Note: It gets tiresome trying to come up with new ways to say the same thing, so I'm just going to say it the same way from now on… Thanks. Thanks for reading, thanks for reviewing. I have had fun writing all of the chapters leading up to the wedding, but I think this was my favorite to write, the actual wedding. I took excerpts from the ceremony when my husband and I renewed our vows at the Ren Fest this summer (I don't think I'll ever forget those words!) and although I don't think there were actual 'rings of stones' anywhere near the fortress at Hadrian's Wall, I know that the Druids practiced many of their ceremonies inside such rings and wanted one for the wedding. Kind of like Fuqua used them in the movie. And the bit about the decorations… they didn't have streamers and such back then, but I just wanted to bring Sadie back into the scene. I just love that woman! She's loosely based off my own grandmother, who I loved dearly and I miss her terribly. This chapter is dedicated to anyone who misses a loved one, gone, but not forgotten. As long as we remember them, they live in our hearts and will not fade away. Maybe that's what is meant by 'life after death'. You know, all sayings have a beginning and I wonder sometimes just how far off the meanings of some old sayings have actually become… Hope you enjoy this… I know I did.
Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it don't belong to me… if you don't recognize it, then it does. Clear enough?
While the ladies were getting the bride ready for the wedding, Arthur and the other knights were getting Gawain ready as well. After much persuasion he finally agreed that he would wear his best armor over his best clothes and the other knights would wear theirs as a show of pride in their fellow warrior, reluctant as they had been to take such a profession, it was who they were. Arthur, as the commander, would stand with Gawain and one of the local men would perform the ceremony, mostly because he was the only one who knew the words. Arthur had commented that Romans were married by a priest of the church, but since neither Sarah nor Gawain were Roman, he was sure it would not be necessary. Gawain laughed as Bors grumbled that Vanora was sure to get all mushy and want to be the next bride. "Now, Bors, wouldn't you rather marry her than let someone take her away?" he asked after a particularly long tirade of grumbles. Before Bors could answer, Lancelot piped up, "Like me? I'm just waiting for her to get tired of waiting on you, you know." They all laughed when Bors became flustered, trying to come up with a snappy comeback, then in frustration, he just bellowed, "Only if you have a death wish!"
Finally, they were all dressed and standing around. "Well, now what do we do?" Galahad asked everyone in general. Bors quickly spoke up, "We could go have a drink while we wait." Arthur knew that if the women took too long, some, if not most of the knights would be too drunk to attend the wedding, so he volunteered to seek them out to see how much longer they would be. "Now men, this is a big day for Gawain, don't go and get drunk before the big event." Gawain assured him they wouldn't and he left to find Vanora and Sarah. When he got to the house that Bors and Vanora lived in, he knocked and was greeted by one of their children. "Hello, Two is it?" When she nodded, he continued, "Is your mother home?" She moved into the small main room and he followed her silently, listening to the giggles and laughter coming from another room. "I see that the ladies are busy. Will you tell Vanora that I am here to escort them to the meeting hall. We will go from there to meet with everyone else." He watched her quickly run from the room and looked around. None of the other children were present and he wondered where they had gotten off to. He was brought out of his thoughts when Vanora came into the room.
"Arthur! You are about to see the most beautiful bride in the whole of Britain. Come, Sarah, let's not keep Arthur waiting." She called over her shoulder. Arthur watched the doorway expectantly, and caught his breath when he saw Sarah come slowly into the room. She stepped gingerly, holding her dress up off the floor. "Lady, I think Vanora was correct. You are radiant!" She flashed him a huge smile and gently let the dress fall around her feet. "Thank you, Arthur. Vanora took me to see Sadie and she had this beautiful dress. Isn't it the most wonderful creation ever made by human hands?" Her voice was breathless and her face shone with excitement. "I think I'll have to agree. It is lovely, but I'm sure the blush on your cheeks only makes it more beautiful. May I ask one favor, nay, two favors of the blushing bride?" He asked and saw her cheeks become more rosy. "Of course, Commander, I will be proud to grant you two favors on this wonderful day!"
"First, I ask that when you make your entrance before Gawain, that I can be standing so that I may see his face and second, I would ask that you save one dance for me, so that I may say I danced with the most beautiful lady along Hadrian's Wall on this day." She smiled and nodded. Then she lowered her head and curtsied, "Kind sir, I would be honored." Then lifting her head quickly, she asked in a breathless whisper, "Do you really think he will be pleased with my choice of a dress?" Before Arthur could answer, Vanora spoke up, "If he's not, I'll be willing to wager that there are others who will be pleased. Now, let's get going before Bors drinks enough to be loud and rowdy. Two, go find your brothers and sisters and have them go find their father." She instructed the oldest of Bors daughters. "As soon as everyone is ready, come tell us so we can make our entrance." Two ran out of the house and Arthur held out both his arms for the ladies to take. "Come, let us head to the meeting room. As soon as Two comes back, we can begin the festivities." Arthur told them as they headed back toward the fortress hall.
