Chapter 23
By shadows/of/flame
"You do know that thinking too much will kill you."
Torns barely open eyes peered through the darkness to where Keira was lying on their bed, almost ready to sleep herself.
"I was just thinking... about what the Shadow said. Our 'mission'."
Keiras eyes wandered to the half packed bags in the corner that belonged to her and Torn, and the room was pretty much a pigsty from all their packing, but neither of them stressed much on tidiness anyway.
The wedding was also drawing closer, which was another big thing to think about.
"The weddings tomorrow, Torn! Come on, you need your rest, or else you'll be knackered."
He closed his eyes and blocked out all sound. He blocked out the sound of the early morning druggies zooming around on their hovers, the early morning marketeers yelling out their wares, and in the process almost fell asleep right where he was.
"I swear..." Keira muttered, dragging him to their bed and pulling the covers over him, "You'll be damned tired tomorrow."
He yawned loudly, causing Keira to giggle slightly insanely as she curled up beside him.
"At least get a bit of sleep. If Jak catches you yawning even once, he'll never let you forget it."
"Ashelin won't let me live it down either..." he started to murmur, but before he could completely finish the sentence, he was fast asleep.
"Bout time..." Keira muttered tiredly before also falling asleep, every minute, every second counting down to the big royal wedding.
0o0o0
"No, seriously, why do I have to wear this... royal thing again?" Jak muttered angrily as Daxter and Torn helped him into the clothes he was supposed to wear for the wedding-coronation.
"Because, not only are you marrying the Governess of Haven City, but you are going to become the Governer of Haven City." Torn answered, weaving Jaks hair into plaits at the sides and smirking.
Haha, plaits. He was so lucky he wasn't the one marrying Ashelin, or else he'd have to have the plaits, and look as strange as Jak did right then.
"You look... strange." he eventually admitted when Jak asked how he looked.
"Oh great! Like thats a reassurance." Jak muttered, tugging at the plaits, but to his dismay Torn had plaitted them all too well.
"Rope plaitting." Torn grunted as the first words left Jaks lips as he asked how Torn could plait so well. "If you had asked if it was plaitting my sisters hair you will find you no longer have a head."
Daxter chuckled, and found it hard not to leap straight onto Jaks shoulder.
Today, just today, was the day that he was forbidden to go anywhere near his buddys shoulder.
"Torn, is your shoulder free?" Daxter whined, and Jak burst out laughing at Torns half-bemused, half-I-am-so-going-to-kill-you expression.
"Yeah, sure, why not." he grumbled, and Daxter cheered and danced around, making a huge big deal out of it until Torn backhanded him.
"Heeey, can I come in?" it was Tess, and Daxter bounded to the door, opening it and engulfing Tess in his arms.
"Sure babe! We're just dressing Jakku here up for his wedding. You can help him if he needs it, in fact. Tattooed Wonder and I have had enough of helping him."
"And WHAT exactly does THAT mean?" Jak growled, and Daxter laughed. "Relax big guy, I was just chillin'! Ya know, jokin', whatever you humans call it."
Torn grumbled something about a new pair of ottsel fur slippers this winter, when a door slammed down the corridor.
Had something gone wrong?
0o0o0
Keira grumbled as yet another bobby pin slipped out of her slim fingers and ended up on the floor. Luckily for her, there were plenty more where they came from, and she didn't have to pick them up in a hurry.
Keira was attempting to make Ashelins hair all nice and Governess-like, but was failing as the hair pins went everywhere. Ashelin couldn't help but let a smile claim her lips as she watched her friends futile attempts to stop them falling.
Eventually, the hairdo was nicely done, and Keira slipped the tiara holding the veil on it onto Ashelins head, applying last minute make up to her friends face, and then lifting the veil so it covered her pale face.
"You and Jak huh? I would have never thought you would walk down the aisle with him." Keira smiled, turning Ashelin around without tripping over her floor length dress so the bride-to-be could see herself in the mirror.
Ashelins pale pink dress was finished nicely by the diamond encrusted tiara, and a simple, pearl necklace that hung around her neck.
"I... wow, this looks great! Thanks again Keira!" she smiled, hugging Keira tightly.
"You're welcome. Now, I'm gonna go check on your 'future' husband, so I'll be right back, ok?"
At even the mere mention of the man who was to be her husband in a few hours, Ashelins already frayed nerves frayed just a little bit more.
"Sure. Make sure hes OK for me."
Keira slammed the door fiercely behind her, jumping in surprise as it shut louder than she expected. Despie a few stray looks from the guests that had already started to arrive, she got out safely and opened the door to Jaks preparation room across the hall.
