Chapter 36- White Roses
Celes sighed as she leaned against her now shut bedroom door. Terra looked up at her curiously and alarm widened her eyes when she saw the look on Celes' face.
"What's up?" She asked quickly. Celes looked up from the floor, her face flushed over.
"I don't think I can do this!" Celes suddenly cried, and brought her hand over her chest. "My heart is pounding like .....God knows what!"
"You're just nervous." Terra offered, and extended her hand. "I promise, Celes, this is really the best thing that could ever happen to anyone!" Terra bit her lip nervously as Celes' expression did not change. "Celes, everyone gets nervous right before stuff like this...you've just got a lot ahead of you..."
Celes suddenly smiled a little and nodded.
"You're right, I must be nervous!" She exclaimed, and giggled. "I guess we should go out there now, huh?"
"Well...wait." Terra said, and looked Celes up and down. "I just realized...you have no one to give you away."
"Oh...it's ok!" Celes offered. "I already told you, this isn't a formal ceremony. You know that!"
"But still." Terra said. "I just wouldn't feel right without having you given away. It's just not normal!"
Suddenly, as if on cue, there was a knock on the door. Terra tugged Celes away from it, and called out "Who's there?"
"Me." Edgar said from the other side. "Listen, guys, everyone is settled down, and Celes needs to get her butt out here! Ok??"
"But..." Terra trailed off but yanked open the door. Edgar was standing there in all his glory, with a royal blue ribbon tying back his golden hair. Terra suddenly grinned and grabbed Edgar's hand.
"Hey!" Edgar cried, and laughed slyly. "Terra, you know we can't do THAT now!"
"Oh, stuff it." Terra barked, and turned red. "I just wanted you to give Celes away."
"Me?!"
"Him!?"
Celes and Edgar both cried out in unison and looked at each other. Terra slapped Edgar's hand over Celes', and nodded to herself.
"This is good." She said. "Edgar, just walk her down the aisle, ok? Celes, you get closer to him like this..." Terra pushed Celes over, and handed Celes her bouquet of flowers...beautiful white roses.
"Are you sure I won't mess up?" Edgar asked worriedly.
"You'll be fine," Terra said. "I promise!"
"Thanks....Terra!" Celes said, and smiled at her and Edgar. Edgar tightened his grip on Celes protectively and grinned back at her.
"Only fitting that you be given away by a king!" Edgar boasted playfully, and suddenly turned serious. "Now...lets go!"
Edgar led Celes out to the back, with Terra trailing behind so she could hide herself in the back as to not to distract the others from the bride. Celes felt her face immediately flush over when they had stepped outside...it wasn't because of the heat either. Her eyes had immediately locked onto Locke's, and her heart began to race.
It's a good thing Edgar is escorting me. Celes thought. Because if he wern't holding onto me, I would either faint or run up to Locke full speed.
Locke gazed back at her and smiled brightly when he saw how she was blushing. She looked absolutely radiant to him...fresh, beautiful....just something new and precious. Oh, how he longed to grab her away from Edgar and embrace her! Locke fidgeted a bit before Edgar finally reached them with Celes and released her, kissing her cheek. Celes could barely tear her gaze away from Locke for a second just to look at Edgar and thank him silently with her eyes.
"Celes..." Locke whispered, as she turned back to him. He tried to lean in and kiss her nose, but Setzer immediately grabbed him by the colar and stopped him.
"Uh-uh!" Setzer said, and smirked. "Don't tarnish the virgin bride...if that is indeed, still in effect..."
Locke and Celes both turned a deep red as Setzer cleared his throat and clasped his hands together.
But, as Celes would learn later, she wouldn't be able to recall much of what happened during the times when Setzer spoke. All she could focus on was Locke...how handsome he looked...how perfect he was...the way he was grasping her hand with his, and resting the other at her waist...she could barely even recall when Locke repeated his vows...her eyes were focused on his brown orbs the whole time...
Carefully, Celes recited her vows as well, and Locke gently squeazed her hand when she had said "Til death do us part." Finally, the time and come for the rings. However, Celes did not think they would be exchanging wedding bands right away, because it was made apparent that they could not afford them. They had even discussed that, and agreed that it wasn't necessary right away. But to her surprise, Relm suddenly popped up and produced two shining rings from her pocket, tied together with a small pink ribbon. She held them out to Locke, who smiled at her, and then took the rings, untying them and letting the ribbon flutter to the ground.
Celes blinked.
"What is this?" She asked softly, in a tone that no one could pick up on.
"A surprise." Locke said, and winked, slipping the ring on her finger. She just shook her head, but smiled as she took the other ring and did the same to him. She made a mental note to herself to yell at Locke later about his expensive surprise.
Setzer began to ramble on about things that were totally unecessary to say, just so he could torture Locke and Celes. Celes turned and gave him her famous deathglare, with her blue eyes turning to ice. Setzer widened his eyes and nearly choked while hurriedly saying "You may kiss the bride..."
Locke smirked and pulled Celes against his body, slipping his hand behind her neck as she tilted her face back slightly. He pressed his lips to hers, finally able to relieve all the wait that he had to go through, as if he had never kissed her before in his life. Celes closed her eyes and held him tightly, the warmth of his kiss slowing down her frenzied heart....
"I love you." Locke murmured against her lips right before he pulled away.
