Chapter 10
"Another wedding. Another crowning, and more pomp and circumstance. What are you *subjecting* us to?" Kain said with mock horror as he strode into the throne room of Eblan.
Edge and Rydia, who were testing out a throne being built to seat a queen, sprung up. "Kain!" they said in one voice.
"I jumped on a ship the moment I got your letter," Kain said, giving Rydia a kiss on the cheek and man-hugging Edge. "Or should I say your *missive*? 'A Royal Missive from the Throne of Eblan' -- nice letterhead, Edge."
"That's Sam's doings," Edge said, unable to keep the grin off his face.
"Well, you think a *missive* is adequate for relaying news like *this*?" Kain exploded. "Two of my best friends, two heroes of this world, sending off a curt little missive to every castle and town in the world. 'I am pleased to announce the engagement of Edge Geraldine, King of Eblan, and Rydia Page, Caller of the Mist. The wedding date is not yet set, and will be announced shortly.' *Geez*, people!"
"You're right," Edge said thoughtfully, "something was lacking. The 'I' is a little ambiguous. We meant for it to be Sam."
Kain shook his head in exasperation. "Well, congratulations, you two," he bellowed, although it seemed evident he'd calmed a little bit. "How'd it happen? I take it a lot has occurred since Larisa and I left you two alone here."
"Where's Larisa, by the way?" Rydia inquired.
"I'm the one with the questions here," Kain thundered. He smiled and reverted to his normal voice, saying, "She's helping the crew put the airship away, she should be in here shortly. I just had to run here and yell at you guys as quickly as possible."
"Well, now that that's done, I guess you'll expect dinner from us, too," Rydia said sweetly. At her words, a footman exited the room, presumably to inform the chef to double the cooking for the night. Rydia looked over at the vacant spot and laughed. "I just cannot get used to that."
"So what *happened*?" Kain asked eagerly, helping himself to Edge's throne for a seat. "Edge finally confess that he's had the hots for you ever since he opened his eyes after Rubicant beat him to a pulp?"
Rydia glanced at Edge with some surprise. "That long, huh?" she said. Their short dating span had left plenty of secrets to yet be discovered, and this was one of them.
"No," Edge answered Kain's question pointedly, sitting down on Rydia's throne. "But thanks for getting that out of the way for me."
Rydia, left without a chair, agreeably sat in Edge's lap. Kain let out something that sounded suspiciously like a guffaw. "Man, I mean, I read it in the letter, but seeing you two together, this is *weird*. This is just something else, you know? Rosa, by the way, nearly went off her rocker when she read that letter. She was all set to jump into the airship with me, and give Rydia a good scolding, but she had some sort of queenly duties or something, unlucky her."
"Poor dear," Rydia agreed with a tinge of irony in her voice.
"Ah, being a queen won't be that bad," Edge promised Rydia, running a hand through her soft hair affectionately. "I'll get you a really cool crown and you'll forget all about all the grueling duties you'll have."
"So what happened between you guys, really?" Kain asked curiously.
Edge and Rydia looked at each other and shrugged. "I guess we just finally got it together," Edge admitted.
Rydia added, "Yeah, I mean, anyone really could've seen it coming, right?"
Kain laughed and shook his head. "You didn't sound so blasé about this a couple months ago," he teased Edge.
Edge was saved from thinking up a comeback when Larisa was escorted in by two footmen. "I'm really okay, I don't need any announcing," she was saying.
One of the footmen cut her off and announced loudly, "Larisa, White Archer of Mysidia!"
Larisa gave Kain a wry look as she approached the thrones. "Did you get out of the announcement this time?" she asked him.
"Yeah, I had the element of surprise, though," Kain replied, kissing her on the cheek. "Airship okay?"
"Yes, no thanks to you," Larisa said, and pushed past him to greet the others. "Edge, Rydia, congratulations! I was so happy to hear the news."
"Right, whatever," Kain dismissed the sentiment, pushing past her. "What she *really* wants to know is, HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?"