They had only been at the hall for a few minutes when Two came bursting through the doorway. "Ma, Pa says it's time to get this over with." Sarah laughed at the choice of words and Vanora made a clucking sound and said, "I'm going back with Two, Sarah, you look beautiful. I'll make sure Timothy is where he is supposed to be since he is giving your hand in place of your father. Arthur, I'll see you at the ceremony." Then with a swish of her skirt she was headed out the door. Sarah looked at Arthur, "Well, I guess we'd better be heading that way. Thank you for bending the rules of the Roman Empire by letting us get married. I really appreciate it." He took her hand and placed it on his arm, "My pleasure. I have seen my men suffer through too many sad occasions to deny any one of them a chance at happiness. I would thank you for putting the smile on Gawain's face. I don't think I've ever seen him as happy as he is now without the benefit of ale." She smiled at his words as they headed toward the circle of stones at the edge of the southern side of the wall.
Gawain stood with his comrades, fidgeting because it seemed to be taking so long for her to come to him. What if she changed her mind? What if being the wife of a Sarmatian Knight wasn't what she wanted after all? For what seemed like the thousandth time, he looked toward the direction she would enter the circle. The sound of Tristan's voice, low so only he could hear, brought his attention back to the scout. "Remain steady, for her love for you is so." He looked at the calm face of the other man and took a deep breath. "I just can't believe my good fortune to have found a woman such as Sarah to be my wife. I keep thinking I will awake and find this has all been just a wonderful dream and I'm back here, drinking to forget what I've lost through my time as a slave to Rome." He replied wistfully. "Nay, 'tis real." The scout told him, then he nodded his head in the direction Gawain had been watching, "For here she is."
Gawain turned and caught his breath. She was breathtaking in her beauty. The light, colored in the deep hues of sunset, was behind her, making her seem to glow. Her dress was green, darker than her eyes, but he knew it would make her eyes shine. She had a long piece of cloth over her head that hung down her back, covering her hair that was loose, hanging to her waist. She had her hand on Arthur's arm and was smiling up at his commander when her brother stepped up and took her hand and placed it on his own arm. Arthur looked in his direction and bowed his head. "Damn." Galahad whispered and he looked back at his fellow knights to find them all standing there with their mouths hanging open. All except Tristan. As usual, he didn't seem fazed by anything. "Is this a dream?" he asked no one in particular and looked at Bors when he said, quietly for a change. "If it is, don't wake me." He turned back to see that Timothy was slowly walking her toward him and he caught her eyes for the first time. The love he saw in them made his heart swell with pride. When she was about half way to him, he heard someone playing a soft tune on some kind of instrument and wondered if this was what Arthur meant when he referred to the angels playing music, for it couldn't sound any sweeter to his ears, as did the music that brought her to him.
Sarah looked ahead and saw Gawain. She locked her gaze with his and felt the rest of the world slip away as she saw the look in his eyes. Not for the first time since she left her village, she felt his love surround her and pull her to him. Not once did she take her eyes from his as Timothy led her to stand beside the man she loved with all her heart. When the man who would speak the words that would forever bind them together began to speak, she finally drew her eyes from his. "As her brother and guardian, do you give her in marriage to this man?" He asked Timothy. She looked at her brother and saw him smile as he placed her hands into Gawain's outstretched palms. "I do." Then Timothy bowed to Gawain and backed away, leaving only the two of them standing in the center of the circle with the speaker. "Gawain, do you promise to love this woman and keep only unto her, forsaking all others, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, to provide for her and protect her as long as you both shall live?" He addressed the question to Gawain, who looked at Sarah before he answered, "I do." Then he asked Sarah, "Do you, Sarah, promise to love this man and keep only unto him, forsaking all others, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, to bed and sup him as long as you both shall live?" She gazed into Gawain's eyes and felt him squeeze her hands gently. "I do." Then the man handed Gawain a cup and he took a sip, looking at her over the rim of the cup. He then passed it to her and she did the same, never taking her eyes from his. When she had taken a sip, she passed the cup back to the man, who spoke, "As you both drink from the same cup, so shall you be of the same heart and mind, forever bound upon this earth and beyond, as long as the sky is above us and the earth below. Gawain and Sarah, you are now one as witnessed by all present this day." As he finished speaking, he slowly backed away and Gawain gently leaned down and kissed her lips. She returned his kiss and heard the people around them begin to cheer.
