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The guests look at me and my strange clothes, so I just say that this is what is the most common traditional style where I come from. I don't need to say more than that, because at least the men now know I'm from Midgård, and I assume they've told their wives and concubines since I said it was okay.
I ride a horse and so do Alith and Bodil as my guards, while everyone else, including the Royal Family, walks to the altar location across the bay. It's about 1 kilometer path wise and a bit longer than usual, but everyone agree it is a good location. As we travel there at a walking pace, it takes such an awfully long time, yet still feels like almost no time have passed. Luckily the weather is fine and clear with short moments of direct sun light, but the winter air is cold. That isn't all bad, because I need the cold to not sweat like hell, and that is in my fairly thin suit, though I also wear a really nice light white-gray fur coat. Another new piece of clothing that Iselin, Ciara and Kari were adamant about, but I have to admit that it feels like a kind off bad-ass look while riding, especially combined with my crown and weapons. Alith has taken plenty of photos and a bit of video. However, a knitted cap would have been much nicer, and warmer. My ears are bloody freezing. What kind of animal fur is the coat in? Looks like some kind of winter fur. There is a lot of impressive fur coats among the guests too.
My sambos have prepared and adjusted the ceremony location. There are benches with fur on them set up for the guests, and two raised banners, one on each side with my house mark / logo, for Iselin is married into my family. The aisle between the benches leads to an open area with a nicely carved arch that is maybe two and a half meters high, and there is some greenery interwoven into the arch, and the arch nicely frames the mansion on the other side of the bay. Not a coincidence. In front of the arch there is a small stone altar with runes, and Völva Gauthild waits at the stone altar and she looks impressive in her shaman regalia and fur.
I follow the directives that Alith updated me about, so I walk over and stand on the right side of Gauthild and wait, with Alith and Bodil as escort standing to the side and behind me along with Caecilia.
All the guests have taken their place and sit down when we see Iselin come closer on horseback with her parents beside her, Gunhild and Hillevi as riding guards, and Kari, Ciara and Jane as her maids of honour. Jane takes photos of us and the entourage, and Alith has taken a couple of them arriving, but I've also noticed the camera that is semi-discreetly placed to the side on the arch and recording the whole event. This have to be the first video recorded wedding in Alfheimr. It's pure coincidence, but the sun comes out more than in glimpses and we bathe in sunlight, which all interpreters like Freya show how she blesses our marriage.
My focus is on Iselin who has a nice dark fur coat and a beautiful white dress with embroidery and lace, which is not the norm here, so Jane has told her about Midgård wedding dresses. Iselin's hair is held in place by a simple wooden crown from braided branches, and some with green leaves on them, and Iselin fits in the flower wreath. The green leaves and her gorgeous long fiery red hair fluttering in the wind gives such a nice contrast to the rest. If I hadn't already fallen in love with her, that sight would have been enough. Damn, she is so gorgeous. I see Iselin's intense green eyes looking at me as she gets closer, and how happy she is when she is slowly escorted forward by Iuli, and she take her place in front of me so we have the guest on one side, and Völva Gauthild on the other. Gunhild and Hillevi stands behind Iselin like Alith and Bodil stand behind me, and Ciara, Kari and Jane stands to the side. They have lovely matching blue dresses, and small gold jewellery woven into their hair that also match.
The Völva starts to talk and welcomes everyone to the marriage between me and Iselin. She says that Iselin's bride price have been given to her parents Iuli and Gyra, and is partially the farm and land where they get to live and farm for the rest of their lives, and all the animals that are theirs. Iselin's parents are so terribly happy and proud of their daughter and their new life. We make our vows to honour and protect each other for the rest of our lives.
Then the Völva calls the attention of the gods and asks them to bless the marriage and give us many healthy children. Elvira and Hrappr appear with a large pig that is led to the altar, and Völva Gauthild sacrifices the pig to Freya and collects the blood in a bowl which she places back on the altar. Iselin is so divinely beautiful in her lovely white dress and the sunlight makes it shines, and she is so happy that there is slight tears that she gently wipes away from her eyes. She isn't alone in that amongst the people attending.
