Hello!
I am afraid to say that we have finally reached the very last chapter in this fic, So I hope you've enjoyed reading this story, as much as I have writing it and I'll see you at the bottom of the chapter again!
Important notice actually, Viper will be called Yu Yan in this chapter at least once, since that is her real name and Crane's is Susu, so read carefully.
Six months later
"Seams like it wasn't that long ago since I was doing this for you." Smiled Viper, as Tigress fixed two white Chinese roses to her head instead of the usual pink lotus blossoms.
"True," Tigress chuckled, dropping the satin veil over Viper's head. "Did Crane really want to plan the wedding?"
"Yep," Sighed Viper with a fond smile. "But I think eventually he gave in."
"Thank goodness for that, you ready?" Tigress smiled, placing the make up compact away smartly in a wooden draw.
"Uh hu, if a little nervous. I'm sure everything will go perfectly though; I have this feeling." Viper nodded confidently.
"Come on then, like you said before mine, we don't want to appear too fashionably late." Tigress replied, dusting down her long gold dress, detailed in white.
"Of course," Viper responded, slithering across the room and into the hallway, Tigress following close behind.
They wandered silently through the barracks, each's thoughts confined to their mind, and climbed into the carriage they had, not to long ago, climbed into to for Tigress's wedding.
Down the cobbled path it crunched, bobbling up and down.
"I wish Susan was here," Viper sighed after some time of silence, her tail fiddling in the bouquet of flowers on the chair beside her.
"Me too," Tigress frowned. "But let's try not to think about that today, it's yours and Crane's day today."
Tigress knew this was impossible for Viper to do. Asking Viper to think about herself was like asking Monkey not to prank anyone, for at least an hour, completely unachievable at all costs.
Viper nodded bracingly but she still bit the inside of her lip in concern as the carriage pulled into the new forest.
They clambered out and at once headed for the tree stump where the lotus flower had been growing, in one sweep Tigress tugged it and the atmosphere changed.
From cold and dark to clear and bright, the aisle was paved in roses, the arch, where the groom and bride would be wed, was white painted wrought iron, ivy and rose vines coiling up it.
The sky was a breath-taking deep pink and gold, scattering the last beads of glittering sunlight over the close.
"Yu Yan!"
Viper and Tigress twisted around to see Viper's little sisters barging over to them.
"Hi Maya, Hi Lucy, Veena!" Viper greeted excitedly while Tigress watched with a smile at the cute young girls.
"Mama won't stop crying so we had to practically drag her here." Lucy, the youngest of the triplets, sighed.
"I expected that." Viper smiled. "Where's father?"
"Oh, I don't know," Lucy sighed turning to the other two for help in answering Viper's query.
"I think he was discussing something with Mother about what will happen to the Viper palace estate." Maya replied smartly, acting, as always, as if she was much older than the other two, despite the time gap between them being mere minutes.
"The Viper palace estate?" Tigress cut in, looking curious.
"Of course, when Father dies, the estate has to go to somebody, and since I'm the eldest, it'll be mine, and Crane's too after the marriage." Viper explained to a confused Tigress.
"Ohhhh, have you told Crane that?"
"Of course." Viper sniffed and she turned to her sisters again. "Don't let mother cry to much alright, we don't want the forest to flood." She joked, patting them on the head sweetly, to which they all slithered off wincing and looking embarrassed.
"It's starting!" Po cried, racing over to them down the aisle.
Meanwhile, Crane's mother was giving Crane am extremely long lecture about marriage.
"Mum, everything's going to be ok, tell me later please." He replied, he could feel his heart in his throat and his breathing quicken from nerves.
"Susu, listen to me! these are all very important things you need to know! Apart from everything, I suppose Miss Viper's told you about the Viper estate?" Crane's mother asked curiously.
"Yeah, we've discussed it but only quickly, Mum I really need to be standing on the hill right now." Crane replied in a haste.
"Alright, alright, I love you, don't faint from nerves like your father did!" she called unhelpfully after him.
"You may now kiss the bride!" Mantis crowed excitedly from his pedestal.
Crane was dressed in black and white and he'd swapped his usual rice hat for one spray painted dark red with gold feathers coming out of it, His round eyes starring graciously at Viper from under it.
