-18-

The next week passed by quickly and soon, it was Fredrick and Sakura's wedding day. It was still fairly early in the morning and the sun had not yet risen over the mountains that surrounded the town of Gardev. Mack and Aura were still up early, getting ready for the big day. Mack had already helped Aura into her wedding dress and was now helping her with her jewelry once again. Aura sat on a small chair in front of her vanity, smiling as Mack tenderly got her golden and diamond anklets in place.

"There we go," said Mack happily as he lowered Aura's skirt and stood up, admiring his lovely mate.

"Thank you, honey," said Aura with a sweet smile as she stood up and gazed at herself in the vanity's large mirror.

"Happy anniversary, my love," said Mack tenderly as he came up behind Aura and wrapped his arms around her. Aura giggled with delight as Mack held her tightly. Just then, there was some familiar, soft scratching at the bedroom door. Mack faced the door and released Aura from his embrace.

"Come on in, William!" said Aura with happiness. With that, the door creaked open as an all too familiar Pikachu walked into the bedroom. William nodded his head in approval as he gazed at Aura in her wedding splendor.

"Good morning, Aura," said William with a smile as he jumped onto Aura's right shoulder, "Looks like you're all ready to go."

"Yep," said Aura as she reached up and gently stroked William with her left hand, "But, I think you could use a little something…more decorative."

"I guess so," said William, "Have any ideas?"

"Hmmm…" said Aura as she gazed at hers and William's reflections in the large mirror, "I have a few ideas that might work."

"Well, I'd better get dressed too," said Mack as he closed the bedroom door and made his way to his closet. He quietly slid the door open and narrowed his eyes as his gaze fell on his wedding dress. This attire may have been Gardevoir tradition, he was still easily recognized as a groom and Aura loved seeing Mack in his wedding dress, but the idea of wearing this fluffy, white clothing still came across as strange to Mack.

"My parents would have a heart attack if they saw me in this. Well, here goes," thought Mack as he grabbed the hanger with his dress off the closet pole and made his way to the bathroom, all while Aura opened drawers on the vanity, looking for something that would make William look more presentable. Aura glanced at Mack and smiled at him as he walked away. Moments later, Mack was in the spacious bathroom and he quickly locked the door. He removed the hanger and carefully set his dress on the floor. Mack then focused his power just a bit to read Aura's thoughts: she was very eager to see Mack all dressed up once again. Mack laughed to himself as he took off his Gardevoir gown and pants.

"The things I do to keep her happy," chuckled Mack as he stepped into the wedding dress and pulled it up his body. He was carefully threading his wings through the slits in the back of the dress as he listened to the drama unfolding in his bedroom.

"No way!" said William with disgust as he backed away from Aura, "I am NOT going to wear a bow again and that's final!"

"Come on, you little cutie," said Aura with a smile, holding a big, blue bow in her right hand, "Don't you want to look nice, especially for Fredrick and Sakura's wedding?"

"No!" answered William as he took a few more steps towards the door, "There's a fine line between looking nice and looking disgustingly cute!"

"It's just for today," said Aura, trying to reassure William.

"I'm not going to wear that thing and you can't make me, so nyah!" said William as he stuck his tongue out at Aura and then bolted for the bedroom door. Aura just laughed as her eyes started to glow with a faint, blue light. Before William could realize what was happening, he felt something lift him off his feet and into the air.

"No fair!" complained William, "You psychic types have all the fun!" Aura just smiled as she had the stubborn Pikachu float within her reach. Then, she tenderly tied the bow around William's neck, despite his protests. William was desperately trying to get back on the floor, but he had no way of getting free of Aura's telekinetic grip.

"There!" said Aura with delight, "All done." She gently wrapped her left arm around the angry rodent and held him against her body. William continued to squirm, hoping he could get out of the bedroom.

"I wish you hadn't picked up Mack's strength, too," grumbled William as Aura had the griping Pikachu gaze at himself in the mirror. William snorted with contempt.

"You don't like it, do you?" asked Aura with a grin.

"Really? What was your first clue?" said William angrily as he gave up all hopes of freedom. Mack chuckled as he overheard what was happening in his bedroom.

