“Lords, Ladies, my Royal kin, and guests from the Beastlands,” the First Prince began, his voice projecting over the crowd, “Today marks the beginning of what I hope will be a long lasting partnership between our great nation and our friends to the east, with whom we have been in conflict for far too long.”
The First Prince paused for a moment to gauge the nobles' reactions before continuing, “There are many among you who have expressed concern about our treaty with the Beastlands, who have advocated war or separation, and who have insulted our distinguished guests. You have made accusations of bestiality and immorality, and argued that a union between two men goes against the will of the Gods.”
From my vantage point, I couldn’t see the faces of the nobles, but I imagined most of them were as shocked as I was. This was not the polite introduction to the ceremony any of us had expected.
“As the chosen representative of the very Gods whose will you claim to know, I can assure you that you are mistaken. The genuine affection that these two share is something that transcends the limitations of species and gender, a gift from the Gods that will bring our nations together. So, just for today, I ask you to lay your prejudices aside and help me celebrate this newfound peace, the limitless opportunities it will bring us, and of course, the love that made it possible.”
Silence greeted the First Prince’s words, though he seemed to have anticipated such a reaction, and he continued without waiting for signs of approval, “Marquis Julien de Ramport, son of Viktor, Duke of Ramport, and General Andrian, son of Aleksander, today is the day you will become husbands in the eyes of the Gods and the great nation of Vrayna. I offer you my heartfelt congratulations on this joyous day.”
The First Prince smiled brightly, somehow meeting my eyes through the sea of nobles. Bursts of applause sounded from a few locations in the crowd, reminding me that we had friends and allies mixed in with the unfriendly faces.
In a traditional wedding ceremony, the husband would enter first, followed by his future wife, who would be escorted down the aisle by her father. It was a transfer of ownership between the two men, because even on her wedding day, the woman was still just property.
Andrian and I had agreed to walk together, ignoring tradition in favor of a gesture that represented the nature of our union. It had been a hard fought point, as the original plan had been for my father to give me to Andrian, but I had adamantly refused to allow my father to be a part of the ceremony. I had also made it clear that I would not be cast into the woman’s role to satisfy a tradition that didn’t apply to us. The First Prince had eventually agreed to my conditions, understanding my feelings despite his desire to follow tradition.
So, needless to say, I was utterly confused when the First Prince called out, “Marquis Julien de Ramport, please come forward.”
This wasn’t what we had agreed to, but it also wasn’t what I had refused. I looked at Andrian and realized that he wasn’t surprised at all.
“This was Dad’s idea, but I agreed to it too,” he whispered with a conspiratorial grin, "He wanted to give me away to you. Go ahead, we'll be right behind you.”
With nothing else I could do, I stepped out into the crowd. More faces than I could ever count turned in my direction as the nobles twisted in their seats to watch my entrance.
Separating the two sections of seating was a long white carpet that sat on top of the grass. Delicate white flowers lined it, leading all the way up to the dais where the First Prince and the Palace official stood.
I held my breath as I walked, simultaneously nervous to the point of trembling, while undeniably entranced by the beautiful scene before me. All around the perimeter, white flowers had been planted, surrounded by trees with delicate white blossoms and strings of white jewels wrapped around their trunks.
The stage was painted white with silver trimmed columns leading up to a roof of white flowering ivy. Everything was so beautiful and perfect that I could ignore the waves of hostility emanating from the crowd. I spotted my father and his family near the front, saw their faces full of disdain, and turned away without acknowledging I saw them. They couldn’t touch me now and I didn’t care what they thought of me.
With the most confident smile I could muster, I walked towards the First Prince. When I reached the stage, I climbed the small staircase and accepted his proffered hand. Whispers erupted through the crowd at the sight of him offering his hand. When a Royal officiated a noble wedding, it was only natural to bow to him in greeting. By offering me his hand, the First Prince had treated me as an equal in front of the nation’s nobles.
Quietly, so no one would hear him but me, the First Prince leaned in close and said, “I know this isn’t what we agreed upon, but Aleksander suggested this last night. While you were sleeping, he discussed it with Andrian and they agreed it would be a fun surprise.”
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The fake smile I’d been wearing for the nobles melted into a real one. It warmed my heart to know that Uncle Alek was going to be a part of our wedding.
“General Andrian, please come forward,” the First Prince announced, his voice projecting over the crowd.