Viper was only wearing white Chinese roses on her head and a satin veil. But Crane always thought the most beautiful feature on her was her ocean-like eyes anyway, so he was ecstatic anyway when the veil was peeled back to show them glinting beautifully at him in a most caring nature, only Viper could show through her eyes.
Crane and Viper were inches from each other when there was an enormous flash of gold light at the back of the seats for the congregation, and Susan, back in her usual black dress and hat, fell clumsily onto the ground with a thump.
"Ow!" she wined, scratching her head, while the entire population of people at the wedding gaped at her.
Monkey blinked an then shook his head, expecting her to disappear from his vision, just like the other times he'd imagined seeing her, but she didn't and in an instant, he completely forgot about the wedding, galloped over to her and kissed her passionately.
The other warriors, bar Viper who had known from the start, gaped and Crane's beak fell wide open, the audience at the wedding simply looked confused.
"You're alive!" Monkey screeched, hugging her tightly.
"I had no idea I would turn up here, I'm so sorry guys." Susan chuckled nervously toward Crane and Viper, who were so glad to see her again they'd completely forgotten about the wedding.
They all collapsed around her in a great big hug, which was more like a dog pile and started bombarding her with questions.
"Geez guys, one at a time." She laughed, hugging everyone.
"I don't understand, when Po died, he came back after just minutes." Tigress inquired. "It's been six months since you died."
"Po's the Dragon Warrior." Susan replied, as if that settled the situation.
She then turned to look at Viper and Crane and then at Viper's family and Crane's mother.
"Sorry!" she winced. "I honestly had no idea this was going on."
"It's absolutely fine! You're back and that's what matters!" Crane grinned and Viper nodded along with him.
Susan chuckled slightly, but still felt all the other audiences eyes on her, so she dragged Monkey to the side to watch the rest of the wedding from a distance.
Crane and Viper headed back to the mossy green and the wedding resumed, they kissed and the audience erupted into cheers, and sobs if you're Viper's mother.
"Just out of curiosity," Monkey began, leaning over so he could whisper in Susan's ear. "Would you marry me?"
Susan practically doubled over in silent laughter. "Is that how you're asking me to marry you? In whispers, at someone else's wedding? No ring or grand gesture?"
"No, I'm asking would you marry me if I asked?"
Susan mockingly pretended to look like she was thinking about it and then cried; "Of course I would you silly sausage, but you'd have to make a grand gesture to me, with a ring." She smirked.
"Done." Monkey chuckled and then he remembered something. "I did a drawing for you, of all the creatures in the world, well the ones I know at least."
"Thank you." Susan smiled gratefully. "That's really kind, especially since you though you'd never be able to give it to me."
"Well, yeah. When Po died he re-appeared almost immediately, when you died…. it's been six months." Monkey replied grimly.
"I know, but the spirits said I couldn't return for a while, I'm sorry." Susan apologised, sniffing and turning to face the wedding gain where she could see Viper and Crane being told something important, from the looks on their faces, by Viper's father.
"The spirits?" Monkey asked, looking curious.
"Yeah, anyway about this drawing, what animals have you done?"
"Um, Elephants, Horses, Rabbits, Flamingo's~"
"You did a Flamingo?" Susan cut in. "Did it look like a sheep?"
"I think I'll let you be the judge of that!" Monkey chuckled nervously, second guessing how good his drawings actually were.
"And so it's all a very important business, you'll have to really be up to the task." Grand Master Viper finally finished his monologue on taking care of the estate.
"Alright I think they get it dear." Lady Viper cut in, dragging Grand Master Viper away by the tail, glancing apologetically at Crane and Viper. "Come on dear, off we go."
"Wow, well that was…." Crane began, unsure of what to say so he didn't offend Viper.
"Ridiculous." Viper finished in a bark or laughter. "Well, I think this wedding went rather well, don't you think?"
"Oh certainly, I'm so glad Susan's back." Crane smiled. "Monkey's ecstatic."
"As he should be," Viper commented expressively. "They're so perfect together! I hope he proposes to her too!"
"I hope he doesn't teach her the best way to prank everyone when they get up." Groaned Crane in reply, a fond smile playing on his beak, to which Viper chuckled heartily.
Hello!
I hope you enjoyed this story; it was great fun to write.
Thank you to everyone for their amazing support, it really makes my day.
And what a project this has been, twenty-seven chapters, 39,417 words and counting!
Stay well everyone and stay positive!
xx