Damien and Noctis remained sky-borne for hours more, even after Selena returned to begin her drills. Lord Godfrey, Colonel Cyres, and General Araneus worked with some of the top fighters from the Shadow Templars and assigned them a Nidhoggr to train. One by one, the ferals chose their handlers. Vyrilion agreed to align himself with Kain and Maria, and Obsidian, a male close to Noctis' size, partnered with Lord Godfrey. While still battling through much reluctance after recently losing Onyxria, Colonel Cyres partnered with a large-weighted female named Ysyra.
Ignoring his disposition, Rahim ruefully worked with Eshara, a large-weighted female part of the formation. As he was still young and too small for combat, Volterion and the other whelps around his size and age assisted with moving supplies as part of Rahim's plan. Sethak and Rhasydra were far too small to be of any real help and instead stayed with their mother.
As the general wanted, the ferals took direction well, and the new riders began forging their unbreakable bonds with the undead dragons—including Rahim, though he didn't want to admit it. Skyfyre and Volt worked directly under Gromm, Beck, and Vulcan as they would cover their left flank; during their drills, however, Volt briefly broke away and approached Selena before she broke away from Silver, Araneus, and Cyres. She squinted at him, and her former superiors eyed Volt suspiciously, but Volt acknowledged her as queen by bending the knee. As he apologized for past behavior, Skyfyre approached, tucking in his wings and chittering in agreement. Yet, Volt kept a watchful eye on Silver, who wrapped an arm around Selena's shoulder. "Please, forgive me," was all he could say.
She and Silver nodded, though Volt couldn't help but dote on her blossomed beauty; he only averted his gaze when Silver growled at him. "Don't you have somewhere to be, Mr. White?" Volt scrambled to his feet, and he and Skyfyre rejoined Gromm and Beck.
Selena and Silver laughed, and she excused herself and returned where the training dummies were and began her practices; many other ground soldiers were there and joined in. As powerful as she already was as a dragon, she still chose to practice her melee attacks. She didn't want to turn into a dragon if it wasn't necessary, and it never hurt to be prepared.
Selena would shoot out blue Aether blasts from her punches between sword swings; she repeatedly persisted with her techniques. Everyone stopped their training and watched as her deadly dance turned into a blinding inferno flurry of strikes, but she ignored their stares; Selena was too focused. All she could think about was perfecting her techniques, but her attacks became faster as she fell victim to her worries. The eclipse was only days away; Selena knew they would have to leave Dark Blood Hold by tomorrow's end if they were to make it to Alfheim in time for the Day of Eternal Darkness.
Already, General Araneus busied with arrangements. The Nidhoggr assisted with carting over the newly crafted metal airships, fit to carry Godfrey's estimate of a thousand abled bodies; simultaneously, the daintier and smaller ferals moved crates holding weapons, armor, and other supplies like food and water. As big as many ferals were, the powerful flight would have no issues transporting their precious cargo.
Selena stopped her practices and left the dummies and archery targets, ignoring the other soldiers behind with their mouths agape. Making it down the tower, she strolled through the war preparation commotion until reaching beyond the castle gates, traversing beyond the edge of the black sandy beaches until she had approached Dark Blood Hold's crimson dream. The thick trees twirled their branches, creating a tunnel of red and orange; even in late autumn, the leaves stood firm against the coming chill.
A faint and delightful tune twinkled in Selena's ears as she freely transformed into her Aether dragon state; her turquoise gem-like scales glimmered a rainbow from the peeking sun. Selena kept her ethereal wings, glowing like the northern lights burning Armageddon's evening sky, extended and unfurled as the celestial membranes passed through the guardian trees like a ghost vanishing through a wall.
The twisted branches were no match against the weight of her massive paws and quickly gave way with each passing step with a loud crunch, but Thor would still be the larger of the two; she would only stand to his shoulders. Yet, Selena exercised extreme caution when small animals and rodents crossed her path. One rabbit paused in its tracks and looked up, only to greet her sparkling emerald gaze. To her surprise, it wasn't afraid of her presence. Selena lowered her snout while maintaining her soft demeanor, ensuring no harm to the rabbit. The creature leaned upon its haunches and brushed its nose against hers before dashing away.
Weaving through leaf and limb were fairies shimmering all the colors of a rainbow. Selena extended her neck for a closer look, as Rhumbek was the only place she saw the lovely creatures, but the fairies floated freely here. The sun lanced through their crystal-cut wings, beating like those of a butterfly.
Selena arrived at Ghost Lake within an hour on foot, where the water line met the sky beckoned her. She passed through its donned misty curtain and stepped in its icy black waters. Even as she fully submerged the lower half of her body and used her wings to row herself across the surface, all she could think about was when she and Thor last went swimming together at the Ankoku Pass. She curled her neck back until her chin rested upon her breast, like a heartbroken swan. I need you here.