"The way he was complaining, you'd almost think Aura was trying to give him a root canal," said Mack to himself with quiet laughter as he slipped his arms into the long, soft sleeves of his dress, "Considering what I have to wear today, William is getting off pretty easy." William let out a loud sigh.

"Tell you what," said Aura as she stroked William with her right hand, "If you behave, I'll let you have extra wedding cake." William's ears perked up when he heard Aura's proposal.

"You mean it?" asked William with excitement.

"Of course I do," said Aura, smiling as she held William, "There's only one alternative if you won't wear the bow."

"If it means I don't get any cake, I'm fine with that! Now let me go!" said William impatiently as he started to struggle again, trying to get free from Aura's embrace.

"I'm afraid it's much worse than that," said Aura with a mischievous grin, "If you don't cooperate, I'm sure Mack won't mind the least bit if we let Anna dress you up." Immediately, William stopped squirming.

"Anna told me she would enjoy doing your makeup," said Aura in a sadistic tone, "Besides; she has the prettiest, fluffiest pink dress that she would just LOVE to see you in."

"Okay, Aura, I'll be good!" whimpered William with great fear, "Just, please…don't let her get me!"

"That's a good boy," said Aura as she kissed William on the back of his head. She smiled and turned her gaze to the bathroom door as she heard Mack erupt with laughter.

"Did I find the perfect mate, or what?" thought Mack with a smile as he slowly zipped up his wedding dress. He then gazed at himself in the mirror, thankful that at least his soft, shimmering, long-sleeved white dress and its full skirt with fluffy petticoats underneath it was comfortable. He stepped out of the bathroom with a blissful smile on his face, glad that he would be spending yet another day with his beloved wife, Aura.

"Here comes the bride, all dressed in white!" sang Aura, teasing Mack as he walked into the bedroom.

"Doesn't he look nice and pretty?" said William with a grin.

"As do you, my furry little friend," said Mack, "Aura, I'd say that we have the perfect family pet, how about you?" William snarled: he did not like being referred to as a pet, no matter how true this was.

"Just wait until we have a Ralts or two," said Aura, "They will just love playing with William, especially dress up!" William howled with despair just as Glacian opened the bedroom door, horrified at the terrible sound.

"What's going on?!" asked Glacian with shock, "Is there something wrong?"

"Oh, Aura and I were just talking about the future," said Mack.

"The future must be pretty dreadful indeed," said Glacian with a smile as he noticed the large blue bow around William's neck, "Especially for such a cute, pet Pikachu." Gloria walked into the room right behind her husband.

"At least you don't have to wear a pink bow, William," said Gloria tenderly. Mack gazed at Glacian and Gloria as they stood in the room, dressed in their wedding splendor.

"This is going to be a day to remember," said Mack.

"Indeed it will," said Glacian as he wrapped an arm around Gloria and held her close, "It has been decades since anyone, let alone the people of Gardev, have ever seen me with Gloria, or in my wedding attire for that matter."

"They're all going to be in for such a shock when they see me and my husband together, dressed like this," said Gloria with excitement. Mack nodded his head in agreement: Glacian was quite a sight just by himself. His dress shimmered brightly and it sparkled from hundreds of small diamonds inlaid on the bodice, the sleeves and on his full skirt. Gloria's attire, to say the least, put all of Aura's wedding splendor to shame: the entire dress was covered with thousands of small diamonds. Blue diamonds also gave the appearance of decorative patterns on the bodice, sleeves and skirt. The diamonds on Gloria's bracelets, earrings and tiara were at least twice the size of Aura's with all the jewelry made out of fine platinum. Even the large, white bow on the back of Gloria's dress was adorned with diamonds. Glacian could tell that Mack and Aura were absolutely stunned at his and Gloria's wedding attire.

"Sheesh," said Mack with amazement, "And to think that Fredrick and Sakura will be dressed just like you two."

