Twenty-Nine: The Wedding
Over at the grand cathedral, the classic literature characters and citizens of Libralia and Writertopia alike were heading inside the cathedral to take their seats in the pews; when there was no room left, the rest of the guests waited outside to greet the wedding party upon their arrival, and then cheer at them when they left. Wedding bells rang up in the cathedral's bell tower as the horse-drawn coaches carrying the wedding party began to make their way towards the cathedral. The crowd of onlookers cheered and whistled as the first coach to arrive contained the talking books – Adventure, Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction and Mystery – who were all dressed in elegant purple and white attire. When they left the carriage, all the books waved to the crowd with smiles, and then they went inside the cathedral's vestibule to wait for the other members of the wedding party.
The next coach to arrive at the cathedral had Pagemistress Natalia, Alexander, Donovan, and Mirabelle. Natalia was wearing a sparkling white and purple dress with red trimmings and faux roses at the front, a pair of white elbow-length gloves, white heels, a purple choker and matching earrings, and her gold tiara with a ruby in the center. Mirabelle was wearing a purple gown with short, frilly sleeves, white gloves, lavender pearl earrings, her gold tiara, and a purple necklace with a gold pendant. Alexander and Donovan were both dressed in white shirts and coats, lavender breeches, white stockings, gold crowns, purple cravats and waist sashes, gold epaulets, and eggplant purple shoes.
Natalia and her children waved to the cheering crowd before they also went inside the church to meet the books and wait for the rest of the party.
The next coach to arrive at the cathedral had Isabel, Stella, and Cinnamon inside of it. When the three of them stepped out, Isabel was wearing a purple gown with a lavender top, a purple bodice with a matching bow, white elbow-length gloves, a lavender pearl necklace with matching earrings, and a flowery headpiece with white and purple daisies; her hair was also down and wavy.
Stella was wearing a lavender dress with royal purple ribbons, silver hoop earrings, a purple pearl necklace, white elbow-length gloves, a flowery headpiece like Isabel's, and a purple ribbon to crown her hair, which was now frilly and curly – like in her Inletview festival performance.
Cinnamon was wearing a royal purple dress with puffy sleeves, a lavender belt, and a short, transparent purple train at the back; she also had white elbow-length gloves, a white necklace with an amethyst for a pendant, purple earrings, and a flower headpiece just like Isabel and Stella had. Cinnamon's hair was also styled in a half ponytail.
The three bridesmaids waved to the cheering crowd, and then they went inside the cathedral to join the others. "Oh, I can't wait to see how the groom reacts when he sees the bride!" Cinnamon whispered with excitement.
Coincidentally, the groom and his parents were arriving to the cathedral in the next coach. When they stepped out, Andrew was dressed almost completely in white – save for his light gray slacks, his purple cravat, his gold epaulets, his purple belt, and his gold crown with white pearls.
Jedediah was wearing a white coat over a matching shirt, a light indigo cravat, a pair of gold epaulets, a silver crown, a dark purple belt over his purple slacks, white stockings, and purple dress shoes. Lucinda was wearing a white gown with open sleeves and indigo trimming, a transparent lavender train at the back of her dress, white gloves, a necklace with a purple pendant, and a white tiara with an amethyst to crown her hair, which was done in a low bun.
The groom and his parents smiled as they waved at the cheering crowd, and then went inside to join the rest of the wedding party. When they got inside, Fantasy and Sci-Fi went over to Andrew and gently pushed him up in front of everyone else. "You'll be leading the wedding party, honey!" Fantasy whispered with a smile, "That way, you don't bring bad luck by seeing your bride before the ceremony!"
Andrew gave a look of nervousness and whispered with a little fear, "I don't think I can do this."
"You don't have time to be timid!" Sci-Fi whispered to him, "You must be bold and daring!"
"Bold and daring!" Andrew repeated as he lost his sense of fear and gave a proud smile.
"Did you get that line from one of my stories?" Fantasy asked her friend with a smirk.
Sci-Fi gave a nervous chuckle and nodded.
Meanwhile, outside the cathedral, a very special coach – the last one with Pagemaster Matthias and Princess Bethylasia – arrived before the cheering crowd. When the horses and coach stopped, a footman opened the door, and out walked Bethylasia, fully dressed in her lovely white wedding dress. Along with her dress, gloves, and veil, Bethylasia was also wearing her golden tiara, white heels, a white choker around her neck, and a gold necklace; her hair was also styled in a high bun, and she carried a bouquet of purple roses.
After the bride came her father, who was regally dressed in a white shirt with a matching coat, gold epaulets, a gold crown with a diamond in the center, a purple cravat, a red and purple sash around his waist, light gray slacks, and white boots.
Matthias then took his daughter by her right hand, and the two of them happily waved to the cheering crowd as they made their way to the entrance of the cathedral.
When all the bride and her father arrived to join the rest of the party, everyone organized their procession to walk down the aisle. Horror, who was going to carry Bethylasia's train, looked at the bride with a big grin and said softly, "You look beautiful, your highness!"
"Thanks, Horror," Bethylasia whispered with a smile. But her smile dropped as she whispered nervously to her father, "Father, I don't know if I'm ready for this!"
Matthias warmly smiled at her and softly said, "Bethylasia, you are a brave young woman now. Your mother and I know you will be happy with Andrew forevermore. You have confidence!"
The bride took a deep breath and let it out slowly before she said softly, "You're right. I am brave, and I have confidence!"
