AN: In the novels, the Ragna Blade is a spell that Lina isn't able to cast without magical amplification, as opposed to the anime where there are some implications that she perhaps could without amplification, though it wouldn't be as powerful and would be more taxing on her. Since this is novels, it does suck a bit, because since her talisman are gone it means that she wouldn't be able to use the Ragna Blade anymore. So hopefully it'll spur some creativity rather than relying on the Ragna Blade as ace in the hole spell that it tends to be in the novels.
It was seeing the bluish tint to Lina's face that alerted Gourry to the fact that the tightness around his chest wasn't due to his happiness over marrying her. Something was wrong! But whatever was crushing her was having a similar effect on him as he struggled to get more air in while catching her as she suddenly pitched forward.
Hi panic started to rise, exacerbated by his inability to force the air into his own lungs that would help him calm down. As if he didn't struggle enough to stay calm when Lina was in danger! Gently he laid her on the ground as Zelgadis and Lantz started peppering him with questions that he couldn't make out as the chapel erupted into chaos.
Amelia had rushed to the Eternal Queen's side and was casting a healing spell. Meanwhile, Lina's parents were keeping Luna at bay, granted, Luna was more than a match for the two of them together and they obviously needed help. Harold had grabbed his boys and ran to a back corner and had hidden with them under a table while Kate had run with the other people to the front door, which wouldn't open.
Gourry felt himself grow dizzy and he feared it wouldn't be long before he joined Lina. He grabbed the Blast Sword. It had to be the breastplates. They were matching and it felt as though his was crushing him! He didn't know how it was happening, but he knew he had to get them off him and Lina.
Careful to make a shallow cut, he drew his sword along the left side of her armor, and then her right. Then he handed his sword to Zelgadis. Gourry tried to say something, but he couldn't get the air in to do so, but fortunately the other man understood. Only once the cuts had been made, the breastplate still clung together stubbornly.
"Help us!" Zel called to Lantz, and Zel grabbed the armor from the back while Lantz did from the front as something like a magnetic pull tried to keep them close until finally they broke away. Gourry got in a good breath and then rushed back to Lina's side.
She was completely blue now, the breastplate was still clinging together, held by whatever force had affected his. Adrenaline surged through him as he pulled it off, and a measure of relief washed through him as her chest rose and she took a breath. Seeing that they were safe, Zelgadis rushed to help Lina's parents while Lantz soon had his hands full fighting one of the other Ceiphied Knights. Gourry patted Lina's cheek gently, and then felt a shift in the air beside him as Lantz stumbled, and Gourry managed to bring his sword up just in time to deflect an attack from the knight.
Gourry defended himself, noting that the knight's style was rather choppy. Was it deliberate, to lull him into a false sense of security? Or was there a reason for it? Beside him, Lina slowly got up, her expression dazed as she stared at the carnage around her, the same questions that were plaguing him apparent in her eyes.
"Do you have anything up your sleeve?" he asked.
Lina squinted, and then cast, "Flow break."
Simultaneously, the knights who were attacking stopped. Gourry watched as the one before him brushed her forehead and pulled off a diamond and crushed it beneath her feet. Gourry kept his eyes on her, not sure what to think. But then suddenly Luna screeched, "Guloisa Gabriev!"
Luna crossed the room so swiftly she was practically a blur as she grabbed Guloisa and hoisted her by the arms. "Explain yourself!"
The air changed menacingly as Lina suddenly put up a shield spell, and just in time, for a burst of energy that came at them. People screamed and started to duck under the seats for cover, and the fact that they were fighting with a lot of people in a small, enclosed space pressed down upon him. But he didn't have too long to think about it. Soon he brought his sword up to block an attack from a young priest who brought his staff against him.
"Blast Ash!" Lina cast as her spell hit the priest dead on. And if there was any doubt that her spell was overkill, it was absolved as the priest took the spell with barely slowing down as he continued to attack.
A Mazoku. And a fairly powerful one at that.
"You just picked the wrong wedding to crash!" Lina yelled as Gourry drew closer to her. Whoever this priest was it was likely that the best spell to use against him would be the Ragna Blade, especially as Lina couldn't use many of her powerful Black Magic spells like the Dragon Slave because they were in an enclosed space. Yet, since Lina had had to destroy her Demon's Blood Talisman in their battle with Luke, Lina could no longer cast the Ragna Blade. They would have to make due with the Blast Sword and whatever else Lina could manage, unless one of the knights would step in.
Gourry glanced at Luna, who had his mother subdued, but seemed to have no interest in helping. Neither did the other Ceiphied Knights.
