Rorick and Sisre's wedding had been pushed forward, forcing them to begin working on the planning a few days into the Dawning festival. Of course, that meant that there were plenty of things they could buy and not have to wait for as many shops made extras for the holidays, but shopping in and of itself was more complicated. People crowded the streets day and night, buying and trading for goods so on many occasions Wren and Sisre spent hours in one shop waiting for their turn.

As the preparation for the wedding was ramping up, so was the crisis in the Cosmodrone. It wouldn't be much longer and they would be called out again, Wren was sure of it. That was another reason that the wedding was pushed up, Sisre wasn't willing to wait any longer and who knew what they would be up against in the Cosmodrone. Taking care of SIVA wouldn't be an overnight trip, it was going to take time.

The morning of the wedding Wren was in her den at dawn in thick white robes as she waited for time to meet with Sisre and the other bridesmaids to get dressed and begin the rituals that preceded the main ceremony. Her stomach was doing flips as she tried to practice the dance she would have to do as she walked down the aisle with Beorn but her nerves and the missing steps of her absent partner caused her to get offtrack and have to restart the music, and the dance.

"You're starting too soon."

Wren turned to see Cayde in the doorway in ceremonial armor for the wedding. It was far different from his normal armor but made him look much more dignified. His ragged cloak had been replaced by a black one with thick, white fur around his shoulders. It was lined in Hunter blue, which was also repeated as an accent on his silver, black, and white armor. He looked like a knight from a fairy tale, especially with the ornate sword at his hip.

"I didn't think you were coming. SIVA and all."

"Nope, we're all attending. Zavala has to give Sisre away, after all."

"I didn't know about that part. There's so much to remember."

"I guess it's complicated," Cayde laughed, making his way to the music player Wren had made. "We don't always have a bride so this isn't always how it works, but traditionally when a bride is involved, she'd given away by their Vanguard. So Zavala for Sisre. Have you seen your dress yet?"

"Some of it. The cloth part anyway, the armor was still being fitted."

"Bridesmaids wear the color of their bride's class, which is why you're in red. Works the same on the groom's side too. Guess they got lucky since everything can be red and white. With gold or whatever."

"Does it have to be that way? What if you don't like your class colors?"

"Hey now, we have a nice blue."

Wren gestured to her face. "I am also blue, in case you didn't notice. I'd fade into the background."

Cayde raised a brow as he changed through the music. "You plannin' a wedding for yourself? Am I invited?"

Wren rolled her eyes and leaned against the stool. "It was just a thought. Anyway, what are you doing here?"

"Thought you might be out here is all. I was right. Good thing I came too, you look like you're having trouble with the dance."

"I haven't had much chance to practice with Beorn. He's supposed to come get me when it's time to do all the bride ceremony stuff so I was trying to figure it out."

"I can help."

"You?"

"Yeah, why not?"

"Well, I've never seen you dance."

Cayde feigned offense, his hand on his chest. "What? Are you doubting your Vanguard's abilities?"

"I didn't say I doubt… I just… yeah, okay I doubt."

"Well let me show you my moves. Stand back and prepare to be amazed." He turned his back to her and she heeded his warning, putting distance between them while he found a song.

What he chose was smooth but upbeat and the instant he began to dance Wren covered her mouth with her fist to keep from laughing. Dignifying armor made no difference. He was off beat, his moves over the top and expressive but still oddly stiff. Tears formed as she tried to force down laughter, not wanting him to feel bad for her teasing but halfway through he dropped his arms and put his hands on his hips.

"What's so funny?"

"When you fight, your movements are so smooth and graceful but when you dance?" She smirked and shook her head, black curls bobbing. "You're a mess. Look, you have to keep on the beat." Wren went to him, put her hands on his hips and began to move them as she moved hers. "Feel the rhythm, don't fight it."

Cayde put his hands on her waist and Wren glanced up at him. She let her fingers slide along a satin cord that hung from his belt and used it to gently tug him closer. He smirked and tilted his head.

