So, that Adam short… can someone just run him over with a truck already? Nah… that would be too easy. Also, apparently Ruby from the main series made it into Chibi… I was waiting for the series to come back to youtube, but I guess that's not going to happen. Now I got to test out the new site for real.

Real life thing, this is the first year in so many years where I don't have school! WOO! Bad news… no marching band… and I have to find an actual job… that's not going to be fun on multiple levels.

Oh, and I FINALLY created a spreadsheet with all the characters' ages and relationships. It gets complicated really quick, especially with all the time skips coming up...

"Yang, I don't feel so good." Ruby laid across the couch. She rested the back of her left hand across her head and her right palm on her stomach.

"You're fine." Yang laughed and gently punched Ruby's shoulder. "It's just nerves."

"No, Yang. I think I'm going to be sick."

No, you don't. Cerise hummed and one of her eyes appeared in the room's window. This is a big day for you. I believe it's natural to be nervous and excited at the same time for this.

"Maybe." Ruby clenched her eyes. "Ohhhh, I hope everything's ready."

"It's as good as it's going to get." Yang sat on the couch next to Ruby. "This day is about you and Aaron. That's what all of us are here for. Trust CFVY to get things done. You saw the plaza while coming in here. Everything looks great."

"But what if something happens that we're not expecting? Like… I could trip on the trail, or the Grimm attack, or the White Fang. Or… Or…"

Yang covered Ruby's mouth with one of her hands. One of the biggest and brightest smiles Ruby had ever seen graced her sister's face. "Come on, now you're reaching." She moved her hand from Ruby's mouth to a shoulder. "Nothing terrible is going to happen. You and Aaron are going to fly off for your honeymoon tonight for one of the best weeks of your lives. You two are going to be among the happiest you've ever been, only behind some time with your dragons. Maybe not even that."

Ruby sighed. "I know. I just… It's not just Remmartians out there. Brom, Queen Islanzadí, the diplomats the Alagaësians sent here, Oromis and Glaedr…" She shook her head. "Cerise, are Weiss and Saphira here yet?"

Weiss is on her way in. Cerise turned her head away. Velvet is taking pictures of the guys and Nalia now. I suppose I should go find Pyrrha and get into my armor.

"You do that. See you when it's time."

I'll be in your head if you need anything. Cerise disappeared from the window and the floor shook as she walked away.

About a minute later, the door to the room opened and Weiss stepped in carrying a garment bag, presumably with her own dress. She hung the bag on the wall and faced Ruby. Her legs shook, her top teeth bit her bottom lip, and her throat let out a high-pitched squeak. "Get off that couch and give me a hug!" She spread her arms out in invitation.

That got Ruby to smile. Excited Weiss was fun to be around. The soon to be married woman stood up and hugged her adopted sister. "So glad you're here, Weiss."

"There's no way I could miss this!" Weiss pulled away, but her hands found their way to Ruby's. "Business, shmisness. I'd take this before that any day."

Ruby giggled. "Thanks, sis."

Weiss let go of Ruby's hands and stepped back. She looked between Ruby and Yang. "Coco asked me to make you two look your best while she's working with Viki. I will do my part if it's the last thing I do."

"You won't need to do much with me, then." Yang smirked. "Ruby, on the other hand…"

Ruby elbowed Yang's gut. "You finish that thought, there's a lot more where that came from."

"You don't want me to say you need even less work?"

Ruby ran a hand behind her hair and flipped it. "That's what I thought."

"Okay, children," Weiss shook her head, "I'll take the bride first." She gestured at the makeup chair.

Ruby shivered in delight. She was still getting used to hearing herself called that. It felt so weird, yet so right. She skipped to the chair and sat down. "Need anything from me, Weiss?"

"Just sit back, relax, and don't touch your face." Weiss opened the makeup pack on the table beside her. "Also, when I'm working around the lower part of your face, try not to talk. I know that's hard for you."

Ruby smirked up at Weiss. "You and Yang are digging yourselves some pretty deep holes."

"I'm the one with the lipstick." Weiss twiddled a little red stick in her hands. "Do you want me to draw something on your face today?"

"No." Ruby bit down on her lips and sunk into her chair.

"Hm. That's what I thought." Weiss put that stick away and took out something else.

