Chapter 20 – The Big Day

The following morning, Adryn woke up from a peaceful sleep. She sat up in bed and stretched. She had no headache or any other pains from the night of drinking and she felt completely relaxed. However, that all came crashing down when she remembered the one detail that slipped her mind.

"HOLY FUCK I'M GETTING MARRIED TODAY!" Adryn burst out loudly, causing Eclipse next to her to jolt so hard she fell out of bed.

"Why are you yelling!?" Eclipse snapped as she got up from the ground. She was about to yell more, but the panic-stricken face that Adryn was now wearing answered her question.

"I'm getting married today! What time is it? How late did we sleep in?!" Adryn was in full-blown panic mode.

"Don't worry, it can't be too late in the day, besides, you're getting married later in the day. So everything will be alright." Eclipse reassured the panicking girl. That moment, Mirajane and Nova entered the room.

"We heard screaming? Is everything okay?" Mirajane questioned as she looked at the two girls in the room.

"Why do you look so scared, Adryn?" Nova questioned as she looked to her friend.

"We... I... ready?" Adryn's sentence was so broken up and missing a few words, making it so that no one could understand her.

"Calm down, and try that again." Eclipse stated as she climbed back into bed and patted Adryn's back.

"We need to get ready, right? I need to get my dress. We all need our dresses. We need to get my child."

"Mira, you go get Serenity and Evergreen and then return here so we all can get ready together." Eclipse took control and Mirajane nodded her head to her orders. She was out the door as soon as she found her shoes. "Nova, you go find the makeup that I have in the bathroom. All of it. We'll need to doll ourselves up in time."

"Okay, got it!" Nova was then off to collect all the makeup she could find.

"Now Adryn, you need to calm down. This all will go well and you need to remain as calm as possible."

"I don't think I can do that," Adryn muttered as she put her face in her hands. She was breathing heavily and beginning to cry as well. It was clear she was on the verge of a panic attack.

"You need to remain calm!"

"Yelling at me won't help!" Adryn snapped back at Eclipse. Eclipse sighed and nodded her head.

"Sorry, but listen, you're getting married to the man you love today, there's nothing to be worried or nervous over."

"I get that, I just am freaking out! I don't know why!"

"You've been through so much in your life, this is nothing compared to all of that." Eclipse put her hands on Adryn's shoulders and put her forehead against hers. "This is nothing, but everything at the same time. You can get through this. Just try to calm down a bit. It won't do you any good to freak out now." Adryn stared into Eclipse's eyes and sighed to herself. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths before opening them back up.

"Okay, I think... I think I'm good. I'm still nervous, but I'm not going to panic anymore." Adryn finally responded after a minute of being in silence.

"Alright, good. Now, let's get you all ready to get ready. Go now. Shoo, shoo." Eclipse very literally pulled Adryn out of bed and pushed her towards the bathroom to clean up and get ready to get ready. Nova had already set up all the makeup in the kitchen on the table. So, Eclipse went over to her sister and began to sort through the makeup to see which ones would work for which person.

Eventually, Mirajane returned with Serenity and Evergreen in tow. Both girls were ready and eager to get ready for the wedding. Adryn however, remained in the bathroom dwelling on her fears.

"Where's my mother?" Serenity questioned with a yawn. She was sleeping peacefully before Mirajane arrived and woke her up.

"Your mother is in the bathroom panicking," Eclipse responded as she checked the makeup containers to make sure there was enough of everything she wanted to use for herself.

"Should I go and try to get her out?" The little girl asked innocently. However, Eclipse just shook her head.

"I think Mira needs to go and help. I tried already, but I think you could help her calm down." So with that, Mirajane was the one who was chosen to be the next to try to help Adryn. So, the woman walked over to the door and took a breath before speaking. She wanted to think about what she was going to say before she tried.

"Adryn? Are you alright in there?" Mirajane's kind voice reached through the door, startling Adryn. She'd been just staring at the mirror, wondering if Laxus would even be there to get married to her.

"No... I don't think I am." Adryn responded simply as she opened the door. Mirajane led her to the couch and sat down with her.

