Disclaimer: I don't own this,JK does, blah blah blah
A/N: I had to do quite a bit of editing on this chapter and I'm still not sure how well it turned out since I don't have a beta-reader. Any comments or friendly criticism is welcomed. Please review.
Chapter Six:
The day of the wedding had finally arrived. It was the most perfect day that they could have asked for. A gentle snow had fallen the night before, and the world was covered with a soft blanket of white. Everything looked fresh and clean as the school grounds were set up for the ceremony that evening.
Rowena woke up feeling nervous and nauseated. Helga, having married twice herself, had anticipated this and stocked up a generous supply of calming draught, as well as a supply of stomach-calming chamomile tea. She encouraged her friend to eat, as she would need her strength today, but Rowena was unable to keep even a few bites of toast down. Although there were many hours to go until the ceremony would start, there were so many things that needed to be done that Rowena worried over whether everything would be ready in time. However everyone knew what needed to be done, and the set up was progressing marvelously. Helga tried to keep Rowena's worries to a minimum, and made sure that she focused on her own preparations.
Tradition stated that on this day she should not take a direct part in the final preparations, but should spend the day with her bridesmaids in seclusion, so Rowena would not be leaving her chambers until the ceremony. There were also numerous rituals that were to be performed, as they were going with the old ceremony. Helga had thought that the full seclusion was a little excessive, but Rowena had insisted. This wedding was going to take place very much in the public eye, and she did not want anyone to have any reason to criticize. First, Rowena took the bridal bath. The bath was full of lavender petals and scented oils, and the process took several hours as there were many rituals involved. Certain incantations had to be said over the bath water, to ensure good luck and happiness, and there were special procedures for the disposal of the water, to make sure that the luck did not get washed away with it. After the bath, Rowena was relaxed enough to eat a small lunch while the girls she had selected to be her bridesmaids attended to their own cleansing rituals. During the meal she was able to meditate a little, and when her ladies rejoined her, she was in far better spirits. The ladies laughed and joked as they arranged their hair.
Helga had procured some seeds for foreign flowers for wedding decorations, and after planting them in an isolated section of the greenhouse, she 'encouraged' the flowers to bloom out of season. All the ladies not only had extensive bouquets of white lilies, but had them in their hair as well. After these things were finished, the ladies sat in Rowena's chambers in their undergarments, since they did not want to wrinkle their dresses by sitting in them before the ceremony. A small tea was served, more to pass the time than to fill their bellies, as they were too excited and high-strung to eat much of anything with the ceremony growing closer. There would be a large banquet afterwards anyway, so they knew that there would be plenty to eat later on.
While her ladies chatted, Rowena sat by her window in her undergarments looking out at the evening sun. She thought about Salazar, and wondered how his own preparations were going.
Salazar's day had not gone as smoothly as Rowena's. For one thing, he had not slept a wink the night before, but passed the hours thinking of his new bride and how excited he was to finally call her his own. When morning came, he was so tired from lack of sleep and so anxious about the coming ceremony that he was rather sharp with everyone. Even Godric received a few sharp words when he came to fetch Salazar to breakfast. Salazar had wanted to personally oversee the final stages; obsessed with making sure everything was perfect. Godric had overruled him, telling him that everything was taken care of and that he had other more important things to do that day. Salazar was very grumpy when he went about his own pre-wedding rituals, and performed them perfunctorily, with little thought or focus. He did not have nearly as much to do to prepare as Rowena, needing only to cleanse himself and meditate, and ended up sitting in his rooms in silence as the groomsmen finished up their tasks.
Like Rowena, he had chosen several of the older students to fill the ranks of the wedding party in addition to their best friends. With five additional attendants each, there should have been plenty to keep him occupied, but everyone knew what needed to be done and his sharp instructions were not needed. Finally, just as his patience was about spent, he was told that the time had almost come and the assembled guests were about to be seated. He put on his silver dress robes, fixed his white fox fur cape around his neck, and proceeded to the area of the grounds where the ceremony would take place with Godric beside him.
With all the guests that had been invited, even the Great Hall would not accommodate such a crowd. Earlier on in the day, Godric had overseen the placement of repelling charms on the area, in case the weather turned on them, as well as warming charms to keep the guests from freezing. Now, as the sun passed the horizon, shedding its last warming rays of light, a glowing dusk settled. A thousand seats had been set up under interwoven trellises that were covered with greenery and flowers. Various shrubs had been placed around the pavilion, covered in white and gold ribbon, and several thousand glittering fairies were perched in the bushes and on the latticework, bestowing a twinkling light on the proceedings. Ice sculptures dotted the landscape, and in this snowy world of glitter and ice, Salazar stepped forward to await his bride.
A hush settled on the gathered people of the magical community as they saw Salazar take his place, and for a moment the only sound that could be heard was that of a thousand heads turning to get their first look at the bride. Then a piano began to play accompanied by what seemed like a hundred flutes and violins. The wedding march was beautifully restrained, and the music seemed to whisper softly to the congregation.