"Believe it or not, it's actually very uncommon for a Gardevoir bride and groom to be as decorated as we or even you and Aura are," explained Glacian as he held Gloria close, "The bride is always the most adorned of a Gardevoir couple and the groom is usually plain in comparison. Dresses that shimmer or sparkle are only given to couples who have high importance, like the families of the Guardians, Elite Guard and the other elders. Mack, you are one of only a handful of male Gardevoir's with a dress that shimmers in the light. This denotes your importance, not just as a Guardian of Gardev, but because of your selfless acts before you even became a Gardevoir. I saw to it that you and Aura would be the most decorated bride and groom on your wedding day and believe me when I say that no Gardevoir couple before was ever as decorated as Gloria and I, until today."

"My father didn't want it any other way," said Gloria happily, "He would settle for nothing but the best for his daughter."

"Ah, that reminds me," said Glacian, "I have a gift for you, Mack." Glacian stepped out of the room and into the hallway for a few minutes, and then walked back into the bedroom with a large white cape in his arms.

"I had this made for you as well as one for each of the male members of the Guardian family who have married," said Glacian as he held out the cape to Mack, "Here, how about you have Aura help you out it on?" Mack nodded as Aura stepped forward and took the cape from Glacian. Mack stood still as Aura giggled and carefully put the cape on her mate.

"Very good," said Glacian, "Now, take a good look in the mirror, Mack. I think you're going to like this." Mack turned his head to get a look at his new cape and was not surprised with Glacian's statement in the least. The flowing, white cape was decorated with fine patterns and it reached to the ground, covering up his wings as they lay folded on his back.

"Thank you, Glacian," said Mack with amazement, "Thank you very much! I love it!"

"You're not the only one!" said Aura with sheer delight.

"This is what the married males of the Guardian family will wear, so they stand out amongst other Gardevoirs," said Glacian.

"Then that's what I'll do," said Mack.

"Very good," said Glacian as he started to leave the room with Gloria at his side, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go put on my crown."

"What?" asked Mack, "When did you get a crown? I thought the Gardevoir city had a head elder, not a king." Glacian chuckled as he faced Aura.

"I see you missed a few things that you needed to teach Mack, Aura," said Glacian with warm laughter, "But that's okay. You see, Mack, since the Gardevoir city was founded many thousands of years ago, a member of the Guardian family has always sat on the throne of the city."

"That's right," said Mack, "It's your job to rule the city and help others solve problems that the other elders can't handle."

"You see, when Gloria was taken from me, I never wanted to wear my wedding attire again, nor the crown for that matter," said Glacian, "It was rather odd that I was asked to be the next king so suddenly after I passed on the duties of guardianship over Gardev. Apparently, my great-great-great grandfather had passed away just days after Gloria was thought to be lost. So, the elders asked me to take up the crown as I was next in line for the throne. As you can guess, I did not refuse. Now that Gloria is back with me, I can again proudly wear my wedding attire and crown with my queen at my side."

"I have a crown, too," said Gloria with a smile, "I don't care that it's smaller than Glacian's."

"Speaking of which, I wish to have Alexander become king when I pass away," said Glacian, "He has already accepted. Why, if he had refused, I would have begged you, Mack and Aura, to be the next king and queen of the Gardevoir city."

"You know, I think I would have agreed to that," said Mack, "But there is just one thing that bothers me: Why does everyone just call it the Gardevoir city? Does the city not have a name?"

"The city did have a name, but no one knows what it is anymore. That knowledge was lost centuries ago, but I imagine the name of the city is written down somewhere. Someone would just have to sift through several hundred tons of old papers and stone tablets," said Glacian with a shrug, "It's just fine that the city's name is not known. It's not really that important."

"Glacian, dear, don't you think we should get back to our room and prepare for the wedding?" asked Gloria.

"Ah. Thank you, my dear. We should get going," said Glacian as he started to leave the room, "We'll see you two at the church. In the meantime, make sure you get some breakfast and are at the church by 10:00." Mack closed the door and faced Aura as she gently set William on the bed.

"I wonder…" said Mack as he gazed at his lovely wife, "Is there anything that we've forgotten?" Aura's eyes opened wide as she suddenly remembered some of her jewelry.

"Oh! The diamonds for my wings!" said Aura with shock as she quickly searched the drawers of the vanity for a familiar chest, "Here it is, Mack!" Aura handed the small, silver chest to Mack as she sat down in front of the vanity and spread her wings. Mack tenderly slid the diamond and platinum clips into Aura's soft wings.