After soothing Kain with some details of their relationship, and eating a long but highly enjoyable meal with the other couple, Edge and Rydia found themselves alone at the dinner table, Larisa and Kain having excused themselves to go for their evening walk. A waiter graciously served them their dessert. Figs, of course.
"Chef Linberg was afraid they were going to go bad," he said by way of explanation. Edge just rolled his eyes.
Rydia laughed. "I don't think anyone's going to let go of your asking for figs anytime soon," she teased him. "As if you needed aphrodisiacs to get onto my good side." She winked.
Edge smiled and took her hand. "It takes my breath away when you flirt with me," he told her honestly.
Rydia looked down at the table, a little unsure of just how to respond to that. If someone had told her that one day, the king of Eblan, who was reputedly able to date any woman he wanted to on the planet, would tell her that he loved it when she flirted with him ... "Maybe you're just astonished at how much better this table looks now," she said instead of voicing her thoughts. She gestured at the dining room table, which she'd arranged to be renovated as she'd once teasingly suggested he do himself. It was much wider now, though just as long, and shone like new.
"Yes, but I can't reach you as easily as I used to be able to," Edge said mournfully. He stretched out his arms as if he couldn't quite reach her, sitting on the other side. Of course, he could've stood up and picked her up from right there if he'd wanted to.
Shaking her head, Rydia stood and walked over to his side of the table, pulling up a chair so she could sit close to him. "You'll always be able to reach me," she said.
Edge gave her an approving nod. "Quite a romantic sentiment there," he said, pulling her closer and almost onto his lap. "Very Lady Roberts." At her shocked stare, he winked at her and said, "I found that stockpile of books under your bed the other day."
"You were -- looking through my things?" Rydia gasped, trying unsuccessfully to get up in her embarrassment of her collection of no less than forty-seven of the prolific Lady Roberts' romance novels. Edge had a tight grip around her waist, though, and was laughing.
"We can't keep secrets from each other anymore, anyway," Edge chided her as she acquiesced into his arms. "We are, after all, getting married."
"So when do you want to do it?" she said excitedly. She cut off Edge's surely impending leer with a quick, "*The wedding.*"
Edge, his opening for a prime joke taken from him, sighed and said, "Oh, as soon as possible, I think. Maybe a couple months, give you some time to get that custom-made dress you've been talking about. Who are we going to invite?"
"Everyone!" Rydia replied promptly. "The works. Practically everyone we know."
"I don't think I've seen Sam so happy in my life, now that I've found you," Edge said thoughtfully. "Even more than when I finally passed History of Mysidian Wizards. Which, let me tell you, was a battle. I bet you never had to memorize the Black Magic Hall of Fame ... " A sudden thought arrested his reminiscing. "Rydia ... are there going to be *monsters* at our wedding?"
Rydia tried to look innocent. "Well, Asura did say she would try to convince Leviathan to come. And maybe a couple of their friends ... "
Edge sighed. "The things I have to put up with with a Caller for a fiancée," he said with mock dismay.
"Yeah," scoffed Rydia, "like being the luckiest man in the world!"
"Seriously," Edge grinned, and leaned up for a kiss, which he got.
"It'll be a gorgeous wedding," Rydia sighed, snuggling into Edge. "All of Eblan will come ... "
"And all our friends from around the world, even monsters," Edge said.
"Larisa promised to stay and help me plan the wedding," Rydia said, "and she said Rosa would be sending letters of advice, too."
"And you'll be summoning the sylphs to custom-make your dress," Edge said. Rydia looked at him with some surprise, and he said, "What? I pay attention to you!"
"We'll be together forever," Rydia said softly.
"And you'll be a queen," Edge reminded her, "with all sorts of new duties."
"That won't keep me from the Ninja class, though," she warned him.
"I should hope not!" Edge replied. "Maybe you can teach me, er, summoning, too. Or at least some of those cheerleading moves, I'm sure we would be quite a team."
Rydia laughed, feeling safe. "We will be," she said.