Tears rolled down her scaly face when her calls went unanswered, and she slowly sank to join the underwater world. Selena summoned an air bubble encasing her snout; she could stay under for eons. She felt like hours passed her by as she slithered through the dark depths like an ancient sea serpent without the need to come up for air. Someday, you will be by my side again, and we'll be masters of the sky and sea.
She plunged through the lake's surface, followed by an explosion of water; her exit was like a volcanic eruption. She propelled herself heavenward to hasten her way back to Dark Blood Hold, her celestial wings leaving ribbon trails of iridescent Aether.
Her return journey lasted only minutes. Upon arriving at the fortress, Selena watched Noctis and his flight follow Aracania to practice combat maneuvers and maintain formation. However, the Nidhoggr paused when they saw the Queen of Dragons arriving with a rainbow flair. Ignoring them while making her slow and graceful descent, as her paws touched the ground, Selena switched to her elven form and headed towards the keep's entrance. However, her parents stood post to the giant doors, waiting for her return.
Selena almost rushed by them without a word, but she paused when her father greeted her. "Silver is waiting for you in your room. There is something he wanted to discuss with you in private."
Selena bit her inner cheek. "I take it he didn't say what it was." Aryl turned to Vulduin, and the two shared a small smile. Only from their odd silence did Selena realize that with the final battle coming up soon, she feared the worst: she and Silver may never get married.
She rushed back to their apartment, only to find him standing before the window with his hands behind his back. He looked over his shoulder and smiled at her. "My dear, if I may be so bold," Selena half-expected his hasty proposition, "would you think it too soon if we were to have the ceremony tonight before the battle?" Her heart soared from the idea, but Selena had to hold her tongue; despite the circumstances, she was afraid of a rushed and botched event.
However, she shared his concerns that they may not have another opportunity, and this moment may be their last chance. After much consideration, she ultimately agreed, and Silver said, "Allow us to have at least one evening to ourselves before the world ends." The two laughed before pulling each other close into a passionate kiss.
"Do you think Lord Godfrey would have an issue hosting a last-minute wedding?"
"Not at all. You're the queen, and I'm sure he would do anything you commanded." Silver laughed, but she wasn't too thrilled with his jest; she despised being compared to a tyrant.
"You know I don't issue commands."
"That's why we're confident you will be a great ruler." Silver and Selena made haste to reach outside the keep, only to find Lord Godfrey returned to the castle with Aryl and Vulduin. Kain was among their company, but Damien remained outside the gates and tended to Noctis. At first, she was reluctant to approach Godfrey about planning the wedding with Kain there—she didn't want to appear insensitive to his and Maria's wishes. However, Kain suspected their reason to seek the lord's audience and was more than approving their plans.
Godfrey was surprisingly delighted to make last-minute arrangements for their wedding when Silver proposed their wishes; she clarified it was only a matter of officiating the ceremony. "I will do it at dusk, and I will marry you two right here, on the steps." Lord Godfrey smiled and immediately took his leave to prepare while Aryl and Vulduin remained behind, discussing how to proceed with this arrangement.
Selena bit her inner cheek and inspected Kain as her face drained of color. "I'm so sorry, and I hope we haven't offended you and Lady Maria."
He dug his hands into his pockets and smirked at the two. "Don't worry about us. We've already decided to wait until the war is over. Besides," Kain's eyes drifted to Silver's smoldering gaze, "I don't think we'll ever hear the end of it if we got married before you two."
"I beg your pardon." Silver's nostrils flared. "I would never—"
Selena stepped in between them. "Enough. There will be no arguing here." Kain and Silver exchanged glances and nodded in agreement before shaking hands in a truce and sharing a hearty laugh afterwards.
Despite Selena's simple request, Aryl ushered her directly back to hers and Silver's apartment. Vulduin, however, pulled Silver to join him in the opposite direction. Selena heard Kain snicker before he returned inside while murmuring about the mischief Silver would find himself in under imaginary circumstances and confronting "the big boss if anything were to happen to her."
Upon returning to Selena's room, Aryl immediately ordered one of the wandering chambermaids to bring the dress from her quarters. "Your father and I were already working on putting together your upcoming wedding, but we thought it wouldn't happen until after the eclipse." Selena doubted whether she or the others would be victorious or if any of them would come out of the battle alive; yet, her mother clung to that hope but made no further comment on the matter. "I had sewn your dress myself, and I need to make the finishing touches and fit you." Aryl eyeballed her up and down to get a better visual. "I remembered you were a little smaller. You're still thin but more...." She paused before adding, "becoming. You've blossomed into such a beautiful woman." Immediately her eyes looked like glass as she grinned, a mother proud of seeing how much her daughter had grown.