"Saphira find Fírnen yet?" Ruby asked.

Weiss froze for a second, then continued arranging several cosmetics on the table. "Yes. Right now, they're testing each other's strength… I think Saphira's enjoying it a little too much."

Ruby winced. "Yeah… You might want to find a transport to Armen tonight, or hope they fly far enough away."

"I love Saphira, but that is one part of her life that I want nothing to do with." Weiss shook her head and picked up what looked like foundation. "No more talking. I need to work." Ruby shut her mouth and let her partner do her work.

A short time into the makeover, Weiss turned Ruby's chair around and away from the mirror. Ruby was a little annoyed, but she went with it. Yang just sat on the couch with her hands behind her head. She made a few jabs at Ruby, which Weiss bounced a few things off as well. But after a while, those jabs became less common and were replaced with a few genuine heartfelt compliments.

A while later, Weiss stepped between the sisters and nodded. "Makeup done. Let's get you in your dress." Ruby started to turn back to the mirror, but her partner pulled her out of the chair. "You don't get to see how you look until we're all done."

Ruby didn't resist, but she cocked her head. "Weiss, it's Aaron that doesn't get to see me before I walk down the aisle, not me."

"Don't worry, you will. I'm just saving the reveal for the final product. I thought you'd appreciate that."

"You have a point." Ruby walked behind the divider while Weiss closed the blinds and curtains for the room.

"You need help getting that on, sis?" Yang called.

"I shouldn't, but I'm sure Weiss is going to want to make a few adjustments before I step out there." Ruby zipped open her garment bag and her heart fluttered. Coco did an amazing job on it. The bride stripped out of her combat attire and donned the dress, as best as she could anyway. Weiss helped with a few things, the trail in particular.

When Weiss was satisfied, she stepped back and held her hands palms together in front of her mouth. A large smile grew behind her hands. She nodded and locked eyes with her sister. "Ruby, you're beautiful. Aaron won't be able to get this image of you out of his head for a long time."

Ruby looked down at herself and nodded. "Yeah. I don't think so."

"That's not the only outfit you'll wear today that he'll remember you in!" Yang called, adding in a booming laugh.

"Aaaaaand it's started." Ruby slumped and she felt her cheeks burn… the thing was, Yang wasn't wrong. The bride sighed and straightened up. She walked around the divider and faced her sister. Yang was doing something on her Scroll. "Well sis, how do I look?"

Yang looked up from her Scroll and her jaw dropped, along with her Scroll. She covered her mouth with a hand and stood up. "It's happening. My baby sister's all grown up." She pulled her hand away revealing a huge smile. She wiped a tear from her eye. "My baby sister's getting married…" She scoffed. "You're getting married before I have a serious boyfriend."

"That's not exactly a bad thing." Ruby hugged her sister who eagerly returned it. "Thanks for being here the whole way. No matter what happens or where Aaron and I go or do, you'll always be my awesome big sister."

"You're welcome, amazing little sister."

With one last squeeze, Ruby pulled away. "Have you ever been on a date since he-who-shall-not-be-named at Signal?" Ruby put her hands on her hips.

Yang shook her head. "Nope. There weren't any real guys I knew at Beacon that weren't already taken first semester. After that, Halcyon was enough." She pat the box on her hip. "Still is."

But you said that like you were a little jealous, Halcyon teased.

"Hey, with how Aaron looks at Ruby, It would be nice to have someone look at me like that."

Ruby put a hand on Yang's shoulder. "You'll find someone, sis."

"Maybe. I think I'm starting to get how Pyrrha felt when she first came to Beacon."

If you ever need a wingman, Halcyon hummed, I'm right here.

Ruby squeezed Yang's shoulder and smirked. "Brom's single."

Yang blinked, then stuck her tongue out. "Ew. No thanks."

"You are going to be spending a lot of time together today." Ruby released her sister and held her hands away from her body. "You're Maid of Honor, he's Best Man…" The bride shrugged. "It's tradition for people in those positions to dance with each other."

"Oh gosh." Yang hung her head and held it with both hands. "Why didn't we have a rehearsal?"

Ruby slumped again. "Because Aaron told the Queen we were getting married today and we didn't have time for a rehearsal… anyway, that's only for the wedding itself, not the reception." She shook her head and faced the mirror. She still hadn't seen what she looked like.

