Warm morning light flooded the beautiful landscape of Zion and Joshua didn't hesitate to take the opportunity to absorb as much of his picturesque surroundings as possible. After wandering the wastes and the canyon lands for almost a month, they finally found a place to settle down. Within another month they had the beginnings of a new settlement in place. They were lucky enough to find several unspoiled log cabins in the foothills of Zion, with a beautiful view of the canyon lands below them, overlooking the Colorado River. It was secluded and the only way in or out was down a narrow path and, most importantly, untouched by the ravages of the old war. Waters ran pure, greenery sprouted and flourished, and there were fish in the rivers and lake; something many of them had never seen before.
Daniel was keeping track of the distances they covered and made detailed maps of their progress, so Joshua felt relief now that he knew there was a large expanse between them and the White Legs. Hopefully they will not have pursued them… Though he had a feeling that that was just wishful thinking.
"Good morning Joshua", Daniel called as he came up the slope to where Joshua's tent was pitched, "I trust you've had a restful night. You've got a big day ahead of you".
"I must admit I couldn't sleep", Joshua confessed, feeling butterflies in his stomach. Today was finally the day, and it couldn't have come at a much-needed moment.
"Well, we'll try not to overexert you before the day is done", Daniel grinned and tipped his hat, "You'd better start getting ready. There's a couple of things I want to run by you at the Church".
"Of course, I'll be right there", Joshua nodded, getting to work on his morning routine when Daniel departed. He changed his bandages, making sure to wrap them very neatly for this occasion. His cowboy boots were already dusted and polished the previous night, and he donned a clean dark brown waistcoat over his white collared shirt, making sure that no part of his shirt was sticking out oddly from his dark washed jeans. Though he didn't' have a mirror to see himself, he felt pretty confident that he looked his finest.
Walking into the settlement he was greeted by happy smiles, excited handshakes and well wishes by his fellow New Canaanites, who were also dressed in their best attire. His attention was divided though, as he found himself looking around in search of Mary. Passing by Dawn's cabin, he thought he saw her silhouette from inside and his legs started him down the path to her cabin as if they had a mind of their own and a burning urge to see her immediately.
"Joshua Graham! What are you doing?!" Dawn's voice called behind him, "I should have known better than to leave you unescorted."
"Alright Dawn, I'm leaving", he held up his arms in surrender and proceeded back to his original course for the Church. Dawn stood rooted to the spot, keeping a watchful eye until she saw him enter the Church and went back in her cabin with a huff.
"What did you want to run by me Daniel?" he asked, walking over to him and placing his hands on his waist as he watched Daniel quickly scribbling some text on a piece of paper.
"Here", Daniel handed him the page, "What do you think? Would this be appropriate?"
Joshua read through the words, some of which were barely legible but what it lacked in aesthetics it made up for with an unexpectedly beautiful message.
"Daniel… This is… It's perfect", he looked up at him gratefully, "This will be a beautiful sermon".
"Well, it will certainly be the most memorable one", he gave Joshua a smile, "You'll also be happy to know that the cabin is ready".
"It is?" Joshua's eyes widened in surprise, "I had thought it would take at least another week to complete".
"I pulled a few strings with some of the men. It's all ready for you and Mary when you're ready", he nodded.
"Thank you, Daniel. I will have to find a way to repay you for this".
Daniel chuckled and shook his head, "No repayment necessary. We all just want to see you both happy".
Joshua exhaled in delight and took a seat in one of the newly constructed pews the townsfolk had put up for the event. One thing was certain; this was going to be one Sunday ceremony he would never forget.
"Oh! I almost forgot", Daniel reached under the podium, retrieving a beautiful white petaled flower and securing it on his waistcoat with a pin, "Can't have you starting the day off without it".
Almost an hour later the rest of the New Canaanites began to make their way inside and take their seats, and the flock of butterflies in Joshua's stomach grew with every passing minute. He was nervous and he could feel his body shiver occasionally; that was until he felt Dawn's hand on his shoulder.
"Joshua my dear, are you cold?" she asked with some concern.