"I feel like I need to ask you somethin'," he said. "About the other night."

"What about it?" Wren resisted the urge to swallow hard. They'd not seen each other since he walked her home after the fireworks that first night and she wondered if maybe he was going to say he wasn't comfortable with what happened. Especially since her fireteam had been present.

"Did it bother you?"

Wren was taken aback. "Did what bother me?"

"You know… I'm not exactly flesh and blood. I mean, I'm not at all. Just metal…"

"Are you asking if it bothered me that you're an Exo? I don't think that fact changes anything."

He nodded slowly and looked away. "Hey, let's get you that dance practice. You're running out of time."

"I think I should wait for Beorn—"

"Have a little faith in me, kid. I may not have much in the way of rhythm, which I'll say, you're welcome to teach me more about that any time you want," he teased, pulling her closer, "but I do know the steps of the dance you're trying to learn. I've done it enough."

"I guess I don't have much choice, do I?"

"Good to know I'm your last resort. Okay so you start side by side. No, my other side. Thought you said you practiced this with Beorn? There you go. You'll stay on my left the whole time. Alright, three steps, two back, spin here. That a girl."

"This is almost like a fight."

"It's supposed to be. Like a dance fight. See, it's symbolic of making sure the groom is worth it. You're "fighting" against the groomsmen. I guess Sisre told you it's your job to pester the groom after the ceremony?"

"She mentioned it, but I don't really know what to do."

"Eh, steal his food, misplace his drink, throw confetti on him, get between him and Sisre as much as possible. Whatever you wanna do to test his patience. It's all part of the fun. Get the other bridesmaids on it too. Ah, careful with this step you don't wanna stomp Beorn's foot. Promise it'll hurt you more than him."

Wren focused as he led her through the last few steps, where she was supposed to join hands with Beorn, showing her approval of him and the groom, then part to the left of the area to take her place behind where the bride would stand.

"You did pretty good," Cayde said. "One more time?"

They tried once more and Wren concentrated, memorizing the steps. She made fewer mistakes the second time. And suggested a third, where she felt comfortable with the dance.

"There's that Awoken grace. Feeling better about it?" he asked.

"I think so." He helped her up onto the stool and she grabbed his arm to keep him close. "Cayde?"

"Hm?"

"Did it bother you? What happened the other night?"

He sighed and stepped to put her knees against his legs. He rested his hands on her thighs and stared down at nothing, his optics unfocusing. "That's complicated, Sugarbird."

"You asked if it bothered me that you're an Exo. I don't think that's too complicated. You seemed… hesitant and I wasn't very sensitive to that. I'm sorry I kissed you anyway."

"I hesitated because I didn't think it was something you'd want," he said. "I've had some issues in the past is all."

Wren put her hand to his cheek and made him look at her. "What happened?"

Cayde remained silent for a time. "Remember the cache you looked in?"

"How could I forget?"

"Some of the notes belonged to a woman named Maya Sundaresh. She was a scientist back on Venus. I don't remember much about it, too many resets since then, but she never saw me as anything but expensive equipment."

"Well, I'm not her and it doesn't bother me at all. Never has. I'd do it again if you'd let me."

"You would?"

"Of course."

Cayde leaned a little closer. "You sure it wouldn't take another year and some mistletoe?"

Wren tangled her fingers into the thick fur of his collar and pulled him in for a kiss. With no one else around, he wrapped his arms around her and returned her kiss, though for some reason she still senses some hesitation on his end. It must be an insecurity that's been with him his whole existence. Honestly, it explained a lot. Maybe she could remedy that—

"Woah, am I interrupting?" Beorn laughed from the doorway.

Cayde pulled away and chuckled nervously, rubbing his neck as he backed out of the den. "I'll uh, see you at the ceremony."

"Bye." Wren gave a weak wave, then let her hand drop to her lap.

