Author note: Happy Easter my dearest readers! I hope you're ready for some mush, because Meg and Anomen are finally gonna tie the knot in this chapter ^-^
oxoxoxoxoxo
As he stood in the dining hall, surrounded by his friends, Anomen had to admit to himself that Edwin knew his business when it came to stylish clothes. All of the men were clothed in perfectly tailored suits with the same simple, yet elegant design, but in different colors: Anomen's was light blue with silver trimmings; Minsc's was dark blue with dark green trimmings; Sarevok's was a light brown with amber trimmings; Yoshimo's was completely black; of course, Edwin's was blood red with golden trimmings, the only colors fitting for a Red Wizard and even Boo had dressed up for the occasion, proudly displaying a small black bow tie around his little neck.
The women were, in the Helmite's opinion, definitely not so lucky: because of Imoen's insistence, now the pink-haired thief, Aerie and Jaheira were clothed in long bright pink gowns with so many frills and ribbons on them that, at a quick glance, they resembled three oversized bunches of roses. He was wondering if Meg had suffered the same fate as well, when Minsc glanced behind him and smiled brightly, whispering to his hamster. "Ooooh, look, Boo, look how pretty little Meg is!".
Anomen turned his head and was stunned and smitten all over again as he saw his beloved walking forward, accompanied by her brother. She wore a long dress as white as the snow that swirled in the wind, of a simple cut that discretely highlighted her curves, her blond curls were tied in a bun and the Crimson Rhodelia he had gifted her was braided in it. He took a shaking breath and sent a prayer of thanks to Helm for the blessing of having such a wonderful woman in his life. She shot him a shy smile as she came to stand beside him, "You're so beautiful…", she whispered, her eyes roaming over him with love and adoration.
A soft chuckle escaped him, "Odd, I was about to say the very same thing to you, my love", he said and Meg's lips curved into a grin. "I have to thank mom for this dress: were it up to Immy, I would be wearing a pink gown with huge purple ribbons on my…You know…Behind", she confessed, giggling, "I put it on to humor her, but with those ribbons it looked like I had a horse's hind quarters attached to my body!". He bit his lower lip to muffle his laughter, "Then bless the Gods for Jaheira's intervention". "Definitely!".
Aerie cleared her throat to attract their attention, "We are gathered here today to witness the sacred union between this man and this woman. If there is anyone among those present who knows of a reason why this union should be forbidden, speak now or keep your silence forever". Of course, nobody uttered a word, so the Avariel went on.
"Anomen Delryn, do you take Margaret Dawn, daughter of Khalid of Calimshan, as your bride and do you swear before the Gods to love her, protect her, cherish her and care for her every day of your life, until death does you part?", she asked in a very solemn and formal tone, though her radiant smile spoiled the effect a little. "Before the Gods and you all, on my honor as a servant of Helm, I so swear", Anomen nodded, then he slipped a golden ring on the Ilmatari's left ring finger, right below the engagement one and kissed her hand tenderly.
"Margaret Dawn, daughter of Khalid of Calimshan, do you take Anomen Delryn as your husband and do you swear before the Gods to love him, protect him, cherish him and care for him every day of your life, until death does you part?". Meg nodded, "Before the Gods and you all, on my honor as a servant of Ilmater, I so swear", she said, slipping a larger golden ring on Anomen's left ring finger.
"Then with the power granted to me by Baervan Wildwanderer, I hereby declare you husband and wife. You can kiss the bride", Aerie added with a wink at the Helmite. He didn't need to be told twice: with a warm, joyful smile, he wrapped his arms around his wife and their lips met in a long, tender kiss that left them both breathless, "I love you". "I love you too", Meg stroked his cheek and snuggled against him with a contented sigh, "I wish we could tarry a little, before hitting the road again".
"So do I", he agreed, caressing her back, "But fear not: we will have some time for ourselves at some point. We just need to be patient". "The story of my life", she commented, her mouth curving with a hint of bitterness, "Well, since we can't linger any longer, we'd best change clothes and put our armor back on: I don't want these amazing suits to be ruined", she added, straightening a wrinkle in her dress.
"I hope you will put that on again", he murmured in her ear with a small, seductive smile, "It suits you so well, my love…And yet, I cannot wait for the chance to take it off of you", he added and relished the scarlet blush that colored her cheeks at that. "Oh, shush", she gave him a light playful shove, even as her eyes sparkled with a mixture of embarrassment and smoldering desire, "Now is not the time for such talks and you know it: we have business to take care of".
He let out a loud sigh and put on an exaggeratedly downcast expression, "Ah, you are right as always, my lady! The shadow of war looms above us and we must take up our weapons once more and charge into the jaws of danger, instead of indulging in sweeter activities. I will have to resign myself to such a cruel fate and bear this suffering in silence, as befits a true knight", he said in a very dramatic tone, then he winked mischievously at her and she couldn't help giggling.
Edwin smirked, "Well now, it seems like you really are at least part Goddess, Meg: you took an insufferably arrogant, obnoxious, pompous and uptight monkey and turned him into an acceptably decent human specimen, with even a (horrible, but better than nothing) sense of humor! If that is not a miracle, I don't know what it is", he quipped. Everyone looked at him in stunned surprise, then they all burst out laughing. "Okay, let's get ready, guys: our half-sister is nearing the city and I want to meet her as far from the gates as possible", Meg said, sobering.
oxoxoxoxoxo
The party members, in full battle gear, strode towards the gates of Suldanesselar, but before they could pass through, Ellesime herself approached them, though it was clear from the wary look on her face that she had not forgotten the Painbearer's slaps. "Wait a moment, please: I need to speak to you". The Ilmatari curled her upper lip, "We have no time to waste, so make it short", she said in a hard tone.
The queen flinched, but kept her head high, "There are some stone heads in a sacred clearing not far from here, they may be willing to speak to you about the war caused by your kind…", she began, but Meg cut her off. "At least MY kind never tortured anyone and then unleashed them on the world with their powers still intact, free to inflict death and suffering on anyone they pleased!", she snarled, "You know what, your majesty? Screw those stone heads and screw you as well. I have better things to do then chat with some elfin relic of times gone by. Namárië", she concluded, turning her back on Ellesime and resuming her walk without missing a beat, the others hurrying after her.
"Meg, was it really necessary to…", Jaheira began, but her daughter cut her off. "It was". "But these ancient spirits could give us useful advice for the upcoming battle". Margaret Dawn rolled her eyes, "Yeah and I have a bridge in Anauroch that I'd like to sell to you. The only thing those spirits can do is to spit out some obscure and useless prattle that will likely give me a headache, besides if the bitch-queen wants me to talk to them, then I'd rather stuck my head inside a Dragon's opening than give her that satisfaction!".
"Being eaten by a Dragon is a bit extreme, sis", Imoen commented and her half-sister grinned mischievously. "Who said I was talking about the mouth?", she joked and everyone laughed. "So, where do we go?", the pink-haired thief asked then, turning serious. "South-west, not far from our current position. We'd better hurry, by the way: she's moving faster than I had anticipated". Sarevok smiled, "And she will go down just as fast", he said and Meg smiled back. "That she will", she confirmed, her eyes flashing golden.
oxoxoxoxoxo
Namárië = farewell (Sindarin)