"No Dawn, just nervous", he chuckled.
"Don't you dare get cold feet now", she grumbled, but before he could retort Daniel turned to him and motioned for him to rise and take his place in front.
"Everyone, will you all please rise for the bride and groom", he called out to the room, and the chatter in the hall died down as everyone observed Daniel's request.
When he saw her walk into the Church, dressed in the cream dressed he'd seen her wear when they were back in New Canaan, he held in his breath for so long he started feeling lightheaded.
'God, she's beautiful', he thought as his heart raced in his chest. As she walked down the aisle, all he could focus on was her stunning beaming face and her incredible eyes that sparkled in the morning light that was pouring into the hall.
"Please be seated", Daniel's voice resounded next to him, bringing Joshua out of his trance.
The ceremony proceeded with Daniel's speech about love and family, much of which Joshua was too busy admiring his blushing bride to pay attention too. He felt like a young man again, giddy at the prospects their future held.
"Do we have the rings?" Daniel asked the room, and one of Joshua's long-time friends stood up from a pew at the front, making his way with a ring box in his hands. Although it wasn't customary to exchange rings for a Mormon wedding, Joshua asked Daniel to make an exception. He wanted to make the ceremony more personal and expressive of his love for her combining both Mormon and Quaker elements into the wedding ceremony, and Daniel agreed wholeheartedly.
"Brother Joshua, and Sister Mary, please join hands in the Sure Sign of the Nail".
Joshua took their rings and handed his to Mary as they clasped their right hands with the rings poised at the first knuckle, waiting to hear Daniel's words.
"Brother Joshua, do you take Sister Mary by the right hand and receive her unto yourself to be your lawful and wedded wife for time and all eternity, with a covenant and promise that you will observe and keep all the laws, rites, and ordinances pertaining to this Holy Order of Matrimoy in the New and Everlasting Covenant, and this you do in the presence of God, angels, and these witnesses of your own free will and choice?"
"Yes", Joshua answered.
"Mary, do you take brother Joshua by the right hand and give yourself to him to be his lawful and wedded wife, and for him to be your lawful and wedded husband, for time and all eternity, with a covenant and promise that you will observe and keep all the laws, rites, and ordinances pertaining to this Holy Order of Matrimoy in the New and Everlasting Covenant, and this you do in the presence of God, angels, and these witnesses of your own free will and choice?"
"Yes", Mary answered.
"By virtue of the Holy Priesthood and the authority vested in me, I pronounce you Joshua, and Mary, legally and lawfully husband and wife for time and all eternity, and I seal upon you the blessings of the holy resurrection with power to come forth in the morning of the first resurrection clothed in glory, immortality and eternal lives, and I seal upon you the blessings of kingdoms, thrones, principalities, powers, dominions and exaltations, with all the blessings of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and say unto you: be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth that you may have joy and rejoicing in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. All these blessings, together with all the blessings appertaining unto the New and Everlasting Covenant, I seal upon you by virtue of the Holy Priesthood, through your faithfulness, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, Amen."
Now that the Mormon ceremony was complete, Joshua and Mary stood up and exchanged their own vows, following Mary's Quaker ceremony traditions.
"Mary, when I was brought to you… I was a broken man in both mind and body", Joshua started, already feeling a lump in his throat, "I thought there was no redemption for me, that I was doomed to walk this Earth, carrying the painful sins on my body. I'm certain that God was watching over me when he delivered me to you, because you taught me otherwise. Your kindness, generosity of spirit, understanding and love have brought me back to life. You make me strive to be a better man every day, and when I'm with you my life couldn't be more perfect. With that said… I take thee Mary, to be my wife, promising with Divine assistance to be unto thee a loving and faithful husband, so long as we both shall live".
They both chuckled nervously as Joshua slid the ring onto her finger.
"Joshua, standing here in front of you with our friends and families surrounding us, it couldn't be a more perfect day to show our love for each other", she said, "I will never forget the first day you were brought to me. From the moment I saw you I could tell you were a good man, destined for great things… Even though you did not want to believe it yourself. Very early on into our friendship, I knew that I loved you; there was no one else I could see spending the rest of my days with. Now that day is finally here, I can't wait to share my life and love with you. I take thee Joshua, to be my husband, promising the Divine assistance to be unto thee a loving and faithful wife, so long as we both shall live".