There are more blessings. The Völva pours some blood over her forehead, and then she dips a small leafy twig into the blood and I feel the drops hit as she flick warm blood on my face. Probably not a large amount, but it feels like it. I just try to focus on not licking my lips or wiping away the blood. Iselin gets the same procedure and my smile widen when I see that Iselin has pulled her fur coat closed to protect the dress, and Völvan is skilled enough so that no blood appears to stain her white dress, if anything even hit the fur.
The Völva says more but I mostly zone out as I have a hard time pulling my attention from Iselin. This wonderful, nerdy, smart and gorgeous woman before me will soon be my fantastic wife. I notice the Midgård addition when the Völva asks if anyone present has any objection to the marriage, and if so they must speak now or be forever silent about it. Gunhild and Hillevi grip their spears tighter behind Iselin and narrow their eyes as they gaze on the guests. I guess the same is happening behind me. After a few seconds when no one says anything, but we see many smiling faces, the rings are asked for and Caecilia and Ciara give us a gold ring each, and I thread the ring on Iselin's finger, and she thread the ring on my finger. I didn't expect a carved dragon theme on the rings, and the style is a bit modern western dragon mixed with Alfheimr viking style. The Völva speak;
"As witnessed by the Gods and people present; Robert and Iselin, you are now married, and it is time to kiss the bride."
I take Iselin in my arms and kiss her, but it quickly change to Iselin wildly and intensly kissing me with her hands wrapped around my neck. In this culture it's better to exaggerate than a chaste kiss, and with one hand behind her neck and another around her back, I gracefully lean Iselin to the side and down as we continue to kiss, to the sound of guards hitting their spears against their shields and the cheering of our guests.
As we separate after the follow-up kiss, we see Caecilia standing beside with us a beautiful pillow, and on it is Iselin's new gold crown. A very pretty small gold crown inspired by a wreath with golden leaves and glittering translucent green gemstones interwoven in the intricate design, with the largest gem beautifully placed in the front center. I lift the verdant crown from Iselin's head and hand it to the Völva, before taking the gold crown in my hands. This crown is not for tradition and show, and she will really be a Furstess. A small flash of light draws my attention to the center gem and when it happens again a few seconds later, I realise that the small blinking green LED light I made, is hidden behind the center gem.
Iselin have a wicked smile and cutely bites her lip. Oh, she knows - and is probably the one who installed the flashing circuit. My fantastic wife! I have a big smile as I place the crown on Iselin's head, and they cheer more as Iselin takes the opportunity to kiss me once more. Few here will truly understand that little light, and how unique it is, but Iselin does, and now her crown have a bit of 'magic' and a bit of Midgård.
The Völva calls out that the married couple will now mount their horses, and then Alith will signal the start of the bridal race, i.e. the race back to the mansion main entrance stairs. Usually it is the family who comes last who has to pour the other family's drinks, but in this case it will just be a contest for the honour of being first, and the person who comes last will have to pour drinks for all the other guests for the evenings first toast.
The guards walk forward and stand in a practised formation with their spears raised and the points facing each other so that there is a small archway beyond the benches where Hrappr is waiting with the horses, and I and my wife Iselin walk hand in hand there. Iselin's horse has the new side saddle Jane designed. When we sit there in the saddles and are ready, all the guests on the benches gets ready to start running. The stairs are about 1km away on the other side of the bay. An unusually long stretch with uphill at the end, at least taking several minutes to do, but that just means it's a proper race. Walking is okay and something we expect many to do, but that means the start and finish is more important so it seems like a race. It's after all about being first, and not being last. Where in the middle doesn't matter. If you run at the start, you're part of the race. Guests don't have to take part, especially pregnant women, someone wounded or the old and frail, but this is a physically harsh world, and taking part is showing the other guests and new in-laws that you're fit and strong. Show - don't tell.
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Alith hands her spear to Bodil, takes the musket from her back and walks over to the Völva at the altar, before raising the barrel in a high angle out over the sea, and cocking the gun.
