THE big day had finally arrived. It was Flowerbloom, and Lily saw, first-hand, how there were so many more buds that before. The greenery was now speckled with dots of pinks and purples and reds, and she could feel the winter cold turning into warmth.
Arianna was still asleep—while she'd been exempted from soldier training because of the wedding, Bruto hadn't offered any such courtesy. So, she was walking back from the fields, rather slowly because her muscles were especially aching, when she saw how dirty her feet were.
They were covered in dried mud—it had rained during the night, so the ground was still moist. She lifted her foot to try and scratch the dirt off, and it fell to the soil in small flakes.
Lily exhaled sharply, taking a turn to the Matawa River. Arianna would have a fit if she walked in with dirty feet – the girl would likely be on edge all day, given how jittery she had been during the days leading up to her wedding. Lily was almost glad that Arlo would now have to deal with her standards of cleanliness.
She reached the stream, sitting down on a dry rock and taking her slippers off before dipping her feet into the rushing water. She sighed at its coolness, fresh and swift as it was, before reaching down and washing off the mud.
Having finished, she walked back home, knocking on the door softly to check if Arianna was up. When there was no reply, she fished out her key—having finally remembered to bring one—before unlocking it and stepping inside, shutting the door behind herself.
There was dead silence in the house. She decided to let Arianna sleep—she wouldn't look good with bags under her eyes on her wedding day—and started on breakfast, being as silent as she could.
She'd just set the food on the table when the door creaked open, and she turned to find Arianna walking out slowly. "Good morning," the girl said, yawning.
"Good morning. Are you excited?" Lily asked.
Arianna's eyebrows furrowed, "For what?"
Lily stared at her, blinking twice before replying, "Your wedding."
Arianna only stared at her, her eyes blank before they widened, and she gasped, "Oh, no. No—I'm getting married!"
"It's a happy occasion, generally," Lily added.
"It's today," Arianna said numbly.
"Yes, we've established that," Lily said, going behind the girl and pushing her into a chair, giving her the breakfast. "Eat up."
Arianna shoveled food into her mouth stiffly, as though her mind was somewhere else. Lily sighed.
"Arianna, you have until lunchtime to get ready."
At this, the girl started, and began eating much more quickly. Lily tried to stifle her smile as Arianna practically choked the food down and stood up.
"Done!"
Lily took a step closer, putting her hands on Arianna's shoulders. "Take a deep breath." Arianna did so.
"Another. Now, how are you feeling?"
"Excited. Nervous. I don't know," Arianna said, the words tumbling over each other.
"That's good. Now, listen to me. You are marrying Arlo Mascow. You have loved him for a very long time. Think about him."
The words seemed to do the job—Arianna's eyes stopped shifting, and her shoulders relaxed slightly. She smiled, "Thank you."
Lily nodded, "Now, let's get you ready. You're getting married!" Arianna's smile stretched into a wide, exuberant grin, and Lily gave her one in return.
***
This was it. They were all ready, now all Arianna had to do was leave the house.
She truly looked beautiful, in her snow-white dress glowing against her hazelnut skin, her dark brown hair cascading in waves behind her shoulders, and most of all, her bright green eyes sparkling like all the stars in the sky were in them.
Lily, for her part, was looking quite nice as well. Her raven hair had been pinned up, with light pink, flowery ornaments shining in it, leaving her milky neck bare, and her dress—pale pink silk, with a fitted waist and flowing skirt—was light and comfortable. It was the finest thing she'd worn in Arrian.
They hadn't gotten ready on their own—some other women had come and dressed them up, put juices on their lips and eyes, fine powder on their cheeks. They'd cooed over Arianna, repeating how they thought she was so beautiful, and Lily gave them credit for trying to sooth her nerves.
It hadn't worked, though.
"Ari, you should go now," Lily said, looking over Arianna's shoulder to meet the girl's eyes in the mirror.
"What if something goes wrong?" Arianna asked, twisting her fingers together in odd shapes.
