Sophie took a deep breath, knowing she was tugging on her eyelashes but not able to stop. Biana was holding up different dresses to her, trying to decide which one 'complemented Sophie's complexion' best.
Sophie resisted a sigh as Biana pressed yet another pearly white dress decked with diamonds to Sophie's face. Elves didn't wear white to weddings- they didn't even have weddings the same as humans- but when Sophie had told her friends what she'd grown up with, they'd insisted she do it this way.
The dresses had an elvin flair though, decked with jewels and layers of tulle and lace so puffy Sophie didn't think she'd be able to get close enough to Keefe to say her vows. But Biana assured her the dress would bend.
"And swallow him whole!" Sophie persisted. "Seriously B, no one will even be able to see him! He's getting married just as much as I am!"
Biana clicked her tongue and shook her head. "But you are the bride. And this is how humans do it. So this is how we are doing it."
Sophie almost asked if that meant elves didn't wear these ridiculous dresses, but she knew that no matter what they did, Biana wasn't letting her wear anything but one of these fluffy monstrosities.
Finally, Biana ran out of dresses. She held up her top three and frowned. "These are all so perfect! How am I supposed to choose just one?"
Sophie faked a bright tone. "Maybe, I should wear one dress for the vows, another for the reception, and the last one on my honeymoon!"
Biana shot her a look, then brightened. "Actually, it isn't a bad idea for you to change for the reception. You wouldn't want to get cake on your vow dress."
Sophie groaned, but at that moment she was saved by a knock on the door. "Can I come in?"
Biana scrambled to put away the dresses, then skipped over to the door and opened it. Keefe stepped in, dressed in his own pressed brown suit. He held out his arms and turned in a slow circle. "Whaddaya think, Foster?"
She suppressed a giggle and held one finger to her chin as though in deep thought. She stepped off the round platform and walked a slow circle around him, tapping her chin and frowning. After two loops, Keefe groaned. "Just tell me or I'll read your emotions."
Sophie grinned and stepped up to him to play with the flaps of his collar. "Dashing. As always."
He smirked back. "And when do I get to see your dress?"
She clucked her tongue in mock disapproval. "Keefe, Keefe. Don't you remember? Not until the wedding!"
He stepped closer to her and whispered right in front of her face. "All the more reason to wish it was today."
"It's just a week, Keefe. It's not like I'm making you wait years."
He pouted. "It feels like years."
She grinned, then remembered Biana standing behind her. She looked over her shoulder to find her friend, hands clasped, with a dopey grin on her face. Sophie covered her face with her hands. "Ugh, why does everything about this have to be so embarassing?"
Biana threw up her hands. "You're getting married, Sophie! You don't have to be embarrassed about being absolutely adorable." Then she stepped forward and pushed Keefe out of the room. "Now shoo. We have wedding dresses to pick."
*** Next Week ***
Sophie took a deep breath, feeling like she might vomit. She had expected to be nervous on the wedding day, but now that she was actually here, about to walk up to Keefe- and Bronte, who was officiating- it all felt so real. And that wasn't a bad thing. She wanted it to be real. But...
"Sophie Elizabeth Foster I swear if you touch your eyelashes again I will have to redo your mascara and neither of us wants that."
Sophie dropped her hand. "Sorry, Biana. I didn't think I'd be this nervous."
Grady, who was waiting to lead her down the aisle, cut in. "It's not too late to-"
Edaline smacked his arm. "Grady..." she said in a warning tone.
He held up his hands. "Just saying."
Sophie smiled, took one last deep breath, and hugged her mom. "Okay. I'm ready."
Edaline hugged her tightly and whispered in her ear. "I love you, Sophie. And you will always be our daughter."
Sophie blinked back tears as her mom and Biana went to go sit down. She peered through the curtains as Bronte and Keefe took their places in front of Calla's Panakes tree. When asked where she would like to have her wedding, she couldn't think of any better place than the beautiful tree that meant so much to both of them.
Finally, the music- a human wedding tape that Dex had somehow gotten hooked up to some speakers- started, and Grady offered her his arm. She took it, and sucked in as much air as possible before slowly letting it out.
"Ready?" her dad asked.
Sophie faced forward, catching a glimpse of Keefe in between the curtains. "I'm ready."
*****
Sophie laughed as she clumsily cut the giant cake- which was some sort of crazy cross between vanilla cake and mallowmelt. Keefe stood behind her, his arms wrapped around her and his hands over hers to steady her. Together, they finally managed to get a slice out of the cake and onto a plate. Keefe held it up triumphantly, and Sophie laughed so hard she could barely breathe.
"Who... knew..." she said between gasps for air. "Cutting a cake... was so... hard?"
