Visitors from all around gathered inside the royal palace, waiting for their turn to give the Baron and Empress of Esperia their blessings. In the main throne room, only two chairs stood to accommodate Areiv and Lindsay. The blessing ritual called for everyone to lay their forehead on the back of the couple's hands and bless them out loud; the presentation of gifts was optional to those not of the royal court. Because it was the Baron and Empress, everyone arrived from all over the galaxy to offer their blessings.
Areiv and Lindsay sat at their thrones, waiting for Reyarts to announce the start of the blessing ritual. As Emuh stood beside his son, beaming at both, Areiv took her hand and kissed it.
"So... will these be our seats from now on?" Lindsay smiled.
"Afraid not, my love. Your throne as Lady of Esperia will be much nobler than this. But that is not what I wish to speak on at the moment. Oh... my wife, is it?" he asked and Lindsay nodded. "How you amazed me! Why did you not inform me you researched my language?"
"I wanted to surprise you. Let's just call that my wedding gift to you! I mean, you and the others have gone through so much to learn my language; I figured why couldn't I put in the effort to do the same? I'm gonna be Lady of Esperia by the end of the night, right? It's the least I could do. It wasn't bad, was it?"
"Oh, my dear Lindsay... it was beyond compare." Areiv beamed as he gave her a kiss.
"I have no doubt you startled everyone in attendance. I was most pleased, your grace..." Emuh bowed towards her and Lindsay blushed as she glared at him. Before she retaliated, Reyarts announced the beginning of the ritual. One by one, guests crossed the few steps towards the thrones and provided the couple their blessings. It surprised Lindsay that many people gave her presents and described the purpose of the items or what they were eaten with; she received a large amount of food items.
Thirty minutes into the ritual, Lindsay lit up as she made out the start of the human beings. It didn't surprise her that Kristen was first; she giggled as the small girl ran up and embraced her instead of keeping to the ritual. Lindsay's laugh drained out Malik's warnings as she hugged her back.
"Kiddo!"
"You look so beautiful! I can't believe I know a real princess!" she gushed and Lindsay laughed harder.
"I'm gonna have a lot of responsibilities soon! And, as much as I miss you, you gotta let everyone else get a chance to talk to us."
"Oh! Okay... your highness!" Kristen smiled and gave a curtsy, making Areiv chuckle and Lindsay roll her eyes. Malik approached the two and bent towards Lindsay, who yanked her hand away from his grasp.
"W-What the hell... you know I ain't letting you guys do that! And don't you start on that 'your highness' crap, either!" she pointed a finger at him. He smirked and offered her a hug.
"Fine; can I at least say that you do look beautiful today?"
"I guess..."
"Congratulations, you two." he gave Areiv a handshake and left with his daughter.
Bradley was the last human in line and he gave Lindsay a warm embrace.
"I'm glad you came." she said to him and he gave her a funny glance.
"What? Why wouldn't I be here?" even as the words escaped his lips he knew he had plenty of reasons to not show. But Bradley understood none of them were good enough reasons to skip his friend's wedding. "We're friends, right?"
"Yeah."
"So, as long as you're happy, I have no problems," he smiled, and she returned the gesture. Bradley gave her another hug and reached to shake Areiv's hand, giving him a hard stare. "Her happiness is the priority here."
"That is without question, Bradley." Areiv returned the stare.
An hour after the last guest gave their blessing, preparations begun outside the palace for the coronation. The palace was massive but not large enough to accommodate all who traveled to Esperia to witness it. Deemed one of the most important coronations in Esperian history, the royal court preferred the ceremony televised. Emuh and Reyarts made their way onto the temporary platform and everyone bowed deeply.
"Thank you, honored guests for joining myself and the royal court on this day of glorious celebrations. My reign of Royal Magistrate is at its end and I have enjoyed leading our people through the peaceful... and not so peaceful eras of our history. It has been many life spans since the last coronation and I am elated that this one involves my son and his mate." Emuh announced. Both Esperians moved to the side as Areiv and Lindsay stepped on the podium. While Areiv was shirtless, Lindsay changed altogether, no longer in her royal gown: her top and leggings were of a black spandex material. She also changed her hair; her wavy dreadlocks were up in a bun. The two turned to Emuh as he smiled. "Baron Areiv: I bequeath onto you the title of Royal Magistrate." he continued and kissed his son on both cheeks. Reyarts removed Emuh's robe which changed from white to a golden brown. Lindsay stepped aside as the shorter Esperian helped Areiv into the garment and she held her breath.