"What's wrong?"

"What if Laxus changed his mind? What if he doesn't want to marry me anymore? What if he decided that marriage isn't for him?" Adryn was wide-eyed and staring at the floor as she poured out her worries to her friend.

"I saw Laxus this morning before Mira came to get me. Don't worry, he still wants to marry you." Evergreen stated from her place at the makeup filled table. Adryn's head snapped up to look at the other girl.

"How did he seem?"

"He was calm. Completely calm."

"See, he's just fine." Mirajane smiled at Adryn, hoping it would reassure her.

"Well, I mean, he doesn't even seem like he's nervous or excited. It just seems like just another day to him."

"See! What if he doesn't even care about it at all!? I knew something was wro-"

"Adryn, it's alright!" Eclipse yelled from her spot at the makeup table, as she interrupted Adryn's panicked cries. Adryn stopped talking but was breathing heavily. She just stared blankly at Eclipse. "Now listen to me. Laxus loves you, very much. He wouldn't go this far if he was just going to abandon you. So, let's get you calmed down and ready before we're late to the wedding."

"Yeah... Alright... You're right..." Adryn was still a little hesitant to believe her, but the redhead was slowly understanding that her thoughts were crazy and irrational. So, with that, the group of women and one little girl began to get ready. They had their dresses there and were all ready to get ready.

Eclipse and Mirajane's dresses were the same. They were a purple color, specifically a wisteria purple dress. The tops of the dresses were lace and had no sleeves. The neckline was right to their neck, so there was no chest showing. The back of the top cut down as a deep V to a little higher than where the top meets the bottom. The dresses bottom was to the ground and quite flowy with a slit off to the left from the bottom to about the thighs. Both girls had fallen in love with the dress as soon as they saw it.

Nova and Evergreen's dresses were also the same. They were the same color as Eclipse and Mirajane's dresses; a wisteria purple color. However, the tops of their dresses had a sweetheart neckline with two straps. The straps were about an inch at the base and at the top of the shoulder they were a few inches. The back of the top created a heart shape showing their backs. The bottom of their dresses was flowy with no slit. It was a rather simple yet beautiful dress that both girls grew to love.

Serenity also got a special new dress for the wedding. Her flower girl dress was pink, specifically cherry blossom pink. The top of her dress was similar to that of Eclipse and Mirajane's. It was lace with no sleeves and right up to her neck. The back was the same as the front and showed no back. The bottom of the dress was puffy and was made of tulle, which reached the ground. It had a little pink belt where the top met the bottom.

Adryn's dress, the most important one of all, was powder blue. Her top was a sweetheart neckline and was strapless. The back of the top cut down in a V shape. The bottom was made of tulle and reached the ground. There was also a belt, starting at the right of the dress, it had little flowers and sparkles, with the flowers growing larger as they reached the left side of the front of the dress, and at the left side of the dress, ending the flowers was one large flower with sparkles around it. The flowers themselves were the same color as the dress. She had a train flowing behind her that was about 2 feet long.

~

Meanwhile, Laxus and Freed were getting worried. Bickslow had yet to show up and they were about to start searching for him. Thankfully though, the man burst through the door right before they decided to look for him.

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late!" Bickslow stated as he tried to catch his breath. For once, he didn't have his babies with him, which instantly worried Freed.

"Where are your 'babies'? Why aren't they with you?" Freed questioned as he walked over to Bickslow.

"I decided to leave them at my place. I figured I wouldn't need them for the day." As shocking as that was, the other men just decided to go with it.

"How was your night?" Laxus asked from his place on the couch. He was still wearing his clothes from the previous night and didn't look like he was even close to getting ready.

"It was good," Bickslow smirked as he spoke, but then frowned. "Why aren't you getting ready?"

"We have plenty of time?" Laxus stated as more of a question. Freed just sighed and turned to Bickslow.

"We should at least start getting ready." Freed told the other man, who nodded in return before smirking at Freed.

"Yeah, you take just as long as a girl does anyway."