"Sorry," Beorn said. "You ready to go?"

"I think so."

"Good let's get going. And Wren? For whatever it's worth, I'm behind you and Cayde a thousand percent."

"Thanks Beorn."

Assisting Sisre with her preparation was more stressful than Wren anticipated but she reveled in it anyway. The rituals, the traditions, extended from her hairstyle to her shoes and effected every member of her bridal party.

Sisre's white hair was pulled back into elaborate braids with a red ribbon woven throughout. Gold thread had been embroidered into it, depicting birds woven together with leaves surrounding them in a circle.

"This is called a favor," she explained as Wren held the ribbon as the other ladies wove it into Sisre's braids. "Remember how I said I give this away after the wedding and it's for you to give someone you love? It's woven in like this until Rorick takes my hair down at the ceremony."

Wren's hair was left down but they still adorned it with strings of pearls. Her normal black face paint hadn't been applied, instead white paint was used, as the secondary color for the Titans. The white faded out below her eyes and her lips were dyed red to match her dress.

As the maid of honor, her outfit was more ornate than the others who were in simple red with white pearl trim. They assisted her in putting on the armor, corset, and fur lined cloak.

She sat at Sisre's feet as she wrote the names of her bridesmaids on the bottom of her shoe.

"What's that for?"

"I'm supposed to mark the names off when my bridesmaids get what they desire. It used to be when they got married but that puts too much on marriage being the goal of life and to Guardians, things are much more complicated than that. I know you don't know my bridesmaids very well, they're just random people to you, but at one point or another they were all important to me. A lot of Guardians choose not to get married, for various reasons, but this tradition just shows them that I want happiness for them in whatever way that means."

The ceremony itself was equally as complicated. The temple they were married in held many religious effigies and symbols but the one that was currently raised above the rest was a giant golden Traveler. Titan banners hung on both sides between tall clear windows that let in light from outside. The sun glimmered off the snow, lighting the room well.

Guests filled the seats on either side and Wren struggled to concentrate on the dance with everyone staring at her but she made it through and took her place behind where Sisre would soon stand. Cayde and Ikora at on the front row, which she hoped wouldn't be a distraction, and Rorick waited below the Traveler in full armor.

Sisre was beautiful in her dress which was low around her shoulders, white fur grazing her bare skin which has been decorated with thin white and red designs. Silver armor clinked delicately as she walked with Zavala at her side. Her trailing red train caught the small offerings of herbs, coins, and flowers that guests placed as she walked. It had been explained to her before that she would be collecting these items from the train as the ceremony progressed.

When Sisre came to stand beside her, Wren took her cue and knelt to carefully pick all of the offerings up and put them in a basket. She would remain on her knees for the rest of the ceremony, fighting the urge to wriggle when her feet began to tingle.

After Rorick presented his ring to Sisre, she bowed her head to him to allow him to untie the braids that bound her hair while the officiate spoke of its significance. It was a lot to absorb but Wren found herself slipping, wondering what she would do with her hair if she were a bride, since it wasn't long enough to do much with. She glanced at Cayde, who was watching her with a faint smile. He looked away quickly and she smirked. Was he thinking about it too?

Wren averted her eyes and bit her cheek. What a ridiculous thought! They were barely involved with each other, and she was wondering about a wedding? Good thing mind reading wasn't a thing or she'd look crazy.

The ceremony concluded and Beorn came to help her up as Rorick and Sisre made their way back down the aisle. The Vanguard followed them, then the rest of the wedding party. Wren followed Sisre to the dressing area once more for the reception outfits. While the reception itself didn't have as many traditions as the ceremony, there were still a few things Wren was responsible for.

They did Sisre's hair in a new style and she gifted the favor to Wren who held it gingerly as she got a better look at the design. The bridesmaids helped Sisre into a dress that was more practical for dancing but kept the same intricate qualities as her bridal gown. She wore flat satin shoes and her dress was several layers of flowy robes in gold, red, and white and gold jewelry hung in strands from her hair.