"This is going to be a long day," said Mack with a smile.

"You said it…" muttered William.

-19-

Alexander could not possibly be any happier or more proud of his son, Fredrick.

"I've been waiting a long time for this day," said Alexander with great joy, "Soon, my son is going to have a mate." Fredrick just smiled nervously as he stood in front of some large mirrors, admiring his wedding dress. His attire was just like Glacian's, down to the hundreds of small diamonds that made the skirt, bodice and sleeves sparkle brightly.

"I can only imagine how Sakura will feel when she see's me like this," said Fredrick with excitement. Alexander stood still and smiled, admiring his son in his wedding splendor.

"It seems like only yesterday, you were a little Ralts," said Alexander with a happy sigh. Without warning, Fredrick ran up and tightly wrapped his arms around his father in tears.

"What's wrong, Fredrick?" asked Alexander tenderly as he held his son close, "Are you scared?"

"No…I'm not scared…" said Fredrick, "I'm just so happy that you will get to see my wedding. If Mack had not rescued you and mom from Cipher…"

"Its okay, Fredrick," said Alexander with a bright smile as he released Fredrick with his embrace, "That's all behind us now. There's a great future ahead of us, that much is sure."

"Thank you, dad," said Fredrick. Alexander let out another sigh.

"You always did have a tender heart, just like your mother," said Alexander as he briefly stretched out his wings, "You're going to make Sakura one very happy Gardevoir."

"That reminds me," said Fredrick as he took one last look at himself in the nearby mirrors, "Who is going to walk Sakura down the aisle?" Alexander leaned against a dresser in the room.

"You have a good point," said Alexander, deep in thought, "I don't think any of us has discussed that. Of course, usually the bride's father walks her down the aisle, but no one knows what became of Sakura's father…" There was a soft knock on the door.

"Excuse me, Alexander, but may I please come in?" asked Glacian from the other side of the door.

"Come on in, Glacian," replied Alexander as he opened the door, "You did mention that you had something for my son and I." Glacian and Gloria walked into the middle of the room. Gloria had what seemed to be two very large, folded pieces of fine, white cloth in her arms.

"Indeed I do, Alexander," said Glacian happily as he faced Fredrick, "This will be a day to remember. Why, I've never married another Gardevoir couple with my wife present and certainly not in my best clothes."

"So, what do you have for us?" asked Fredrick with curiosity.

"Ah, of course," said Glacian as Gloria handed Alexander and Fredrick the large, white cloths. Alexander quickly unfolded his and, much to his surprise, discovered that what he held was an ornate, shimmering white cape: covered with intricate designs. Fredrick hastily unfolded his cloth as soon as he saw what his father had received. Sure enough it was another ornate cape, just like his father's.

"Shall we help you put them on?" asked Gloria.

"Yes, please," said Alexander as he handed his cape to Gloria. Fredrick handed his to Glacian as he turned around. Within moments, Fredrick and Alexander had their new capes on: a gold chain and clip would keep them in place around their necks.

"These capes are to be a new tradition for all married males of the Guardian family," explained Glacian. Fredrick took another look in the mirrors and saw that the flowing cape completely covered his majestic wings, yet it still looked great with his wedding dress.

"It looks perfect! Sakura will love it!" said Fredrick with sheer delight.

"I think you both agree that these capes look even better on your back than just your wings," said Glacian, "Of course, I wouldn't try flying with those capes on: they would just create drag and get in the way of your wings."

"Thank you very much, Glacian," said Alexander with delight.

"Yes! Thank you!" said Fredrick with a big smile.

"You're both very welcome. Well, we have to be going now," said Glacian as he and Gloria started to leave the room, "Alexander, you and Fredrick should get to the sanctuary soon."

"Wait! I have a question for you!" said Alexander, "Who should walk Sakura down the aisle?" Glacian thought about this for a moment and then shrugged his shoulders.

"That's a good question, but I'm afraid that I do not have an answer," replied Glacian as he left the room with his wife, "I'm sure we'll find an answer."