[h2]The Way is Open[/h2] [b]Day 3, Afternoon[/b] [I]Urthar[/i] Urthar drew on the fabric of Galendar’s reality and tugged the Hill of Flowers and the Way hall closer together. Shard had designed the Tower to support Urthar’s magics from day one and it was certainly paying off. The energy in the circles across the floor cocooned the Knights standing in the hall and with a glance Urthar cued Adela to release the magic The effect was impressive and it punched a neat hole through space to allow the wedding guests to slip through. They were met by the sight of the Hill of Flowers and the wedding ceremony set up completed for their arrival. Urthar grinned at Adela. She had done excellent. Now was the opportunity for all of the Knights to recover from the hard work that had gotten them here. [h2]Wedding[/h2] [b]Day 3, Afternoon[/b] [b]Christian and Raven[/b] [i]Themerlinhawk & Grin[/i] Raven was smiling. Sounds of petals dancing with the wind caressed the orange and pink world the two lovers and their companions stood on. [hider][img]http://www.goodwp.com/images/201106/goodwp.com_18691.jpg[/img][img]http://www.yokoso-japan.jp/_feature_img/feature17-main_0.jpg[/img][/hider] It had been a while since Raven’s expression mirrored the sun. Her blonde hair shone like the mane of a lion in fresh morning, and her red cinnamon eye glimmered. Flowers of all different kinds of sweet pink trickled around them, watching just like the breathing guests. Christian stood with Megelis at the altar that had been erected for the ceremony. In the end he’d simply settled on having his right hand with him as opposed to a longer list of groomsmen. Akime, Ris and Marielle would end up on the other side once everyone was seated. Looking up at a hill next to the one they had set everything up on he grinned at the flash of light that heralded the rest of the guests. Megelis walked a little away so that he could get a clear look at the group. “That appears to be all of them.” A gust of wind picked up more of the petals from the top of the hill and sent them away in a flurry. Pushing back the tailed coat he wore Shard smiled as Megeils turned back to him. “I’m glad that it's this generation that gets to see this. You’re the ones the Tower was built for.” Megelis returned the smile. “I think you need for focus; Shard. You only get married once after all. Try not to make any mistakes.” The Lord of Storms chuckled at his companion as he looked off down the hill towards where he knew Raven was. As soon as the guests finished filing into the seats things would begin and he wanted to savor a final moment of silence before he finished one of his oldest projects. The walk uphill would normally be quite tedious for a dress, but luckily Raven has spent many years practicing form and posture. She held her tall frame high and gathered her dress in her hands, eyeing the top of the hill as it unwinded the scene she has waited a lifetime for. Her hair was woven with roses and an array of flowers that colored a warm palette. The air was fresh as she took it in, but a part of it left her as she took in the man waiting at the tip of the hill. It seemed as though this hill was there for thousands of years, and she was finally about to make it to the top, binding to the one who always waited. The strength of patience he had was the same strength of her happiness in this moment, and it was clearly written on her ageless features. Shard smiled to Ris, Marielle and Akime as they took their places across from him and Megelis. They had foregone many of the normal individuals for the wedding but it felt right for Raven to have these three as Bridesmaids. Folding his hands together he looked down the aisle at her as she approached. Flicking his eyes to the right Urthar gave him a raised eyebrow for his troubles. Asking one of the other Avatars to marry the two of them had felt wrong so in the end he’d settled on Urthar. The only member of the Tower older than the two of them and intimately familiar with Galendar history. It felt like time had stopped when she finally settled next to him. She felt the world on her back, and the sun on her skin. [i]But most importantly…[/i] Raven collected Christian’s hand, slightly tugging him a bit closer to her with a child-like grin. “Hope you didn’t have to wait [i]too[/i] long, beloved.” Her enamored smile returned as she lost her stare in his. “I mean if you’d made me wait three thousand years we’d have had a problem.” Christian chuckled under his breath at her comment. “But since you didn’t I think we’re okay.” With that he took her hand and turned to face Urthar. “Galendar has many traditions in marriage. Everything from elaborate vows, to simple declarations. Today Christian Highfell, The Lord of Storms and Lardy Raven Marrowblade, Heir to the House of Marrowblade will be married. There are now vows to be made in the ceremony they have chosen. It is simple. They have agree to a soul bind. One of Galendar’s oldest traditions.” Urthar let the words sink in. For those who didn’t know what the ceremony was Urthar continued. “Both of them will give a simple consent to the binding. Anything else is merely a physical symbol of the bond they have decided on. In this life they will live as separate beings but when they cross the veil to join Yishreenok they will no longer share separate souls.” With a brief pause Urthar said quietly to the two of them. “Are you ready?” Raven nodded. This was it, this was all she had ever asked for. Long ago she wouldn’t have even imagined this sort of happiness was achievable, yet here she was, alive after two thousand years, about to share her soul. It was selfish, chipped, was far from righteous until she shaped it, sculpting away using the tools contained in Galendar’s consistent pool of stars. The hard work finally paid off, and though she was beyond human, Raven became more than she ever thought she could be. The stubborn