Chapter 9: Resolution

The day of Miaka and Tamahome's wedding dawned bright and clear. Per tradition, they would spend the morning receiving the good wishes of various envoys, and then separate to prepare for the marriage ceremony that evening. The first to be presented were the envoys of the governors of the provinces of Konan, followed by those of the 24 smaller neighboring countries. Last were the envoys from Kutou, Sairou, and Hokkan. Chief among these representatives were Yui and the High Priestesses of Hokkan and Sairou, who would convey their gods' blessings on the marriage.

Though she'd never met them before, Miaka had heard much about the High Priestesses of Hokkan and Sairou. Takiko, High Priestess of Genbu, was a beautiful, fiercely spirited girl who was kind-hearted and devoted to the people of Hokkan. She had recently become betrothed to the crown prince, Limdo, also known as Uruki, heir to the throne of Hokkan, who Miaka's mother had once wished her to marry. Suzuno, High Priestess of Byakko, was gentle, well-mannered, quiet and soft-spoken, but highly curious. The daughter of a court scribe for Hokkan's ambassador to Sairou, people said she'd wanted to marry Tatara, a palace guard, before being selected as a temple priestess, which by Sairou law meant she had to take vows of chastity.

Takiko, Suzuno, and Yui each met privately with Miaka and Tamahome, bestowing both the blessings of their respective god and gifts from their monarch, traditionally an ornate, decorative piece of furniture for their new home and a piece of jewelry for Miaka. In return, Miaka bestowed a blessing from Suzaku and a gift from her brother on each of the High Priestesses along with a gift for her to deliver to her Emperor.

Yui seemed to be doing well, Miaka thought as the two friends tearfully embraced. She was happier than Miaka had ever remembered her being while she'd lived in Konan. It was all thanks to Suboshi; he'd stood by her while she lost everything, and his support had helped her to face her guilt and finally truly forgive herself for what she'd done. But more than just having found peace, Yui had also found love- she glowed with happiness as she informed Miaka that she would be marrying Suboshi the following year and earnestly begged her to attend the wedding.

After receiving the foreign envoys, it was time to prepare for the ceremony. Miaka felt able to breathe much easier after hearing how the people had reacted to Yui when she came back to Konan. It was the only thing that'd worried her about Yui attending the wedding; but the people seemed to have forgiven her as much as Miaka had now that they knew how she'd been mislead and manipulated by Nakago all along. She was disturbed from her reverie as Xi Fang began fixing her hair.

A swam of butterflies danced in her stomach as it finally dawned on her that this was her wedding day. She knew she ought to feel sad that her mother wasn't here to see her get married, but it was quashed by the thought that if her mother were here, she'd be marrying someone other than Tamahome.

Once she finished dressing, Miaka and her ladies-in-waiting processed to the temple shrine. Tamahome, flanked by Nuriko, Hotohori, Chichiri, Tasuki, Mitsukake, and Chiriko, stood waiting before the altar and statue of Suzaku. Taiitsukun stood there with them, ready to conduct the ceremony. Keisuke met them at the shrine's entrance, where he took his sister's hand and led her down the aisle to the altar. In the front seats, Yui, Suzuno, and Takiko fawned admiringly over Miaka's elaborate wedding robes, while Suboshi, Tatara, and Uruki exchanged looks of boredom, each imagining the grand feast that was to follow the wedding.

"Dearly beloved," intoned Taiitsukun, "we gather here today in the sight of the four gods to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony. If there be one here amongst you who can speak of any reason why this marriage should not take place, speak now or be forever silent." No one spoke. Taiitsukun blessed the rings that the couple would exchange. Now it was time for Miaka and Tamahome to exchange their vows.

"Miaka… I can't really put into words what I feel, but I'll try. I have known you ever since you were 10, when I first began training as a guard. As I came to know you, I saw how kind and gentle you are, and I say to you now, you are the first, last, and only woman I will ever love. You are my beginning, my end, my whole world, and you always will be," Tamahome swore, taking her hands in his. Miaka smiled gently.

"Tamahome… over the years, you've been my guard, my friend… and the other half of me. I love you so much, I can't imagine being without you. The road we've traveled to get here has been rough, but I would gladly go through it all again, as it's the road that has led me to you. Whatever happens to us, I know that we will always find our way to each other in the end, no matter what hardships we have to endure," she said, so happy and radiant in being in love, she was nearly glowing.

