Dear all of my amazing readers, I'm so sorry this has taken so incredibly long but my summer has been insanely busy! Thank you to everyone for your incredible comments, they mean the world to me. I'm sorry this is a short chapter but please enjoy.
Lots of love
Chapter 5
The Big Wedding
Two weeks later, Kel was sitting in in Yuki's final dress fitting for her wedding tomorrow. As her maid of honor, not only did Kel have to have an attractive dress for herself, she also had to sit in on everyone else's dress fittings. She did laugh when Neal dragged his best man, Dom, into Lalasa's shop to make sure that he, too, looked presentable. Dom had muttered something about how he didn't understand how women have to get a new dress for every social event.
Today, a pale Buri popped in to have the dress she was wearing to the wedding taken out a tiny bit to make room for her little bump. She grumbled the whole time about how much she hated dress fittings, making Yuki and Kel chuckle.
Shinko, one of the other bridesmaids, came in, gushing about how gorgeous Yuki looked in the white kimono-dress with a gold and red obi and the red silk under-kimono.
Kel herself had a simple pale purple silk kimono-dress with a mint kimono underneath and a whit obi. Lalasa had suggested the colors to flatter Kel's eyes, which they did quite effectively.
Dom sat with Neal, who had begun to panic, worried that something would go wrong at the perfectly planned wedding.
"Meathead, stop fussing!" He said finally, interrupting his cousin mid panic attack. "Fussing is mother Kel's job and we certainly don't need a mother Meathead." He joked, causing Neal to snort back a laugh. "Seriously, you need to relax or I'll have to get your father to knock you out before hurt yourself."
"Can you blame me for worrying," Neal asked quietly, concluding that Dom was correct.
"Yes I can blame you," Dom joked back, earning a dramatically scornful glare from Neal.
Kel stood behind Yuki as she prepared to enter the large chapel in which the ceremony was held. She couldn't help but to notice the huge crowd who waited patiently for her friend to come walking in. Shinko, Buri and Lady Haname noh Ajikuro, the other lady who came with Shinko's Yamani entourage, stood behind Kel, while Yuki's stout father offered his arm to daughter. Kel could see Neal standing nervously at the altar at the other end of the chapel. Dom grinned at Kel from behind Neal, causing her heart to jump, as he always did. When her heart recovered, Kel grinned back.
The high priest and priestess of Mithros and the Goddess spoke a quick prayer for the people who had come to the wedding and one for the couple.
A quintet of violins began to play the traditional Yamani wedding tune and Yuki and her father began to set off down the aisle with the four bridesmaids close behind.
The priest began the ceremony and Kel couldn't help but grin as her friends said the vows. Scanning the various people, Kel could see her parents, Neal's parents, the royal family and many of her knight friends smiling as Neal placed the ring on his wife's finger.
Soon after, the couple walked back down the aisle, followed first by the bride's maids and the best man, then by two little girls, Neal's nieces, who had acted as flower girls.
After the wedding, they enjoyed a decadent banquet full of delicacies, both Tortallan and Yamani. Kel sat beside Dom on one side and Raoul on the other, who subtly supported a pale and exhausted Buri. The banquet went on late into the night, but for a rare occasion, Kel stayed almost to the end, talking at qreat length with Dom, though she refused to believe that he was the reason for which she stayed. Buri and Raoul were the first to excuse themselves, shortly followed by Haname and her brother, who was visiting for the wedding. Roald left just before midnight though Shinko stayed until the point that Kel and Dom left at just after one.
Dom went to the Own's area muttering about getting some sleep before training some of the new recruits, leaving Kel and Shinko alone.
"Kel," Shinko said quietly, "I'm not really sure how to say this, and I don't want to steal Yuki's moment but I found out this morning that I'm going to have a baby."
Kel blinked at her friend for a moment before exclaiming, "Shinko, that's fantastic!"
"Sssh, I haven't told Roald yet!" Shinko whispered.
"Why not?" Kel asked, confused.
"With everything going on today, he was so busy and I never got the chance," Shinko looked down.
"Tell him tomorrow morning," Kel suggested, "He'll be thrilled."
The two parted ways, Shinko to her palace suite and Kel to her townhouse. Kel walked slowly and tiredly to her room before flopping into the warm blankets and pillows on the soft mattress. Sleep came quickly and easily.