The bride stepped in front of the glass and gasped. She brought a hand up to the side of her face but refrained from making contact to not mess up anything. Ruby kept herself from smiling too hard for the same reason. "Weiss, you and Coco are miracle workers."

"We try." Weiss nodded at Yang. "Your turn. You shouldn't take as long."

"Huh. Looks like I was right at the beginning." Yang sat in the chair in front of the mirror. "It's Ruby's day, don't let me take any attention off her." She paused. "Why's Coco working with Viki and you're working with us?"

"Viki asked for Coco. They have experience together. I wasn't going to intrude on that. Plus, Coco made it sound like she wanted to take her time with Viki."

"This is only the second time she's been to a wedding…" Ruby refrained from saying 'as a free person.' No one needed to be depressed on her wedding day. "I'm just glad she's taking the pampering in stride, not pushing it away or expecting it at every turn."

"There is that." Yang looked over her shoulder at Ruby while Weiss was still getting set up. "What're you thinking about for pre-wedding pictures?"

"Of course some of the traditional serious ones, some fun ones, a few of just me and you, me and Viki… all of us Huntresses with our weapons."

Weiss snapped her head toward the bride, her jaw agape. She sighed and returned to her work. "Of course, you'd want that."

"Thank you for your patience, guys," Velvet said as she put her camera back in its box. "I've got to go find the girls now. See you all at the ceremony." She turned around and walked toward the other side of Beacon.

Aaron sighed. "That went better than I expected." He looked at his Best Man and Groomsman. Jaune wore a tuxedo similar to the one he originally wore at the dance all those years ago, while Aaron and Brom changed into Alagaësian formal wear consisting of gold embroidered tunics and jerkins. Aaron's took some Remmartian influence with green strips encasing the gold. Whether the connection was intentional or not, Brom's was mainly the color of his Saphira's wingtips.

"I am still unsure why she had us in all those positions," Brom crossed his arms. "There certainly are odd traditions here."

"She was taking pictures," Jaune explained. "They're on that tan box with the circle of glass. She can get them developed and they can be on paper by the end of the day."

"It's sort of like a Fairth. Watch." Aaron reached up Nalia's side and pulled his Scroll out of a saddlebag. He took a quick picture of his dragon in her custom-made armor and turned away. He pulled that picture up and showed Brom. "This is what she sees, only her pictures are a lot better than mine."

Nalia snorted. I should hope so. She shook her body like a dog but her armor never made a sound. You just pointed and clicked. She actually took time to make us all look good.

Brom stared at the picture a little more then turned toward the city. "I should not be surprised. If anyone can build a city like that, they are capable of almost anything."

"I wouldn't be so sure." Aaron crossed his arms and stared out over the city. "There are quite a few things we can do that people here can't believe."

"Like jumping between dimensions like its nothing," Jaune chipped in.

Then there's my armor. Nalia looked herself over. The armor was perfectly molded around her body. The designs on each of the plates resembled intertwined branches and scales. Rhunön's work never ceases to amaze.

"Indeed." Brom nodded. "This is after a century of never forging dragon armor."

"We have a saying here," Jaune started, "just like riding a bike."

Aaron faced his old friend. "That translates to something that someone can pick something up again after years and be just as good at it when they originally stopped."

Brom nodded. "Either way, that's a fine set of armor."

It feels lighter than my Remmartian set. Nalia stood up and spread her wings. The armor covering her wing bones slid past each other without making a sound. She snorted. I believe this armor could take more damage too, and that's without the shield tech.

"That's not in there too, is it?" Jaune asked with his shoulders sagging.

Of course. Nalia blinked, and a blue shine glowed to life over her wings. Rhunön included all features of Atlas' armor, with Ruby's and Yaela's help.

Jaune sighed. "Why am I surprised around any of you anymore? You make the impossible possible all the time."

"That's not even magic. That's connections." Aaron shrugged.

"This is a strange shield." Brom walked forward and reached up for the shielded wing. Nalia lowered it so the man could actually touch it. The former Rider ran his hand over the surface of the shield. "Fascinating. It's like glass, but with… I do not know how to explain it."

"It has a bit of an electrical tingle when touching it like that." Aaron approached his friend's side. "But when something comes at it with any speed, it will be deflected out of the way."

