Not an hour gone by and the wedding was just beginning. With much reluctance as he could muster, Angelus and his cousin began to step forward onto the platform, where their wives and Mother Boann were waiting for them.
"Don't look too excited, you might scare her off." Soris said, tone laced with sarcasm and bemusement. Hearing that, Angelus let out silent sigh and with a forced grin, took their wives by their arms.
"Oh Soris! There you are! I was afraid you'd run off!" Valora said, smiling nervously. Soris did his best not to let his drop and offered her a polite smile back.
"No, I'm here. Fellow groom in tow." He said.
"My, how eager you both looked to be here." Nesiara said, giving Angelus look of disdain. She obviously hadn't forgiven him for being so blunt with her, and Angelus really wanted to make her understand that what he was feeling didn't have anything to do with her, at least, not as much, gender aside.
"Valendrian and Mother Boann are here. Time to face the music." Soris muttered, low enough for only Angelus to hear.
"Okay, cousin, at my signal, we run." Angelus whispered back, making Soris smirk.
"You had your chance to run, coward!" He said.
"Friends and family, today we celebrate not only this joining, but also our bonds of kin and kind." Valendrian spoke. "We are free people, but that was not always so. Andraste, the Maker's prophet, freed us from the bonds of slavery. As our community grows, remember that our strength lies in commitment in traditions and to each other."
"Thank you, Valendrian. Now let us begin." Mother Boann said, smiling at the elder, before turning to the soon-to-be newlyweds. "In the name of the Maker, who brought us to this word, and in those whose name we say in the Chant of Light I-"
Before she could continued, Soris pointed behind her, fear written on his face. Turning around, Mother Boann was surprised to see Vaughan Urien storming towards the front, looking quite the angry bull with a gash across his face.
"M-m' lord! What an...unsuspected surprise!" She stuttered, surprise evident in her eyes and voice. Vaughan smiled cruelly at her, stepping onto the platform.
"Sorry to interrupt Mother, but I'm having a party and we're dreadfully short of female guests." He said, laughing. Mother Boann glared at him, disgust written on her face.
"M'lord, this is a wedding!" She said.
"Ha! If you want to dress up your pets and have tea parties, that's your business - but don't pretend this isn't a proper wedding." Vaughan sneered, grabbing onto Valora's arm, ignoring her affronted gasp and struggles to get away. Then he looked around, the wicked smile growing. "Now, we're here for a good time, aren't we boys?"
A man in red laughed.
"Just a good time with the ladies is all." He said, looking up and down at the women next to him. Angelus recognized her as the women who had once earlier sneered and spat hate at him and Soris, and despite his personal feelings of her, he couldn't help but smile when she glared him, seeing her fingers twitch.
"Let's take those two, the one in the tight dress, and...where's that bitch that bottled me?" Vaughan wondered, to which one of his friends immaturely began pointing towards the redhead elf next to him.
"Over here Lord Vaughan!" He crackled, grabbing her.
"Let me go, you stuffed-shirt son of a-"
"Oh, I'll enjoy taming her. And the pretty brides..." Vaughan said, sneering at the two women with Angelus and Soris.
"What do we do?!" Soris whispered harshly into Angelus ear. The blond elf tighten his fists, narrowing his eyes at Vaughan, as he started to think of what could he do. If he were to be honest with himself, Angelus wanted to kill him. Obviously, this Vaughan guy had no redeeming qualities about him, and then there was the unsaid threat of rape hanging in the air, something that Angelus despise with a passion.
But killing a lord comes with consequences Angelus didn't like.
"They're taking Shianni." Angelus whispered, the thought of this being a nightmare washed over him, if only for a little bit. Then, the rage inside Angelus came rushing back when Vaughan appeared in front of him.
"Ah yes, the uppity runt that thinks he's worthy of speaking to me." He said, narrowing his eyes. There was a flash of hate within Vaughan's eyes before it'd quickly disappeared in the vast shade of green, a sinister smirk crawling onto his face. "Don't worry, I'll return whatever is left in time for the honeymoon."
"You have no right to do this!" Angelus snarled, returning the hate.
"Every time a knife-ear says that, it makes me smile." Vaughan said, taking a step back as his friend came in between them and backhanded Angelus across the face, knocking him out.
The last thing Angelus had heard was Vaughan's laugh, Soris's concern shouts, and the women of the Alienage screams.