Taiitsukun smiled and bound their interlaced hands with the gauzy red ribbons lying on the altar. "Now you are bound together as husband and wife. Tamahome, you may now kiss your bride," she declared. Everyone burst into cheers as Tamahome pulled Miaka into his arms and kissed her passionately. After they finally let go for air, Miaka and Tamahome processed down the aisle, followed by their attendants and guests. They headed out onto the specially built platform at the palace gates to receive the congratulations of the people.

While the jubilant citizens cheered, Miaka leaned into Tamahome's embrace, smiling. "I can't believe it… it's finally happened. We're really married!" she whispered happily as they headed back to the palace for the feast and royal ball to celebrate the marriage. Tamahome smiled, leaning down to kiss her. Not only had Keisuke given Tamahome a noble title as recognition for his royal service, he had proclaimed him a prince the morning before the marriage, and in their discussions regarding the marriage had suggested that he might appoint him a provincial governor at some point in the future.

"So… what happens now? Are we going to travel like we always talked about? " Miaka asked as they strolled through the gardens in the few hours before they had to prepare for the evening's celebration.

"I'm afraid we won't be able to do that for a few months at least; now that the aftermath of the previous emperor's death has quieted down in Kutou, your brother wants me to go and help the ambassador renegotiate the treaty, and the envoy is leaving in 3 days. He thinks we should have a member of the royal family present at the negotiations, as a sign of good faith, that there are no hard feelings over Yui's actions. But you and he both have duties that prevent you from leaving right now for any state visits."

Miaka nodded; Yui had told her of the years of infighting at the Kutou court over which of her brothers would succeed their father. Once the last emperor had died, the behind-the-scenes political machinations had broken out into civil war. Fortunately, according to Yui, the brother who had emerged the winner was not the harsh and cruel womanizing tyrant her father had been (and that her other brothers were becoming).

"I understand… there's still a lot of work to do to rebuild Konan. Keisuke and I spoke this morning about me going to go assist Mitsukake with the aid distribution in a few weeks. The epidemics are dying down considerably, but it's not over yet."

"Can't help but feel it's unfair, though… all those years we spent apart because of that curse and now when we finally get married, this happens."

"Tamahome… as I said earlier, no matter what obstacles separate us, we will always find our way back to each other in the end. With all we've had to face, the two of us being together may seem like an impossible dream. But I've always believed that there are no dreams that can't come true."

"That's you, ever the optimist," Tamahome laughed.

"You know, Xi Fang told me a very interesting legend this morning," Miaka said, looking away and pretending to watch a small family of birds drinking from a nearby fountain.

"Another ghost story? I thought you hated those," Tamahome said with a laugh.

"No, it was nothing like that. She told me there's an old story about the watch tower in the center of the courtyard," Miaka said. "According to her, if two lovers kissed at the top of the tower just as the sun set, nothing would or could ever separate them."

Tamahome smiled slightly, glancing up to see the sun would be setting soon. "Let's try it, then."

They went back into the palace, walked through the halls, and out into the courtyard. Once there, they proceeded to the door at the base of the watch tower.

Miaka ordered one of the guards to open the door. He did, and Miaka and Tamahome proceeded up the stairs.

A few moments later, Yui and Suboshi, who were strolling through the courtyard before the feast, caught sight of Miaka and Tamahome walking out onto the balcony of the watch tower. Yui smiled softly as she watched them kissing, while the setting sun bathed the tower in a rosy light. Taking Suboshi's hand, she walked off to the gardens, silently wishing them all the happiness in the world.

-Owari-

A/N:

And that, my lovely readers, concludes Seven Suzaku. I hope that you've all enjoyed reading this story as much as I did writing it. The Wild Swans was always one of my favorite fairy tales when I was little and I can only hope that I've done justice to the original work.

If you enjoyed Seven Suzaku, please keep an eye out for my next work, a version of Snow White starring Yui and the Seiryu Seven. Also, I'm considering a spin-off/sequel to this expanding on Yui's story after her return to Kutou and her romance with Suboshi. Any thoughts as to yea or nay?