Andrian appeared at the end of the long carpet with his father standing next to him. Uncle Alek was dressed in Vraynian style, something that I never could have imagined before. I’d never seen the man wear anything but the simplest and most basic of clothing, and the contrast was startling in the best possible way.
Andrian and Uncle Alek paused at the bottom of the stairs and offered low bows to the First Prince, which caught the attention of the nobles as well. Never before had a beastman bowed to a human; their pride didn't allow it, and protocol didn't require it.
They climbed the stairs and Andrian joined me at my side. Uncle Alek placed a large hand on my head and told me, “He’s your problem now, kiddo.”
Then he gracefully jumped off the side of the low stage and found his seat in the front row next to the beast generals and to my surprise, Marquis Heinrich. It seemed he’d found some kindred spirits in his quest for aid against the monsters.
The First Prince took our hands and brought them together before using the stairs to exit the stage and take his seat next to his brother, who was clearly not happy to be there. I wondered if our plan had worked, and the Second Prince was waiting for his chance to interrupt the ceremony. However, he remained in his seat, looking displeased with the whole situation.
“Gracious Lords, Ladies, Royals, and beastmen,” a voice from behind me cried out, drawing our attention. The Palace official seemed ready to begin the ceremony.
Andrian and I turned to face him, keeping our hands intertwined.
“Marriage is the coming together of two families in unity and covenant. Today we unite, not just mere families, but two nations that will prosper together in our alliance. From war comes peace and from hatred comes love. That is what we are here to celebrate,” the official proclaimed, watching the crowd as if daring them to challenge his words.
When no challenge came, the official seemed to relax and focused his attention on Andrian and me.
“Marquis and General, today you will be united in the eyes of the Gods and the noble guests gathered before you. To begin the ceremony, I will ask that you remove the tokens of your marriage in the Beastlands until your marriage in Vrayna is complete.”
Knowing this would be required of us, Andrian and I both removed our necklaces. A servant appeared with a white pillow for us to place them on. He placed the pillow at the top of the stairs, and retreated into the crowd.
“Now we shall begin. Andrian, son of Aleksander, do you promise to honor, respect, and devote yourself to this man, Julien de Ramport, from now until your dying breath?”
“Ay, I do,” Andrian responded in a rough voice as he gazed at me lovingly.
“Before the Gods who created this land, do you swear that for the rest of your time in this world, you will look to no one else and be loyal only to this man?"
“I do.”
“Julien de Ramport, nod if you agree. Do you promise to honor, respect, and devote yourself to this man from now until your dying breath?”
I nodded, realizing that Uncle Alek had been entirely right. In spite of everything else, this ceremony meant more to me than I expected it would.
“Before the Gods who created this land, do you swear that for the rest of your time in this world, you will look to no one else and be loyal only to this man?"
I nodded again, feeling tears prickle the corners of my eyes. I judged that Andrian was experiencing the same phenomenon, as his eyes had become red and misty.
The official produced two rings from his pocket and said, “His Highness, the First Prince, commissioned these rings as his gift to you, to be exchanged and worn as a sign of your union."
One ring was slightly larger, with a stone of shining emerald, while the smaller one had an amber stone embedded in it. We were instructed to place the rings on each other’s fingers as a symbol of our union.
“Then in the eyes of the Gods and by the laws that govern our nation, I declare this marriage to be legally binding, for better or for worse, until the day you both depart from this world,” the official declared before quietly adding, “Congratulations gentlemen, you are officially husbands.”
Before I had a chance to fully process those words, Andrian pulled me into a tight embrace and lifted me off the ground. The garden spun around me in my vision as he twirled us around, letting out a joyful laugh. When my feet touched the ground again, he loosened his grip on me just enough that he could press his lips to mine.
The beast generals erupted in rowdy cheers, interrupting us before we became too involved in the kiss. In the midst of those who looked offended or disgusted were those who cheered along with the loud beast generals. The Royal kin seemed just as excited as the generals, seeing the conclusion of the fairy tale romance they had heard so many stories about. The eastern nobles cheered our official union as well, Lady Carlotta watching us with pride. As for the rest, they didn’t matter to me anyway.
Andrian took my hand in his and we walked toward the stairs, stopping to put our necklaces back on before descending the stairs and walking back down the long white carpet together.