Interlude - Wedding
The months pass, and slowly but surely, things pick up as we prep for the wedding. The people of Evans are really getting into it, so thrilled that their new lord, kind and gentle, is getting married to a shy, but sweet Verdanite lady. The army itself is beside itself, since Deirdre has been charming everyone easily. Few now point out how sudden the wedding is, which is a relief on my part, since I never know how to explain to people that I was very certain this was a compulsion by the gods.
At least they are happy. It would be hard to bear otherwise.
"I'm so nervous," Deirdre murmured. I had her set up in front of a vanity as I brushed out her hair. "I mean… um…"
"Wedding day jitters are a normally thing for brides, I'm told," I reassured. I leaned down slightly and pointed to the tea sitting on the vanity. "Drink that. It'll help soothe you. I made it for that reason."
"You're wonderful." She took the teacup and cradled it in her hands, sighing slightly. "I don't know why I'm so nervous."
"Ah yes, whyever would you be so nervous exchanging vows of love and marriage in front of an entire crowd of people, many of which you barely know by sight and name." I laughed a little as she sulked. "Relax. Just focus on Sigurd. This is simply you two making your union official, and all of us celebrating in it." I smiled as I thought of something that might cheer her up. "Think of Prince Shanan. He's super excited to take part."
"Ah, yes, my little ring-bearer!" Deirdre laughed, smiling again. She'd grown quite close to Prince Shanan over the past few months. "He was so nervous earlier."
"Well, yes, since he'll be actually carrying the real rings, which isn't typical." However, Sigurd had absolute trust in Prince Shanan, and so, Prince Shanan would carry the real rings. "He wants everything to be perfect for you two."
"Yes…" Her smile sweetened as she sipped the tea. "Do you want everything to be perfect?"
"I want everything to run smoothly, but I think a perfect wedding will lead to big trouble later. It's better to have a few little hiccups along the way to avoid big ones later." I finished brushing her hair, and set the brush down to begin braiding her hair. "Are you certain you want to leave the circlet?"
"Yes…" Her expression dropped. "I know you think it's silly, but I was always told that wearing the circlet would 'keep me safe'. It's the one nice thing the elders of the village gave me, so…"
"It's fine. I was just wondering." I paused as I gathered some of her hair and thought I saw something silver against her skin, but then I shook my head and decided it was just a trick of the light and her hair and resumed braiding. There was no point at jumping at shadows. "Are you certain your foot is all right? That looked to be a very dark red mark."
"Oh, yes, it's just an old scar that never quite healed." She went back to smiling. "I'm fine!"
"If you are certain, then I won't bring it up again." But it had looked a little too 'smooth' to be a scar, and it wasn't common for scars to heal up as a blood red. Then again, I did not know how she had been injured, or what herbs had been used. The issue with the welts, still there but slowly fading finally, proved clearly that I did not know everything about healing, after all. "If you are ever injured, or just feel down, though…"
"I come straight to you!" She beamed at me. "I'm so glad we're friends, Alicia!"
"...Yes, I am too." I smiled gently at her and continued braiding her hair, tucking flowers into the braid at set intervals. "Though, I'm not sure I liked spending so much time having to deal with fittings."
"They took so long! There were so many things I'd planned on doing, but they ate up the whole day to make everything 'perfect'." She looked down at her wedding dress, though, and smiled. "But, well, it is pretty. So is your dress. Dark blue suits you."
"It makes the hair stand out." The dress was easily the richest I'd ever worn, made of silks and satins, and it made me uncomfortable. I prefered my simple cotton dresses. They were easier to clean, and replace. "I feel like it needs to be displayed as a work of art more than worn."
"I know! It's so…" She trailed off, almost tilting her head before I stopped her. "I think I hear people-"
The door burst open, and in came Lady Ayra, Lady Aideen, and Lady Ethlyn. They all talked over one another, a cacophony of insistence, and Deirdre looked more and more bewildered, while I found myself sighing. I didn't catch a word of what they said, but a look at the fancy dressed Lady Ethlyn and Lady Aideen wore, the very not-so-fancy dress Lady Ayra wore, and the dress Lady Ethlyn and Lady Aideen held helped me figure it out.
"I don't suppose you considered giving her a dress that has less ribbons?" I pointed out dryly, returning to my braiding. Lady Ayra breathed a sigh of relief as Lady Ethlyn and Lady Aideen sulked. "Why don't you compromise with that?"
If we got through today in one piece, I'd consider it to be a miracle.
There were a bunch of mini-disasters as we got closer to the main event. Some flower arrangements were broken; some food wasn't going to be prepared in time. A hem frayed; a heel broke. They were all little things with quick fixes, though the more that happened, the more I decided that running a wedding required the same mindset of running an infirmary, or an army. It was absolute madness and I silently vowed that on the off chance I did get married, not very likely, I would never have such an elaborate wedding. I'd elope or something.
