A few minutes later, the portentous ceremony began and the Royal Sorcerer walked across the hallway to the altar, dressed with a white suit and a splendorous ivory colour with golden tones gala robe.

The king had to mitigate his laugh with his hand at the sight to don't be discovered between the crowds.

"What are you laughing at? I think he looks very handsome" Miranda whispered lowly.

"Have you seen the look on his face? He is terrified! I believe I haven't seen him so embarrassed in his whole life and I have seen him fainted in front of five kings!" Roland said, repressing his guffaws "Oh… this will be good"

"Wait, Roland, isn't that… Calista?" the queen asked, pointing at the altar "Why isn't she wearing a bride dress? After making so realistic wedding… Don't you think it's odd?"

The king's face changed right away at the sight of the little sorcerer presiding over the altar, dressed with her usual red robe.

"But… if she is not… then who…? OH, NO…"

Roland was ashen. He looked at his wife with panic written on his face. Miranda raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well. This doesn't seem to amuse your majesty so much…" she commented, mockingly.

…

Cedric could hear the organ music resounding in the walls. His hands sweated, he felt out of oxygen in his lungs. He tried to take some air with a big breath, but it wasn't enough. His look was on the floor, afraid to move it to anywhere else and that the audience could see his face.

On his shoulder, Wormwood's claws squeezed him closely, like he was trying to cheer him up. Cedric raised his look to watch his best man and thank him with a grimace that was an attempt of a smile. The raven pointed with his beak to the door behind and the sorcerer turned to see.

A squirrel and a rabbit well trained were spreading flowers petals over the central hallway. Behind them, holding on from Prince James's arm, the Bride illuminated the room with her presence, the long tail of her dress held by two little birds and a bouquet of pale violets between her hands.

From the back bench, the King and Queen watched the scene almost hunched to don't be discovered. When Roland saw his daughter appearing, walking towards the altar, Miranda had to grab him to impede him from throwing himself on her and dragging her out like a potatoes sack.

"Roland, control yourself! It's a girlish game, for God's sake!"

"Not even dead! Not even buried I will allow that guy takes my little girl to the altar!" he shouted in whispers, but his wife hushed him with a slap on the back of the neck.

"Shut up and look the game without annoy, which is why we stayed."

"She isn't even by my arm!" he lamented with tears on his eyes "I should be the one leading her to the altar!" the monarch cried.

Looking at him, Miranda had to cover her eyes from the shame.

Cedric gaped at seeing Sofia. If with the previous dress she already looked like an angel, now she was undoubtedly a little goddess of beauty, and he couldn't look away from her not ever. He had never imagined been able to stand as close from such gorgeousness as she irradiated. Through his dry throat, he let out a sigh of pure fascination.

When she finally reached his side and looked at him through the transparent fabric of the veil with a shyly smile, he thought he could die of love at any moment.

Calista cleared her throat and, committed to her role, she began her speech.

"We are gathered together to celebrate the very special love between Princess Sofia of Enchancia and Cedric the Sensational, by joining them in sacred marriage. Let the sacred powers of Magic blessing your love and letting you the strength to keep mutual and perpetual fidelity. Therefore, in this assemble, I ask you: Do you come here voluntary and of you own accord, without be coerced?"

"Err…" Cedric wasn't sure of how to answer at that question.

"Yes, we came on our own accord" Sofia answered without blinking.

"Y-yes…" he seconded then.

"Are you decided to love and respect each other for your entire life?"

"Yes!" this time Cedric responded without needing to think it twice.

"Yes, we are decided" Sofia said.

"Did you hear that? How does he dare to respond in that way?!" Roland groaned.

"Shhhhh!" Miranda hushed.

"Are you ready to join yourself together under the Magic Laws, as the community of sorcerers, witches and wizards of this world estipulate?"

"Yes, we are ready." they answered at unison.

"Therefore, if you want to contract sacred marriage, hold your hands and state your mutual consent upon the Magic of Love and Fidelity."

When Sofia and Cedric joined their hands, Calista took out a wand form her robe and started to move it over them, pronouncing a complicated spell that Cedric never thought someone so young would be able to learn. But it worked, apparently, for from the tip of the wand started to emerge a golden thread of light that surrounded their hands, tie them together.

"I don't like this, Miranda. I don't like this not one bit…" the king murmured.

"It's time for you to pronounce your vows."

Cedric turned pale. Vows? Oh Gods, vows?! He had not prepared no vow!

By his side, Sofia took breath to speak and he looked at her, surprised.

"When I arrived here for the first time, I was afraid to don't fit. Then you made petals raining from the sky, to make me a roses' path. When I wanted to hide in my bed to cry, you patted my head and took me to your tower. When I needed help, you gave me your magic, your wisdom and your friendship. And I always knew, from the very beginning, that my place was with you, for there is nowhere else I rather spend my days than in company of my sorcerer."

Cedric was biting his lip so hard that it hurts. At that moment his whole body was making efforts to hold back the cry. Those was the most beautiful words he had listened in his whole life, and it came nothing less than from the person he cared most in the world. Inevitably, a few tears overflowed from his eyes with an exhale of joy. He could feel the warm magic thread squeezing their hands even more than before.

James smiled tenderly and Amber cleaned an emotion tear from her cheek.

Both King and Queen were open-mouthed.

"W-w-what did your d-d-daughter just said, Miranda?"

"Er… I'm not sure, dear…"

"Your turn, uncle" Calista whispered, catch him by surprise. He had almost forgot she was there too.

Swallowing, he managed to express in words at least a little part of what he felt.