With the completion of their vows, Mary slid Joshua's ring onto his finger.
"Well Brother Joshua, aren't you going to kiss your bride?" Daniel asked, and everyone in the room chuckled softly.
Grinning with happiness, they leaned in and shared a tender kiss before as their family and friends applauded and cheered.
Although traditionally non Mormons were not allowed to be present during one of their wedding ceremonies, the people made a special exception for Aelius seeing as he had reunited them with Ash and Gael. The ceremony itself was particularly odd for Aelius, though he never witnessed a wedding ceremony of any kind before. Everyone was dressed in their smartest attire and, given that he didn't have any smart clothing of his own, other than He wasn't exactly certain of what to expect, though he did think that it was interesting that Joshua and Mary decided to combine a Mormon and Quaker ceremony into one. It showed that they were both equal partners in the whole event.
From the corner of his eye, Aelius could see Ash glancing at him every now and again throughout the duration of the ceremony, as if expecting something from him. She was sat one pew ahead and across from him. Throughout their trip to Zion he kept a respectful distance between himself and Ash letting her catch up with her family, and also because Joshua's watchful and critical eye was making him feel uncomfortable. Even the other New Canaanites were wary of him; no doubt part of it had something to do with his intimidating stature.
The hall erupted in clapping and a cheerful murmur of conversation as the ceremony closed and the bride and groom walked out of the Church, followed closely by the attendees. Aelius decided to wait until the crowd had cleared a bit before getting up himself, but before he could make a move Ash rounded the corner and approached him.
"Hey!" she smiled at him.
"Hey", Aelius answered a little awkwardly.
"What did you think of the ceremony?"
"Oh… It was…interesting", he tried to find the words to describe it, "This is the first wedding ceremony I've ever been to, so… Wasn't sure what to expect".
"Well, you didn't fall asleep; that's a good thing", she nodded.
"Hah… Yeah", he rubbed the back of his neck nervously, wary of the fact that some of the New Canaanites that were still in their seats were eyeing them up, "So… What do we do now?"
"Now the fun begins", she grinned up at him, "We eat, drink, and dance until the sun goes down".
Aelius chuckled, feeling his stomach begin to grumble at the mention of food.
"Aelius, would you… like to accompany me?" Ash asked, looking up at him expectantly.
"I'll come with you, sure", he nodded.
"I mean… Would you be my date for the evening?"
"Your…date?" his eyebrow cocked in confusion.
"Yeah! You know, my plus one. I was going to ask you before the ceremony but I couldn't find you".
"Oh, I'm sorry I haven't been around", he felt his mouth go dry, "I've just been trying to keep busy. You know, helping with building the shelters and all".
"I had no idea, no one told me you were working on that", Ash's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"I just felt like I wanted to help", he smiled at her, trying to stop his gaze from awkwardly averting from her.
"So, will you?" Ash asked expectantly.
"…Will I?"
"Be my date?"
"Oh!" Aelius chuckled nervously, "Yes, of course".
"Great! How about we get some food and you can fill me in on everything you've been up to?" she asked eagerly, "It's been so long since we talked, I don't want us to drift apart".
"Me neither", he nodded and offered her his arm as he saw some of the New Canaanite men do for the women. From her delighted reaction, it appeared that he did the appropriate thing.
She took his arm, followed him outside and introduced him properly to her friends and family as Aelius tried to keep up with the flow of conversations. The longer Ash was with him, the more the others seemed to be accepting of him. Maybe, just maybe, with some help from Ash he could have a chance at being accepted as one of the members of the New Canaanites.
The festivity continued well after sunset and well into the night. Several campfires were lit and peppered around the settlement to help take the edge of the chill of the night air. Joshua and Mary were both sat in the middle of a long table, happily chatting with Dawn, Daniel, and some of the other members.