Jaune picked a rock off the ground. "Nalia, you mind if I demonstrate?"

By all means. Nalia lifted the wing the two Riders stood by.

Jaune reeled his right arm back, then launched the rock forward. It hit the shield, and with an audible zap, it bounced off faster than it hit. Jaune ducked and the rock flew over his head. "And sometimes it does something like that."

Wasn't me. Nalia snorted. I don't control how these things deflect.

"If you could," Aaron placed a hand on his dragon's snout, "you'd truly be the most dangerous creature on Remnant, not that you aren't already." Nalia hummed and puffed her chest out.

Brom looked past Nalia at the growing crowd on the westernmost courtyard of Beacon's campus. "I must say, some of the men here have better formal wear than many nobles in Alagaësia. Certainly better than what we have."

"We figured that would happen." Aaron gazed over the crowd as well. There were certainly more people from Remnant there, but those from Alagaësia were about as high ranked as they could get. Everyone that originally came to Remnant was in the crowd, with the addition of Queen Islanzadí and a small entourage. Among the Remmartians, only Glynda came close to that tier since Blake's parents couldn't make it and Ruby didn't want Ozpin anywhere near the wedding. "But at the same time, we figured we'd make this symbolic. The first couple from both sides. So here we are."

"May I assume that was your idea?" Brom asked as the three humans and the dragon walked over.

"Actually no. It was hers. She's starting to grow into the symbolism of things. As much as she doesn't like it, her short time in Remmartian politics is helping her."

"Don't tell her that," Jaune said. "I think we all like you in one piece."

"I should know. I'm marrying her in an hour." Aaron nearly tripped over his own feet. "I'm… marrying her in an hour."

"It just hit you?"

"Yeah." Aaron faced Jaune. "You've been in my place before. Is the realization a recurring thing?"

Jaune nodded. "It kept hitting me until that night."

"Good to know."

After a few moments of silence, Brom asked, "What do we do while waiting for the ceremony to start?"

"Since I am allowed to socialize with wedding guests," Aaron started, "I would assume the two of you are too."

"It's also our job to make sure that Aaron doesn't see Ruby until she walks down the aisle," Jaune added. "Pyrrha and some of my sisters were a bit overzealous when it came to that."

"I don't think I've heard this." Aaron crossed his arms. "What happened?"

"My oldest sister tackled me to the ground and held me there for a while until Pyrrha passed. Of course, Pyrrha apologized the whole way, but Carmine kept me pinned with her hands over my eyes."

"Carmine's the only one of them that's a Huntress, right?"

"Yeah. She's good. But I haven't heard from her in a while."

"I can probably expect that from Yang too… and Weiss." Aaron sighed and shook his head. "Brom, do you know when you're going to rejoin the Riders?"

Brom hesitated. "The Kingdom is stable. I would imagine I will be able to join you and the others in the next few months. It will be strange to be training new Riders."

"Yeah. Who would have thought the two of us would end up being teachers?"

Brom put on a small smile. "She would laugh at the thought."

"What, were the two of you troublemakers?" Jaune asked in a joking voice.

All four of us were, Nalia said. By Yang's standards, we were pretty tame. Compared to the other Riders, not so much.

Jaune blinked. "I guess I just can't see either of you being that loose."

"Those were different times." Aaron sighed. "Well, let's get out there." When they reached the crowd, everyone relaxed. Aaron spoke primarily with Tai and Qrow. Of course, they both threatened to do terrible things to him if he ever hurt Ruby, but it was nothing he hadn't heard before from them or Yang. But there was something different about Qrow. He stood up straight, his words weren't nearly as crude or slurred… there wasn't the smell of alcohol either. "Qrow, are you sober?"

"I know," Qrow said in an unusual for him chipper voice. "It's weird. But this is one thing that I definitely I want to remember clearly, no interference."

Aaron shook his head. "I didn't think I'd ever think that someone not drinking would be sweet. I'm pretty sure Ruby's going to convince you to stay like this." He paused. Or Summer, he added mentally to the other two.

Qrow winced. "I'm not sure which of those is scarier."

"Considering Ruby has both their personalities," Tai glared at Qrow, "I'd say your niece."