He couldn't think about it for too long. Soon the priest was talking, "It's your own fault for picking a fight with Lord Dynast Grausherra!" the priest said, "Consider this your payback!"
"So you're the derivatively named Grau I've heard so little about!" Lina spat, and Gourry held his breath as he hoped that Grau would be just as haughty as Sherra.
Grau's eyes burned, "Lord Dynast Grausherra thought the world of me, and bestowed upon me his most honorable name! How dare you insult his greatness!"
Gourry exhaled. So Grau was haughty in a different way that would not be to their advantage. Lina, meanwhile, cast another spell, and for a moment Gourry was baffled as to why she threw her sword at the floor beside Grau, but then he'd realized she'd cast a shadow snap, making it impossible for him to retreat to the astral plane.
Gourry exchanged the briefest of glances with Lina. She nodded. He understood. He feinted, and still managed to bring his sword up to bisect the energy that Grau sent at him. He needed to get a good, clean cut just as Lina finished her spell. The timing would have to be perfect. But would the Blast Sword be powerful enough?
"Elmekia Flame!" Lina called, hitting Grau directly as Gourry managed to strike him in the chest. Considering how it had taken several of them to take Sherra down even with the Ragna Blade, Gourry was relieved as Grau shattered and turned to ash. The Blast Sword was indeed more than a worthy replacement for the Sword of Light.
But then he caught the look on his mother's face as she saw what his new sword could do, and he felt something constrict his heart. His secret was out. But then if Luna had singled her out, hopefully she would be going to a dungeon soon, as horrible as the thought of wishing that on his mother was.
Lina grabbed his hand, and he turned to hug her, "Are you okay?" he asked.
"Fine. You?"
"Fine." He replied.
They turned to look at the chapel. The Eternal Queen was awake and sitting up, and Amelia, Leia and Zelgadis were healing the other people who needed it. Fortunately it looked as though no one was lethally injured. From outside someone was banging on the door, calling, "Is everyone okay?"
"So that's why a long ceremony was so damned important." Lina hissed.
"Huh?" Gourry asked.
"If this ceremony was expected to last for hours, no one would have sent back up for hours." Lina explained.
Someone managed to get the doors unlocked, "The Eternal Queen was attacked, but she is recovered." The guard announced to the sentries outside.
"I have a prisoner for you." Luna announced as she manhandled Guloisa towards the door.
"But my son is about to be married!"
"Your actions nearly killed him!" Luna retorted.
"I didn't know it would happen!" Guloisa said, "Grau just paid me a thousand gold coins to decorate your head with the diamond and give you several more. I didn't ask questions. How was I to know what would happen?"
"Who gives people money to wear diamonds unless they have some nefarious purpose in mind for them? And you think that absolves you of this?" Luna snapped as she brought her to the door and threw her to the sentries. "Throw her in a cell. We'll deal with her tomorrow."
Luna walked up to them, red faced, whether from exertion or from embarrassment was hard to say. As she passed them she whispered to Lina, "Well done."
Gourry looked at Lina, but her face was impassive as Luna continued towards the altar, and then she turned to face everyone assembled, "If anyone else wants to attack, I suggest you get that shit out of your system now so the rest of us can continue with the day we have planned."
The silence that fell through the chapel was deafening. After a few moments, and not a hint of blood lust, Luna asked, "Is anyone seriously injured?"
"Not that we haven't already patched together." Amelia said, somehow managing to stay composed even though her pink dress was covered with blood.
Luna nodded, "Thank Ceiphied. A few weeks ago, while in the carriage alone with Baroness Gabriev, she showed me some diamonds and claimed it was the latest fashion to wear them on your forehead. I can't believe I fell for it. I distributed them to the other knights. Grau was controlling us like puppets, granted aside from ensuring our silence and pressuring Lina for a long ceremony, he didn't have much to do until today."
Lina bit her lip, and Gourry had a million questions, but did not feel as though this was the time to ask. Meanwhile, Luna continued, "Embarrassment aside, there is opportunity here. Till now my sister's achievements have taken place outside of Zeferian soil. Least anyone doubt her abilities, or the abilities of her intended, then today will be the nail in that coffin. And let this put to rest every complaint about the money we are spending on them. If there was any doubt about the bond and connection that they share, the events of today should put that to rest."
Around them people clapped. Luna smiled approvingly, "Everyone, please return to your seats. It would be a shame if we let the wedding crasher derail the wedding."
A mixed feeling of nerves and relief shot through him. He hadn't wanted to wait another day. Luna, meanwhile, swopped down and picked up the discarded breastplates that had nearly killed them. Why that had happened would have to wait. She placed them under the altar and then resumed her place off to the side. He looked over at Lina. Fortunately the clothing under the breastplate, while plain, was well crafted, and she still looked stunning. He needed to tell her, but the music started.
