Gwen paced the length of the small antechamber off of the temple of Mithros located inside of the palace. She had been locked in the room since breakfast, since Roald had come for her to get her settled in before Ivan could return to their rooms. It was tradition for the bride and groom to sleep apart at least the night before and it had left Gwen edgy. Faleron had stayed with her, on a pallet in the bedroom per Ivan's request though it had made Gwen extremely self-conscious and uncomfortable at the suggestion. He had been easy to be around for the night but she had missed Ivan's arms around her in bed, soothing her through her nightmares. And the nightmares had been getting worse. She dreamed of all of the ways Maggur could torture Dom, Ivan, Roald, and Kai to control her. If Faleron had woken at all and noticed her tears over the long night, he had the grace not to make a point of it. Ivan himself slept in the sitting room of Dom and Kel's suite across hall to ensure he was guarded as well.
Somewhere in the distance, the bell marking the third hour after midday came and Gwen looked up expectantly at the door. She had bathed, had her hair tortured into a style, had her face painted up, and had eaten two full meals in that small room. All that was left was to don her gown from Lalasa, gather her bouquet from where it sat on a chair by the door, and walk out to meet Dom. Except the gown hadn't arrived yet. She was told to expect it after midday and each hour that the bell rang out, she fidgeted a little more. Kel, who had been locked in the room with her all day, smiled at her edginess.
"Lalasa will get it here and it will be perfect. You've had nearly seven fittings with the thing on. Though I don't know how you can stay standing while wearing it. The thing weighs more than half your weight." Kel had teased Gwen about her extremely heavy gown since she had first had to heft it on to her. In Kel's defense, it did weigh about fifty pounds but Gwen was fairly comfortable with the distribution of the weight.
"With all of your weight training, I wonder how you can question my ability to hold up fabric?" Gwen teased back.
"You're a twig and Ivan will have to carry you back tonight if he can even lift you in that thing." Kel retorted.
"So what is it? Am I too light that I'll break or that I'm too heavy to be carried when adding half of my weight?" She put her hands on her hips in mock frustration making Kel giggle. Before Kel could compose herself for a response the tell-tale knock on the door sent Gwen to the side of the room to wait while Kel went to check on who it was. While they were expecting Lalasa, they couldn't be too careful. After a moment, Kel opened the door to admit the brisk dark woman and Faleron carrying a large package.
"Gwen, this thing has to weigh…" Faleron started but she was already shaking her head in laughter. It seemed that line would never die. After setting the box down, Faleron was evicted from the room and Lalasa set her former mistress to helping Gwen get into the contraption. After several long grueling minutes of being laced into the corset until she couldn't breathe, Gwen was finally able to look at the full effect in the mirror.
The cream colored gown was a tight strapless corset that laced down over her hips in a drop waist. The bead work across her bust that would have been glass and plastic in her world was pearls and diamonds. Then the satin skirts flared out in three tiers to the ground leaving a delicate lace peek-a-boo in the front to break the fullness of the gown. Her skirts were not held out with a wooden farthingale but a built in kremlin of layers upon layers of fabrics. The small train off of the back that appeared to be part of the skirt would be detached after the ceremony to give her a bit easier time walking. Her hair had been curled and pinned into a loose mass at the base of her neck by some eighty or so small metal pins. Her veil was a short silk net that hung just over one eye and was pinned in place with more pearls and diamonds. Her necklace and earrings were loans from Roald in delicate white gold with diamonds in glittering masses. Her face was painted up a completely different way as well. Her pale skin was accented with dark red lips, black lined eyes, and a glittering eye shadow that started dark at her lid and lightened to a pale sparkle at her brow. The whole effect was actually quite stunning and Gwen couldn't help but hope Ivan thought so too.
After she was dressed and some small adjustments were made so everything sat right, Gwen was handed her bouquet of red roses and she waited for the signal she was to go find Ivan in the chapel. As discussed, it was Dom who would be her signal. As the man playing the double role of the man walking her down the aisle and the person standing at her side throughout the ceremony, he was to be the person who came to get her when it was time. And time continued to creep by until the bell rang for a fourth time that afternoon and then more time after that.