"I have a lot of hair to deal with! It isn't my fault!" Freed and Bickslow then disappeared into the bedroom, which was where the tuxedos were laid out, waiting for the men to put them on. "Laxus, I know you think you have enough time to just lounge around, but you need to start getting ready as well."

"Fine," Laxus grumbled before getting up from his seat. He entered the bedroom and grabbed his tuxedo before heading out of the room to the bathroom

to get ready for the day and then change.

Laxus' tuxedo was pure white on the outside and powder blue on the inside with a black tie. The powder blue was to match Adryn's dress, not that Laxus ever saw it. Freed picked out what Laxus would wear since he knew what Adryn's dress looked like.

Freed and Bickslow decided to match for the occasion. Both their tuxedos were wisteria purple with black ties. Freed didn't want Bickslow to feel left out or like he wasn't as important, so that is the reason as to why they matched. Laxus didn't mind anyway, so it was alright.

It took Laxus longer than he thought to get ready and put on his tuxedo. After he was done, he left the bathroom and was met by Freed examining him. Freed then frowned and approached Laxus and began to fix his clothing. Laxus was confused but let Freed do what he needed to do. Once that was done, Freed stood back and looked him over again.

"Your hair is all wrong." Freed finally spoke up causing Laxus to frown. "Sit down, let me fix it." Laxus' hair was standing up like he'd been shocked or something by his own lightning. As much as it looked cool, Freed knew it needed to be under control for that day. So, Freed got out his styling gel and went to work. After a few minutes of styling and fixing, Freed stood back again and smiled.

"Whoa, you look good Laxus." Bickslow chuckled as he exited the bedroom wearing his tuxedo finally. Freed was the last one to get ready. Even though they all knew it would take him forever.

However, with Laxus now finished and Bickslow also done, Freed was able to focus on getting himself ready. He decided to manage his hair by putting it up in a ponytail. Then he continued to get ready for the day before finally putting on his tuxedo. He hoped it looked alright with his hair color, but it was irrelevant now as he had no choice but to wear the tuxedo.

"That took you a long time, Freed. What were you doing?" Bickslow laughed as he turned around to see Freed. He paused and then smirked at the man. "You know, Adryn might want to marry you today with how cute you look."

"Do not tease me, Bickslow," Freed spoke as he walked past the man to sit down.

"She better not want to marry anyone else, that'd be bad, right, Laxus?"

"It would be bad," Laxus responded after a moment, but then he continued speaking. "But I don't think she'd want that. No matter how 'cute' they looked."

"You are way too calm. I bet Adryn is having a panic attack because of how calm you are. She got all your worries." Bickslow was trying to tease the man, but he had no idea how right he was.

~

A couple of hours and some more panic later, everyone was there in the guildhall. Adryn and the girls were all there hiding in a room while Laxus and the other boys were standing around waiting for everyone to arrive. Mostly everyone had gotten there already, but there were a few more people who needed to show up. That was giving Adryn even more time to worry.

"Is Laxus out there? Is he ready? He isn't running away, right?" Adryn was pacing back and forth panicking once more.

"Just don't ruin your make up." Eclipse commented simply from her seat as she finished touch-ups on Nova.

"Yes, Laxus is out there and he is ready and not running away," Evergreen reassured the scared girl, ignoring the comment from Eclipse.

"How is he feeling?" Adryn asked as she turned to her friend.

"He is calm. No change there."

"He should be emotional!" Adryn snapped back, but that just caused Evergreen to chuckle.

"When has Laxus ever been emotional?" That question stopped Adryn in her tracks. She spun around to Evergreen and laughed.

"You right." That caused the others in the room to chuckle at the girl's words.

"Mother, it's time for us to get ready to go." Serenity had been outside of the room, waiting for the signal for the girls to start the ceremony.

"Oh god, I'm going to throw up..." Adryn instantly leaned against a chair and held her mouth. She was pale and shaking now. It hit her all at once. "I can't do this..."

