The sun shined brightly over the city of Mondstadt. Lumine stood underneath the shadow of the cathedral, not dressed in her usual travel attire, but a beautiful, flowy white dress adorned with exquisite fine detail. She fiddled with the bouquet of Calla Lilies she was holding, huffing to herself - feeling as if the bouquet was missing something.
"Nervous?" her twin asked, noticing how she was fidgeting.
"Ah, kind of." Lumine replied. "These flowers... I feel like something is missing. I had originally thought of pairing them with Cecilias, but-"
"You don't have to settle for Cecilias, Lumine." And as if performing a magic trick, Aether pulled from behind his back the flower of their home world - several of them, sliding each one into her bouquet to make it feel more complete.
Lumine's eyes grew wide and she had to hold back the tears that were forming. "How-"
"Now it's perfect."
"Yes..." she wiped the tears from her eyes, smiling and giggling.
Aether smiled back at her, holding out his arm. "Then let's go inside."
Feeling a flutter in her stomach, Lumine linked arms with her brother, and instantly felt a calm wash over her. She was glad that her twin could be by her side on this very special day.
The grand cathedral doors opened, and the twins stepped inside as Aether walked his sister down the aisle. Everyone sitting in the pews stood and turned, staring in awe as the beautiful bride made her way, the pathway being lined with flower petals as Klee and Yaoyao twirled ahead of them. Paimon zoomed, seemingly out of nowhere, to float on the other side of Lumine.
As the bridal walk continued, Lumine could feel her heart pounding inside her chest. She could hardly keep her eyes focused on her destination without feeling a little flustered, causing her to look left and right at the audience members for a moment to gather her bearings. But she still shyly looked on, her gaze meeting his - and then she would feel the butterflies dance inside her stomach again.
Kaeya's gaze was locked on her figure the entire time. Though steady as he appeared, his breath had caught when Lumine's presence entered the cathedral. She was surprised to find that Diluc was standing beside him, and she couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of warmth and relief at the sight that he would stand next to his brother for this special day.
The walk felt like it continuously stretched endlessly, but once Aether stopped, Lumine nearly tripped on the edge of her dress. This would be where she and her brother would part in the ceremony. Turning toward each other, Aether embraced his sister for a moment, then pulled away - gently squeezing her hand before taking a seat in the front row - Paimon floating over to the side he had been standing.
Somehow the cathedral felt so much larger than Lumine recalled, much grander, much brighter with how the sun shined through the stained glass windows. Kaeya stepped forward to reach for her hand, which she took gladly, feeling the cool touch of his skin as his hand gripped hers firmly - leading her up the steps.
Now they stood facing each other, only inches apart, and Lumine was able to take in the appearance of her handsome husband-to-be. Kaeya's hair was tied back rather than slung over his shoulder. His attire was like a dressier version of what a normal male citizen of Mondstadt would wear, with longer sleeves. A couple of buttons on his shirt were purposely left undone. It made Lumine nearly roll her eyes at the sight, thinking how inappropriate for a wedding - only to smirk afterwards, remembering he somehow gets away with that in his Favonius Captain attire.
"Lumine..." he said, his voice soft and cool. He placed his hand on her cheek with a gentle caress.
"Hey now, you're supposed to wait 'till the end of the ceremony to kiss the bride." Lumine said playfully.
"Do I?" he leaned in a little more.
"Yes, Kaeya. Wait." she whispered with a smile.
"Fine then," he pulled away, grinning. "I'll wait."
Lumine clutched her bouquet of flowers to her chest, taking deep breaths. A lovely strung melody filled the space, and she almost tripped over backward when she saw a certain Tone Deaf Bard stand there, gracefully playing the Holy Lyre.
"Venti?!" she nearly shouted, but managed to suppress her shock a bit. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, was he not invited?" Kaeya said jokingly.
"No, just -"
"You should actually feel quite honored," Venti said. "Having the Lord Barbatos himself preside over the ceremony."
Lumine's eyes instantly widened. "Wait, what?!"
A resounding cheered filled the cathedral.
"Ehe ~"
Lumine was absolutely confused what was going on here, how Venti was suddenly so nonchalant about his true identity all of a sudden.
"I, Lord Barbatos, the beloved archon of Mondstadt,"
'Did he really have to phrase it like that?' Lumine thought.
"Hereby join the Traveler from the stars and the Favonius Captain as one!"
And seemingly out of nowhere, one empty wine glass appeared in Venti's hand that he filled with dandelion wine, holding it out between them.
"What are we supposed to do with this?" Lumine questioned.
"Drink it, of course ~"
"Why?"
"Like this, Honorary Knight." Kaeya took the wine glass, its stem between his cupped fingers. He put the glass to his lips, drinking only half of it, before offering it to her.
"Oh..." she took the wine glass, holding both sides with her hands, closing her eyes as she drank it. The flavor was hard to describe, as was its texture.
A gentle melody was carried upon the air, a song she had never heard, but one that stirred her heart. It was soft, pretty, a tad bit somber, but full of hope and happiness. Lumine couldn't help being entranced by it.
Then the music stopped, and when she opened her eyes, she felt Kaeya wrap an arm around her waist - pulling her flush against him. Without even a moment for her brain to react, she felt the embrace of his lips against hers. They parted only a moment to breathe before lingering in another passionate kiss.
The two pleasantly sighed as it ended, their gazes locked. Lumine could feel the heat rising inside her body. But soon a loud thud broke her from her trance, finding that Yanfei had appeared on the scene, slamming a portable wooden table in front of them.
"Ahem..." Yanfei cleared her throat. "As your legal representative, it is important the two of you have on hand proper documentation, in this case - a marriage license."
She held out a pen, tapping a couple places on the document. "Sign your names here, and here, please."
Kaeya smirked in amusement, taking the pen and dipping it in ink - signing away before handing it over to the Traveler.
Then she signed it.
'Lumine Alberich.'
A crack of thunder sounded as a flash of lightning split the darkness.
Lumine jolted from her slumber, hearing the pouring rain pelt against her bedroom window. She took a glance, seeing the chaotic winds rip through the outside world.
Then, she inhaled a shaky breath, falling into her pillow.
"A dream..." she sighed, lifting her head as a few stray tears wet the pillow case's fabric. From under it, she pulled out her hand, cradling an eye-patch that she caressed with her fingers.
"At least... it was a good dream for once..."