Finally the knock came and Kel went to check to make sure that it was Dom before she opened the door. Dom was dressed not as the Captain of the Godssent's Guard but as Domitan of Masbolle in his best black breeches, white shirt, and sapphire blue tunic. The only indication he might be more than just any noble was the sword at his side that she had given him for Midwinter. She smiled at him as he looked her over and she saw him shake his head.
"Well I certainly did not picture this," he told her quietly. "You're beautiful, and if Ivan doesn't notice that, I'll gut him."
"Ivan always says I'm beautiful," Gwen blushed at the compliment. Dom so rarely mentioned her looks anymore that it was the highest praise she could get to hear him say anything. He offered her his arm and she took it while waiting for Kel to adjust the train so it would fall right.
"Are you ready? I mean we could always help you to disappear instead if you'd rather not…" Dom stopped as Gwen elbowed him. It was a joke that had gotten old over the last week. All of her guards had approached either her or Ivan to joke about running away. Not like Gwen really had anywhere to run without getting herself and likely others injured or killed. She stepped out with him feeling her heart pounding slightly. She had stood in front of so many people are the Godssent before and had not batted an eyelash but to stand in front of so many loved ones as herself, without the costume, she was reminded of her old foe: stage fright. She knew she could always get rid of it by putting on a masking of some sort and become another character but that was not what she wanted to do for her wedding. She wanted to give Ivan herself as herself without any disguises.
She heard music and after a moment stepped through the doorway with Dom. Her guards had been placed, out of any obvious uniform, at various points throughout the room to guard various entrances and exits. Amongst the actual guests were Ivan's family, Third Company, the royal family, Duke Baird with Yuki and Karin, Sir Myles, Alanna and George, Raoul and Buri, Erick, the clerks who served her, Daine and Numair, and a line of empty chairs in the back for the Gods if they so chose to arrive. Gwen looked past all of them to meet Ivan's eyes at the front. He smiled at her, curing at least part of her stage fright as she moved forward. Right before the dais Dom stopped her. They hugged tightly and then she waited for Ivan to come forward and shake Dom's hand before he took her hand in his to lead her up before the priestess.
She wasn't aware of much of what was going on until they got to their vows. Ivan said the traditional vows, binding himself to her before the gods and the many formidable witnesses in the room. Gwen on the other hand had had to get creative with her vows as nothing in this world could bind her the way he bound himself.
"Ivan, I cannot bind myself to you with promises to the gods. No god, man, or woman can bind me in oath in this world." She kept her eyes trained on his face. He had read her vows so he knew what she was saying. There was no surprise on his face. "So I bind myself to you with the one thing that I can assure you binds me to you and this world. I bind myself to you with all of the love in my heart and soul." She knew that was the only thing she could offer and it had already led her here when she had so adamantly not wanted a lover. Now she would have a husband. The priestess quickly sealed their vows with their rings and then announced their marriage to the room. The cheer that went up was enormous but they did have Third Company involved. Ivan gave her a good long kiss in front of everyone and then took her arm and pulled her down the aisle back towards the small room she had come from followed by Dom and Drew.
Now came the hard part of the evening. Gwen had to walk through the halls to the crystal ballroom where they would have a small more intimate celebration. Ivan's hand stayed firmly grasping hers as she was wrapped in a cloak of the same material the guards that patrolled her hallway wore. They had already tested it out and while magic did not work on her, it worked ON her. Those who looked at her would forget she had ever been there. Guests trickled off in different directions, all knowing to appear like they had not come from the same place nor where they apparently going to the same place.
Finally Ivan and Gwen received the okay to leave and they walked together through the halls and up to the small ballroom where they would be able to enjoy a small party in their honor with dinner and socializing. They would not dance at this time. That would be for the grand ball that would be held after the public wedding. So Gwen spent most of the night listening to those at the party compliment her strange style and tell her how beautiful she was before Ivan could take her back to their rooms to enjoy a night as husband and wife.
They received two lazy days in which the rest of the world was convinced they were getting ready for the madhouse that would be the wedding on Midsummer. They had already practiced the steps and Gwen and Ivan both knew what they had to say. They had to make vows as Godssent and her Hero. It would be a play for the world to believe was real. Dom had been a great help in writing the scripts of the ceremony. It seemed he did have the mind of a Player in place of Neal who only had the dramatic nature of a Player.