The shot scares the horses a bit, but we are prepared to hold them in and Hrappr helps. The horses have started to get used to shots since their paddocks and stables are only a couple of hundred meters from the shooting range, but we don't trust that. We start riding back to the mansion. We don't have to do it particularly fast to still beat everyone by a good margin, and it doesn't matter if we come first or not. There is a bit of chaos, as some are running but many have been too shocked by the shot, and look at the musket and Alith as she casually shoulder the musket as she jogs to the horse Gunhild is holding for her. Which reminds some guests to start running, and that snap other guest out of their shock. Some run more than others, like Olafr who knew how it was going to sound and wasn't shocked, but Olafr is already breathing hard and seems to loose steam. Olafr is not fast or graceful, and will soon be passed. Alith and Gunhild use the horses to catch up with us and ride escort all the way.
Once back at the mansion, we wait for our guests, and we have time for a quick wash of our faces. I've could really have done without the blood. The distance was far too far for most of the runners, but the mood is high and everyone cheers when Digraldi becomes last after Olafr unexpectedly sprinted the last 100 meters. Digraldi graciously accept defeat as he reach the stairs, and Olafr staggers to get up and they embrace each other to more cheers.
I place my sword on the doorstep and stand in the door, before lifting Iselin over the doorstep and the sword to show I welcome her into my home. Iselin gracefully picks up my sword and gives it to me, as a symbol that I now protect her, and gives me another kiss. Which becomes two. Which becomes a long one, and Iselin casual wave her hand, signalling that our guests need to wait. Not that our guests mind.
The procession goes around the mansion and the wing to the pavilion, where I draw my sword and forcefully stab it into the roof as we enter the pavilion. The sword goes through and pokes out a decimeter on the outside, to great cheers because the deeper the blade goes in, the better it is for the future of the marriage, and the tradition is meant for thatched roofs. Not solid wood. The fact that I discretely found and marked a weaker spot a couple of days ago while checking the grains, and discretely practised stabbing upwards like this, is probably a big reason for my success. But of course, perhaps that is an indication about the future of the marriage as well. The prepared and methodical has a greater chance of success, than one who just relies on luck. I don't believe in omens or signs, so did it for Iselin's sake; she wants everything about the marriage ceremony to be perfect.
The pavilion is beautifully decorated, and the guests definitely appreciate it. The chandeliers hardly make it any less luxurious and there is a lot of 'oohs' and 'aahs' as they're lit. Digraldi pours drinks, and once everyone is gathered at the tables, my wife Iselin and I welcome them to the feast. Iselin lifts our shared cup of honey mead and blesses it and us with a long verse before giving the cup to me who makes the Thor's hammer sign and make a short blessing to Odin before I drink about half. Yuck. Then I give the cup back to Iselin who blesses it to Freya and empties it, to cheering guests. This signals the start of the feast, and with the sunshine shining in through the removed wall sections on the south side, the gods seem to be smiling on our marriage.
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It is a good feast, just way too much honey mead, but the food is good and so is the company. I'm getting drunk, and the law and tradition is that I have to be, but this is the first time I've really gotten drunk. Stupid law and tradition.
The musicians deserve their silver, and Baugeid is a skilled musician, singer and storyteller, but one of the feasts highlights is when the mansion's music group performs some pieces of music they have practised. 'Hijo de la luna' goes over well and honestly sounds awesome on Caecilia and Ciara's two harps, with Jane on the simple drum set and Gunhild on flute. They have put together quite a good collection of instruments. Their version of Tenacious D's 'Tribute' is unexpected, and Caecilia is clearly having fun singing how she ran into a drunk Loki who challenged her, and she won, but afterwards she can't remember the song and this is just a tribute to that song, and it was probably Freya who helped her because she is a hóra. Baugeid will definitely learn that song. The cheers dies down as Gunhild walks into the center and begins to clap a rhythm, and the others in the music group join her and stomp. When they've done it three times, I realise it's Queen's 'We Will Rock You' and I start to do it in tempo, urging the guests to do the same. The text they created is better suited to the audience than the original, which we are only two who would understand anyway, and when Gunhild, Caecilia, Jane, Ciara are also joined by Alith, Bodil and Hillevi in the chorus "We will, we will feast!" they quickly gets the guests to join the chant. The end to the song is clearly their own, and it works way better. The mood is raised even further when they continue with their own version of Sabaton's 'Swedish Pagans'. Iselin definitely knows that introduction and gets the rest of the guests to join in the chant.