Gourry stood with Lina in the middle of the aisle, a very different set up than the one that they had started with. She looked up at him, and wordlessly they locked arms and walked back down the aisle together and strangely, even though it had felt right to see her walking down the aisle towards him, walking down the aisle together seemed even more right. When they reached the altar they turned to face each other and grasped each other's hands, like it had been before. And suddenly he realized that he had an entirely new problem on his hand as the Priest Etto said, "Now that the day's work is done, let us celebrate the wedding of Lady Lina Inverse and Sir Gourry Gabriev and the creation of their new family."
New family. He had insisted on the emphasis on the creation of a new family. It would allow him to divide the day between the beginning when his mother reminded him of every painful reason he had had to cut himself off and eschew his original family versus the latter half of the day, when he would became a part of a family he could be proud of. He had never stopped believing in the ideals of what a family should be, even if there were times that he despaired of making it a reality. And now with his mother gone, he was forging that new family with Lina. And the thought caused happiness so intense to unleash within him that it was all he could do to keep from bawling like a baby.
He held to her hand tightly as the priest continued, "Those present today have been treated to a taste of what has made them an enviable partnership. Their exploits are the stuff of legend, and both have fought and sacrificed for each other. And now, they will pledge their vows to each other."
Lina smiled, and he desperately hoped that he was making her as happy as she was making him. "Do you, Gourry Gabriev, swear to protect and love Lina Inverse as your wife for all your days?"
Gourry nodded as he made the declaration he had made in private several years ago public, "I do. I will protect and love Lina as my wife for all my days."
He squeezed her hand as, for some unfathomable reason, he worried that she would suddenly bolt. Old ways of thinking that he didn't deserve to start a family with someone surfaced, and it was all he could do to not panic as the priest continued, "Do you, Lina Inverse, swear to protect and love Gourry Gabriev as your husband for all your days?"
"I do." She said, and Gourry couldn't quite believe his ears, nor control the tears that leaked as she continued, "I will protect as love Gourry as my husband for all my days."
He wanted to kiss her. But he'd not been told he could yet. And there was something he was missing. As the priest asked for the rings he remembered what it was. Zelgadis passed him a gold ring with an emerald surrounded by diamonds. He hoped she would like it.
"Gourry, place the ring on Lina's finger, and state, 'with this ring, I thee wed.'"
She held her hand out, and it was shaking a little. Gently he slid the ring on her finger, and relaxed as she smiled at it. "With this ring, I thee wed."
He held his own hand out. The band she had chosen for him was gold, and he could see that some words were etched onto it, but his sight was too blurry at the moment to read them as she put the ring on his finger. "With this ring, I thee wed." she said.
"You may now kiss the bride." The Priest said, and it was a good thing, because Gourry couldn't wait another moment as he grabbed Lina and tried to convey everything he was feeling in the kiss.
It was official. She was now his family. He now had a family he was not ashamed of, but proud of. And it was because he was marrying the most incredible woman he had ever met, and she had agreed to have him!
"We have now witnessed the birth of the new Inverse family." Priest Etto announced as they pulled away reluctantly as people clapped, "May your days be long and filled with love."
Lina smiled at him as the recessional music started, and then she grabbed him gently by the hand as they started to race down the aisle towards the door. They had done it!
As they stepped outside they moved to the right so they could greet the people coming out. "I love you." He said as he wiped the tears from his eyes.
"You, too."
"I should have made one more vow, though." He said as he stared at her.
"What's that?" she asked as Zelgadis and Amelia joined them, followed by Luna and Harold and then Kate and Lantz.
"To tell you more often just how beautiful you are." He said.
Her eyes widened as they grew watery as she found his hand and held onto it. "It's not too late. And if you can make that vow, then I'll vow to not knock you around so much."
He squeezed her hand as the guests started to approach. "Deal."
AN: I took the wording of the vows and structure of the ceremony from a translation of the Slayers Radio Drama which can be found here, with a few twists and turns that are all my doing: 2008/06/29/
In the novels, Lina is a brunette, so her coloring is different from the anime, and as Rui Araizumi based her design off Aubrey Hepburn I figured purple would be a good color. Don't get me on the white wedding dress stuff. That was a Victorian invention, not a medieval one.
And emeralds are the best. They are the jewel of an enduring love, and since they appear to be in the bracelets I figured my own fondness for them (they are my birthstone and the stone on my own wedding ring (diamonds are ugly), and it's my favorite color) wouldn't cloud my judgment on having them in Lina's ring. Well, not too much.