"Sorry I was so loud." she blushed as four sets of eyes focused on her. "Guess I don't know my own strength, hehe..."
"Glad you could make it to, er, help me." Jak grinned. She smiled. "No silly, I'm here to tell you that the ceremony is starting now!"
Jak yelped and started shaking nervously. Daxter cackled and almost fell off Torns shoulder.
"Jak, you'll be fine! I seriously don't know what you're worrying about, I mean, nothing bad can happen! All of our enemies are dead! Veger... Erol... both... gone..."
As the last word left her lips, an un-noticeable tear trickled down her cheek, and she quickly wiped it away, not wishing for anyone to see her moment of weakness.
Jak nodded, and took a deep breath. "You're right Keir, as usual. Come on then, lets get the ceremony started."
Torn gave her hand a quick squeeze and left with Jak. Tess and her had to stay with Ashelin, so, naturally, they went back in to wait with the blushing bride.
Jak simply could not stop fidgeting as Torn led him up to the altar to wait with Daxter, his best man - er, ottsel.
The wedding music began, and Keira nudged Ashelin, signalling her to get ready to start her walk down the aisle.
Tess went first, as the flower-ottsel, and then Keira as the maid of honour, and lastly... Ashelin.
Jaks breath caught in his throat as he saw her, and tears glistened in her eyes as she reached the altar and held Jaks hands in hers.
"Please be seated." The pastor said.
Everyone sat down, and Keira stood quietly by Torn, her eyes masking her true emotions.
"Do you, Ashelin Praxis, take Jak Mar, to be your lawfully wedded huband, to have and to hold from this day forward until death do you part?"
"I do." Ashelin smiled weakly, and Jaks smile ate up his whole face.
"Do you, Jak Mar, take Ashelin Praxis to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward until death do you part?"
"I do."
"Does anyone here have any reason that these two should not be wed in holy matrimony?"
There was silence.
The pastor presented the rings, and Ashelin and Jak slid them onto each others fingers.
"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."
Jak held Ashelins face gently in his hands, and the two of them leant into the kiss that would seal their love for each other until they died. Or got a divorce.
Daxter wiped an imaginary tear from his eye as everyone erupted into cheers and catcalls, and the newlyweds walked down the aisle, to the wedding afterparty.
"I wonder if the Shadow required us to leave now?" Torn murmured as everyone filed out of the hall in a steady flow.
"We might as well, its not like you've missed catching your share of bouquets." Keira giggled, and took Torns hand as they started walking back to their place to retrieve their things.
How long did the Shadow say we'd be gone for?" Torn asked Keira as she swung her bag over her shoulder, neatly zipping it up before everything fell out.
"Who knows? Probably about a week, maybe more, seems its a 'very important mission'."
He snorted as he shouldered his own bags, lugging them out the door, and taking one last look at their residence before Keira locked the door, and threw the keys to the hover at him.
Their mission had begun.
Torns communicator crackled into life, and Samos' voice could clearly be heard over the engine of the zoomer, which was headed towards the Precursor Temple-forest.
"Theres something I need you two to investigate in the forest by where Keira retrieved the baby seedling from last month. You remember the place, right Keira?"
"Yes daddy." she replied drowsily, snuggling her head into Torns shoulder as the old man continued talking.
"Good. Go there then, and be sure to tell Torn the directions so you don't get lost. I'll be in touch."
The line disconnected, and Keiras' pillow breathed a sigh of relief as the old mans voice could no longer be heard.
"Sure, hes nice to tell us where to go, but he gives me a headache." Torn grumbled, helping Keira out of the hover and entering the keypad number so the door would open.
"Thats not very nice!" Keira tutted, running to catch up to him before the door closed on her.
So... wheres this place we're supposed to check out?" Torn asked, slightly suspicious as to why they were there. Usually log-of-the-head Grandpa Green would have given them a lot more information, but this time, they had nothing. Not what sort of disturbance it was, no clues at all.
"This way. Shoot the floating platform... yeah, and we jump over there..."
'Please, no more confusing instructions.' Torn begged to himself as they crawled carefully across a narrow line. The Jetboard would have been useful right then, but Jak had it, and said hero was enjoying his honeymoon with his wife.
"Up there! We're nearly there!" Keira panted, almost falling off the edge with exhaustion.
5 more narrow lines later, Keira and Torn walked up towards where the sages usually meditated.
Torn reached the top first, and he dropped his bags onto his foot at what he saw.
Usually, he would have noticed the pain first, but he was too shocked at what was standing right in front of him to notice.