"He has a point." Aaron looked past the two older men. Queen Islanzadí was walking over to him. "Excuse me. I need to speak with the Queen." He walked past his soon to be future relatives and to the Queen of the elves.

Aaron was prepared to speak about Remmartian politics or other such things with the Queen, but Islanzadí mentioned no such thing. She only gave her congratulations and asked about any plans the Riders had for the future. First off, Aaron had to explain the concept of a honeymoon. Then he said the basics of what he had planned, some of which Ruby didn't even know.

After a few minutes of that, Aaron introduced Islanzadí to Tai and Qrow. Of course, Tai was ever the gentleman to the Queen while Qrow was tripping over his own words. It looked like what he wanted to say was grossly different from what he did. It appeared that at least some of Qrow's crass language came from him being sober. At least he knew when to keep his mouth shut.

After a little more time into the conversation, the crowd started migrating in the seats. Qrow and Islanzadí followed the crowd while Tai walked off elsewhere. Aaron also picked out Weiss and Blake walking in with their own significant others. It looked like the rest of JNPR was already seated, sitting on the edge with Nora in her wheelchair. Velvet stood just inside the arch with camera in hand. A large assortment of dragons laid in the back too. That left the wedding party minus Ruby waiting outside the flowered arch.

Aaron faced his sister. Viki wore the same earth tone dress the elves gave her in Ellesméra. The makeup Coco helped with brought out her shining green eyes even more. "Viki, you look beautiful."

"Thank you, brother." Viki's cheeks gained another shade of red. "But you should see Ruby. She's heavenly."

"Not for a few more minutes." Yang put a hand on Viki's shoulder. "Don't get ahead of yourself." She craned her neck. "And here comes Coco with the last things."

Aaron turned his head around. Coco was walking over with several bouquets in hand and two little rabbit Faunus kids behind her, two of Velvet's cousins, one boy, one girl. As Coco got close, she half snarled at Aaron. "What are you still doing here?" She growled. "You're supposed to come in from the side with Goodwitch."

"Oh! Right! Sorry." Aaron turned jogged around the crowd. He completely forgot about this part. How many other things did he screw up by making this so early? He managed to get around the chairs and find Glynda without drawing too much attention to himself. Surprisingly, Glynda wore what she did at all other points. "Sorry I'm late," Aaron said, hoping he didn't sound too winded.

"Late to your own wedding?" There was a little humor in Glynda's voice, another rarity. "I would expect something of the sort from Yang, but not you."

"I would have been here sooner… but I forgot about this part." Aaron shook his head. "We really should have had a rehearsal like Yang said."

"Then next time don't return from another dimension with already having announced a date and not consulting your future wife."

Aaron shivered. "There won't be a next time."

Glynda smiled… where was this woman when the Riders were at Beacon? "I do not believe there will be." The music changed in the adjoining courtyard. "That is our cue." Glynda turned toward the courtyard and approached the temporary altar.

Aaron followed right behind her. As soon as he stopped in his assigned place, the feeling hit him again. This is it. I'm getting married. He faced up the aisle. Brom and Yang stood arm in arm under the arch and started to walk forward. Before the Fall, those two would have gotten along well. Now, they had something shared that no one should, and they really had few things in common… then again, on the surface, neither did Aaron and Ruby. The Best Man and the Maid of Honor took their places in front of the altar.

Viki and Jaune were the next down the aisle. Of course, Jaune was calm and collected. But Viki… Viki held her head high with an enormous smile on her face. There was no hesitation in her steps, no weakness. She showed no signs of her previous imprisonment. It was amazing what a year in Ruby's care could do for a person. The Bridesmaid and Groomsman took their positions behind their counterparts. Aaron smiled and nodded at his sister while he extended his mind back toward Jaune. Thank you for looking after my sister.

Don't thank me too much, Jaune thought. Yang and Coco gave her quite the mini pep talk.

Then Cerise and Nalia landed just behind the arch. It wasn't hard enough to shake the ground. Their armor styles contrasted each other in their artistic style, Alagaësian decoration for Nalia, Remmartian cleanliness for Cerise. Each of them walked up either side of the audience and stood on their Rider's side of the altar. Cerise stared at Aaron with love that before had only been directed at her own Rider.