"Nothing will happen," Lily said patiently. She'd felt the same worry on her wedding day, had the same clammy palms and gooseflesh.
Arianna's eyes were worried, the sparkle dimming slightly.
"This is your day, Arianna Quilan," Lily said firmly, "You're marrying the man you love. Think about him. You will go through this wedding and then spend your life with him—you will grow old and have the rest of your days together."
Some of the shine returned to Arianna's eyes.
"None of that will happen if you don't step out of this door," Lily said, giving her a hard look.
Arianna took in a deep breath, straightening her shoulders, "You're right. Let's go."
Lily sighed in relief, following the bride out of their door. It was tradition in Arrian that the bride's unmarried friends would take her to the marriage site—no one really knew why, perhaps so that the bride's luck would bless them.
Lily wasn't unmarried, of course, but Arianna had made an exception, saying that her sister should rightfully be with her. Which was why, now, she was standing between Vena and Ada, both looking lovely.
Vena's gown was a bright orange, and her short hair was slightly curled, her lips painted a bright red. Those lips were currently stretched in a wide grin. Ada looked younger, her dress deep blue and long, her hair up like Lily's, and her cheeks naturally flushed.
Then there was Iressa, looking almost regal in her deep purple gown, trailing on the floor behind her, her shoulder-length hair loose and brushing her shoulders, her already sharp features made absolutely striking by the color on them.
Venix and Brennon were there too—Venix looking very sharp and happy, Brennon looking pale.
"What happened to you?" Lily whispered, looking at him.
Brennon coughed. "Fell sick last night, I don't feel so good now either. But I couldn't miss the wedding, now could I?" He attempted for a grin, and Lily gave him a sympathetic smile before turning to Arianna.
None of them came close to her radiant beauty as she beamed at them all, "Thank you so much for coming!" Arianna, it seemed, had plenty of friends—Lily only vaguely knew all of the people there, but they all seemed happy for Arianna.
"Let's go," Vena said, and Lily slipped up to stand beside Arianna.
"Are you ready?"
The girl grinned, seeming older in that moment. "For anything."
"Then let's go."
Arianna held her long skirts up to her ankles while they walked over the still-damp ground, and together they walked to the grove of the redwood trees—the trees that meant forever.
They soon reached, and Lily paused to admire the towering trunks, the leaves seeming like they would touch the sky. They did grow forever—no wonder weddings were celebrated there.
Lily gave Arianna's hand an encouraging squeeze, and Vena pulled her away to stand at the side, where all the other guests were standing.
She watched as Arianna's eyes looked to the other end of the field, where Arlo was standing, his eyes fixed on her with a sort of stunned look in them that made him look both foolish and utterly besotted.
Arianna smiled slowly, taking a step forward as Arlo did the same. They walked towards each other, their footsteps steady and sure, until they met in the middle of the path.
Arianna was limping slightly, but it obviously didn't deter her—her smile was wide and bright and the joy in her eyes matched Arlo's.
Lily was standing close to them, right where they had met, so close that she could see the softness in Arlo's eyes and the determination in Arianna's.
It was Arlo who began their vows, their promises, everything they wanted to say to each other. "I have loved you, Arianna Quilan, since we were children and you smeared mud all over my face."
Arianna breathed a short laugh, and Arlo grinned as he continued, "I have known for a very long time that I wanted to marry you, and I finally worked up the courage to ask you, with the help of your sister."
Lily smiled proudly as Arlo glanced at her before turning back to Arianna. "Now we are here, and I promise, just as we have met in the middle of this path—" he waved at the grass they had walked through—"I will meet you in the middle for any argument or disagreement we will inevitably have."
Lily smiled, her heart warming. It was like her and Hosun, but younger —and together. She didn't allow the thought to spoil her happiness, though—she would enjoy this moment for all it was worth. Hosun would have wanted that.
