This chapter references Leliana and Mara (The Warden), having a daughter named Grace, as well as Cantis feeling bad over the Breach. These are both topics covered in another of my stories, Judge, Jury and Executioner. Please feel free to check that one out if you want to hear more about Cantis' adventures and more of Leli's daughter.
Josephine wringed her hands nervously, sweat furrowed on her brow. This was it. The big day. Their hands were to be bound to one another's, and so would their lives.
She sat down for what must have been the hundredth time in an hour, breathing hard, gasping for air. She didn't regret her approaching marriage to her lover, obviously. She was utterly infatuated with him, and completely in love. But everything was going to change today, wasn't it? Everything about her life would be new and fresh.
Then again, thinking back on it, maybe it wouldn't be all that different. They have both lived at Skyhold for almost two years now, and had shared a room for much of it. They had been together and in love for so long now. Not to mention her surname was already changed legally to be Trevelyan.
But still… to be wed to the prince of her dreams, married to the Inquisitor… was so different, her whole world would be changed. Cantis and Josephine Trevelyan. Lady Trevelyan. How sweet the words sounded in her mouth.
The door opened and she whipped around, heart pounding in her ears. It was Yves, a wide smile on his face. Josephine gave a nervous smile back at him, ensuring that the flowers in her hair were straight.
"Wow." He whispered, wrapping his arms around his little girl. "You look wonderful, little Jose-posie."
"Thank you." She whispered back, smiling and breathing in. "Are we all ready?"
"Yeah." His voice broke, and she turned to face him. The great bear of a man was crying and smiling at the same time, tears were starting to stream down his face as he smiled sweetly towards her. His eyes shone with happiness and sadness at the same time, wiping away his tears.
"Don't cry, Daddy." She whispered, wrapping him in her arms. "You're going to make me cry and ruin my makeup." He laughed a little, shaking the mountain of man in her arms, and she smiled a little in return.
"Sorry honey," He smiled with a shaky voice. "I just can't believe I'm going to give away my baby today. I never thought I'd ever have to walk you down the aisle, never get to see my little girl get married."
"Daddy," Josephine shook her head. "I'll always be your little girl. You're just getting another boy in the family. I will always be your little girl no matter what. Once a daddy's little girl, always a daddy's little girl."
Yves just smiled and shook his head, pulling his arms away from her. She always knew what to say to him when he was crying, always knew what he needed to hear. Always the little diplomat.
With a smile and a look at each other, Yves walked her to the main hallway of the Villa that Varric had rented for them, a gorgeous place that was a monument of architecture. He wouldn't say how much it had cost him, only smiling when the question was asked, but it must have been a fortune. The floors were tiled with marble, and the walls white and shining, patterned with stained glass windows.
Smiling at each other, they began to walk in unison down the aisle. Looking straight ahead, her smile grew even wider when she saw the beautiful man standing at the end of the aisle who would soon become her husband. Cantis looked wonderful in his noble poet's shirt of red, clothes fit to meet with an empress. He was tall and handsome, just like the first time she had met him.
Up with him stood their whole inner circle. Cassandra, Vivienne, Lace Harding, Hawke and Mara, with Sera suspiciously missing. There was also Leliana's little daughter, Grace, standing smiling in her dress with a basket of flowers in her hands. On the other was Blackwall, Cole, Varric, Dorian and Cullen. The rest of their compatriots were sitting in the crowd, with the exception of Sera, and they all looked lovely in the outfits she had hand picked with Vivienne, black with gold trimmings and half capes from the back hem of their shirts.
"She looks amazing." Cantis whispered as she walked down the aisle with her father, his bride to be just a few feet away. He had to fight the urge to run and take her in his arms the same way he had when fighting Ortranto for her, to remain dignified and composed instead of allowing himself to lose himself in adoration and love.
Hawke give a low whistle, laughing to herself at the glare Merrill gave her from the crowds. The others smiled but remained composed in sharp contrast to the rowdy Inquisition they typically were, so as not to disturb the almost gracious atmosphere of the love they had come to celebrate.
Smiling at her father, Josephine let go of his hand as they reached the altar, letting him take his seat in the front row. She took his hands in hers, his large hands covering his tiny and fragile gloves of white lace.
"You look so beautiful." He whispered in absolute awe, grey eyes sparkling into hers.
"So do you." She whispered back, smiling. "Nervous?"
"I was until I saw you." He smiled, resisting the overwhelming urge to kiss her here and now.
"Are we ready?" Leliana asked, and they both nodded. "Today is a celebration. A celebration of love, of commitment, of friendship, of family, and of two people who are in it for forever. Love is all about coincidence, you fell in love by chance, but you're here today because you're making a choice. You are both choosing each other. You've chosen to be with someone who enhances you, who makes you think, makes you smile, and makes every day brighter. Someone who has left an imprint on your heart, someone that you can't live without. You're about to make promises to each other that you intend to keep. You're going to vow to take care of each other, to stand up for one another, and find happiness in the other."
She smiled, thinking of her own wedding, looking over at Josephine. "Will you, Josephine Cherette Montilyet, keep Cantis Trevelyan as your husband – to love, to laugh with, support him through life's harshest moments, be proud of him, grow old with him, and find new reasons to love him every day?"
