. He's real and I'm about to marry him.

Four agonizingly long minutes later, we reach the end of the aisle.

My dad lifts my veil and I kiss his cheek and my mom's cheek.

I take Eret's arm, and he resists the urge to wrap it around me, as he usually does.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the union of this man and this woman. If anyone does not believe these two are to be wed, let them speak now or forever hold their peace."

Thankfully, no one objects.

"You may begin your vows to each other."

Tuffnut hands Eret the book that contains his vows, and I trade my bouquet for my book of vows from Amalie.

"All the things that you are, beautifully broken, and know that you are everything. These words come from our song and I've incorporated them into my vows to you. Because I love you. At first, we eloped because your depression took over. But now, in front of family and friends, I, Eret William Nordisk, Junior, take you, Rebekah Elizabeth Nicholson, to be my wife, to have and to hold, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, from this day forward, as long as we both shall live."

I open my book and begin my vows to Eret.

"Some other folks might be a little bit smarter than I am, bigger and stronger, too. Maybe, but none of them will ever love you the way I do, it's me and you, boy. And as the years go by, our friendship will never die. You're gonna see it's our destiny. You've got a friend in me. Those words are from Toy Story, a movie that I used to watch all the time when I was little. Those words are true today, as they will be forevermore, as, in front of family and friends, I, Rebekah Elizabeth Nicholson, take you, Eret William Nordisk, Junior, to be my husband, to have and to hold, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, from this day forward, as long as we both shall live."

"May we have the rings please?" The minister asks.

Amalie hands me Eret's ring and Tuffnut hands Eret my ring.

"Place it on her left ring finger."

Eret gently takes my hand and places the golden band over the engagement ring he gave me not even a year ago.

"With this ring, I thee wed, now, and forever. True love is like a circle, it never ends, and so, too, shall our love never end."

I take Eret's hand and place the golden band on his finger.

"With this ring, I thee wed, now, and forever. True love is like a circle, it never ends, and so, too, shall our love never end."

"By the power vested in me and the state of Virginia, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Eret gently lifts me up and kisses me.

He puts me down gently and we part.

"Face the people of this room."

"I am proud to announce for the very first time, Mr. and Mrs. Eret William Nordisk, Jr.!"

Eret and I walk down the aisle together, his arm around me, and we head to the reception hall ahead of everyone else.

"I can't believe it. We're finally actually married."

"I can't believe it either, my darling. My wife. You're my wife."

"And you're my husband."

Eret and I kiss again.

"I love you, Mrs. Nordisk."

"And I love you, Mr. Nordisk."

Soon, the people file in and Eret leaves to get me a plate of food.

I gently place a napkin on my lap as I wait for my husband (!).

"Your plate, Madame. Chicken Asiago with asparagus and mashed potatoes." Eret says, placing the plate in front of me.

"Thank you, Monsieur."

"You're quite welcome."

Eret and I eat our food, talking amongst ourselves.

I soon lean on him, pleasantly full.

It's about the time for our first dance as husband and wife, to the Goo Goo Dolls' "All That You Are".

We head to the dance floor, and I lean on my husband.

We only have eyes for each other as we dance.

"I cannot imagine life without you, my darling."

"I've tried, Eret, and I don't recommend it. I was miserable when I tried to imagine me without you."

"Well, now you don't have to. I'm here. Now and forever."

"And I'm here for you, now and forever."

"I wouldn't want it any other way."

The song soon ends, and the mother/son dance occurs, as does the father/daughter dance.

Soon, it's time for speeches.

I step up, looking at my Eret and only at my Eret.