First Helga came up the aisle, followed by Hypolyta and four other girls in her class. They were clad in dresses of a deep red velvet, with white fur collars and had bouquets of white lilies clutched in their hands. The dresses matched the robes of the groomsmen, who were also wearing deep red velvet, with white fur capes draped around their shoulders.
Salazar's first sight of his bride quite literally stole his breath away. Rowena stepped into the centre of the aisle and stopped for a moment, which allowed everyone to get a good look at her. She was wearing a full gown of heavy golden brocade. The gown was gathered tightly at the bodice, showing off her trim figure, and was cut daringly low. A very full white fox fur collar made of draped around her long slim neck and down her shoulders. She wore a spectacular gold necklace with a large diamond pendant, and on her golden hair she wore the tiara that Salazar had given her for Christmas the preceding year. The dress had a long train, which floated behind her, carried by a dozen sparkling pixies. The most spectacular feature of this dress though was the fact that concealed in many little tucks and gathers were hundreds upon hundreds of little fairies. As they glowed and winked like fireflies, the dress itself seemed be alive with light.
Salazar started to see spots in front of his eyes as he held his breath staring at Rowena. Godric leaned over and gave him a nudge.
'Breathe, Sal, breathe!' he whispered, and Salazar took a gasping breath while trying to pick his jaw up off the floor.
As Rowena took her place standing beside him, she passed her bouquet of lilies to Helga, and with a shy glance and a blush, she and Salazar clasped hands. Through the beginning of the ceremony, neither of them heard much of what Merlin was saying. They were too preoccupied with each other. They were finally drawn back into the ceremony when Merlin began the most important part.
'We are here to bear witness to the joining of these two people in marriage. The bond of matrimony is not one to be taken lightly, and though the two people we have here before us are not strangers to dedication and commitment, this is very different from any pledge they have taken before. Both have spent the long hours of this day in preparation for the promises they are to exchange here before us now. Salazar Slytherin, Rowena Ravenclaw, it has been a long and circuitous route that has brought you here together today. Now I must ask each of you; having thought about this in your meditations, are you both committed to making this covenant, without reserve or hesitation?'
'Yes,' they replied in unison.
'Do you promise to love, honour and respect each other for all your days?'
'Yes.'
'Do you promise to live your lives as one, to share your hopes and dreams with the other, and to be bound as one heart in two bodies?'
'Yes.'
'Do you understand that in taking this vow, you will each be giving the other a piece of yourself, and a part of you will remain with the other forever?'
'Yes.'
'Then Salazar, Rowena, I ask you to each put your right hand over the heart of the other as I perform the Binding Ceremony'
Rowena raised her right hand and laid it on Salazar's hard chest. She felt Salazar's hand placed over her own heart and wondered if he could feel how rapidly it was beating. Merlin raised his hands over them as if in benediction spoke the incantation in a voice that seemed to be magnified a hundredfold.
'IN FIDELITAS ET AMOR PERMISSUM ILLA DUOS EXSISTO REUS PRO TOTUS VICIS!'
Slowly a drumming noise started, like that of two hearts beating. The sound was discordant, as though the two were in opposition to each other. The sound grew louder, and began to stutter in a sharp staccato. As the beating grew faster and more insistent, the two of them began to glow. The glow became brighter and brighter as the pounding grew louder, then suddenly it turned a blinding white, and an orb of light containing a piece of each one's spirit emerged from their hearts. The spheres of light swirled around the two, then stopped above their heads. The two orbs then merged into one, and it expanded to surround the both of them. The light seemed to pulse for a moment and as it pulsed it seemed to flow into their very bodies. When the glow dimmed, the beating sound also slowed, and merged, until it seemed that it had turned to a deep and resonant thrumming, like that of a giant chord. Instead of two hearts beating in opposition, now it was like there was one giant heart beating strong and steady.
Once it was finished, Merlin said in a great voice 'It is done! You are now joined as one. Together, you are now bound forever. A part of each of you is now always with the other. This is a great responsibility, for you now have great power over each other. The power to hurt, and the power to heal. You will grow together, and the spirits that you have merged will become stronger with time. I wish you happiness and joy in your life together. I now pronounce that Salazar and Rowena are Bound.'
The two grinned at each other and exchanged a kiss, to the applause of the entire assembly. The ceremony was complete. For better or worse, they were now married. They walked back down the aisle together, holding hands and waving to the guests as they shouted well wishes to the new husband and wife. They led the gathered guests to the tabled area where the feast was to take place.