"I will." She whispered, smiling as a tear slipped down her cheek.
Leliana nodded and turned again. "And will you, Cantis Trevelyan, keep Josephine Montilyet as your wife – to love, to laugh with, support her through life's most difficult moments, to be proud of, grow old with her, and find new reasons to love every day?"
"Of course I will." He smiled even wider, white teeth showing as he did, never taking eyes from hers.
For a moment there was reverent silence in honouring them. Then Josephine spoke, having readied a traditional Antivan vow of marriage, as he had an Ostwick.
"I..." She swallowed, taking courage from the love in his eyes. "I, Josephine Montilyet, first of my family and ambassador to the Inquisition, by the life that courses within my blood, and the love that resides within my heart, take you, Cantis to my hand, my heart, and my spirit to be my chosen one. To... to possess you, and be possessed by you, without sin or shame, for they can't exist in the purity of my love for you, ti amo. I promise to love you wholly and completely without restraint, in sickness and in health, in plenty and in poverty, in life and beyond, where we shall meet, remember, and love again. I will respect you, your beliefs, you family, and your ways as I respect myself."
Cantis smiled and embraced her hands to stop the shaking of his own. It was his turn, to share Ostwick's vows of love with her. "Lady, Josephine Montyilet, I, Cantis Trevelyan, lord of the Inquisition and all of her holdings, vow you the first cut of my meat, the first sip of my wine,
from this day it shall only your name I cry out in the night and into your eyes that I smile each morning; I shall be your sword and shield for you as you are mine. Never shall a grievous word be spoken about us, for our marriage is sacred between us and no stranger shall hear my grievance.
Above and beyond this, I will cherish and honour you through this life and into the next. I am yours, as you are mine."
Leliana wiped a tear of her own away, smiling at the adoration that the couple showed one another. It was her turn once more, and it was nearly impossible for her to speak. "Y-you've both chosen to wear rings as a reminder of these promises. People often say wedding bands are a perfect circle, with no beginning and no end. But these rings did have a beginning. The stones were formed a long time ago, deep with the earth. Eventually, a series of impossible events caused them to rise to the surface, where someone dug them up. A rock that was impossibly strong was melted, never destroyed but rather turned to a new shape, molded, cooled, and so painstakingly polished. Something beautiful was made from raw elements, an almost impossible journey. Love is like that. It comes from humble beginnings, and through a combination of serendipity and effort, imperfect beings shape it into something extraordinary. It's the process of making something beautiful where there was once nothing at all. As you look at these rings over the years, I hope you remember that. You've created something invaluable, and just as I know you'll protect these rings, I'm confident you'll protect the commitments you've made to one other today."
Taking a deep breath, she nodded at both of them. "I now pronounce you partners in life."
Cantis entwined his fingers in Josephine's, and then their lips met. Leliana hadn't prompted it, but it was too much to ignore. The moment too perfect, she was too perfect. There was no resistance to it, even if he had wanted to. They were swept away as the whole world became perfect.
Then the whole hall erupted in cheering, celebrating love and life. Every couple in the hall took their partner in their arms, kissing as they remembered their own love. Both of them smiled widely, letting their hands apart to wrap arms around one another so Cantis could sweep her off of her feet, taking her completely into his arms.
Even the Divine herself gave into the temptation, kissing her Warden in front of the whole crowd. The Chantry had once seen the Divine as a lone, stoic figure sitting alone, long and distant from the rest of the world. Now their image of her was that of a family, of two loving wives together and joyful, a happy daughter at their feet.
But the newly wed couple's kiss lasted the longest, that all eyes were on them when they finally broke apart, smiling and utterly entranced with one another. Magic and love was in the air, and everything was a right, even if only for a moment.
"I present to you all, Cantis and Josephine Trevelyan!" Leliana called, and the room was filled with cheers of love and laughter.
"Now." Leliana announced, laughing. "How about some cake and wine?"
Hours later, Josephine sighed contentedly, laying atop the warm and soft skin of her new husband, a cover pulled over the both of them. What a magical day.
Every time her fingers brushed her ring, she smiled, remembering Leliana's words. How wonderful it had all been. The ring Cantis had given her on that wonderful day he had asked her to be his forever, fit so perfectly around her finger, every touch against it reminding her of his love.
How beautiful a day. Even when they had discovered Sera's various attempts to 'lighten the mood', she wouldn't have changed anything about anything that had happened on the day. Leliana's kind and sweet words, the affection in Cantis' eyes and words, the after party where half of Thedas arrived to wish them well, including the Empress herself. How rare and beautiful.
"What are you thinking about?" Cantis whispered, and she smiled up at him, crawling up to meet his lips in a sweet and wonderful moment.
"How much I love you."
He chuckled, holding her waist closer to him. "I can't believe I found you, Josephine. After everything that's happened, all the wrong I've done… that I still was blessed enough to have you in my life…"
"My love." She whispered, kissing him on the cheek. "Stop being so hard on yourself. You deserve all the happiness in the word, sweetheart. It's me that can't believe I found you."
Laying in bed with the most beautiful woman in the world, a ring around both of their fingers, he smiled, and finally forgave himself for the Breach.
The End