Selena couldn't believe her mother of unmatched beauty would give compliments to someone of less splendor; when she gazed at her mother's facial features and the pointed tips of her ears, she reminded herself she now shared these characteristics. Aryl spoke of her daughter's loveliness like she was the fairest elven maiden to walk this earth, and when she refused her mother's claims, Aryl urged her to look at her reflection in the full-body mirror. "You possess the beauty of an elf and a dragon that none would ever hope to compare. Even before you amended the Well's errors, you were still a lovely young woman."
Selena couldn't help but run her fingers through her gradient blue hair, nor could she stop examining her narrowed cheekbones, her copper skin kissed by starlight. Her mother brushed her hair back over her new pointed ears, mentioning pieces of jewelry she could wear over the tips if Selena wished.
Lord Godfrey's chambermaid returned with the sleeveless ivory dress, bodice embroidered with jewels, donned on a headless, wooden mannequin. Other than slight modifications that she could quickly fix within a couple of hours with magical aid, Selena found the dress rather lovely and fit for royalty: it followed the curves of her body before flaring at the hips like a ball gown, the hem sweeping the ground.
Despite Aryl's fears, the fairytale-lovely off-shoulder dress was almost the right size, if only a tad bit snug: her mother took the measurements needed. "We may not be able to do a full ceremony right now, but at least you will look like the queen you are," Aryl continued, "If you and Silver wish after the war is over, we can do a proper wedding fit for the Queen of Dragons."
*****
Vulduin and Silver sat across from each other, a bottle of brandy and a platter of food between them, trudging through the suspenseful phase of the upcoming nuptials: waiting for the bride to finish. Even from within the confines of the apartment, the castle bustled with activity as Lord Godfrey ordered his servants to make the final preparations.
Bathed and clean-shaven, the two were already dressed in their best formal attire: Silver donned the same black suit with a matching jacket when he asked Selena for her hand. The gleaming gilt trailing the edges of his long coat and his golden chain stretched diagonally from shoulder to hip caught the fainting sun's rays as it prepared to vanish over the horizon. A golden brooch of a dragon head rested upon his shoulder, set with sapphires for its eyes, holding the gold links in place. He and Vulduin wore their best breeches and hessian boots; their shoes polished to an eye-catching shine. Vulduin swapped his usual long, red coat for a black jacket with gold trimmings, nearly matching Silver's. His raven hair was neatly combed back, sweeping past his pointed ears. Typically not one who wore jewelry, His Former Imperial Majesty bore a simple gold crown weaving together like grapevines for the occasion.
Sitting within Silver's pockets were two rings of white gold. His a plain band, but two soldered together for her: the outside guard embedded with tiny diamonds delicately weaved around the inside ring, faceted with a grander gem and smaller diamonds lining the sides. Initially discovered from a fallen meteorite by a dwarf chemist named Firbead Moissan, he thought he accidentally unearthed diamonds until later determining that the crystals were differently composed. Only a handful of these space diamonds, now called moissanite, exist, thus making them rarer than an actual diamond; the gem's rarity gave Silver the idea to use for jewelry. When held under proper lighting, the stones glimmered rainbow flecks.
Upon hearing the news, General Araneus, Colonel Cyres, and Aracania finished training with the ferals after properly fitting them with new harnesses. Much to their delight, Noctis and his flight accepted the saddles on the condition their leader tried it first. While Selena took her afternoon flight in solitude, Silver used magic to embed a jewel into each harness as Thor had, and Noctis paraded himself about the camp with his new treasure. The ferals caught in their envious blitz impatiently waited for Godfrey's soldiers to securely strap down their saddles as they, too, wished to brandish their bestowed wealth.
To celebrate their alliance with the feral Nidhoggr, Vulduin poured himself and Silver another glass. "Thank you again for your fine work, Admiral Altessa. Here's to a much-needed victory and your upcoming marriage." The two drew their glasses to a toast, and the smooth liquid amber drenched their throats. "I have to remind myself that she's no longer a child."
"Whether she wanted it or not, Selena has certainly grown into her new role. Being a queen is natural to her."
"She made it very clear to us that she never wanted it. Even on our way back to Mortemholdt, she loathed the idea." Vulduin sighed. "I wished that her mother and I could have done right by her."
"But you did all you could."
He shook his head and waved his hand to Silver's claim in dismissal. "She said Chaliss was a better parent than either of us: she was right." The two sat in uncomfortable silence, only accompanied by the castle's anticipation and preparation. "When did you realize you loved her?"