The ring bearer and flower girl passed with little note. Aaron only met Velvet's young cousins the day before, but he could tell they were good kids. He focused on the rose petals on the ground. What were the odds that Ruby made those herself?

The music changed again and everyone in the audience rose to their feet. Aaron raised his head and his eyes rested on his bride. Ruby and her dad stood arm in arm under the arch, and the two started down the aisle. She wore a beautiful rose red dress with black patterns forming a combination of rose petals and dragon scales, yet it was subtle enough that it wasn't distracting from her face. The silver eyeshadow made Ruby's silver eyes pop even more. Her lips and ends of her hair also matched her dress. Ruby's raised cheekbones and slightly slanted eyes stuck out more than usual as well. Aaron sent a tendril of his mind toward his bride, just enough to feel her emotions. Ruby was just as joyful, excited, and nervous as he was, with the joy part taking prominence. She and her father stopped just in front of the rows of chairs.

Aaron stepped away from the altar and walked toward the pair. He focused on his future father-in-law. That was the first time he saw tears in the older man's eyes. "Taiyang Xiao Long, may I take your daughter's hand?"

Tai nodded. "You may." He took his arm out of the loop formed by Ruby's and held his hand toward the groom. "Congratulations, Aaron."

Aaron took the offered hand. "Thanks… dad." It felt weird on his tongue, but at the same time felt right.

Tai pulled Aaron into a quick hug then pulled away. He faced his daughter and placed a hand on her shoulder. He kissed Ruby on the cheek. "I'm so proud of you. I love you, Ruby."

"Love you too, dad." Ruby returned the kiss then hugged her dad. A few seconds later she pulled away and faced Aaron. She giggled and made a loop with right her arm again. "Well Aaron, time's wasting."

"Indeed, it is." Aaron his hooked right arm through her left. The couple approached the altar and faced Glynda.

Sometime in all that, the music stopped. Glynda looked over both Aaron and Ruby. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to celebrate the holy matrimony between Aaron Benson and Ruby Rose…"

"This everything we need from home?" Aaron asked Ruby, his wife.

Ruby looked over the bags and suitcases secured to Cerise' saddle. "I think it is. I think we're good."

Coco sighed behind the married couple. "Finally! I'm done!" Aaron and Ruby turned to face their wedding planner and director. "I love you guys, but if either of you dump a time constraint on me like that again, I will beat you with my purse until you're bruised and bloodied and leave you high and dry."

Aaron and Ruby exchanged look, then faced Coco again. "Thank you so much for your help, Coco," Ruby said. "We couldn't have done this without you."

"You know it." Coco saluted Ruby and turned around. "If anyone needs me, I'll be in a bar getting plastered."

Aaron messed up his lips. "Yang and Qrow already beat you to it." He looked inside Beacon's ballroom to where both people he mentioned leaned against a wall hiccupping and talking about something only they understood. "They going to be okay?"

"Blake said she'll take them back in her Bullhead," Ruby said. "They'll be fine." She brought a hand to the side of her head. "I'm not forgetting anything, am I?"

"Oromis and Glaedr know they're in charge with us out of communication. I can't think of anything else."

"Okay. I think that's about right." Ruby smiled and locked eyes with Aaron. "Well, husband, shall we get going to our honeymoon?"

"I would like that." Aaron nodded. "But I am wondering why you wanted to put all our luggage on Cerise."

"Oh, just something I told Rhunön to put in the armor. It'll only be used once but oh well." Ruby's smile grew and she cocked her head. "Plus, I'd like us to be together on this flight. I don't care how long the flight to Mistral is."

Aaron returned the smile. "I'm okay with this."

Nalia hummed and lowered her head to the Riders' level. I am honored to take you on your first flight together. I hope your time together helps you two get even closer. She nuzzled both Riders' heads at the same time and had four arms wrap around her snout.

That doesn't mean I won't be right there. Cerise walked in across from Nalia. She licked Ruby's cheek first, then Aaron's. You two are going to have such a good time.

"Thanks, you two," Ruby chirped.

"Something tells me you two will find ways to keep us happy for a long time."

Nalia pulled her head out of the tangle of arms. We're not going to get to your honeymoon while standing around here. She turned her side to the Riders. Climb on.

