If the clerk at the game store who sold me a download code for “Valor of Valhalla'' told me I’d meet the woman I’d marry in five years in the game I just bought, I’d have told him that I wasn’t that lucky. Based on the woman standing across from me on the altar, I might in fact be the luckiest man in the world.
I started playing VoV with my best friend Dean Michael. We chose VoV because it was objectively awesome. It had an adaptive class system, unique NPCs, and events where players could lead groups of NPCs into battle, from small parties of 3-4 NPCs to armies counted in the thousands. Players could also hire NPCs who had their own unique growth to guard their buildings or act as special units in their armies. There were even well-balanced guns, although the guns were pretty damn rare. However, this all paled in comparison to one thing. VoV had the holy grail of all pet systems. Any kind of real animal you could google and then some, plus magical versions, like the elemental variants, were available as pets. The list of pets also featured dragons, unicorns, extinct animals galore, nearly every monster or animal in the game, and more. The best part was that you could assign one to assist you in combat, with its own levels and abilities. Each and every pet was balanced so that none were better than another by default. Fucking brilliant. This and the fact that it was only $45 with new content being added constantly were the deciding factors when we chose to play VoV over other MMOs. Mostly the pets though. Pet systems are the best.
Two months after we started playing, Dean and I were about level 30 and decided to be a little stupid. We were going to run a level 65 dungeon, our level and half again. We needed a support however, leading us to find Not_a_G.I.R.L. They were around our level and probably a guy in real life despite their username, not that it mattered. It was a surprise when we opened a voice chat on Diskcord to talk about preparations for the raid, only to be answered by a girl and not a g.i.r.l. Her name was Samantha Dillans, and she was a way better strategist than me or Dean when it came to stuff like this. Samantha had invited Dean and I into her guild after we beat a level 65 dungeon when we were all level 30, give or take a level or two. An impressive feat that made us scream when we realized we had won.
Three months later our guild had an in-person meeting where we found out Samantha and I had both made our characters look the same as we did in the real world. Back then I was 5’10’’ with slightly tanned skin, dirty blonde hair, amber eyes, and fit. Not muscular by any means, but fit. She was 5’ 2’’ with long, wavy, brown hair down to her hips, which were just wider than her shoulders, and bright green eyes complimenting her soft facial features and olive skin. She was a smidge out of shape back then, but I wouldn’t dare let her hear me say that. If it wasn’t obvious, I was more than a little attracted to her, on top of the fact that I already had a mini crush on her from talking online.
Two months later we started dating. When I turned 18 a year later, I enlisted in the army. At age 22 I was promoted to Corporal. A month after, I proposed. We spent seven months planning during which we celebrated our birthdays.
Now, five years since I started playing the best game that ever happened to me, I stood four inches taller and with a hell of a lot more muscle tone, and to my left was Samantha, who was not an inch taller than when I met her and looking unfairly beautiful in her wedding dress. She started working out when she noticed the outline of my abs a year into our relationship because, I quote “You can’t be the only one with a nice body,” to which I probably responded with something cheesy like, “But I already see perfection whenever I look at you,” which was and still is true. She became a lot more fit, getting abs and legs that stop my heart every time I catch a glance of either. I had to use everything I had to keep from kissing her before our guild leader, Lilah, gave us the go ahead.
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Yeah, our guild leader was marrying us, and she was also the maid of honor. My family, squad, and their loved ones were in attendance on my side, with my second in command and best friend as my best man, and the youngest in our squad, Private Johnathan Becker, as the ring bearer. On the bride’s side was her family, our guild, their loved ones. Samantha’s sister, Renny, was the flower girl.
I undoubtedly had a goofy smile that I would never hear the end of on my face, and I couldn’t bring myself to care. I was marrying the love of my life, surrounded by friends, on a beautiful day. As I stood on the altar, I couldn’t help but wonder what I did to deserve it all. Suddenly, Lilah turned to look at me.
“Do you, Arthur Greaves, take Samantha to be your lawfully wedded wife; to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse; for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health; to love and to cherish; until you are parted by death?”
“I do,” I replied, reaching critical levels of joy.
“Do you, Samantha Dillans, take Arthur to be your lawfully wedded husband; to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse; for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health; to love and to cherish; until you are parted by death?”
Sam turned to me, her slight smile widening into a stunning grin. “I do.”
Lilah turned to Becker and held out her hands. “May I please have the rings?” Johnathan walked toward her, desperately trying to avoid matching the grin worn by his commanding officer as he handed Lilah the rings. They were similar to our engagement rings, however these had more obsidian inlaid and an intricate engraving. As soon as the rings left his hands, Becker returned to his post next to Dean.
Lilah held the smaller of the two rings for me to take. “Arthur, placing the ring on Samantha’s finger, repeat after me. Samantha, I give you this ring, as a sign of my vow to love, honor, and cherish you, who is too good for me.” Her edit to the traditional words elicited a chuckle from the audience and a quick glare from Sam, who then held her hand out for me.
I gently grabbed her hand just before the wrist. Her hand looked tiny in mine as I slid the ring onto her finger, repeating Lilah’s words with an edit of my own. “Samantha, I give you this ring, as a sign of my vow to love, honor, and cherish you, who is far, far too good for me.”
With a nod of approval, Lilah turned to Sam with the larger ring held out to her. “Samantha, placing the ring on Arthur’ finger, repeat after me. Arthur, I give you this ring, as a sign of my vow to love, honor, and cherish you.”
I held my hand out for her, and she repeated what I had done seconds earlier. “Arthur, I give you this ring, as a sign of my vow to love, honor, and cherish you, who deserves me more than he will ever know.”
“Arthur and Samantha, in as much as you have pledged yourselves, each to the other, and have declared the same in the presence of this company by the exchange of vows and the giving and receiving of rings, by the power vested in me I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride!”
I didn’t need any more encouragement than that as I stepped forward, pulling Sam towards me and bending my neck slightly. Samantha stood on the tips of her toes, our lips touching.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my pleasure to present to you, the new Mr. and Mrs. Greaves!” Lilah’s words failed to end the applause of the crowd, although Samantha and I didn’t notice, oblivious to the world around us. That was until someone asked a rather astute question.
“Where are we?” The amazing question was answered as we broke our kiss and opened our eyes. There was a floating box and its existence and what it said both raised quite a few more questions than they answered.
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