Chapter 30: Not Quite the Symposium

Pacing nervously, I feel the dress swish against my legs, This is going to be the biggest event of my life so far. I'm sure that there isn't anything to rival this feeling in my gut. Butterflies consume me, and it makes me a bit nauseous. It's not a bad feeling, but it is a bit disturbing. I'm supposed to be giddy and happy, but all I feel is this deep sense of satisfaction, like this will complete me absolutely.

Less than an hour later, Summer and I are standing in front of the altar, beaming at each other. We decided to walk down the aisle with each other instead of having others escort us. It was a brilliant idea, and I'm kind of sad to admit that I wasn't the one to come up with it. She's wearing her cape over a crimson red dress with lace roses embroidered into it at random intervals. She looks so stunning that I can't take my eyes off of her.

Ozpin clears his throat, snapping me out of my little world of just Summer and me. There's probably a ridiculous grin plastered on my face, too, but I can't seem to care. "Let me begin with the origin of Love. Humans, and Faunus, have never understood the power of Love, for if they had they would surely have built noble temples and altars and offered solemn sacrifices; but this is not done, and most certainly ought to be done, since Love is our best friend, our helper, and the healer of the ills which prevent us from being happy."

He nods his head toward us with that small smile he gets, like he has an inside joke that only he's privy to. "To understand the power of Love, we must understand that our original nature was not like it is now, but different. We each had two sets of arms, two sets of legs, and two faces looking in opposite directions." He pauses for effect, as if he were addressing a crowd larger than what there actually is. "There were three sexes then: one comprised of two men called the children of the Sun, one made of two women called the children of the Earth, and a third made of a man and a woman, called the children of the Moon. Due to the power and might of these original beings, the Gods began to fear that their reign might be threatened. They sought for a way to end the humans' insolence without destroying them.

"It was at this point that Zeus divided the beings in half. After the division, the two parts of each desiring their other half came together, and throwing their arms about one another, entwined in mutual embraces, longing to grow into one. So ancient is the desire of one another which is implanted in us, reuniting our original nature, making one of two, and healing the state of mankind." I should have imagined that Ozzy would turn this into an opportunity for us to learn, whether it's history, mythology, or a life lesson.

"Each of us when separated, having one side only, is always looking for our other half. And when one of us meets our other half, we are lost in an amazement of love and friendship and intimacy, and would not be out of the other's sight even for a moment. We pass our whole lives together, desiring that we should be melted into one, to spend our lives as one person instead of two, and so that after our death there will be one departed soul instead of two; this is the very expression of our ancient need. And the reason is that human nature was originally one and we were a whole, and the desire and pursuit of the whole is called Love."

He looks at us beseechingly. "Know now, before you go further, that since your lives have crossed in this life, you have formed eternal bonds. As you seek to enter this state of matrimony, you should strive to make real ideals that give meaning to this ceremony and to the sanctity of marriage. With full awareness, know that within this circle you are declaring your intent before your friends and family as witnesses.

"The promises made today and the ties that are bound here greatly strengthen your union and will cross the years and lives of each soul's growth. Do you seek to enter this ceremony?"

I stare into Summer's eyes as we say, "Yes." We're perfectly in sync, and I can't help but smile wider.

Ozpin's voice pierces the trance that I had been in. "Raven and Summer, please look into each other's eyes." I let out a barely audible chuckle because we're already doing that. "Will you share in each other's pain and seek to alleviate it? Will you share in each other's laughter and look for the brightness and the positive in in your lives? Will you share the other's burdens so your spirits may grow in this union? Will you share in each other's dream and help them to achieve it? Will you take the heat of anger and use it to temper the strength of this union? Will you honor the other as an equal throughout your time in this world and the next?"

As if it were rehearsed like this, we both say, "I will," at the same time.

He smiles at us warmly. before turning and revealing a pillow with two rings on it, one for each of us. "You've both chosen to wear rings as a reminder of these promises." His inflection changes back to his teaching voice at the end of the sentence. "People often say wedding bands are a perfect circle, with no beginning and no end." He wistfully sighs, but I'm sure no one else really caught it. He winks at me, then, and keeps going. "But these rings did have a beginning. The stones were formed millennia ago, deep with the earth. Eventually, a series of events caused them to rise to the surface, where someone dug them up. Metal was then liquefied in a furnace at almost two thousand degrees," he pauses for dramatic effect, "molded, cooled, and painstakingly polished. Something beautiful was made from these raw elements. Love is the process of making something beautiful out of the pieces that were always meant to come together, and 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 and each other, I'm confident you'll protect the commitments you've made to one another today." He smiles cockily and chuckles. "I suppose now is a good time to say: you may now kiss the bride."

I chuckle before pulling Summer to me. "I love you so much." I kiss her lightly, making sure that I don't make a spectacle out of it. I don't particularly want my brother to wolf whistle or tease us for the rest of the night. When we break apart, I rest my forehead against hers. "Maybe we should have just eloped."

She swats me on the shoulder. "It was beautiful. Plus, if we would have eloped, I would have never seen you in such an amazing dress. White is so your color."

I laugh. "I don't agree, but if you like it, it was definitely worth it." I give her an eskimo kiss before turning to the few guests that we invited. "No, let's go start the party before Qrow gets bored and destroys something. I'm not paying for whatever he breaks." Her laughter follows me as I drag her out of the church that we rented to have the ceremony performed. All I can think about is how I get to see her and hear that laugh every day for the rest of my life. "God, I love you." I whisper it to myself more than her, but I know that she already knows. I never skip the opportunity to just tell her, and now I get to spend my days saying it over and over again.

When did my life become so amazing? I look back at her and find my answer. The minute she appeared in my life. That's when. The very minute I realized that this crazy, whirlwind of a woman had literally fallen into my life, I knew that I'd be changed forever, and I can't say that I didn't change for the better. I hope I get to know how much more I can grow and how much more I can love this woman. When she smiles that absolutely radiant grin, I can't quite fathom ever loving her more, but I've said that before.

A/N: Welp... I have strangely grown bored of this. I have no idea when that happened, but it did, so I'm ending it here. It's not exactly open ended or anything, so I suppose it's an okay thing. I hope you enjoyed the story, and I really hope I didn't displease too many of you. I really did plan on doing the whole kids thing, but with everything that's been happening, I don't think I'd have the patience to do it. I do apologize.

Thank you all for reading this story. I want to thank all of the reviewers and those who followed this to the end. I love you all, equally lol. I hope I can start a new story soon, though it may not be in the RWBY fandom. Have a nice rest of the day!

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Thanks again! :D