Aaron climbed up first and fit his helmet over his head. Ruby grabbed her own helmet from Cerise saddle, then approached Nalia. Aaron extended a hand to his wife. Ruby grabbed the offered hand and her husband pulled her up. She wrapped her arms around Aaron's waist and leaned on his back.

I hope you're ready back there. Nalia raised her wings. We aren't stopping until we reach Mistral City. She jumped and plunged her wings down. She soared over Beacon and angled toward Vale.

Ruby took her left arm off Aaron and reached for something on the side of the saddle. "Nalia, you might feel a bit of a drag." She flipped a switch and something flew out of the back of the saddle. It jerked Nalia back a little.

The dragon yelped and turned her head back. What is that?

Aaron turned his head back as well. A banner now flew behind Nalia, just above her tail. Aaron couldn't tell what the closest word was, but the farthest one was 'Just.' "Ruby, did you ask Rhunön to make a 'Just Married' banner to fly behind us?"

"Yes. Yes, I did." Aaron could hear the smile on Ruby's face, even though he couldn't see it through her helmet. "Like I said on Mellen, I wasn't going to confirm or deny any relationship until it became permanent." She cocked her head. "I'd say we're permanent now."

Aaron stared at Ruby, then nodded. He turned his head back to Nalia's. "You mind dragging this?"

Not really. But something will need to be done before I turn on my jets. How about a circle around the city before we head to Mistral?

Fine with me, Cerise said.

"This way it's us revealing… us," Ruby started, "not people talking and setting up conspiracy theories. Show away."

Be ready to cut that loose or bring it in. Nalia faced her direction of travel and began to curve around the city. Aaron watched the ground for any activity. He couldn't pick out people's faces on the ground, so he couldn't judge people's reactions, but he could tell that a lot of people raised their heads toward the dragons. He saw a few flashes on the ground below, so there would be something on the CCT later.

Once Nalia completed the circle of the city, she faced and flew east. Ruby reached for the same switch as before and flipped it back. The banner behind them was pulled back into its hidden compartment. "There. It's out. Now we don't need to worry about being seen together anymore." She wrapped her arms around Aaron again. "No more worries."

Aaron leaned as far forward in the saddle as he could, Ruby's top half coming with him. He secured his arms to the saddle. "Hold on, Ru. You're not exactly secure back there."

Ruby tightened her grip. "I'll only go if you go."

I'll take that as my cue. Hold on tight. Nalia locked her wings in place and spun her engines up to full speed.

Aaron brushed his mind against Ruby's. So, we've got a few hours. What do we want to talk about?

Fox said he could make it, right? Ruby asked. I didn't see him, and no one on his team knows where he is.

He wasn't there. We didn't hear anything back at all from Rosie, did we?

No. Ruby sighed. Fox was on mission, and Rosie could be too. We didn't exactly give them a long time to respond. She paused. At the same time, just about everyone was there. I think there were even more than we were expecting.

I know we did. I didn't expect Islanzadí to bring so many elves. I guess that's not the worst problem to have.

I'd say so. Ruby rubbed her helmet against Aaron's, then she slumped on him. It's not the same… Hey, can we try something?

If it doesn't mess up Nalia's flight, sure.

It's something Cerise and I have done when one of us was stressed out or when we needed it for another reason. I wouldn't be surprised if you and Nalia had something similar. I guess it's like a mental hug… or cuddle.

Okay, I trust you. Aaron let all the defenses around his head fall. Then in a way he had only felt from Nalia before, Ruby's mind flooded into his. He took a deep breath, let it out, and relaxed. Ruby was right. From her, it felt more on the cuddly side of things, and it didn't feel like she was going to let go any time soon. Ruby, I love you.

I love you too, Aaron. Ruby squeezed tighter with her arms and her mind 'cuddled' a little closer.

The rest of the flight through the night had much of the same. Aaron and Ruby exchanged compliments, jokes, and their favorite moments of the day. They both agreed that seeing normally serious elves line dancing was bordering on hilarious. They both noticed that Saphira and Fírnen left early and that Weiss and Arya couldn't look at each other after that. Both of them also enjoyed watching the stars fly by in the night and watching the shattered moon run across the sky. After a while, Ruby drifted off to sleep. Aaron was tired as well, but he had to stay awake to keep Ruby in the saddle

A little after they flew over Anima, the sun started to rise. A few hours later, the mountain of Mistral city rose on the horizon. Nalia's engines spun down and her wings unlocked. Ruby stirred and groaned on Aaron's back. "Are we there yet?" Ruby asked, her voice audible over the lighter wind.