"Eret and I met on June 13 of 2014. But it wasn't until April 30, 2015 at 8:14AM-8:15AM on the way to school that I realized Eret is the one. No one else makes or has made me feel the way he does. When we met over five years ago, I wanted to be with him basically the moment he had his own personal Forbidden Friendship moment with Stormfly. I knew he had changed for the better. When he and I were waiting for my mom after we had seen How to Train Your Dragon 2 and Tuffnut, Snotlout and Fishlegs had gone to comfort Hiccup and Astrid and Ruffnut had gone to comfort Valka, Eret stayed by my side with his right hand on my left knee. Maybe it was because he was new to Berk that he didn't join in comforting Hiccup. I'm not entirely sure. All I know is, Eret, that I love you. I love you so so much. Now and forever."

People politely clap as Eret begins his own speech.

"Let me first start by saying I didn't go to comfort Hiccup because, yes, I was new to Berk at the time, but also because I didn't want to leave you. You looked like you were ready to break down, and I was ready to hold you at any moment. Becky, my love and my wide, you unfortunately suffer from depression and, when we were dating and engaged, I made sure to be there for you through everything. And I'll make sure to be there for you even more now that we're married. Now and forever. Now, you once asked me if I was going to break up with you. I can't remember the circumstances, but I do remember saying this: we may fight sometimes, but that won't stop me from loving you. Alternatively, we will fight sometimes, but that will never make me stop loving you. Becky, you once told me that crying isn't a weakness. If it was, we'd all be equal. And she's right. Becky, my darling, there's something I once told you that I think you should know again: You make me happy just by breathing. And whether this is the most extravagant of weddings, or the most simple, it wouldn't matter as long as we could spend it together. A few years ago, during a terrible storm, I told you, Becky, that you're my angel. You said 'Eret, I'm not an angel. I'm not perfect.' I replied 'I never said you were. You're my angel. And you always will be. Even though you're not perfect.' You complete me, my Becky. You always have, and you always will."

Soon, Snotlout starts his best man speech.

"Eret and I met when were were rescuing our chief from Eret's ship. I didn't like him at first, because Ruffnut was attracted to him. But over the course of the next couple of days, he changed for the better. He even took part in Stoick's funeral, shooting the flaming arrows with the rest of us. He inherited Stoick's dragon, Skullcrusher and has been a part of Berk's community since. Well, now we're all a part of the modern community here in Virginia. He met Becky on June 13 and I could tell she liked him. But there was something different in her eyes that day. It was a different look than she had given Hiccup when she was around him. It was a better look. And when Eret looked at Becky, I knew she had found her one true love. And I knew Eret had found his one true love, leaving Ruffnut single and available. But seriously, Becky has gone through so many hardships over the past few years, but Eret has helped her get through that. And I'm grateful to him because I'm sometimes protective of Becky. Not as much as her brother and sister, but I'm still protective. To the bride and groom!"

Amalie had opted to do a maid of honor speech for both her and my half-sister.

"Becky and I met when Eret brought her home to our parents and me. I didn't like her at first. I had heard of her, and I didn't want her hurting my brother. Sometimes I actually tried to get rid of her. Spreading malicious rumors to get them to break up. But that actually brought them closer together, so I knew my brother had found his true love. He never read Pixie Hollow News after he met Becky. He doesn't care about who she was with in the past, unless they were abusive to her and posed a threat to her. My older brother would do anything to protect me, but when he stood up for Becky against me, I knew he cared about her more than anyone he had ever dated in the past. He loves Becky so much and I'm sorry for the way I treated you, Becky, and I'm grateful you saved my father's life. We are sisters now. True, you're just related to me by being married to my brother, but we both love Eret. To the bride and groom!"

I can feel my dad looking at me, puzzled, after Amalie's speech.

Why didn't I review it?

Tuffnut steps up to give his brother of the bride speech.