Keefe laughed too, and Sophie grabbed two cups of punch. Keefe wrapped his free arm around her waist and led her to the table hastily set up right underneath Calla's tree. They sat next to each other in front of the trunk, looking out over tables set up all over the huge yard.
Sophie scanned the tables, picking out faces. In addition to all of their friends and friends' parents, the Councillors, Collective, several members of the Black Swan, and even Amy had come. Amy had been by far the hardest guest to arrange, but they had finally managed to come up with an excuse and light leap her to Havenfield.
Sophie sighed, and Keefe took her hand and squeezed gently. "You're wishing your human parents were here." He said it as a statement.
She shrugged, knowing she couldn't lie to him. "Wishing won't make it happen."
He nodded, and Sophie's attention shifted to him. His mom wasn't there either, for obvious reasons. She was locked in Exile, and had been for the past several years. "At least your dad came."
"Yeah. I wonder if your biological dad is here."
Sophie scanned the crowd again. "Probably not." She'd given up looking, not wanting to know if it was as big a bombshell as Oralie had been.
Keefe squeezed her hand again, and she squeezed back. "At least we have each other. Doesn't really matter who else's here."
Keefe leaned over and kissed her full on the lips. She kissed him back, but pulled away after a second. She heard cheers and whistles from the tables below, and flushed. "Keefe," she hissed.
"What?" he asked innocently. "You just said it doesn't matter who else is here!"
"I did say that," she sighed. She looked at the cake. "Um... did you get a fork?"
Keefe frowned at the plate. "Uh... who needs a fork?" To prove his point, he grabbed a piece of cake with his fingers and held it up to her lips. "Do me the honor of taking the first bite, Lady Fosboss?"
"Of course, Lord Fosboss." As she said it, the word sunk in and she let out a nervous giggle. "I just said that. Lord Fosboss. That's real. Keefe, that's real!"
Keefe set down the cake and grabbed her hand again. She realized she had been on the verge of hysterics. "Woah there, Foster. What was that?"
"I don't know," she said sheepishly. "I guess it just... sank in? We... we're married. You're my husband. I'm your wife. Keefe and Sophie Foster."
Keefe grinned, and Sophie gave him a look. "Tell me it's not weird for you."
He shook his head. "Nah, I got used to the idea about... six years ago."
She gasped and slapped his arm. "Keefe!"
He shrugged. "Not my fault I've been imagining this-" he pulled her hand up to look at the new ring- "for a long time."
Sophie looked at the ring again. It was simpler than her engagement ring, just a thick gold band with their initials carved onto the outside. On the inside, in tiny letters, was a message.
To my Lovely Lady Foster, who made a foolish decision that works out great for me.
Sophie grinned again. "By the way, I never made fun of you for that engraving. How on earth can you say it works out great for you? We haven't even been married an hour yet!"
He smirked. "I just had a hunch."
Sophie smirked and smooth her dress. She had eventually gotten Biana to settle on one- though there had been a train for the ceremony that was now nowhere to be seen.
Just then, a scream rose up from the crowd. Sophie jumped up, her chair falling backwards, and scanned the crowd for the scream. It was Councillor Alina, who was standing on her table and jumping up and down comically. Sophie looked at Keefe, mouth wide. "What on earth did you do, Keefe?"
He shrugged, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed. "I may have rigged the chairs of some..." Another scream pierced the air. "special people with robotic spiders."
Sophie covered her face with her hands, remembering his promise to do just that all those years ago. At least he hadn't done it during the vows. "Keefe, you didn't. Who?"
"Just watch."
She turned back to the yard and saw Lord Cassius, Ro and Bo, Sandor, Lady Cadence- okay, most of the Mentors- and Fitz and Tam- especially Tam- jumping up and stumbling several steps away from their chairs.
Sophie watched silently, shaking her head. "Keefe," she said without turning her head.
"Yes?" he asked innocently.
She spoke with a pause in between each word. "You are in so much trouble."
He pulled her hair playfully. "Come on Foster, they deserved it!"
"But at our wedding?"
"What better place?"
She groaned. "Did Dex help you with this?"
He shrugged. "He isn't pranked, so... seems pretty likely."
Sophie finally turned to look at him, tracing her eyes over the teasing glint in his perfect ice blue eyes, over his tousled but styled hair, over his adorable smirk... he reached out and tapped her nose. "I can feel your emotions, Foster."
She didn't even blush. "You already know I'm in love with you."
He kissed her softly, not pulling away until they heard a shout from the yard. "You're just gonna kiss your husband while we get terrorized by robotic spiders?"
Sophie laughed. "Yes, Tam. I am. I think you can deal with some metal bugs." And she kissed Keefe again. Because there was nothing she would rather do than kiss her adorable husband.
A/N I've never been to a wedding before, so this was at the mercy of Google. I swear, I love and hate Google.