Wren and the others were also dressed in layers of robes, but now it was time to let the bride shine as she danced with her guests, so they were put in all black, with their inner robes still bright red so when they twirled flashes of crimson showed.

"How are you holding up?" Sisre asked as she and Wren walked hand in hand to the dancefloor as it was customary for them to have the first dance. It was simple enough and would allow the pair of them a moment to talk before the rest of the bridesmaids joined.

"I'm not going to lie, this is exhausting. But I want this to go perfectly for you."

"You're doing a fantastic job. I'm excited to see what you're going to torment Rorick with," she giggled. "I'm pretty tired myself. I feel like I could take a week in the bath house and still not be relaxed."

"We haven't been in a while."

"We'll make time soon, I promise."

The other bridesmaids danced in a circle around them, the music growing livelier and as they danced the room seemed to spin. More and more dancers joined around them, the pace growing faster as people twirled around, skirts of every color swirling.

When it came time for Rorick to dance his way the center and join his bride, Wren phased toward the outer edge where she spun into Cayde. He caught her and they continued on.

"You look like you need a drink," he laughed.

"I need to sleep."

"Having fun?"

"Of course. But my feet are killing me."

"You can come to my place after I can rub them for you later if you want."

"Wherever I sit down is where I'm going to sleep and I doubt you want to explain why I was passed out in your apartment."

Cayde groaned. "I think we should get a place in the City."

"Calm down, we've kissed twice," Wren smirked, though she knew her blushing cheeks betrayed her confidence. "

"Done a little more than that," he whispered in her ear. "Maybe we should just fix up the den, hm? It'd be perfect."

"I think the wedding's gone to your head."

"You know you wanna have a place we can stay."

The music wound down and the crowd cheered.

"We'll talk about it later, Sugarbird," he said, kissing her hand. "It's time for you to make Rorick miserable. I'll bring you a drink and some cake."

The bridesmaids joined Wren, who before the wedding preparation were complete strangers. The group of Guardians waited eagerly to see what Wren had in store for the groom. Even Beorn and Franz slipped in to lend ideas for how to torment their poor fireteam leader.

Rorick took it all in stride, laughing and playing along even as they stole his drinks, tied his laces together under the table, covered him in confetti, poured salt in his food, and caused other types of mischief.

After they danced and ate, Beorn stood from his place next to Rorick and lifted a decorative sword in the air. The crowd quieted and watched.

"The groom and his men have presented their best," he said. "We have fought and honored your lady. We have shown patience in the face of your instigations. What say you about our groom?"

Wren's heart pounded in her chest. There were two things she was supposed to remember, an acceptance and a denial, but with everyone watching she became nervous. She stood and smoothed her robes, then spoke.

"Your groom is patient and kind to our lady. She will be well protected by his hand and they shall serve each other as companions for all their days."

Beorn passed the sword over the newlyweds to Wren, who laid it in front of her place setting at the table. They bowed, took their seats, and the crowd clinked their glasses to conclude.

Soon after, the newlyweds left for their short honeymoon while the guests either decided to stay and dance or leave as well. Wren chose to go as soon as it was appropriate for her to and she kicked off her shoes before she even left the temple. The Twins, who were still drinking and enjoying themselves, stayed behind but Cayde caught up to her quickly.

"You can't walk around in the snow barefoot," he said, stopping her at the door.

"My feet are killing me now more than before," she said, tears in her eyes. "I hate that the night ended this way, I've had so much fun."

"Dancin' shoes ain't built like boots, that's for sure," he laughed. "I'm gonna guess that you won't let me carry you."

"As much as I would love not having to walk another step, I don't know if that's appropriate."

He shrugged. "Your call, but you at least need to put those shoes back on. No chance am I gonna let you walk around barefoot."