"Just about. The city's right in front of us."

Some of the pressure disappeared from Aaron's back as Ruby sat up. "Oh. There it is. Where were you able to get us a place?"

Aaron turned his head back so he could see Ruby's helmet. "The honeymoon suite at the Grand Madison across the canyon from the waterfall."

Ruby's helmet jerked so the visor centered on Aaron's. "No! How? The place is booked for the next five months!"

"The couple that was booked for the next three weeks canceled. The hotel didn't say why, and I didn't ask. Whatever the reason, the place is ours for the next week and a half."

"I'll take it!" Ruby bounced in the saddle. "Oh, this is going to be a great honeymoon!"

"I hope so." Aaron rubbed the back of his neck. "I tried to make this memorable with some of the things I had planned. I just hope you'll like them as much as I do."

"I trust you." Ruby squeezed Aaron's shoulder.

Attention passengers, Nalia spoke for the first time in hours, we are approaching your dream honeymoon destination. Please keep all limbs on the saddle or your husband until we touch down. Thank you for flying Air Nalia.

"Don't need to tell me twice." Ruby leaned forward and hugged Aaron from behind again.

"Nalia, are you tired?" Aaron asked.

Very. I've been awake for almost twenty-four hours, a third of those I've flown with stiff wings. I am going to find a cave, block the entrance, and sleep for as long as I want.

You deserve it. Aaron freed his arms from the saddle straps and pat his dragon's neck.

Thank you. Soon after, Nalia landed in the park across the street from the hotel, with Cerise following suit. Aaron took off his helmet and clipped it to the saddle. Ruby slid off Nalia's back and took off her own helmet. She clipped that to Cerise saddle while Aaron dismounted Nalia. The newlyweds took their luggage off Cerise' back. As soon as the last bag was off, the dragons looked at each other, then flew off in different directions. Aaron thought he knew why.

The Riders brought all their luggage into the hotel and checked in. Quite a few people in the lobby stared at them and brought out their Scrolls, but Aaron ignored them. Some of the hotel staff and security put themselves between the newlyweds and the crowd. When the Riders got their room keys, Aaron nodded at their makeshift security.

Aaron and Ruby rode the elevator to the top floor, with Ruby leaning on Aaron's left side. They walked down the hall to their room. Aaron put the key in and pushed open the door. He blinked when he saw the heart-shaped hot tub next to the bed. He just knew Ruby like the location, not about that. At least the rest of the bathroom was sealed away.

The new husband looked around the room. Aside from the tub, there was a large bed and a couch. Aaron set his bags down by the couch, ready to claim it for the week. Ruby giggled behind him. "You don't need to do that, Aaron."

"What... oh." Aaron turned around. Ruby stood by the bed with her bags sitting right beside it. "Sorry. Habit."

Ruby giggled a little more. "Still a gentleman." She faced the wall of floor to ceiling windows directly across from the door. "Oooh! That view!" Ruby walked through the one door in the wall. Aaron followed his wife right away. The couple looked out over the city of Mistral, or more importantly, the massive waterfall on the other side of the canyon. The view was better than Aaron thought it would be.

Ruby joined him at his side a second later. She sighed and grabbed Aaron's right hand. "It's beautiful."

"Yes, it is." Aaron turned his head to Ruby. "As are you."

Ruby giggled. "Thank you." She leaned in and Aaron met her halfway as they kissed each other. They pulled back for only a second before their eyes met again and they kissed each other again. They stayed like that for a while, only coming apart to reposition and hug each other, pulling their spouse close.

Aaron felt something change in him, something that he never felt before. He also grew hotter as time went on. Normally he hated heat, but this felt right. He knew what this meant. After a while of this, he pulled away and locked eyes with his wife. "Ru?"

"Yes, Aaron?"

"Do you want to… make a baby?"

Ruby's eyes widened and her cheeks burned red. She looked away for about half a second letting a smile form before locking eyes again. She nodded. "Yes, I do. I definitely do."

Oh gosh, I'm going to regret writing that last bit aren't I…