Another highlight of their performance is when Ciara and Caecilia on harps with Jane on drums start playing Lindsey's 'Shadows', and I love that Ciara and Caecilia have a 'harp duel' in the appropriate part. All of a sudden, Iselin gets out of her chair and drags me along. I'm worried about having to dance, but Iselin sits me down on a chair that Elvira place on the floor just as we get there, and then Iselin starts dancing to Shadows in her beautiful white wedding dress with her beautiful hair that whips around. Very appreciated and she must practised a lot. It's not like how Lindsey dance in the video, but Iselin's happy and seductive dance in front of and around me fits her, and there is moments when it feel like it's just the two of us here. When she finishes it's to great cheers, applause and whistles that I stand up and catch her as she jump into my arms, followed by hugging and kissing. We give Ciara, Caecilia and Jane a thanks and applause.
We return to our seats at the head table to cheers, when Caecilia and Jane start playing Cecilia Vennersten's 'Most Beautiful'. But Iselin starts singing to me. She does most of it sitting on my lap turned towards me, and I sing along. It's so obvious they've been practising this secretly to surprise me, and Iselin has a beautiful voice, and she should sing more. We both have tears as the song ends, and so do a lot of the guests, before they start cheering and banging on the tables.
It's a bit of a shame that we can't dance to the music Iselin would probably have preferred, but everyone but Jane would probably be too shocked by that.
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Some guests comment that Iselin's crown seems to regularly glint, as if it has caught sunlight, and those comments makes everyone look focused on Iselin who is slightly drunk and smiling. I also can't help but smile and kiss her hand. Everyone looks at her crown and see its green gem flashing at regular intervals. Everyone just stares at Iselin's crown and she is so incredibly pleased. She kiss me on the cheek, and tells Jalida to cover the light from one of the chandeliers with a banner. Iselin is very pleased and in the slightly darker corner, she move and dance on the spot to music only she hears, and rhythmically the center gem clearly flash green light. Jane stares with her head slightly askew, sighs, and introduces her palm to her face. Yeah, she's got it, and I know I'm smiling too. After about half a minute, Iselin return to her chair, and gives me another kiss while giggling. The silence is deafening when Iselin nonchalant shrugs and a smile as she say:
"I'm Furstess Iselin Robertswife of Ackerek, and sejd is a natural part of our relationship."
Said with some suggestive twitches of her eyebrows while she bites her lower lip and giggles. Cheers, shouting and laughter.
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Iselin have become drunk much faster than I have, and I make her calm down a bit because I don't want to have to have sex with her if she's too drunk or passed out, so she drink a little less alcohol while I drink more. Yuck for honey mead, but 'man the fuck up' - it's worth it to make your lovely wife Iselin happy.
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Quite a few hours have passed and the sun has long since set, when we finally go to bed to consummate the marriage according to law. Most of the guests join us to the doors, but only Ciara, Kari, Caecilia and Alith stay inside and push the others out.
Iselin is very drunk, and lies happily giggling on her back in bed in her beautiful white dress, with her gorgeous red hair loose and spread out around her head. Her golden crown with its flashing light have failed to keep her hair under control and is askew. I carefully remove her crown and set it aside on the table and my crown joins hers, which isn't that easy as Iselin is trying to remove my clothes in the meantime. The shirt buttons are no fun to undo and with growing frustration, as she slips and lose her grip. Finally, Iselin have had enough and with an angry grunt she tries to rip the shirt apart and a button flies away. She growls as she furiously pulls my shirt off over my head.
Iselin pulls me to the side so I fall backwards on the bed beside her, which is so nice to relax on. Iselin does an unsteady wiggling dance and waving her arm because the dress is in the way as she tries to get on her knees. She pulls up the dress around her hips, and I help Iselin into position, where she sink down on top of me, and shudder and smile. With my help, Iselin begins to ride me. We are man and wife, and it is the beginning of our future together.
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