The ceremony went by in a blur to Gawain. All he could remember was the look in her eyes and the feeling in his chest when the man spoke the words that would bind them together for all eternity. To him, they were not only words, for he felt different after they were spoken. He felt the binding inside his chest, around his heart and knew that no matter what the gods held for them, he would never know the emptiness he had felt in his heart since the day he had left his home. For now, home was wherever Sarah was. When he leaned down to kiss her, he felt no passion or desire, other than the desire to protect her from whatever evils that might lurk in their future. The kiss he gave her tied the knot on the bind that now held them together. When the crowd around them began to cheer, he reluctantly pulled his lips from hers and releasing one of her hands, he gently rubbed his thumb across her lips. "I love you, Sarah, and with all my being I pledge to make you happy." She smiled and they turned to face his friends and his new brother. He saw Arthur walk toward him and hold out his arm. He reached out and clasped the commander's forearm, "Congratulations, Gawain, may God bless you with many years of happiness and many sons and daughters." He told his friend and knight. "Thank you Arthur, I am already blessed." Arthur nodded, then released the hold on his forearm and turned to Sarah. "Sarah, you are a beautiful bride and I am honored to welcome you into my circle of friends. Into my family, for that is how I look at my men, as my family." He held his hand out and she started to place hers in his, instead she threw her arms around his neck and gave him a big hug. "Thank you. I too, look at all of you as part of my family and this is my home, now."
This scene played out with each of the other knights until they came to Tristan. He clasped Gawain's arm in a brotherly embrace, but instead of extending his hand as the others had, he just reached out and to everyone's surprise, including Gawain's, hugged Sarah. "May the gods bless you and Gawain." He said quietly. Sarah whispered into his ear. "And may you find your Katrina with her arms open wide when you return home." He looked into her eyes once more, then nodded and backed away. To everyone except Gawain, it was just another person giving their blessing to the new couple. When he gave her a quizzical look, she only replied. "It is not for me to tell you, Husband. But I think your scout has more feelings than any of you give him credit for. Ask him some day, and I'm sure he will tell you what it meant." He made a mental note to do just that whenever the opportunity came. But this was not it. Now, there was to be much celebrating and some of the people, especially Bors and Galahad, were getting anxious to get started, so they all headed back toward the fortress so it could begin.
When the 'happy couple' stepped into the tavern Sarah was surprised at the sight that awaited them. She glanced up at Gawain and saw that he was not surprised, and smiled as she exclaimed, "Oh, this is wonderful!" Someone or many some ones, had taken the time to decorate the outdoor tavern with flowers and green vines. She left his side and touched some of the flowers, recognizing them from the story Sadie had told her. She looked around the area and finally found the woman she was thinking of, standing beside Arthur, watching with a smile on her face. A quiet whisper in her ear brought her attention back to reality, "It was Sadie's idea. You were so enthralled with the dress she made that she wanted to extend the theme to the celebration after the wedding." Gawain told her. She looked into his eyes and saw that he was pleased with her response. "Oh, Gawain, Vanora told me about how you and the other knights have been taking care of her since her husband died. Thank you, not only for this," she waved her arm to encompass the whole area, tears forming in her eyes, "but for being who you are in here," and she tapped his chest. "I love you." She wrapped her arms around his middle and felt him put his chin on the top of her head. "Come, this is a time for laugher, not tears, even if they be tears of joy." He gently pushed her out of his arms and began to pull her toward the group at the bar, watching them with huge smiles on all their faces. When they got nearer, she sniffed and wiped at her eyes, preparing for the teasing that would surely come because of the tears. She wasn't wrong, for the first thing Lancelot said when they approached was in jest, "See, she's crying already. I guess she realized what she's gone and done."
With a smile, she looked at him and replied, "You're exactly right, Lancelot, I realized just how much I love all of you, but especially Gawain." She felt him squeeze her hand gently, then she pulled from him and stepped up to Sadie. "Sadie, you are the most wonderful woman I've ever met, next to my mother. Thank you so much for helping make this day so special." She gave her a hug to much 'tsking' from the other woman. "I've done nothing, dear, the gods had already done it all." Looking around the group of people, she saw that all of them had that far away, misty-eyed look, but before it became too melancholy, Galahad shouted, "Drink!" which had the desired effect of bringing everyone back to the celebration at hand.