Chapter Nine:

Wedding Day

The Wedding day was upon us and I wasn't ready.

The invitations used to say formal attire required, but Lanna and I quickly realized that not everyone (hardly anyone) had or could afford the wardrobe so it was made optional. But Lanna didn't give me the choice. She bought me a frilly, orange dress with sleeves that refused to stay up and a collar that kept coming down showing what little cleavage I had to offer.

Lanna had me come over to her place early to help her into her dress and so she could help me get ready.

"No offense, Chelsea, but I'd feel better if I did your make up," she said. Just because she said "no offense" doesn't mean it wasn't offensive, but I agreed to it and let her do my hair and make up.

She quickly got me ready and told me to get dressed while she did her hair and that she'd call me when she needed help with putting the dress on. After putting the orange mess Lanna bought me, I looked myself over in the mirror.

"This isn't too bad I guess…" I was talking to myself, "Though this much orange certainly isn't for me," I laughed at myself and wondered what I would look like if I were the one dressing in white.

I sat down at Lanna's table and tried to envision my perfect wedding. It would still be Winter with a light snow. A small group of people would come, and despite hating the Harvest Goddess and anything associated with her, the Witch Princess would be at the church too, watching me finally tie the knot. My dress would be simple, sleeveless, and not as puffy as my maid of honor's dress. I'd walk down the aisle, my head down for half the walk, because I'm nervous, and I'd look up to see my groom, just as nervous and despite himself he would be blushing as much as me. But when we lock eyes, we relax and suddenly the nerves calm and everything is right. Looking to Vaughn would make everything right.

I stood up at the thought and clasped my mouth as if I had said it aloud. I saw Vaughn as my groom. Vaughn, my apathetic cowboy was my dream groom? I shook the thought away and told myself that it wouldn't happen, that I was on some sort of rebound and I was just turning to the closest available man I could think of. I brushed it off, but thinking back, maybe I shouldn't have.

Lanna called me into her room and I preoccupied my thoughts with Lanna's dress, but seeing Vaughn in a tux kept creeping up now and then.

The image was still there when we arrived to the church.

"How do I look, Chelsea?" she asked before letting me inside.

I sighed; she had already asked me at least twenty-four times on the way there. But I smiled and gave her a hug, "You look beautiful," I said, pulling back, "If I didn't know you and Denny were perfect for each other I'd say you were too good for him."

Lanna laughed. She took a deep breath and nodded, "Thank you."

"No problem, Lanna. I'm going to go in first, okay? Then you'll walk in and…" I paused, wishing again this was my wedding, "And you'll see Denny and you'll know that you're doing the right thing."

She nodded and let me open the doors.

I scurried inside, exchanging quick hellos with everyone finding my seat in front, with no one by my side. The seating arrangements were reinforced by Mark, who was sitting to the right of the aisle with Natalie sitting next to him. I wasn't surprised to see Mark in a tux and Natalie in her regular attire, but despite looking so wrong together clothes-wise, when they were holding hands they were the very picture of happiness. I looked to my left and wished that I did force Vaughn to come, even if it wasn't a part of his usual schedule, and his image standing where Denny was then flashed into my head again.

It was at that moment that I thought that maybe, just maybe, Vaughn could be—

Before I finished that thought, the doors opened and Lanna walked down the aisle, only looking to Denny as if he were a dream and he would disappear if she let her focus slip. Once she stepped onto her place next to Denny, Alisa began the ceremony.

"Thank you all for coming on this joyous day…" she started, "We are gathered here today to witness the marriage of Denny and Lanna."

"Truly we are blessed to witness such a joyous occasion," Nathan announced, "Denny, do you take Lanna as your wife to love and honor for as long as you live?"

Straight to the point that Nathan was.

"Heck yeah!" Denny said.

That man, I never could imagine him saying the traditional "I do."

Nathan turned to the bride, "Lanna, do you take Denny as your husband to love and honor for as long as you life?"

"I do!" Lanna said, she was so excited that she had no control over her volume.

"I now pronounce you man and wife," Nathan finished up, "May your life together be blessed with happiness!"