"You two must be so tired after today", Dawn commented, "Why not head to bed? We'll wrap up here and you two go rest up".
"I am feeling a little tired", Mary confessed, stifling a yawn.
"You sure you wouldn't want one more dance by the fire?" Joshua grinned at his bride, but his gaze was diverted by Dawn's comically annoyed expression, "What is it Dawn?"
"Your blushing bride is tired, Joshua", her eyebrows raised slightly as if trying to get him to read the message between the lines, "And you still haven't seen your new home".
"That's right! We haven't", Mary turned to Joshua, an eager look in her eyes.
"Alright, we'll go now if you'd like", he nodded as he stood up and offered her his hand.
"We can have that dance in our new home", she grinned, and Dawn gave Joshua a knowing wink and nod when Mary was looking the other way. He instantly picked up on the clandestine message she was trying to send him and felt his entire body flush and his heart skip a beat.
"Yes, uh… We can-we can do that", he stuttered. Though he knew what his duty was as a husband was now, it still didn't help to ease his nerves.
Mary took his hand and they bid everyone a good night before retiring to their cabin. Now that they were alone, Joshua started feeling very self-conscious.
"Did you have a good day?" he asked.
"Yes! It was the best day of my life", she pulled him close in an embrace and gave him a sensual kiss on his lips that made his body tingle with excitement.
When they reached the cabin, they found that a romantic setting had already been set up for them. Joshua couldn't help but think this was all Dawn's doing; no wonder she wanted them to go directly to the cabin.
"Wow…this is incredible!" Mary exclaimed, running up the short steps to their new home, "Come on Joshua!" she held out her hand for him.
"I didn't expect all this", he commented as he climbed up the steps and stood next to her, "Ready?"
Mary nodded and Joshua picked her up in his arms, chuckling as she let out a surprised laugh when he lifted her. He opened the door and walked her into their new home, setting her down in what looked like a living room. They both had a quick exploration of their surroundings, before finally settling in the bedroom. Joshua hovered uneasily at the foot of the bed as Mary started getting ready for bed. Even though he knew they were married now, he still felt like the glances he stole from watching her undress were wrong and inappropriate.
"You alright Joshua?" Mary asked with a concerned frown.
Joshua nodded, keeping his gaze averted from her body, "Yes, just waiting for you to get decent".
He heard her footsteps approach him and shortly after felt her arms glide around his waist as she pulled him close to her body.
"Don't you want to get more comfortable?" she asked eagerly, her fingers travelling up his shirt to undo the buttons, "You know you don't have to feel ashamed. We're married now…you don't have to look away".
Joshua chuckled nervously and turned to face her, caressing her jawline tenderly and gazing into her eyes, "I can't believe I'm saying this…but I'm feeling nervous on our wedding night".
"Don't be", Mary giggled, "There's nothing to be nervous about". Without warning she stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck, locking her lips with his in a sensual and slow kiss. It sent a burning desire through Joshua's body and he reciprocated her kiss, tenderly stroking his fingers on the small of her back and grazing her buttock. His touch elicited a soft sigh that intoxicated his senses and made him forget his nerves. Every fibre in his being yearned for her, and he wasn't going to waste another moment doubting himself or feeling anxious about being her husband. If his life had taught him anything it was that time with your loved ones is precious, and tonight their love for one another would finally be consummated.
About an hour or two after Joshua and Mary retired to their cabin, the rest of the residents were beginning to clear up as well. Since the ceremony, Ash didn't leave Aelius' side. He couldn't remember the last time he had such long conversations with anyone other than his sisters; and he was having a wonderful time. By evening many of the New Canaanites had warmed up to him, engaging him in conversation about his life, his travels and adventures with Ash and Gael, which Aelius was more than happy to answer. After they finished clearing up their surroundings so that wild animals wouldn't be attracted to the smell of food, he walked Ash the short distance to her cabin.
"I had such a great time tonight Aelius", Ash beamed up at him, "Thank you".
"For what?"
"For being a large part of why I had a great time", she grinned.
