My Big Fat Aquios Wedding

By Nicolle

1st Note: A lot of people have pointed out to me that Elena turned the king down. Trust me, people; I know what I'm doing. The answer to that mystery will be revealed in chapter four.

2nd Note: OOC-ness ahead!

3rd Note: For the benefit of those who have not played Shadow Hearts: Covenant, Anne is the mother of Yuri, who's first dark fusion is Nox.

Disclaimer: Star Ocean 3 belongs to Tri-Ace/Ubisoft/Square-Enix.

Chapter 3:

Part One: Going Over Like a Ton of Bricks

Cliff and Mirage stepped into town and stopped dead at the sight before them. Nel and Albel were sitting on a park bench together and neither looked happy.

Cliff sighed. "All right, what happened?"

"How fast can everyone else get here?" Nel asked.

Mirage and Cliff looked at each other.

"Is it life threatening?" Mirage asked.

Nel gave Albel a sideways glare. "Potentially."

"Sca-ree," Cliff said. "Mind telling us what's going on?"

"I'm only going to say it once, fool. Just get everyone else here."

Cliff rolled his eyes and called the Diplo. An hour or so later, Fayt, Sophia, Cliff, Mirage, Maria, and Peppita sat around a table in the castle in the Royal City of Airyglyph. Regardless of the looks of worry from the others, Peppita was shooting daggers with her eyes at Albel.

He pouted at her. "Is something wrong, Soufflé? You don't look happy to see me."

She growled. "My name is Peppita!"

"Soufflé."

"PEPPITA!"

"It's Soufflé. I'd eat you if it meant getting rid of you, but as it stands, you'd give me indigestion."

Peppita moved to jump across the table and Mirage grabbed her shoulder to hold her down. "Would you mind telling us what's going on before she tries to kill us all?"

Nel sighed. "The good news is everything is fine here. Countries are at peace and monsters are at an all time low."

Albel picked up where Nel left off. "The bad news is Nel and I are getting married."

Dead silence had a choke hold on the group. Fayt managed to throw it off. "What?"

"I'm not repeating myself, fool. You heard what I said."

Mirage looked at the unhappy couple. "How is this a bad thing?"

"It's an arranged marriage," Nel said.

"So? I mean, honestly, who else is going to understand what the two of you went through rather than each other?"

Ignoring her, Fayt looked at Albel. "So whose big idea was this?"

"Queen Aquios."

""So why don't you protest it?" Maria asked.

"I have no particular plans too," Albel drawled.

"I wish I..." She looked at the Captain. "Are you serious? You want to go through with this?"

"It's just like Mirage said. No one else on Ellicor is going to understand. Besides, I can think of a hundred other women I'd strangle before we even got to the altar."

"Point taken."

Sophia looked around. "So now what? Do you want us to help you with the planning?"

"Well, we need to pick bridesmaids and groomsmen," Nel began dejectedly.

"So who's going to be the best man?" Maria asked.

Albel leaned back. "Well, I don't know. I can't think of anyone I like that much..."

Cliff elbowed him in the stomach.

Albel fell forward with a gasp. "Cliff," he managed.

Everyone looked at the Klausian and he shrugged. "He asked me already."

"I thought you said you only wanted to say it once," Nel said.

"Worm..."

Nel pushed him out of his chair. "Claire will be my maid of honor," she said as Albel clawed his way back up into his seat. She looked at Sophia, Maria, and Mirage. "Will you three be my bridesmaids?"

"Yes."

"Yes!"

"Of course."

"What about me?!"

Nel looked at Peppita. "Flower girl."

"Oh. Okay!"

Albel finally managed to get back into his chair. "I'm going to hurt you later, both of you."

"Before or after the beer?" Cliff asked.

Albel thought about it. "After." He looked at Fayt. "Would you mind being one of the groomsmen?"

Fayt's dead, expressionless eyes looked at Albel and the eternity of a stare down stretched on. "Only if you pair me up with Mirage." The entire table cracked up and a few of them hit the floor in laughter. Fayt reached down and pulled Mirage off the floor. "Sure thing."

Sophia was practically jumping up and down. "Ooh! Ooh! We have to have a bridal shower! And a bachelor party!"

"Settle down, Sophia." Maria shook her head. "But she raises a good point." She looked at the boys. "No bachelor party the night before the wedding. Have it the week before."

"Yes, mommy," boys sung in unison.

"Dress shopping!" Peppita screamed while jumping up and down.

"Tomorrow," Nel said with finality. "Tonight, we're getting drunk."

Chapter Three:

Part Two: It Doesn't Make You Look Fat Per Say...

I stared at myself in the mirror. This was the fortieth dress in six hours, in four different shops, in three different towns. Why was I submitting myself to this outrageous indignity? It made Sophia happy. It also had the added bonus of keeping Peppita quiet. Whenever they found a new dress for me, a matching, but far more demure dress was pulled out for Peppita to try. Though the headache from my hangover wore off an hour or so ago, I was completely wiped out.