"S-Sofia… W-when I first saw you… I thought you were something curious. When I first talked to you, I thought you were odd. When you gave me your first hug, I thought you were crazy and when you called me your friend… I thought you were the most extraordinary thing this world had ever created. Nobody has ever made me feel the way I do with you and I know nobody could never do it, b-b-because you have become the light of my life and the only thing I wish for is to wake up with you every day…" when he saw her covering her smile with her hand, he realised what he just said "I-I-I mean… to be!" he corrected, embarrassed "T-to be with you every day a-and to be y-yours, forevermore."

The king would be making a scene if it weren't because his wife was grabbing him from the neck with one hand as covering his mouth with the other one to mitigate his shouts.

"I KILL HIM! I WILL KILL HIM!"

"Roland, please, don't make a scene!"

The princess let out a giggle and looked at the sorcerer through the veil with sparkling blue eyes, captivating him.

"Cedric, will you take Sofia to be your wife? Do you commit yourself to her happiness and self-fulfilment as a person? Do you promise to love, honour, and trust her in sickness and in health, in adversity and prosperity, and to be true and loyal to her so long as you both shall live?" Calista asked.

"Yes…" Cedric nodded with resolution "Yes, I do."

"And you, Sofia, will you take Cedric to be your husband? Do you commit yourself to his happiness and self-fulfilment as a person? Do you promise to love, honour, and trust him in sickness and in health, in adversity and prosperity, and to be true and loyal to him so long as you both shall live?"

"Yes, I do." the girl answered, smilingly.

Calista said more magic words and the golden thread in their hands dissolved and was absorbed by their skin.

"By the Love Magic that made arise in your hearts this unbreakable bond, I confirm this mutual consent that you have manifested upon the Sacred Magic Laws. What the Magic has united in marriage, no man can separate it. Rings, please."

Sofia leaned to pick up the wedding ring on the pillow the rabbit was holding. Cedric internally cursed himself for the thousandth time that day. He had no ring. Of course! Who else would be capable of ruin such a marvellous moment than Cedric the Imbecile?

He took a hand to his forehead, devastated. He was almost apologizing when Wormwood squeezed his shoulder with his claws again.

The raven was holding in his beak a white gold ring decorated with thin floral details and tiny purple amethysts on the surface.

Cedric recognised the jewel right away, for he had created it by himself using his magic during a night of deep loneliness. Why Wormwood knew its existence was a mystery as big as why the bird knew for whom he had created it in first place. But there it was, just the moment he needed it most.

The sorcerer took it in his hand and petted his friend on the head in an affectionate gesture of deep gratitude. Then he took tremulously Sofia's right hand and enclosed her finger with the ring. It fit perfectly. She did the same, presenting him a solid gold ring, even and majestic.

"For the sacred and unalterable Magic Laws, I, Calista, daughter of Cordelia the Sorcerer, granddaughter of Goodwing the Great and Winifred the Wise, as an authorised representative in the noble art of join souls in the name of the Love Magic, declared you husband and wife." she proclaimed "You may kiss the bride."

"AH NO! NO WAY!" Roland declared, still immobilised by his wife.

…

Cedric was petrified. Did he hear well? He could kiss the bride? How far did that weird game reach? Surely none could ever think that he…

Sofia was looking at him with expectation, her hands holding the long veil in front of her, like urging him to act.

He couldn't say no to those eyes. He grabbed the tulle and lifted it until put it behind her head, uncovered her face. At the sight of her shyly smile, the sorcerer wetted his lips the most discreetly he could. Then she made him a sign for him to bend.

Cedric bended, obediently, and she approached to his face and brushed his cheek in an chaste, sweet kiss than made him close his eyes and melted his very soul. He opened them after a few seconds and she was smiling at him with blushed cheeks.

And he was on flames.

It was his turn to kiss the bride. He had heard it perfectly clear, he could kiss her. Since they had made him go throw that entire emotional storm, he was going to have his well-deserved reward. If she could do it, so did he.

Maybe he couldn't give her the kiss he really was eager to give her, but at least he would be content with brushing her cheek with his mouth.

Just one bit.

Just to taste an ounce of Heaven in his lips. For the posterity. For future nights spending up in the loneliness of his room, where he would remember that angelical face and would imagine her by his side, smiling at him, whispering at him, surrendering at him entirely. And he could fantasize with loving and adoring every single inch of her body… Just with a brush. His imagination would do the rest, it always did…

He swallowed, leaned again towards her and approached his face to hers, ready to kiss her right cheek. He could feel the heat emanating from her fine porcelain skin.

Just a little bit more, just a little bit closer…

...

"You are doing it all wrong! It's like this!" Calista exclaimed, taking them from the back of their heads surprisingly and putting their faces together.

Drowned screams resounded in the whole Throne Room. James was covering his laughs with his hand and Amber with her fan. Even Wormwood cawed, surprised.

In the back of the room, Roland was standing, petrified on his spot.

But Cedric didn't see, didn't hear any of that, for his eyes were closed while his mouth was stuck on Sofia's and his ears had stopped from working at some point during the kiss.

He was in Heaven. It was Heaven. No worldly pleasure could possibly be as wonderful as the one he was feeling at that moment…

...

Oh, Please…

Please don't be a dream.

Have mercy, heaven, I beg you.

Let it be for real.

For pity's sake, just this time!

Just for this single time.

Let her be mine.

I plead.

I implore.

I'll give anything.

Let me love her.

Please.

Mercy, please!

I'll die if I can't have her...

Oh…

Oh, my goodness…

So good…

So delightful…

I NEED HER! HEAVENS, PLEASE, I NEED HER!

...

"GUAAAAARDS!"

He did hear that, though.