She was grateful for Reyarts; he took the opportunity, along with Emuh to explain many Esperian traditions to her. It was seldom that a Royal Magistrate ruled but when they did, the robe he wore was the key to how long he would rule. There was no particular time frame but when the robe worn changed from red to white, the current Royal Magistrate had only ten more Earth years under his tenure. If the Lady of Esperia passed and there was a daughter of age, the Royal Magistrate's robe would not change. Yet, Lady Oerh and Emuh only had Areiv and the Royal Magistrate had to wait for his robe change to pass the title to his son.
Another interesting thing Lindsay found out was how complicated the passing of the robe could get. The robe's color would determine if the son was able to become the next Royal Magistrate. If the robe turned red, the son became the succeeding Royal Magistrate; if it changed to a brown, a bright yellow or stayed golden brown, he was not worthy to rule. That would complicate matters in their case; it would mean that Lindsay would not become Lady of Esperia and a member of the royal court would have to become the new Royal Magistrate. Emuh and Reyarts assured her that the rare occasions a Royal Magistrate reigned, the robes had always changed to red.
Lindsay attempted to maintain her composure as the instant the robe brushed over Areiv's skin, it turned to a deep crimson and adapted to his height. Emuh and Reyarts bowed towards Areiv, and Reyarts handed him the Rerecro sword before both walked off the platform. Lindsay recognized her cue and approached Areiv who knelt in front of her.
"Lindsay Rose, we are united as one. As I am now Royal Magistrate, I deliver to you the Rerecro: a symbol of true valor. Please accept this sword and the title of Lady of Esperia." he declared and held the sword for Lindsay to accept.
Lindsay was further told that she had a choice to accept the title of Lady of Esperia. But, if she did not accept the title, it would void their union. She could accept and later strip Areiv of his title but she questioned why on Earth would anyone do that? She offered him a small bow and took the sword.
"I accept the Rerecro and the title of Lady of Esperia. May we rule in harmony and peace." she replied. Areiv gave her a smile as he stood and made way for Asi and Noin, who carried many objects. They fixed pieces of metal armor on Lindsay's body: gauntlets, shin covers and a belt sheath. She placed the Rerecro in the sheath and stood at attention as Noin tied a burgundy cloak around her neck; her heart pounding as she stared at Areiv. It took all her willpower not to giggle or smile; she knew Emuh instructed him not to smile or show any emotion but Areiv was gleaming. Lindsay widened her eyes to warn him and he stopped grinning.
Asi handed Lindsay a metal-plated helmet that reminded her of a medieval knight's but didn't cover the face; she tucked it under her left arm as Noin attached a red and blue striped ceramic mask on the right of her belt sheath. The two attendants bowed before leaving the stage which prompted Reyarts to return; he bowed towards Areiv and Lindsay and addressed the crowd.
"Please acknowledge Lady of Esperia Lindsay and Royal Magistrate Areiv," he announced as the people bowed before applauding loudly. Reyarts looked at Lindsay. "My grace, your first duty as Lady of Esperia is to establish where we shall feast."
"Wait... what...?" she blinked at the Esperian.
"It is your decision, my love. We can feast inside the palace however there will be no accommodation for all in attendance." Areiv confirmed, and she bit her lip.
"Would there be enough to feed everyone here?"
"More than enough, your highness. The royal chefs are prepared."
"Oh... okay. B-But... how do I get their attention...?"
"You merely step forward. Do not over analyze matters, just... be yourself, as you earthlings say." Areiv smiled, on the verge of laughter. He kissed her hand and gestured towards the front of the platform and Lindsay nodded. It amazed her that the Royal Magistrate was right; she went three steps towards the crowd and they became silent.
"Whoa..." she gasped under her breath but cleared her throat. "To thank everyone for their blessings and attendance, the feast will be held outside for everyone to attend." Lindsay struggled to cover the shakiness in her voice but found that it didn't matter; the people cheered at her last word and she grinned at everyone.