"Oh fuck yes you can!" Eclipse snapped, causing Adryn to turn to her best friend. Adryn had a look of shock and confusion on her face, so Eclipse continued speaking. "You can do this! You know that you can! Besides, it isn't like you could really run away now, none of us would let you, and Laxus would probably be devastated. You don't want to upset him do you?"

"Of course not! I'd never intentionally do anything to hurt him!" Adryn instantly replied as she stood up straighter. "Okay... I think I can do this! Let's go before I change my mind!"

"Serenity, do tell them we're ready!" Eclipse called out to the young girl. She nodded her head in return and hurried off to notify the others. Meanwhile, Eclipse did some touch-ups to Adryn's face to hide the fact that she had panicked yet again. "Okay, we have to go in front of you, but make sure you come when it's your cue, alright? Don't make us worry and especially don't make me come after you."

"Yes. Alright. I understand." Adryn responded in a complete monotone voice.

"Is Adryn even hearing you?" Evergreen questioned in a worried tone as she collected Adryn's bouquet of flowers. The flowers were tulips of different shades of red and blue. The ribbon holding them together was white.

"I'm listening and hearing, I swear. I'm just... hoping I don't trip and fall in front of everyone..." Adryn replied to Evergreen's question herself.

"Now that is your worst fear?" Eclipse asked with a laugh.

"Hey! It's possible! I don't want to make a fool of myself in front of Laxus!"

"I doubt he'd care. Honestly Adryn, you're making a big deal out of nothing." Hearing that from Eclipse caused Adryn to frown deeply.

"Get out. I'm done with this conversation. I'm sure Serenity is ready to walk down the aisle and she's probably waiting for you." Adryn's nerves turned to anger in an instant. Eclipse went to open her mouth, but Adryn wasn't having it. "Go, shoo." Adryn shooed away the girls and followed after them, now holding the bouquet of flowers that Evergreen had been holding. The girls made their way to where Serenity and their wedding planner was waiting. They had to get a wedding planner after realizing how difficult it was to plan a wedding.

"Okay, now Serenity, you will walk down first, and once she is done, Eclipse will go first, followed by Mirajane, then Evergreen and then Nova. Once they have reached where they need to stand, then you will walk, alright Adryn?" The wedding planner lady spoke up, telling them once again how they needed to do this.

"I understand. Let's just get this over with, before I begin to panic again." Adryn muttered as she looked down at her hands and the flowers.

"Got it. Serenity, go." The little girl nodded her head and picked up her basket. She had tulip petals in the basket and they were pure white.

"Good luck, mother. I'm sure everything will go alright." Serenity smiled at her mother before heading around the corner and starting her walk down the aisle. Once she was done, the girls began their walk in their order. Just with the time ticking by, Adryn could feel her heart begin to race once again as she felt the panic beginning to set in once more. However, this time, before she could have a panic attack, it was her time to walk.

"Go Adryn. You'll do great." With that, Adryn made her first moves. She slowly turned the corner and began to walk down the aisle of flower petals. Her eyes were on the ground for a moment, before she lifted her head to meet Laxus' eyes. At first, he showed nothing but calmness in his eyes, but the moment their eyes met, everything changed for both of them.

Laxus' calm demeanor broke and the emotions of the day hit him hard. He felt a smile creep onto his face and he nearly looked away from Adryn due to the growing feelings. He was now feeling pride and happiness like he'd never experienced before. He was so proud that this woman was about to be his, and with that came happiness. If it was anyone but him, he would have been moved to tears, but he kept that part of him under control.

However, Adryn could not. She was now tearing up at seeing Laxus all dressed up like he was and realizing what was about to happen. It was like it wasn't real until that moment in time. It affected her, even more, to see such emotions in his eyes directed at her. Usually, Laxus didn't show such emotions out in the open, so it was causing even more emotions in Adryn.

So, Adryn walked down the aisle and tried her hardest to not cry and ruin her makeup. Soon, she reached Laxus and he held out a hand to her. Adryn couldn't help but smile brightly at him and put her hand in his. The two smiled at each other and listened to Master Makarov speaking the usual wedding stuff. The man then smiled at Laxus and Adryn, bringing their attention to him.