"And I promise, Arianna Quilan, to defend you until my last breath, to protect you—though I know you can handle anything on your own—but to stand by your side should you need me. I swear to respect you and your thoughts, to never raise a hand to you,except playfully —" Arianna chuckled with the rest of the crowd, pink staining her cheeks.
"And most of all, I vow to love you more than you could ever imagine, to never leave you—and should we ever be parted, know that you will always be in my heart—no, you will always own my heart, Arianna Quilan. This I swear in front of the people who matter most to me, especially you."
Lily could distinctly hear hoots and cheers from Arlo's friends as he finished, his face flushing red.
Arianna smiled softly, her emerald eyes shining with what looked like unshed tears as she reached out to grasp Arlo's hand.
"Thank you, Arlo. I have loved you for so long that this day feels like it's not even a beginning for our new story, but a continuation of our old one. Marriage is a title, a label that truly we do not need. I love you, and you love me. But now we shall be bound by more than that love, and I know that we will spend the rest of the days together. We shall grow old together to watch the seasons change, perhaps—to watch our own family grow."
Arianna wasn't just saying this to Arlo, Lily realized. She was telling all this to herself, making herself believe that it was all true. Lily could understand. She had lived her entire married life under the threat of losing her husband, and for Arianna it was not much different.
"And I promise you, Arlo Mascow, that I will hold you to each and every one of the words you have just spoken, when we fight, and I promise to steal all the blankets from you in the midst of night—but I will always take your side in front of anyone else."
Everyone else laughed, and Arianna waited to continue. "But more than that, Arlo Mascow, I promise that I will fight at your side, perhaps not physically, but I will fight all the same. I shall love you till I die, and even beyond that. I shall never leave you, even if you grow sick of me eventually. And I will respect you and your opinions and treasure you and your awfully endearing personality. This I swear in front of the people who matter most to me—especially you."
Arlo grinned, his smile wider and happier than Lily had ever seen it before. He turned to the crowd, his eyes flitting over her as he made eye contact with each person standing there. "Then our fate lies in your hands, friends, family. Do you declare Arianna Quilan and I to be lawfully wed for the rest of eternity?"
Lily glanced at Vena once before they yelled, in unison with the others, "Yes!"
Once the shouting had quieted down, Arlo turned to Arianna, "Then, Arianna Quilan-Mascow, let us go plant our tree."
It was tradition in Arrian that a newlywed couple would plant a redwood tree, so that the tree would grow tall and proud, forever standing like their love. It was a private moment, so the two walked off to find a good spot, and Lily turned to her friends.
"That was beautiful," Ada breathed, not making any effort to wipe off the tears still glimmering on her face.
"It was," Lily agreed, smiling slightly. It had brought back too many memories of Hosun and herself, but for once, she didn't push them away. They'd been lucky to get whatever small time they had been allowed.
"I can't wait to have that someday," Ada continued, and Iressa nodded, looking at Brennon.
He didn't seem to have noticed, because he was looking away, into the forest, clutching his stomach. He must've sensed the weight of all their gazes on him finally, because he turned around. "Sorry, I'm just not feeling too good—" Without saying another word, he sprinted off into the trees, disappearing from sight.
Iressa winced. "Maybe I should go check on him . . . " Just then, someone else called her, and she sighed, "Never mind."
"I'll go after him," Lily offered. She didn't have much to do anyhow. "We'll be back." Vena nodded with a wave as Lily strode off, in the same direction Brennon had gone.
The sounds from behind her decreased gradually—how far had he run? But then she could hear muted words from the front, and she hurried her steps. Was he talking to himself?
She kept her steps silent as the voices became louder—there were more than one. What was going on?
Cautious now, she caught sight of brown hair from between the trees and hid behind a particularly large trunk, peeking her head around the trunk to see—
Brennon. With a Dezhayan.
How were the vows? Sweet? The wedding rituals in Arrian are pretty simple, yeah? It was great until the ending. Don't forget to:
Vote!
Comment!
Share!
And thanks for reading! :)