----===== The End =====----
"Another wedding. Another crowning, and more pomp and circumstance. What are you *subjecting* us to?" Kain said with mock horror as he strode into the throne room of Eblan.
Edge and Rydia, who were testing out a throne being built to seat a queen, sprung up. "Kain!" they said in one voice.
"I jumped on a ship the moment I got your letter," Kain said, giving Rydia a kiss on the cheek and man-hugging Edge. "Or should I say your *missive*? 'A Royal Missive from the Throne of Eblan' -- nice letterhead, Edge."
"That's Sam's doings," Edge said, unable to keep the grin off his face.
"Well, you think a *missive* is adequate for relaying news like *this*?" Kain exploded. "Two of my best friends, two heroes of this world, sending off a curt little missive to every castle and town in the world. 'I am pleased to announce the engagement of Edge Geraldine, King of Eblan, and Rydia Page, Caller of the Mist. The wedding date is not yet set, and will be announced shortly.' *Geez*, people!"
"You're right," Edge said thoughtfully, "something was lacking. The 'I' is a little ambiguous. We meant for it to be Sam."
Kain shook his head in exasperation. "Well, congratulations, you two," he bellowed, although it seemed evident he'd calmed a little bit. "How'd it happen? I take it a lot has occurred since Larisa and I left you two alone here."
"Where's Larisa, by the way?" Rydia inquired.
"I'm the one with the questions here," Kain thundered. He smiled and reverted to his normal voice, saying, "She's helping the crew put the airship away, she should be in here shortly. I just had to run here and yell at you guys as quickly as possible."
"Well, now that that's done, I guess you'll expect dinner from us, too," Rydia said sweetly. At her words, a footman exited the room, presumably to inform the chef to double the cooking for the night. Rydia looked over at the vacant spot and laughed. "I just cannot get used to that."
"So what *happened*?" Kain asked eagerly, helping himself to Edge's throne for a seat. "Edge finally confess that he's had the hots for you ever since he opened his eyes after Rubicant beat him to a pulp?"
Rydia glanced at Edge with some surprise. "That long, huh?" she said. Their short dating span had left plenty of secrets to yet be discovered, and this was one of them.
"No," Edge answered Kain's question pointedly, sitting down on Rydia's throne. "But thanks for getting that out of the way for me."
Rydia, left without a chair, agreeably sat in Edge's lap. Kain let out something that sounded suspiciously like a guffaw. "Man, I mean, I read it in the letter, but seeing you two together, this is *weird*. This is just something else, you know? Rosa, by the way, nearly went off her rocker when she read that letter. She was all set to jump into the airship with me, and give Rydia a good scolding, but she had some sort of queenly duties or something, unlucky her."
"Poor dear," Rydia agreed with a tinge of irony in her voice.
"Ah, being a queen won't be that bad," Edge promised Rydia, running a hand through her soft hair affectionately. "I'll get you a really cool crown and you'll forget all about all the grueling duties you'll have."
"So what happened between you guys, really?" Kain asked curiously.
Edge and Rydia looked at each other and shrugged. "I guess we just finally got it together," Edge admitted.
Rydia added, "Yeah, I mean, anyone really could've seen it coming, right?"
Kain laughed and shook his head. "You didn't sound so blasé about this a couple months ago," he teased Edge.
Edge was saved from thinking up a comeback when Larisa was escorted in by two footmen. "I'm really okay, I don't need any announcing," she was saying.
One of the footmen cut her off and announced loudly, "Larisa, White Archer of Mysidia!"
Larisa gave Kain a wry look as she approached the thrones. "Did you get out of the announcement this time?" she asked him.
"Yeah, I had the element of surprise, though," Kain replied, kissing her on the cheek. "Airship okay?"
"Yes, no thanks to you," Larisa said, and pushed past him to greet the others. "Edge, Rydia, congratulations! I was so happy to hear the news."
"Right, whatever," Kain dismissed the sentiment, pushing past her. "What she *really* wants to know is, HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?"