At that moment, the cathedral's pipe organ began to play Edward Elgar's Imperial March, and then Andrew and his parents led the procession.
All the guests in the pews stood up as they greeted the wedding processional. Following Andrew and his parents were Alexander and Stella; after them came Donovan and Isabel. As Donovan and Isabel walked towards the chancel, Isabel smiled at the prince with a blush. Donovan winked at her with a smile as Mirabelle followed them. After Mirabelle came Cinnamon, and then Natalia, who led the talking books. Following Natalia were Adventure and Fantasy; after them came Sci-Fi and Mystery. Sci-Fi's eyes became most as she sniffed a bit.
"Sci-Fi, are you okay?" Mystery softly asked her with concern.
"I'm fine, dear," Sci-Fi said with a tear of happiness, "It's just that our precious girl has grown up too fast!"
"Well, don't forget about our announcement at the reception, too," Mystery whispered to her with a smile.
"Oh, right!" Sci-Fi said as she sniffed one last time and then looked on towards the chancel with a smile. Now, the night before the wedding, Sci-Fi was feeling a little sick, and a doctor examined her. As it turned out, she was instead in store for an even bigger surprise!
When everyone in the wedding party arrived to meet the minister at the chancel, they looked over and saw Matthias walking Bethylasia down the aisle. Andrew looked at his beautiful bride and gasped with amazement, "Wow!" He looked over at his parents and whispered to them, "She is beautiful!"
Lucinda and Jedediah just smiled as they went over to a front pew to sit down.
When Matthias and Bethylasia arrived at the chancel, the father of the bride hugged his daughter before he let her stand next to Andrew. Andrew bowed to Matthias in respect, and then shook his hand with a smile. Then, Matthias and Natalia went to sit down at a front pew.
The minister opened his book up and announced after clearing his throat, "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here together, to join Bethylasia, princess of Libralia, and Andrew, prince of Writertopia, in the bonds of holy matrimony."
For the next thirty minutes, prayers were said among the congregation, hymns were sung, and the minister talked about how Bethylasia and Andrew were not only joining their hands in love and marriage, but also uniting the two kingdoms of Libralia and Writertopia; both kingdoms' leaders through the years all dreamed of a day of being united as one. Finally, it was time for the vows.
"The couple has written their own vows, which they will now recite to each other," the minister said to the congregation.
Bethylasia handed her bouquet to Mirabelle, and then joined hands with Andrew. Andrew looked at his bride, cleared his throat, and then said, "Princess Bethylasia, I take you to be my wife. I promise to love you and protect you – from this day forward, in good times and in bad, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in heath. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life, till death do us part."
Bethylasia smiled at him and then said her vow, "Prince Andrew, I take you to be my husband. I promise to love you and protect you – from this day forward, in good times and in bad, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in heath. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life, till death do us part."
"The couple will now exchange rings as a sign of the promises they have made," the minister said.
Mystery, who had been carrying the rings safely in his pages, reached his hand into his pages, and then pulled out a diamond ring for Bethylasia, and a gold-banded ring for Andrew.
Andrew slid the diamond ring onto his bride's finger and said, "With this ring, Bethylasia, I thee wed. It is a sign of my love and fidelity – in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
Then, Bethylasia placed the gold-banded ring onto the prince's finger and said, "With this ring, Andrew, I thee wed. It is a sign of my love and fidelity – in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
Mirabelle then handed her sister back her bouquet, and then the minister continued the ceremony, "If there is anyone here, who is present, who knows why these two should not be wed, let him speak now, or forever hold his peace!"
Everyone looked around for a few seconds to see if there were going to be any second thoughts; luckily, everyone in the cathedral stayed silent, making Bethylasia and Andrew both smile with relief.
Then it was time for the couple to light the unity candle; the minister led Bethylasia and Andrew to a little table, where two slender candles were lit, and between them, a fatter candle was unlit. The bride and groom each took a slender candle, and together, they lit the unity candle as a sign of being united in marriage. When they finished, they each blew their slender candles out, and then went back to the chancel.
After a few more hymns and prayers, the minister looked at the bride and groom, and said out loud, "Then, by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife, prince and princess. You may now kiss the bride!"
Andrew and Bethylasia looked lovingly at each other, and then shared a passionate kiss, while all their friends and family members smiled happily.
Then, the bride and groom turned the other direction to leave the cathedral, and everyone in the congregation clapped and cheered for the newlyweds. The pipe organ then played Mendelssohn's Wedding March, while Bethylasia and Andrew graciously walked on the aisle, happy that they were now husband and wife; their wedding party followed little by little.
Soon, the main doors to the cathedral opened, and a small flock of white doves flew by to make way for the bride and groom. All the citizens and literature characters cheered and tossed rice and flower petals as Andrew and Bethylasia happily ran down the steps of the cathedral. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, the couple stood in front of a white coach with a team of four white horses at the front. Bethylasia smiled as she turned around and faced everyone; she then tossed her bouquet of flowers, and Isabel caught it.
The dark blonde girl looked at Donovan with a smile as she held the bride's bouquet. "Are you wanting to go a date with me sometime?" Donovan asked her with a sheepish grin.
"I would love to go on a date with you, your highness!" Isabel grinned before kissing Donovan on the cheek.
The bride and groom then climbed into their wedding carriage, and waved to everyone as they headed for the grand palace of Libralia for the reception.
"This is the best day of my life!" Bethylasia happily said to Andrew before sighing dreamily, "Andy."
"Oh, Becca!" Andrew chuckled before he kissed her on the hand.