Chapter 20
I think I'm losing my mind
The four of us headed to the church to get there in plenty of time, and we waited around as another wedding was performed. This one was more traditional, with lots of people and a whole production. I found myself a tiny bit jealous, but really it had been my choice to have this sort of life. I do what I do to keep others like this safe. Like I said to the priest, I don't do it for glory, or to have the world praise me. I'm marrying my guy because I love him, and want to build a life with him. Not for the pageantry. And I'll get this, and it'll be great because I'll know I earned it. Keeping the world safe. And my wedding will be attended by a dragon, so there. Where is your dragon? Huh? That's what I thought.
"Looks like they're clearing out," Malachite told me, pulling out his token. "Should we get 'dressed?'"
"I think now would be fine," I decided, pulling out my own. I concentrated and clasped it. "Wedding!" I announced, and changed. I had grayish skin, with light yellow hair, huge green eyes, and a just the hint of a horsey face with ears that stuck up cutely. My wedding dress was strapless, falling in layers to one side, leaving my legs visible from the other. Cute white heels, short white gloves, and a bouquet of white flowers finished off the look. Malachite simply looked like himself in nicer clothes.
"What's that look?" he wondered, looking me up and down. "Is that even a race?"
"You know who you're marrying," I told him, flipping my hair back. "I'm the lady with a thousand faces, don't you remember? How does it look? I wish I could look in a mirror and see it."
"You look great. But that priest is going to be very confused."
"Good! I'm interested to see if he tries to call it off or not."
I had to chuckle as we walked down the aisle. Hanz and Snarly took their places in the front pew, and Isengorf did a double take when he saw me. He looked to Malachite, who was clearly the draig he had spoken to a few days ago, then back to me. I cocked my head to the side and smiled a little. He looked back to Malachite, who nodded. Back to me. His eyes said "screw it, she said she's two hundred and forty years old maybe she's under a curse or something to look different every day." Too bad that was backwards, I finally wasn't under that curse anymore. But very little magic was "fun" so I intended to get every last use out of this spell I could.
"Malachite and Orchid…" he began, once again looking questionably at Malachite, who made a "get on with it" gesture with one hand. "You have come here to be wed in the eyes of the Lord, and in Their house. I call upon Kafziel, to turn his gaze upon these two that are before me, who have come here seeking their blessing in matrimony." Holy energy sprung up around us, similar magical circles to the ones always seen when I did magic, but these were a soft white. They lit up the church and both of us, and I really, really wanted to walk down the aisle as radiant light for our next wedding. Maybe keep your mind on the one you're currently having, Orchid! "Let it be known that if either of these supplicants is false, or wavers in their faith, Kafziel's gaze shall turn from them and they will not be wed. Are there any here that protest this union?" He looked over to the others. Snarly was vibrating as if he wanted to maybe do something inappropriate, but Hanz put a hand on his shoulder. He looked to the door, waited a beat, and turned back to us. "Malachite, are you prepared to take Orchid as your bride, now and forever, in sickness and in health?"
"For now and always," he agreed, "Orchid shall be my rock, my guiding star."
"Orchid, are you prepared to take Malachite as your husband, now and forever, in sickness and in health?"
"For now and always," I agreed. "Malachite shall be my protector, my other half."
"And will you grow your treasure hoard together, and share equally the spoils obtained by life?"
"My hoard is her hoard."
"My hoard is his hoard."
"And will you grow in power together, and soar, and let all lesser creatures know of your dominance, as a dragon should?"
"Orchid empowers me, with her magic and her presence. Together we will become a terror, whispered in the deepest pits of Hell that all who would harm others must fear."
"Malachite carries me, to the very heights. We shall soar upon his wings, together, my belief in his strength will never faulter."
"And what is your pledge to each other?"
"I pledge to be her sword, and her shield. I take hurt before she does, my life before hers."
"I pledge to be his defense against all that is unseen in this world. To heal his hurts and aid his strikes." And repair his armor when it gets all banged up.
"And what do you vow?"
"I vow to be the fertile soil that allows her to grow, like the beautiful flower she is."
"I vow to see the truth of him, accepting him as he is, and never seeking to change his truth."
"And will you have no other?"
"I will be the first of his harem!" I snuck in there. "All shall be subservient to me, first wife!"
"Orchid!" he exclaimed, scandalized.
"What? I have to be truthful. Dragons have harems, right?" I looked to Isengorf. "I have that right, don't I?"
Isengorf rolled his eyes. "If we may continue seriously?"
He looked at me, and I looked at him. "I will have no other," he went on, as it was clear I wasn't going to say anything else.
I pouted. "I want girls to order around though? We'll figure it out."
"Moving on," he requested.
"Yes, perhaps that's for the best," Isengorf agreed. "The rings?"
Snarly got up and presented the rings to us, on a slab of stone I had made. They stuck up from slots in the rock and Malachite took the one for me.
"Please repeat after me," Isengorf went on. "With this ring, I thee wed."
"With this ring, I thee wed." He put the ring on my finger.
"Let it be, forever more, a symbol of the pledge I have made to you today."
"Let it be, forever more, a symbol of the pledge I have made to you today."
He nodded, and I repeated the gesture, putting his ring on him. You know, he wakes up twice as tall one day I have to wonder what happens to this ring? Does it chop his finger off, break, or get bigger with him? Could be a problem.
"And so it is done, Kafziel, bestow your blessing upon these children of the Lord, that they may be pleasing in your sight." The circles around us winked out, and there was a sensation inside me, a dimension I didn't know I had, and then it was gone. Did I just feel my very soul? I guess it worked. We're married!
"With the power vested in me by the Lord, our God, I now pronounce you husband and-"
The door to the church crashed open, and a dark elf in torn clothing, looking fairly beat up and exhausted, staggered into the room. "Snarly!" she called. "I'm so glad I found you. Saw the fliers. You have to come quickly!"
"Senna?" Snarly gasped. "Where hath you been?"
Malachite and I traded a look, then I looked to the ceiling. Really? I sent into the universe. I couldn't have one day- no an hour? I couldn't have a single hour, to get married, without something like this happening? Really?
"It's your family," Senna went on, slumping to the floor and clutching a pew to keep from collapsing fully. "They captured Salliven!"