The feast was set up adjacent to where the ceremony had taken place. There were hundreds of tables in front of the extremely long head table, and on a platform nearby, all the gifts were on display for the throng to see. Rowena had given Salazar an exquisitely wrought dagger of elf-cast silver for their wedding. She knew that he had wanted a high quality silver knife for his potion making, but he insisted that it was too beautiful for practical use and he would keep it on display. She did demand that he pay her one bronze knut for it, so that the gift would never cut their love. Salazar had worried and fussed over what to give her for their wedding. He had wanted it to be something truly memorable and rare, and had found out about a flower called a Bleeding Heart that only grew in foreign areas. He had provided the seeds to Helga, who had nurtured them to full growth. Rowena was entranced by the white flowers, which looked just like its name, heart shaped, with a tiny teardrop hanging from the bottom. Salazar had put a preservation spell on it so that it would never wither.
The newly married couple took their place at the head table with their friends, their friends' spouses, and the rest of the wedding party. Once all the guests had been seated, Godric stood and raised his glass in toast to the newlyweds.
'Dear friends, I am proud and honoured to have stood by you on this special day. Salazar, I can honestly say that I have never seen you this happy. I have seen you in many states, please, proud, and excited, but I have never seen you truly content until now. It is something I had thought I would never see. Truly, I love you like a brother, and your happiness is only equalled by my own.
'Rowena, you have always been regarded as one of the most beautiful of women, but on this day, your beauty surpasses even that of the stars. I am so pleased that my best friend has chosen you, and I could never have wished for a more beautiful, caring and intelligent mate for him.' Godric winked. 'Even if your choice of husband has caused us to question that intelligence on occasion! So, I would like to make a toast to the happy couple. Salazar, Rowena, I hope you will have luck in the years to come, and may you have many more such happy days!'
The collected guests applauded and drank deeply to the as Godric went to sit down. Salazar stopped him with a raised hand and stood. There was some surprise at this as it was unplanned and Salazar was not known for spontaneous gestures. Reaching behind him, Salazar picked up a long, intricately carved case made of the deepest ebony, and held it before him.
'Godric, we have been friends for a very long time. On this occasion, I wish to give you a gift to thank you for all your years of fellowship. I think you will find it is well suited to you. Take this as a token of our friendship and also as a thank you for introducing me to Rowena all those years ago.' Salazar handed the box over to Godric as the guests craned their necks trying to see what this special gift would be.
Godric took the case, laying it gently on the table in front of him. He opened the bronze clasp and lifted the lid to reveal an intricately crafted sword encrusted with rubies. It had his name engraved upon the flat of the blade. Lying underneath the blade was an exquisite dragon hide scabbard. Godric lifted the blade and it shone in the light of the many torches surrounding the tables. As he held it in his hand he could tell that it was a finely crafted piece of work. It was perfectly balanced, and the grip was firm in his hand. Gasps of surprise and wonder came from the gathered guests as they saw the blade. With tears glistening in his eyes, Godric placed the sword back in its case and embraced Salazar, mumbling sincere thanks. Gesturing for everyone to begin the feast, Salazar again took his seat.
The sheer amount of food was staggering in its immensity. For several hours, the guests ate, drank and talked until they could eat no more. Then, with great dignity, Salazar stood and led his bride to the dance floor for the opening song. As a slow melody began to play, he whirled Rowena around the floor. Salazar was an accomplished dancer, as was Rowena, and with heart-stopping grace they glided together, oblivious to all others. When the first dance was over, others made their way to the floor, and a true party began. By the small hours of the morning, when feet began to hurt and carefully styled hair began to slip, the guests began to think about their beds. Salazar and Rowena, having danced with virtually every guest in attendance, were also looking forward to some more private time and began to say their farewells.
As Salazar and Rowena approached Godric to say goodnight, they saw that he was extremely inebriated.
'Godric, I think you should head to bed soon, you look about ready to fall over,' Rowena said, clucking her tongue at him.
'Jusht you shush! I'm having shome fun, and you t-two should have been off a long time ago.' he responded, his speech slurred from drink.
'Well, you do throw a good party Godric, we didn't want to miss any of it.' Said Salazar slyly.
'Yesh it ish a good party, and I don't want to mish a minute of it! I'll shtay right here thank you very mush!' And with that he flopped into a chair and grabbed another bottle of wine.
'Very well. We'll likely be gone by the time you recover from this tomorrow, so just remember that I have a supply of vomitatus finit potion in my store cabinet. Goodnight, Godric, we will see you in two weeks.'
Godric nodded, and just as he took a long drink of wine straight from the bottle his wife came up and began to scold him.
Salazar offered his arm to Rowena to lead her up to the castle. As they walked to the front doors, Rowena turned to Salazar.
'You know he won't remember about the potion. Maybe we should leave a note for him.'
Salazar smirked. 'I don't think so. He should enjoy ALL the aspects of his great party, including the morning after. If he doesn't remember, then maybe he won't drink so much next time.'
Looking back, Rowena chuckled and said, 'You really think so? You have more faith in people than I would have guessed.'
'Godric will be fine. He's had his fun, and I'm glad, but right now, I just want to be alone with you.'
As they shared a kiss, the last thing they heard before they entered the castle was Godric shouting from behind them, 'Hey Shal! Thanks again for the Shword!'
End Chapter Six( In fidelity and love let these two be bound together for all time)