"And I love you too...."
Celes sighed as she leaned against her now shut bedroom door. Terra looked up at her curiously and alarm widened her eyes when she saw the look on Celes' face.
"What's up?" She asked quickly. Celes looked up from the floor, her face flushed over.
"I don't think I can do this!" Celes suddenly cried, and brought her hand over her chest. "My heart is pounding like .....God knows what!"
"You're just nervous." Terra offered, and extended her hand. "I promise, Celes, this is really the best thing that could ever happen to anyone!" Terra bit her lip nervously as Celes' expression did not change. "Celes, everyone gets nervous right before stuff like this...you've just got a lot ahead of you..."
Celes suddenly smiled a little and nodded.
"You're right, I must be nervous!" She exclaimed, and giggled. "I guess we should go out there now, huh?"
"Well...wait." Terra said, and looked Celes up and down. "I just realized...you have no one to give you away."
"Oh...it's ok!" Celes offered. "I already told you, this isn't a formal ceremony. You know that!"
"But still." Terra said. "I just wouldn't feel right without having you given away. It's just not normal!"
Suddenly, as if on cue, there was a knock on the door. Terra tugged Celes away from it, and called out "Who's there?"
"Me." Edgar said from the other side. "Listen, guys, everyone is settled down, and Celes needs to get her butt out here! Ok??"
"But..." Terra trailed off but yanked open the door. Edgar was standing there in all his glory, with a royal blue ribbon tying back his golden hair. Terra suddenly grinned and grabbed Edgar's hand.
"Hey!" Edgar cried, and laughed slyly. "Terra, you know we can't do THAT now!"
"Oh, stuff it." Terra barked, and turned red. "I just wanted you to give Celes away."
"Me?!"
"Him!?"
Celes and Edgar both cried out in unison and looked at each other. Terra slapped Edgar's hand over Celes', and nodded to herself.
"This is good." She said. "Edgar, just walk her down the aisle, ok? Celes, you get closer to him like this..." Terra pushed Celes over, and handed Celes her bouquet of flowers...beautiful white roses.
"Are you sure I won't mess up?" Edgar asked worriedly.
"You'll be fine," Terra said. "I promise!"
"Thanks....Terra!" Celes said, and smiled at her and Edgar. Edgar tightened his grip on Celes protectively and grinned back at her.
"Only fitting that you be given away by a king!" Edgar boasted playfully, and suddenly turned serious. "Now...lets go!"
Edgar led Celes out to the back, with Terra trailing behind so she could hide herself in the back as to not to distract the others from the bride. Celes felt her face immediately flush over when they had stepped outside...it wasn't because of the heat either. Her eyes had immediately locked onto Locke's, and her heart began to race.
It's a good thing Edgar is escorting me. Celes thought. Because if he wern't holding onto me, I would either faint or run up to Locke full speed.
Locke gazed back at her and smiled brightly when he saw how she was blushing. She looked absolutely radiant to him...fresh, beautiful....just something new and precious. Oh, how he longed to grab her away from Edgar and embrace her! Locke fidgeted a bit before Edgar finally reached them with Celes and released her, kissing her cheek. Celes could barely tear her gaze away from Locke for a second just to look at Edgar and thank him silently with her eyes.
"Celes..." Locke whispered, as she turned back to him. He tried to lean in and kiss her nose, but Setzer immediately grabbed him by the colar and stopped him.
"Uh-uh!" Setzer said, and smirked. "Don't tarnish the virgin bride...if that is indeed, still in effect..."
Locke and Celes both turned a deep red as Setzer cleared his throat and clasped his hands together.
But, as Celes would learn later, she wouldn't be able to recall much of what happened during the times when Setzer spoke. All she could focus on was Locke...how handsome he looked...how perfect he was...the way he was grasping her hand with his, and resting the other at her waist...she could barely even recall when Locke repeated his vows...her eyes were focused on his brown orbs the whole time...
Carefully, Celes recited her vows as well, and Locke gently squeazed her hand when she had said "Til death do us part." Finally, the time and come for the rings. However, Celes did not think they would be exchanging wedding bands right away, because it was made apparent that they could not afford them. They had even discussed that, and agreed that it wasn't necessary right away. But to her surprise, Relm suddenly popped up and produced two shining rings from her pocket, tied together with a small pink ribbon. She held them out to Locke, who smiled at her, and then took the rings, untying them and letting the ribbon flutter to the ground.
Celes blinked.
"What is this?" She asked softly, in a tone that no one could pick up on.
"A surprise." Locke said, and winked, slipping the ring on her finger. She just shook her head, but smiled as she took the other ring and did the same to him. She made a mental note to herself to yell at Locke later about his expensive surprise.
Setzer began to ramble on about things that were totally unecessary to say, just so he could torture Locke and Celes. Celes turned and gave him her famous deathglare, with her blue eyes turning to ice. Setzer widened his eyes and nearly choked while hurriedly saying "You may kiss the bride..."
Locke smirked and pulled Celes against his body, slipping his hand behind her neck as she tilted her face back slightly. He pressed his lips to hers, finally able to relieve all the wait that he had to go through, as if he had never kissed her before in his life. Celes closed her eyes and held him tightly, the warmth of his kiss slowing down her frenzied heart....
"I love you." Locke murmured against her lips right before he pulled away.
"And I love you too...."