Chapter 1 As Ready As I’ll Ever Be.
“Aria!” Isaac snapped at the pacing elven cleric. Aria’s gaze shot from the floor in front of her to Isaac’s face in an instant. Her dusk-kissed brown hair fell awkwardly across her face as her forest green eyes almost seemed to vibrate with anxiety. “It is my wedding, not yours. Calm, the, fuck, down.” He punctuated every word with a point at her and an intense glare. “I’m over here stressing about writing my wedding vows and your ENDLESS PACING is not helping.”
“I know, I know, I’m sorry.” Aria replied. “But what if I mess up? This is the first time I’ve ever presided over a wedding and it is in front of high nobles and living legends. I can’t mess up and these customs are weird. If two people have already, you know,” She said and made a circle with one hand and poked a finger from the other hand through it. “then what is the point of a ‘guarantor’ over the people’s ability to what?”
“It is supposed to be symbolic.” Isaac explained with a sigh. “That is why it is the mother of the bride and the father of the groom that are the guarantors. It’s just the parent’s saying that they raised their children into proper adults that can be sufficient spouses.”
“But, sorry if this comes out rude, neither of you have parents who’ll be in attendance.” Aria replied. “What am I supposed to do when we get to this part? Ugh it’s all so confusing with traditions that are completely foreign to me.”
“Sera is going to act as Lenna’s guarantor and Izen is going to act as mine. It’ll keep everything flowing as usual.” Isaac assured her. “Now, why are you pacing in my study? Go pace on the roof or something.”
Isaac’s study was relatively open with a mahogany desk that looked incredibly similar, but brand new, to the duke’s desk in his own office. He had a sofa chair as a reading chair that had a neat quirk that allowed the thin arms to be taken off of it. This allowed the chair to be used as a reading chair that could actually be slid into the desk as needed. The arms were hanging on their respective pairs of brackets, that were set into the sides of the desk, as Isaac was actually using the desk. There were a few empty shelves and bookcases around but nothing else, so far, in his study. One of the wall’s of Isaac’s study had a window to the outside world which allowed him to look outside while lost in thought, which is what he would have been doing if Aria hadn’t been trying to break in his new flooring with her endless pacing. One of the other walls of Isaac’s study was a folding partition that was currently open to allow full access to the library that was currently entirely devoid of books.
“Okay, okay, what abou-” Aria began again before Isaac cut her off.
“Go to the venue, ask for the duchess, say who you are, and ask her your questions. The wedding is tomorrow and I still don’t have my vows finished because none of them so far have felt perfect.” He instructed her.
Aria huffed. “Fine.” She said and turned towards the door. She had only taken three steps when she stopped and turned around to ask him another question. “Isaac,” She began with none of the previous franticness. “why did you choose me to officiate this?”
Isaac sighed with a smile towards her. “Because, you dense priestess of El’No, you are the first friend I made in this world and I wanted you to be a part of this.” He then shooed her away. “Now, unless you are going to tell me what my perfect future vows are going to be, go pester Sera with your questions on human marriage ceremonies.”
Aria smiled warmly at him. “I’m gonna tell Claus that I’m your first friend and not him.” She told him and spun on heel before she hurried out the door.
Isaac shook his head. “I can’t tell if she is thirteen or nearly three hundred sometimes.” He commented to himself before he looked back down at the blank sheet of paper in front of him. “At what point do I just give up on making a plan and just wing it in the moment?” He asked himself. “Well, if I don’t have this right by the time I need to say them, I guess I’ll just have to wing it.”
—
Lenna was sitting on the roof of the Celestial Dawn staring at the ceiling of the cavern her home resided in. She could still imagine the brilliant moon hanging overhead and closed her eyes to bask in the memory. She smiled to herself. “I think I know what I am going to say.” She said to herself.
“Well that’s good.” A motherly voice came from the top of the stairs leading to the roof. An older middle-aged woman with graying ginger hair and crimson eyes was standing there with a tray of sandwiches in one hand and a pair of mugs in the other. “My husband and I used vows that had been passed down to us.” She explained and slowly strode over to the seated Lenna. “If I sit there with you, you are going to have to help me stand. I’m getting too old to sit on the floor.”
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Lenna chuckled. “I will.” She promised the younger but more wizened woman. “Who passed them down to you?”
Celeste handed the drinks and food to Lenna before she lowered herself to sit cross legged next to her friend and, as of the next day, former tenant. “I recited the ones my mother had used and he recited the one’s his father had. It is common in dwarven culture to pass them down like that because of the emphasis on the wisdom of previous generations in their culture.” She explained. “I just wanted to be like him, so I asked my mother for hers.”
Lenna smiled at the pleasant story. “Every culture does this differently. It is interesting to see how. For elves, weddings are more of a ‘post binding’ celebration. An afterthought where the male and female are showered with gifts. In dark elven culture it is one of the few times when things like music and dancing are acceptable but, from what I’ve heard, in light elven culture it is just used as an excuse to party.”
“And what is it for you two?” Celeste questioned with a raised eyebrow.
“A lot and little at the same time.” Lenna replied. “At first, it was just an excuse to receive gifts from everyone.” She confessed and Celeste laughed at the brutal honesty. “But now, I don’t know. It feels like it has more weight to it than it otherwise should. We are already a mated pair so what does the ceremony really mean?”