Silver was a little concerned with how much Vulduin had to drink, as his face was already flustered. The two had been indulging in food and brandy since Aryl and Selena separated to prepare, and a few hours had already passed; sunset would soon arrive. "Since she and Azrael had their last brawl. I didn't recognize it until Kain confronted me."
"Have you ever loved another before her?"
Silver leaned forward and looked down at his feet while twiddling his thumbs. "Honestly, no one I can remember."
Vulduin squinted at him. "You never forget your first love."
"If I had one, I forgot. I barely even remember what my childhood was like." Silver looked up to see the unsatisfied look on Vulduin's face. "Try being alive for as long as I have, and then you come back and tell me if your memory serves you any better."
Vulduin only smirked, and the two shared a light-hearted laugh in between drinks before the two indulged in more brandy. "Fair enough. I want to make sure you're what's best for her."
"When have I not been? I love her more than life itself. I would give up my immortality and powers for her."
*****
The sun sank over the horizon. The bells upon the top of the keep began to sway, and their rings resonated across the heavens.
Noctis and his flight stood like statues along the courtyard perimeter, watching the upcoming ceremony. Yet, he growled when the younglings grew rambunctious, and he snapped his fangs to gather their attention. Immediately, they withdrew; Kayda and Vyrilion extended their protective arms and pulled the twins close to the behaved Volterion. Aracania, Ysyra, Skyfyre, and Vulcan circled overhead before perching near the feral leader, their contrasting ruby, blue-grey, and black scales glimmering across the ground.
Lord Godfrey's soldiers—Gromm and Beck among them—formed an aisle up the stairs. Silver waited beside the lord with Prince Damien by his father's right side. Standing a few steps down from the three were Her Former Imperial Majesty donned in her midnight blue dress and the decorated triplets next to her.
Rahim, Chaliss, Colonel Cyres, General Araneus, and Volt stood ground-level; Loki rushed over and wedged between the two, and he and Chaliss shared a small smile. Opposite of them was Lord Vanguard and Lady Maria towering over the short-statured Aynu alphas. As Kiba and Maru refused to dress, it was only appropriate to join by keeping their wolf forms, much to their delight.
A faint musical tone played from a flute tinkled from above by the fairies from the crimson forest zipping over the aisle, and Selena and Vulduin entered from the main castle gates. Before the courtyard filled with guests, Aryl whisked her daughter away through the side entrance so she wouldn't be seen until the ceremony, as was the custom—even fleeing as a dragon still counted.
Her bridal beauty, of course, was the center of attention. The sparkling gems embroidered into her bodice glimmered like the fairy crystal wings fluttering overhead. Gracing her ear tips were delicate gilt-plated pieces embedded with mother-of-pearls. Upon her head was a golden tiara faceted with sapphires, amplifying the hue of her gradient hair decorated in thick braids taking a floral shape, leaving the rest in long and elegant curls. She held onto her father's arm with her porcelain gloved Aether hand as she carried a small bouquet of white roses in her right, her flower of choice since her birthday gift from Silver.
Vulduin took his spot next to Aryl after reaching the top of the marble stairs, and Lord Godfrey stepped forward. "Two souls, two hearts come together before the Divines this evening. The Dragon Queen, Selena Liongod, and Admiral Genesis Silver Altessa come here to be wed and seek the blessings of the Divines." After sharing blissful smiles, Silver gently took her hand in his and pulled out the bands from his jacket in the middle of Godfrey's recitation, hers first to slip on her ring finger, followed by his. "We all stand here together with the insight of the three Divines to witness the union of man and wife. I seal these two and bind them as one heart and soul, now and forever."
Preceding directly after their ceremony, Lord Godfrey arranged the festivities involving dancing, eating, and drinking wine. Musicians blared their enchanting and upbeat music enticing the hall while a magnificently cooked large boar serving as the oak table's grand centerpiece drew everyone's nostrils. Aracania, Skyfyre, Vulcan, Noctis, and the ferals were given an extra pig or cow—their choosing—to participate in the celebrations.
Both she and Silver occupied the end of the table while Godfrey and Damien took the other side; Kiba and Maru eyed the stuffed beast with mouth-watering angst but waited until the kitchen maids served the guests of the hour first. Rahim proposed a toast in their honor, and everyone clanked their glasses before sharing the over-stuffed platters. The great hall echoed with the sound of laughter for the joyous occasion.
With drinks still in hand, many guests joined in on the dancing while doing their best not to spill—Silver and Selena took their spots at the center of the lined partners, circling each other with outstretched arms and wrists touching. They modified the steps and moves from the first dance they shared at the ball in Dragonstone; they weaved around the other dancers before returning, and Silver finished the tango by spinning her around, only to bring her back for a kiss.
The entire reception burst into cheers and whistles as the newly married couple clashed their goblets and shared another drink, celebrating before the end of the world.