That certainly was quick.

We all clapped for the happy couple as they took each other's hand and exchanged their first kiss as husband and wife.

We all filed outside and once assembled, Lanna, the blushing bride, held her husband's hand and addressed her witnesses.

"Thanks for coming, everybody! I'm so happy right now!" she said, all smiles.

I was towards the back I let Lanna have her spotlight and tried to stay out of the limelight in my orange dress when I heard a familiar entrance.

"Ta-da!" the Harvest Goddess had appeared in the pond, "They look so happy together!" she exclaimed looking to the couple.

"They do, huh?" I asked under my breath.

"Well, here's my gift to them—for their prosperity," she said just before the church's bell began to ring.

"Ah! The bell!" Nathan said looking up, "You two are destined to be happy together!"

Denny and Lanna laughed and looked to each other, so obviously in love. So much so that it made my heart ache knowing that I was still alone.

Lanna and Denny had a bit of a party at the Diner where most of the younger villagers attended. Even Sabrina stopped by to give her congratulations them and so did Pierre. I found myself gravitating towards the two, since they were the few who were single much like myself.

"Hello, Chelsea," Sabrina said, "You look…nice."

"Very orange," Pierre said, holding back a laugh.

"Ha-ha. Very funny," I said, sitting down to join their table, "What's up you two?"

"Nothing, I just thought to stop by, to be polite," Sabrina explained.

"I wanted to try out what food Denny and Lanna choose for this event," Pierre admitted, "I should have known it was going to be mostly fish."

I laughed, "Yup, that's Denny and Lanna for ya."

"Yes, I suppose you're right."

We all laughed. To be frank, I had never talked to Sabrina or Pierre very much in the time that they moved to the island and it was refreshing talking with them, eventually the topic came up of the pervious day's festival.

"I ate so fast I almost chocked!" I said, referring to the rice cakes.

"That's right! Taro had to help you out," Sabrina recalled.

"Ha! Just goes to show that you should slow down and enjoy your food," Pierre said, "By the way, Taro gave me all the extra rice he had, and quite frankly I can't finish it all. Will any of you ladies like to take some off my hands?"

"I will, Pierre. I have a few dishes I've wanted to try out that includes rice," I said.

"Excellent. Come by and get them later tonight."

"Oh that reminds me! I must be getting home, it has to be late and father will come looking for me if I don't come home soon," Sabrina said, standing up.

"Boy, living with your dad must suck," I said, remembering my own parents, "I'm glad I live on my own."

"Really? You don't miss your family? I certainly do," Pierre said.

"Well, I miss my siblings…not so much the 'rents though."

"Maybe you should visit them sometime," Sabrina suggested, "Or maybe a phone call?"

"They won't respond to my phone calls," I laughed, trying to make it look like less of a problem than it was. But at the same time I wondered if anyone knew what had happened to me, I had called my older sister to tell him that I had arrived safely on a new island and started a farm but that was a year before almost to the day. I figured I'd call the next day to tell them that I hadn't died just yet.

"That's so sad…"

"No it isn't. Anyways, let's go get that rice Pierre."

"Okay, but first we should say goodbye to the bride and groom," Pierre said.

"I'll go with you two," Sabrina said.

We walked up to the two and said our congratulations once more and told them goodbye. Lanna thanked me again for all my help and that she hoped to be my maid of honor when the time came. I thought that she should have said if that time ever came.

I carried that rice in a sack home and stuffed it into my fridge before finally taking that orange monstrosity off and rubbing my feet numb so the sores that my shoes had left wouldn't be as painful. After washing my face and changing into more comfortable clothes I went searching in my drawers by the phone for my parent's number. I had found it and tried dialing it but hung up after the third ring.

"I doubt they want to hear from me at all—let alone this late," I told myself as I buried myself under the covers, "Maybe I'll call Charlotte tomorrow," I yawned before falling asleep.

But the last thing I saw was Vaughn at the altar.

Author's Note: Finally back on schedule...hopefully. By the way, I used the script from the wedding directly from the game.

Disclaimer: Harvest Moon and all characters belong to Natsume