"I am truly happy for the two of you, and I wish you the best. Now, I believe the two of you have things to say to each other?" Master Makarov spoke up, causing Adryn to panic yet again. She had a piece of paper in the top of her dress, and she was the one who was supposed to start. "Adryn?" The redhead nodded her head and pulled out the paper before unfolding it. With that, she looked to Laxus one more time before reading what she wrote.

"Laxus, you are one of my best friends and I couldn't think about a world without you in it. I am so thankful for meeting you and becoming so close to you. Even though we've faced a lot of problems, I wouldn't trade them for the world, as it has made us stronger together. You are everything I've ever wanted and everything that I have ever needed. I know we will have a great life together, no matter what this world throws at us. I know you will remain by my side, just as I will remain by your side. Nothing will tear me away from you, not now and not ever. I love you, with every part of my body, mind, and soul. Thank you for making my dreams come true, even the ones that I never even knew about. Thank you for being you." Adryn read what she wrote and kept her cool the entire time. Her voice only cracked a few times, but the tears were held back. That was until Laxus pulled out his piece of paper and began to read.

"You know how I feel about you, but Freed told me that you need to hear this from me, especially today... Adryn, I never thought that I would ever want to settle down and get married to anybody. That was until I fell in love with you. It came as a surprise, but a welcome one. You have been a change in my life and have brought with you many new things, but I wouldn't change any of that for anything else. You have brought me a daughter, who I adore just as much as I adore you. You've given me a family, one that I never thought I wanted or needed, but now that I have it, I would be torn apart should I ever lose you or Serenity. I love you, Adryn, with all that I am and all that I will ever be. Thank you for being in my life and for staying by my side." By the end of Laxus' speech, Adryn was in full-blown tears. She was carefully wiping away her tears as she tried to regain control of herself. Laxus, himself, had become slightly emotional during his speech. He kept his voice even but in his eyes, there was so much emotion. Adryn could see the love and adoration in his eyes.

Unbeknownst to Adryn and Laxus, the others watching and listening to the two speak were feeling their emotions as well, especially those with significant others. They all were either crying or at the very least, feeling emotional. Nova was having a hard time keeping it together as she was feeling intense pain from hearing the two speaking about each other. However, the girl chose to not show it on her face, as she didn't want to ruin anything.

The ceremony continued with Master Makarov continuing his long speech about marriage and other things that you say during a wedding. Laxus and Adryn were in their own little world as he spoke to them and everyone else. Laxus had reached over and wiped away tears that still fell from Adryn's eyes. She'd calmed down considerably, but she was still slightly crying.

"Alright, Laxus," Master Makarov spoke up, bringing the two's attention back to the ceremony. "Do you take Adryn, as your wife, for the rest of your lives, no matter what this world throws your way?"

"I do," Laxus spoke as he looked Adryn directly in her eyes, causing more tears to come forth.

"Adryn, do you take Laxus, as your husband, for the rest of your lives, no matter what this world throws your way?"

"Of course I do," Adryn responded through her tears. Despite that, Adryn was smiling brighter than she'd ever smiled in a long time.

"Now, does anyone have any objections or reasons these two should not be married?" Everyone looked around at each other, and for once, no one dared to make a joke or a disruption. "Good. Then, I now pronounce you two, husband and wife. You are now Mr. and Mrs. Dreyar. Congratulations you two. Laxus, you may now kiss your bride."

"About time," Laxus spoke with a smirk as he reached out, grabbed Adryn and pulled her close before leaning over and pressing his lips against hers. Adryn instantly reciprocated and kissed him back as everyone in the guildhall cheered and yelled out various happy things. After a few moments of kissing, Laxus and Adryn parted and smiled at each other.

"Alright! Now let's party!" Master Makarov yelled out, causing everyone to cheer in return. Laxus and Adryn couldn't help but just smile at each other as everyone around them began to jump up and head for the alcohol. The two of them were content to just stand there and enjoy their moment before partying. They just wanted to bask in the happiness they felt at that moment in time.