“It is a bunch of frivolity surrounding a public declaration of love and loyalty between you two.” Celeste replied just as bluntly as Lenna’s confession. “And an excuse to get showered in gifts and throw a party.”
Lenna laughed at the truth of Celeste’s words. “I am inclined to agree.”
—
Lucius was in a dressing room just off the hallway that led to the main hall. He was there with Isaac on the dark mage’s wedding day. Isaac’s white suit was a stark contrast to what he usually wore. His usual pure black attire was either at home or in his Inventory. Isaac’s wedding suit was complete with a tailcoat and two tassels. The duke had offered everyone that had taken part in both the battles, against the Contantis Army and the army of skeletons, tassels for what he had called ‘The First and Second Battles for Safeharbor of the year Twelve Seventy Seven’. It was made with strands of black, orange, violet, royal purple, silver, gold, and ocean blue thread. The other tassel was one that he and Lenna had decided on. Black like Isaac’s power, silver like their shared eyes and Lenna’s hair, and braided orange with black for Lenna’s power. It was then wrapped at the top with a singular band of gold to help hold it all together. The two tassel’s stood out against Isaac’s suit but they would most likely be subsumed by the shadows that would be trailing from Isaac. The final piece of embellishment was a certain pair of platinum tags whose chain was wrapped around Isaac’s right wrist just like how Lenna’s usually were when she was out of her armor.
“All set.” Lucius told him and took a step back to give him one more look over. “Nothing out of place, everything is straight, no wrinkles or dirt, you are physically as ready as you are going to get.”
“Thanks.” Isaac told him. “I wasn’t expecting you to be the one in here with me, but thanks.”
“Well, my father wanted to be but, you know, he has to be the host and look regal and imposing on his throne.” Lucius explained.
“My throne looks way more imposing but he didn’t want it.” Isaac replied.
“Oh?” Lucius asked. “I still haven’t seen it.”
Before Isaac could reply there was a knock on the door. “She is ready.” Came a familiar voice from the other side. Isaac wasn’t sure how Marie had managed it but somehow Lenny and James had been brought on as extra help during the craziness that was a wedding in the ducal household. She had absolutely covered them in high grade makeup and mild prosthetics that were indistinguishable from natural skin and bone structure. Isaac didn’t want to know how much she would charge for it later and could only hope that their attendance would be her wedding gift to them.
“Thank you.” Lucius replied without even knowing that he was talking to the rumored, and quickly becoming famous, Phantom of Safeharbor. “Shall we?” He said and reached for the door to get it for Isaac.
“Lady Luck, Lua, Rei and Zei, calm my beating heart and give me strength.” Isaac whispered loudly enough that Lucius still caught it.
Lucius gave him an encouraging smile. “If even you are anxious, I might need a calming spell before mine.” The young duke-to-be joked with a wink. “You’ve got this.”
—
Lenna’s pure black dress sat comfortably on her as she turned this way and that in front of the mirror. Her lace sleeves, collar, and stockings covered any skin that would have been completely exposed save for her head and hands. Her plain black dress hung the entire way to her ankles but showed off her black slippers that boasted small silver roses in place of bows. Her platinum tags chimed against each other with her movement as they hung from their chain that was wrapped around her right hand. Her silver necklace, that Isaac had given her all those months ago, rested gently on her collarbone with its amethyst directly under her chin. Her hair was braided back in three braids that were then braided together. The smaller braids were made with two parts her hair and one part either a black, an orange, or a royal purple ribbon. The contrast with her silver hair made sure that they would still be visible in any lighting.
“I don’t think I have ever seen a more beautiful bride. Definitely not in such a simple dress.” Celeste praised her. “You are going to make Isaac forget his lines.” She added with a smirk. “Sera did that to Izen on their wedding day.”
Lenna chuckled. “He has probably planned for that.” She replied. “You know him.”
Celeste smiled warmly at her. “He has always been mesmerized by you.” She told the bride. “Everyone who’s spent any amount of time with you two has noticed how he shifts to shield you from anyone that you aren’t actively talking to.”
“He what?” Lenna questioned.
“He knows how shy you are and makes sure to at least partly stand between you and everyone else so they don’t try to talk to you.” Celeste explained. “I’ve watched him shift out of the way once you’ve said something but otherwise doesn’t let anyone talk to you.”
“I, I never noticed that.” Lenna said softly. “I’ll, should I?”
Celeste chuckled with a shake of her head. “I can’t tell you whether or not you should thank him or tell him to stop. It is just something that we’ve noticed.” She gave Lenna a moment before she asked the question that Lenna knew was coming: “Are you ready?”
Lenna took a deep calming breath. “As ready as I’ll ever be.” She replied.
Celeste knocked on the door and got a quick reply: “Yes ma’am?” From a voice Lenna recognized and couldn’t help but shake her head at. James being the messenger for when she was ready was something that she had no idea Marie could pull off. The Assassin of a Thousand Faces could apparently work miracles in her spare time.
“She’s ready.” Celeste told the thug turned informant masquerading as a temporary servant for the ducal house. They gave the man a moment before Celeste turned to look at Lenna as she opened the door. “Mentally ready or not, it’s showtime.”