Still, everyone made it through in one piece, and there was no mishaps during the actual ceremony that might symbolize bad luck or anything. That was a victory.
Laughter was a main part of the evening as the reception dragged on and on. I participated in a single dance with Lord Eldigan, since it was expected for the Maid of Honor to dance with the Best Man apparently, and made certain to call for a toast for the couple. Afterwards, I retreated to the edges of the party to simply watch, far too uncomfortable by all of the madness. Thankfully, though, my absence hadn't really been noticed, and so, I simply watched and laughed at everyone's antics. Lex had actually managed to convince Lady Ayra to dance with him, and he gleefully teased her throughout the entire thing. Sir Midir and Lady Aideen danced quietly nearby, with her gently instructing him on how. To my intense amusement, Lady Lachesis had dragged Sir Finn out to dance with her as well, and the two danced a little off-beat next to Lord Eldigan and Lady Grahnye. Sigurd danced with Lady Ethlyn, with the two of them clearly teasing each other relentlessly and having a ball with it. Deirdre, to my surprise, wasn't dancing with Lord Quan, but instead, danced with little Prince Shanan, laughing as they went through the steps slowly. Other couples swirled into view, blocking off the people I actually knew. Many were starstruck villagers, inviting into the reception as a show of goodwill, as well as soldiers who remained with Sigurd even after their homes were freed as thanks.
I turned my attention from the dancers to the drinkers in the corner. Most have devolved into a drinking contest, and poor Lord Oifeye had been dragged into the middle of it. I suspected the likely perpetrator was Sir Alec, who gleefully edged on others to join in as well. Still, the other soldiers were rather enthusiastic in participating. Apparently, it was becoming a point of pride among them to be able to last long. I had no idea, but then again, I also never saw the thrill behind alcohol in general.
"So, this is where the Maid of Honor hides." A calm voice startled me from my thoughts, and to my surprise, I found Chulainn next to me, holding out a plate of fruit. "You were running around a lot, so it looked like you didn't eat," he explained. Hesitantly, I took the plate and noticed an abundance of apple slices on it. "Something wrong?"
"You put a lot of apples on it," I mumbled. I hesitated a bit more before popping one into my mouth. He was right; I didn't have much of a chance to eat with everything going on, and the food was being very carefully watched for poisons, just in case. "I was startled."
"You seem to like apples more than other things. Was I wrong?"
"Well, no, you're not." I gave him a confused look, even as I continued eating. I doubted he'd find it rude, since he'd brought me the food in the first place. "How did you figure that part out?"
"People tend to forget to watch out for the healer." He matched my look with a stoic one of his own. "Especially healers who keep an eye on newcomers despite having too much work anyway."
I stiffened at the gentle accusation. "Someone needs to watch the newcomers." I ate the last bit of fruit, and felt a little more reasonable, even if I was kicking myself for so quickly trusting something a stranger gave me. But, I knew I was safe. If something happened, there would be over a hundred people coming to my rescue. It was an odd feeling, but reassuring. "I doubt I am the only one."
"No, you're not. And it's easy to see why. Lord Sigurd didn't even as a single question when Princess Ayra said I was joining." He took my empty plate and handed it off to a passing servant before passing me a napkin to wipe my fingers off. "But you have a lot of work anyway. That's all."
"A healer is always working." After cleaning my hands, I folded the napkin very small. "There is always someone to heal, or always something to do to prepare for the injured to come. A little bit more isn't going to bother me."
"Even healers are human." He shook his head and took the napkin from me, also passing it off to a passing servant. "No amount of calm confidence changes that you have your limits." He nodded to something and, to my surprise, there were a bunch of girls crowded about the dancing area, and Deirdre stood there with a bright, if nervous, smile. "Bouquet toss."
"Oh, I see." I wasn't sure what it was like for Verdane, but in Grannvale, it was believed that the woman who caught the bouquet would find love soon. Based on the crowd and the nervous tittering, I assumed there was something similar in Verdane. "Isn't she supposed to turn around?"
"Verdanite tradition dictates no."
"Oh, I didn't know that." I almost asked how he did, but then Deirdre threw the bouquet and the crowd jumped up almost in unison to try and grab it. But the bouquet sailed over them easily, arcing gracefully and shedding petals, and hit me straight in the face. "What the-?!" I automatically brought my hands up, and the bouquet fell into them, leading to me being the one to catch the bouquet. "Uh…"
Absolute chaos erupted, and I was surrounded by bunches of babbling girls all 'congratulating' me for my luck. I thought it was less luck, especially when I looked up at Deirdre and saw her laughing and clapping next to Sigurd. She'd purposely thrown the bouquet that hard to try and reach me. That was the only explanation that made sense.
I'd get her back for this. I really would.
Author's Notes: In the 'real world', the tradition of the bouquet toss is that the one who catches it will be the next to marry; I changed this slightly to be simply 'find true love soon' just to differentiate it from our world.
Next Chapter - Disturbance in Augustria (Game-Chapter 2 start)