"My pleasure", he smiled back at her, stopping at the short steps to her cabin, "Well… I guess this is goodnight".
Ash teetered on her heels, looking at him with a hesitant curiosity, "Would you like to…come inside, for a bit?"
"Oh… I don't know", his eyes widened like a deer in headlights, "Wouldn't want to wake Gael up".
"No need to worry about waking him up, he wanted to stay at grandma's cabin tonight", Ash answered.
He didn't know why but he was feeling nervous; his heart raced, his palms grew clammy and his breathing quickened. In his mind he didn't know what to expect, so he thought he'd entertain the idea.
"Uh… sure", he answered, feeling butterflies in his stomach as he climbed the steps and followed her into the cabin. Inside the décor was practical and spartan, much like many of the other cabins. They took a seat on her worn fabric couch and spent the next two hours just talking about their experiences. Ash was very curious about him and wanted to know what it was like being a Legionary soldier and what his day to day life was like.
"It was…extremely difficult", he gulped some Sunset Sarsaparilla Ash shared with him. He'd been talking so much his mouth felt parched, "In the camp, a typical day to day was mostly spent doing combat and survival training. Outside, during scouting or supply runs, was when things got serious… Outside the camp it's life or death, and much of it is spent in silent work". He wondered why Ash was so curious about his life in the Legion. "Now that we've both escaped, I don't really like to think about it".
"I'm sorry", she frowned and placed a hand on his shoulder, "I should have known better. No more questions about that past".
Aelius grinned and nodded in appreciation, "Can I ask… Why the curiosity about the Legion?"
Ash exhaled and looked thoughtfully at him, searching his face as if the answer was written all over him, "I just… When I lived in the NCR territories, the Legion was made out to be this all powerful bogeyman, an enemy that just keeps coming; but hearing your story and your experiences… it's just another faction", she shrugged, "A violent one, yes, but I wonder…"
"Wonder what?" his eyes focused on hers.
"How many more of the Legion's soldiers out there are like you…? Just people wanting to get out, wanting to be free and with their families again", she broke her gaze from him and shook her head, "I dunno… Before I met you I thought all Legionaries are scum".
"You aren't wrong… There are many things that I have done that make me feel ashamed and… I know I'm unworthy of forgiveness and redemption", he answered with sorrow in his voice.
"Aelius, you can't beat yourself up about the past", she gazed at him, "What's important is that you managed to escape, and even after being in the Legion you still remained good and true. And on top of everything you saved Gael and me. That's something I will always be grateful to you for".
Not being used to receiving thanks or praise from others, Aelius felt somewhat uncomfortable with Ash's kind words.
"I better go", he said, slowly getting up from the couch feeling his limbs ache from the long period of inactivity, "It's almost dawn, and you should get some rest".
"Oh, right…" Ash looked out her window and, sure enough, the horizon was beginning to show the first signs of light.
"I really enjoyed tonight. Thank you for making me feel more welcome", Aelius smiled at her, and Ash couldn't help but be in wonder of how charming he was without even trying.
"Yeah, me too", she replied, and as Aelius started moving towards the door she blurted out something that she never thought she would have the courage to say, "Would you like to stay over?"
"Stay over?" he cocked his head.
"Tonight", she asked, feeling her mind swimming, "Just for tonight".
"…I dunno, Ash", Aelius swayed on his feet hesitantly, "Don't think it would be appropriate, or that your family would approve".
"I don't mean in a romantic way", she answered feeling her face flush, knowing that as more time they spent together that feeling wouldn't be accurate, "It's just… It would be a personal favour to me. I've been having trouble sleeping, especially when I'm alone…and-"
"Alright", Aelius agreed, "If it'll help, then I'll stay".
Ash smiled in relief, "Thank you, Aelius".
They settled in on Ash's double bed for the night, somewhat awkwardly at first with Aelius trying to figure out how he was going to fit his tall frame. Finally he settled into a half foetal position and they both lay on their right side facing the same wall. Bidding each other a good night, they quickly fell into a tranquil sleep, unaware of how quickly their relationship would change with this one innocent act of kindness.