Wren had to agree and slipped them back on. Kiran and Sundance tapped together a few times, then swirled around one another before hovering very close as they followed Cayde and Wren. They were too quiet to hear but Wren could feel the calm joy from Kiran. He really enjoyed Sun's company and Wren was happy that it could be that way. She hooked her arm into Cayde's and let him lead her while she leaned on his arm and closed her eyes.

"Takes me back," he said.

"To what?"

"Remember that time you got drunk and I led you home?"

"I try to forget."

"Aw, that was adorable. I never thought it'd lead to… well, to this. You hated me in the beginning."

"To be fair, you were being an asshole."

Wren opened her eyes enough to see their feet, in stride, pushing through the snow. Her shoes were soaked through, and a cold chill raced through her body. She clung tighter to his arm for warmth and pulled his cloak around her shoulders.

"I never should have said what I did."

"No. It was careless. But in a way, it pushed me to do everything I've done. I didn't want to be a Guardian. That very morning I was telling Kiran I didn't know what I should do."

Cayde stiffened and she looked up at him. "What's wrong?"

"I hate knowin' somethin' I said put you into this shitty life."

"It's not shitty. Sure, it's tough sometimes and I don't always like getting put into terrible situations, but if I would have made the decision to stay in the City, I would have lost my mind by now. This wouldn't have happened, and I wouldn't have Cerulean…"

"Speaking of staying in the City, I haven't seen Koro around."

Wren sighed and leaned against Cayde's arm. "Did I tell you that after what happened with Flak, Koro admitted he had feelings for me? He wanted me to tell him how I felt after we got Oryx handled so I told him the truth. I just don't see him as anything more than a friend."

"When was that?"

"Festival of the Lost."

"You didn't say anything to me about it."

"Didn't think I had to. It was something I had to handle on my own."

"Right, sorry. How'd it go?"

"Alright, I thought. He said he still wanted to be friends, but I haven't seen or heard from him but a couple of times since. It kind of bothers me. I really liked hanging out with Koro. Going to junk shops and things like that. I'd hate if our friendship is ruined because he can't handle being friends."

"Happens like that a lot, kid. It sucks, but sometimes it goes that way."

"Yeah, that's what Sisre said. But I can't help it. I wasn't going to lie to him or lead him on just to keep the friendship going."

"You did the right thing. You can't help how other people respond, ya know?"

"Hmm."

They walked on for a time without speaking but Wren's chattering teeth did the talking for her. The bottom part of her robes were drenched and icy cold, as were her shoes. It became harder and harder to slog through the fresh snow and when they got to the more populated areas of the City where the snow has turned to slush Cayde decided that enough was enough.

"Look, Sugarbird, I know you don't want me to carry you, but it's almost four in the morning. Most everyone is asleep, the streets are practically deserted, and you're shivering. I can't let you walk in this anymore. So what's it gonna be? Are you gonna come quietly or do I need to toss you over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes?"

"Are you going to take me to the den if I fall asleep?"

"Are you kiddin' me? Not a chance! You'll freeze. Look, I'm gonna fix that old place up so I don't have to worry about you being out there all the damn time."

Wren stood on a bench and adjusted her robes so that she could get on Cayde's back and not soak them both with the waterlogged material. He hiked her up to get a better grip and began to walk. Wren buried her face in the fur of his collar and shivered against his warmth.

"I fight gods and you're worried about me being in the den when the weather's not nice?"

"Kid, I worry about you all the time, don't act like that's new."

"Just weird to hear you say it, that's all." Wren yawned. Being with him was nice, but she longed for her bed. Would be better if it was his though. The thought snuck in but she allowed it, closing her eyes to imagine what it would be like to curl in close to him somewhere safe and warm. If nothing else, at least she still had his blanket, though the scent had long worn off.

She must have dozed off because the next think she remembered was being in her room. Half asleep she stripped out of the soaked clothes and collapsed into bed. She had no idea when he left and didn't remember any of it. All that registered was being warm in a pile of blankets while snow drifted lazily outside her window.