"Becky and I met the day after Hiccup rescued her on Berk. Soon, we adopted her into the Thorston family. But that's for another day. So I'll tell you how Eret and I met. We were with the other dragon riders, rescuing Hiccup from Eret's ship, and Ruffnut immediately fell for him, and I was a bit disgusted, secretly because I was trying to protect her. Soon, Becky and Eret met, and I felt that same protectiveness towards Becky. I didn't want him to hurt her, as she's had a few too many abusive relationships in the past. Becky, Ruffnut and I are extremely close. But the way Eret looked at her, I knew that he felt no hate towards her, and no abusive thoughts were running through his mind towards her. I care about Becky, as much as I care about Ruffnut, and I'd hate to see either of them seriously hurt, physically or emotionally. I love you, Becky, my brunette sister. Eret, I know you'd never hurt Becky physically, but you have hurt her with words in the past, but I'm looking past that for today, and I know you regret hurting her. And I forgive you, as she does. I've gained a brother because of you, Eret. To the bride and groom!"

Ruffnut soon gives her sister of the bride speech.

"When Eret and I met, I immediately felt attracted to him. But when I saw the way Becky looked at him, I knew that he was in trouble. I didn't want either of them to get hurt, especially my sister. I am extremely close to Becky, and, Tuffnut is, too. We're both extremely protective of her, so when she gets hurt, physically or emotionally, we're there with hugs and love. We love you, Becky. Our brunette sister. So much. We, like Eret and anyone else who cares about you, hate seeing you in any form of pain. So you being with Eret, it made Tuffnut and me nervous. We didn't want you getting hurt again or you hurting him. Sure, you and Eret fought, but, somehow, it made your love for each other stronger. There is nothing Tuffnut and I wouldn't do for you, Becky. Eret, you make our sister happy, but you're also there when depression takes over for her. You're there with us, holding her, encouraging her to let it out, and to eat something. To move, to be just a tiny bit active. We love you, Becky. And, Eret, I'm glad you're now a part of our family and our sister's life. To the bride and groom!"

The people politely clap and the cake is soon cut and served.

The reception is soon over and Eret and I depart to my parent's house to make sure I've grabbed everything for our apartment.

After we make sure I've got everything I've ever owned and want to take with me to Eret's and my apartment, we head to our apartment.

Our home.

Eret, knowing I'm asexual, doesn't rush into anything that night, also knowing that nighttime is when my chronic pain is at its worst.

He holds me on our couch, and that's when my chronic pain hits the worst.

I've been going to a chiropractor, and it helps, but it can't fix everything.

I whimper as my pain hits, pressing myself further into Eret.

"Shhhh. I'm here, my love. I'm here. I've got you."

Eret and I had opted for no honeymoon, knowing I don't travel well.

I've apologized to him profusely, but all he keeps telling me is...

"You don't have to apologize, my darling. It's not your fault."

Now, I grip Eret's hand.

Chronic pain doesn't care what the occasion is.

Birthday? Chronic pain. Wedding day? Chronic pain. Just sitting around? Chronic pain.

I begin to sob, hating that Eret has to see me like this.

"Oh, my sweetheart. I'm so so sorry you're in pain."

"I just...I hate that you have to see me like this."

"I know, baby. I know. And I hate seeing you like this. But I will always always love you and I will always always be there for you when you need me. Just let it out, my love. Just let it out."

Eret begins holding me in his lap as I sob, tired of being in pain.

"Eret, why...why did you marry me?" I ask.

"Because I love you and that will never change, no matter what."

"I know...but why – why did you marry someone like me with all of my problems and issues and...everything?"

"My darling Becky, I will always love you. I married you because I love you, despite your flaws, despite your pain. I will always be there for help you through anything and everything you go through. I am in it forever. For eternity. Like we promised each other on our today. I will always love you. Through thick and thin, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer. If I ever tell you in anger or frustration that I don't love you or that I've never loved you, don't ever believe me. I will always always love you, no matter what anyone, including me, says. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Just let it out, my darling. Just let it out. I'm here. I'm here."

So that's how our wedding night went.

No sex, no making out. Just me being in pain and Eret comforting me.

But I wouldn't want it any other way.

Well, I would want the pain to not be here, but Eret somehow makes it more bearable.

And I will be forever grateful to him.