After soothing Kain with some details of their relationship, and eating a long but highly enjoyable meal with the other couple, Edge and Rydia found themselves alone at the dinner table, Larisa and Kain having excused themselves to go for their evening walk. A waiter graciously served them their dessert. Figs, of course.
"Chef Linberg was afraid they were going to go bad," he said by way of explanation. Edge just rolled his eyes.
Rydia laughed. "I don't think anyone's going to let go of your asking for figs anytime soon," she teased him. "As if you needed aphrodisiacs to get onto my good side." She winked.
Edge smiled and took her hand. "It takes my breath away when you flirt with me," he told her honestly.
Rydia looked down at the table, a little unsure of just how to respond to that. If someone had told her that one day, the king of Eblan, who was reputedly able to date any woman he wanted to on the planet, would tell her that he loved it when she flirted with him ... "Maybe you're just astonished at how much better this table looks now," she said instead of voicing her thoughts. She gestured at the dining room table, which she'd arranged to be renovated as she'd once teasingly suggested he do himself. It was much wider now, though just as long, and shone like new.
"Yes, but I can't reach you as easily as I used to be able to," Edge said mournfully. He stretched out his arms as if he couldn't quite reach her, sitting on the other side. Of course, he could've stood up and picked her up from right there if he'd wanted to.
Shaking her head, Rydia stood and walked over to his side of the table, pulling up a chair so she could sit close to him. "You'll always be able to reach me," she said.
Edge gave her an approving nod. "Quite a romantic sentiment there," he said, pulling her closer and almost onto his lap. "Very Lady Roberts." At her shocked stare, he winked at her and said, "I found that stockpile of books under your bed the other day."
"You were -- looking through my things?" Rydia gasped, trying unsuccessfully to get up in her embarrassment of her collection of no less than forty-seven of the prolific Lady Roberts' romance novels. Edge had a tight grip around her waist, though, and was laughing.
"We can't keep secrets from each other anymore, anyway," Edge chided her as she acquiesced into his arms. "We are, after all, getting married."
"So when do you want to do it?" she said excitedly. She cut off Edge's surely impending leer with a quick, "*The wedding.*"
Edge, his opening for a prime joke taken from him, sighed and said, "Oh, as soon as possible, I think. Maybe a couple months, give you some time to get that custom-made dress you've been talking about. Who are we going to invite?"
"Everyone!" Rydia replied promptly. "The works. Practically everyone we know."
"I don't think I've seen Sam so happy in my life, now that I've found you," Edge said thoughtfully. "Even more than when I finally passed History of Mysidian Wizards. Which, let me tell you, was a battle. I bet you never had to memorize the Black Magic Hall of Fame ... " A sudden thought arrested his reminiscing. "Rydia ... are there going to be *monsters* at our wedding?"
Rydia tried to look innocent. "Well, Asura did say she would try to convince Leviathan to come. And maybe a couple of their friends ... "
Edge sighed. "The things I have to put up with with a Caller for a fiancée," he said with mock dismay.
"Yeah," scoffed Rydia, "like being the luckiest man in the world!"
"Seriously," Edge grinned, and leaned up for a kiss, which he got.
"It'll be a gorgeous wedding," Rydia sighed, snuggling into Edge. "All of Eblan will come ... "
"And all our friends from around the world, even monsters," Edge said.
"Larisa promised to stay and help me plan the wedding," Rydia said, "and she said Rosa would be sending letters of advice, too."
"And you'll be summoning the sylphs to custom-make your dress," Edge said. Rydia looked at him with some surprise, and he said, "What? I pay attention to you!"
"We'll be together forever," Rydia said softly.
"And you'll be a queen," Edge reminded her, "with all sorts of new duties."
"That won't keep me from the Ninja class, though," she warned him.
"I should hope not!" Edge replied. "Maybe you can teach me, er, summoning, too. Or at least some of those cheerleading moves, I'm sure we would be quite a team."
Rydia laughed, feeling safe. "We will be," she said.
----===== The End =====----