No one bothered them beyond the brief check in to assure they were still alive in those two days giving Ivan and Gwen plenty of time to discover how odd it was to hear the titles of husband and wife. But besides the titles, not much else changed. Ivan and Gwen had been sharing a bed and living space so long that they were very much aware of each other's tendencies and quirks.
On Midsummer, they held off getting ready until last minute. They didn't have to do anything truly special. Gwen was to wear her costume and Ivan his. This would be a performance of memorized lines which the two of them repeated back and forth as they bathed, dressed, armed, and prepared to leave the safety of their rooms. Briefly before they left, Ivan pulled Gwen into his arms to kiss her thoroughly. This would be taking place outside on a platform where they could cram thousands upon thousands of people around. It would be impossible to protect her from all attacks that could be planned or himself from all attacks that could be planned. They had known the difficulties when they had decided on marriage.
It was truly insane the amount of people that had shown up to see her married. Commoner and the Blue Blooded standing side by side on the lawn to witness such a momentous occasion that the gods had foretold. At least this time she and Ivan would walk together up the aisle as in the public view no one else was seemingly high enough ranked to be her escort. Dom and Roald had both offered to be the person at her side. She had considered Dom briefly but had decided against it. Roald would never have been an option despite being her friend. As he was the future ruler of Tortall it was purely on a political basis she turned him down as to not appear to be under Tortall's rule.
So, together hand in hand, they walked up a long winding aisle littered with white and yellow flowers with no guards around them and nothing but a long runner to mark the aisle. The people stood on either side, making a human wall that fell silent as they drew near and passed. By the time they reached the platform where the priestess stood, the crowd had fallen impossibly silent. Even the wild birds of nature seemed to not want to break the silence with their songs. It was in this silence the priestess started. Most of Ivan and Gwen's performance was in gestures rather than words while the priestess had her voice magically amplified so the crowds could hear. Whatever Ivan and Gwen did say was repeated by the priestess in order for everyone to know what exactly was happening. It took nearly half an hour to go through the entire ceremony but eventually they were named husband and wife. The silence over the crowds broke into a deafening cheer.
As Ivan took her arm to lead her off of the stage, Gwen thought about all of the things the night would hold for them. From here they would walk down the aisle, back into the castle, and into a grand ballroom where they would wine and dine with the political side of things and friends. Notable people from around the world and representatives of guilds, foreign royalty, the odd bard or two looking to make a tale of the wedding itself. After that, they would lead the way into yet another grand ballroom where they would take the first dance. Then and Ivan would take seats on a dais and listen to all of the wonderful wishes that people had for them in their lives together while others enjoyed the dance floor and festivities.
But they didn't make it past the edge of the platform. As they neared the place where Ivan would step down first and would turn to reach up for her, a shadow fell over them. Somewhere in the distance the cheers were turning to horrifying screams. While one lone hurrok was nothing to necessarily worry about, it was the man on its back that had people worried. Maggur himself rode alone with his armor glinting and his blade raised as he neared them. It wasn't her eyes he was meeting though as he drew nearer and it only took a few seconds for Gwen to realize he wasn't after her this time, he was after Ivan. He was going to use Ivan to control her, he was going to torture Ivan if she didn't come for him and do exactly as he wanted at all times. And as Maggur's hand came down to grab for Ivan's armored arm that still rested on hers, she realized quite plainly that she wasn't about to stand by and just let that happen. With force very few knew she had, she turned and shoved Ivan back off of the platform into the crowd. She saw the realization in his face for only a split second before the hand seized on her arm and suddenly she was going up and away. Before they could get too high, Maggur pulled her up in front of him, ensuring there was no escape and no chance she could accidentally fall to her death.
A/N: Okay so no evil kings came and stole me away from my husband on a hurrok during my wedding, thank goodness. But almost everything went off without a hitch and now I am a happily married woman hoping to get this story on a roll again. I appreciate those who gave nice wishes for my wedding and of course all of those who read, and those who review. You guys are awesome.