Vaguely, I could hear Maria and Sophia talking about the next dress they were going to stuff me in. I huddled in the corner of the dressing room and wished I could go to bed or die. Either would have been fine. Mirage came in the room with a dress over her arm.

"Here. Try this one on. Last dress. Promise." She held up her hand in scout's honor.

Nel sighed and struggled out of the one she was in. Adjusting the 'foundation garment,' read corset, she put her various parts back into place. She reached for the dress and lifted it up. "This one's pretty."

"I had to sneak it passed the seamstress. She kept complaining that it was out of style." She helped Nel into the dress.

The dress was a deep purple with gold trim across the chest, waist, wrists, and ankles and skin tight. Over that went a translucent, pale blue slip with a train that dragged a few feet behind her. Hanging down the back of the dress were several gold braids and a banner embroidered with a knot work design meant to convey happiness, fertility, and peace. Mirage held Nel's hair up to give her an impression of what it would look like when the full head dress of gold and blue was on.

"What do you think?" the Klausian asked quietly.

"I think it's beautiful."

"Do you want me to go out there and keep them distracted while you think about it?"

"Please?"

Mirage disappeared out the door. I turned and looked at myself in the mirror. By Aquios standards, the dress was very traditional and showed off the runes I loved so much. I turned a little, to the left and the right, getting a good look while I had a few moments of quiet.

And then it hit me.

I was getting married. To someone I didn't love, had, in fact, spent most of my life hating, and would have to have children with him. I closed my eyes willed the sudden torrent of emotion away. When I was no longer on the verge of tears, I looked at myself in the mirror.

"Lady Albel Nox."

She said it again.

"Lady Albel Nox."

It didn't sound so bad the second time around.

Mirage poked her head in the door. "Well?"

"This is the dress."

The seamstress' head popped in the doorway. "But it's two years out of date!"

Mirage fixed the seamstress with her own special glare of death.

"But it's just perfect for you! The first fitting is in two weeks." The seamstress smiled large and nervous. The other girls looked in and the dressing room filled with oohs and aahs. By the time they made it back to the inn in Peterny, the girls ran for their rooms to crash in their beds. Nel sat down at a table in the inn and put her head in her hands. A pair of hands on her shoulders made her jump. She looked up and found Albel standing behind her.

"Are you all right?"

Nel nodded.

He massaged her shoulders. "Did you find a dress?"

She relaxed and leaned back. "Yes."

"Do you like it?"

She closed her eyes. "It's beautiful."

"Don't go to sleep yet."

"Why?" She let her head rest against his stomach. "Afraid you can't carry me up the stairs?"

Albel rolled his eyes. "Tonight is the first washing of the hair ceremony."

Nel sat up and turned in the chair. "What?"

"It's an Airyglyph tradition. Women considered to be lucky or successful descend upon the bride and groom to wash their hair four times before the wedding."

"Oh dear Apris..."

"Don't worry; Elena called dibs on your hair a while back. I'm not so lucky."

Nel smiled. "What are they going to do to you?"

"Well, since I'm Albel the Wicked, it has been determined that it will take several women to wash my hair. So long as Woltar's wife doesn't show up, I'm safe."

"Oh, Albel!" a large, matronly woman called from the door of the inn.

Albel cringed. "I'm screwed."

The woman grabbed him by the braids and dragged him away.

"A little help here!" the Captain screamed as he was dragged into another room, with several, giggling, Airyglyph ladies following. Nel turned around and saw Elena standing there with a basket and towel in her hands.

"Come on, dear. This won't take long. It's actually very relaxing."

Nel followed the engineer turned queen to the room next the one Albel was currently being tortured in.

"WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WASHED YOUR HAIR?!"

"TWO DAYS AGO! AND STOP PULLING ON MY BRAIDS, WORM!"

Elena laughed softly as Nel sat down and leaned her head back. The engineer poured warm water over Nel's head and began massaging a vanilla shampoo into her hair.

"The washing of the hair is very important in Airyglyph. The first washing symbolizes the beginning till the end. The second is for harmony from now till old age. The third washing is for sons and grandsons. The last washing which will happen the day before the wedding is for good health, wealth, and a long-lasting marriage." Elena poured more water over Nel's head to wash out the suds. She pulled out a comb and went to work on the knots.

"YOU OLD WITCHES! STOP PULLING ON MY BRAIDS!"

"STOP TRYING TO GET AWAY!"

"My, but they seem to be having a good time," Elena muttered.

"Do you think they'll be all right? It is Albel."

"I'm far more worried about him than about the other ladies. Woltar's wife maybe as old as him, but she's strong enough to keep Albel sitting."

"HANDS OFF!"

"Oh, come on, Captain! You show off just about everything anyway!"

"YOU'RE MARRIED!"

"I can still peek!"

Nel decided to save him. "Keep your hands off my fiancé!"

The crashing in the other room stopped.

"Yes, Lady Nel."

"Thank you, Nel."

Elena chuckled and let Nel up.

"Any other Airyglyph traditions I should know about?"

"Albel will tell you about the rest. Trust me. None are as horribly embarrassing as what your fiancé is going through."

"Just so long as it's him and not me."

"At a girl."