blonde became a woman, and then, a legend. Her success was all because of the being that grounded her, gave her purpose. Her hand quickly warmed his as she squeezed it. Christian mirrored her nod to Urthar. The reality was that the last two thousand years he had dipped his hands in so much blood that it would never wash out; but it was worth it. Christian had built a feature for both of them. It was finally time to stop the running, the searching, the fighting and the wondering. Raven was here with him finally and she was ready to take on the rest of their lengthy lives together as one. Finally. She turned to face Christian, grabbing his other hand with her own. In his eyes she saw when he was a dragon, when they first met. A sweet smile played with her lips as she tip-toed along her treasured memories with him. Adventures the world will never forget. [i]”Join us! We’ll pay you twice that bastard’s paying you if you burn those mages to a crisp. Promise.” [/i] She grinned. He’d grown into something so much bigger than mansions filled with gold. “Christian, I am everything I am today because of you. The woman I am, the things I’ve done, I’ve never had such a better sail to guide my life down the shores you have showed me.” She inhaled. “I love you.” Raven had only said those words to him, she was too young to completely understand the meaning back when she left Marrowblade manner, and had to learn the hard way its importance. “You waited for me when nobody else would. I’m not perfect, but I became strong. Now that I am finally the Raven you deserve, I’m going to forever have your back. Whether it’s me standing on your neck as we take down an army in the sky,” She winked. “Or it’s holding something we’ve created for this world.” She exhaled, then bit her lip. She could write a book on how thankful she is for Christian, but she settled for the small handful of words she spoke. With a smile Christian looked back into her eyes. Seeing it all: the goddess, the woman, the captain, all of it. It had been so many years but he remember the moment when she’d appeared on the beach while he’d been stalking a group of Stygian soldiers. In the end it had been the most important decision of his entire life. Taking her offer and joining the Stygian army had lead to this very moment. “You’ve grown so much and it makes me smile to even think of you. I’m glad you’ve returned and I’m ready to see this all the way through to the end.” Urthar smiled and took Raven’s left hand and Christian’s right hand. Bridging the magic between the two of them he wove an intricate spell around their souls and left the spell in place. When one of them passed it would fuse their souls in the the afterlife. “It is done. Knight’s of Stars I give you your wedded couple. Christian Highfell, The Lord of Storms and Lady Raven Marrowblade.” Raven beamed before quickly tugging on Christian’s clothes into a full kiss, the first kiss of many for the two bound partners. Christian wrapped his arms firmly around her back and supported her neck as he dipped her back and kissed his beloved deeply. With a final parting sigh he stood the two of them up and turned to the guests in attendance. “Thank you all for coming to witness and share this moment with us. Now, I think it's time for a party. Don't you all?” The Stormlord quirked an eyebrow before looking down to his beloved and smiling. Tonight would be a night to remember. [hr] [h2]Reception[/h2] [b]Day 3, Evening[/b] [i]Christian[/i] Shard sat and held Raven’s hand as he watched the whole of the Tower celebrate. It was good to know that there were still so many things to be thankful for in this world. So long had passed since they’d had this occasion to celebrate. With a gentle tug he brought Raven into his arms and kissed her forehead with a smile. Their day was finally here and it was a pleasure to share it with all of his close friends. Looking up at the Sky above Blackwing, Shard smiled. Elsingdar had agreed to delay dawn by two hours to give them more time for the reception and had even sent the Auroras to light up the night for them. Between the stars the rainbow lights wove across the sky. Blackwing had been adorned with thousands of paper lanterns and was currently drifting over the planes of Theodar; far away from the cities and towns of the providence. The southern province was always mild in weather and temperature, with a gentle night breeze to keep them cool. The deck of Blackwing swayed ever so slightly; enough to make sure those who had taken to the dance floor were on their game that even. The rigging creaked softly just beyond the edge of music and the talking of the guests. The Dust Coven representatives had appeared just before the ceremony. It had been years since Shard had seen Garick Darksand and Amon. The pair had been absent of late, largely occupied with the Coven’s business in the Northern Kingdoms. Many of the current generation of Knights had never met the pair. They were strange indeed with exotic accents and unusual appearance. Shard had met the pair during the first Stygian War. Garik had been a Priest of the Sands at the time and Amon had still been just a simple soldier who had joined Garick. As for the Circus members; Shard had made sure Kaela got the invite. Most of the Knights gave the well endowed Fire Witch a wide berth. Kaela had a penchant for harming men who she thought weren’t being respectful enough. The criteria for not respectful enough was often hard to predict since she was an outrageous tease. The Fire Witch’s appearance had also reignited some irritation towards Crow. Apparently the last time Kaela had appeared she’d ruined the night for several of the other Knights and then take Crow to bed. Kaela’s companion for the evening was a heavily built man by the name of Sir Bleakwind. Shard didn’t know much about him as he was a newer recruit of Xavier’s. The man had firmly planted himself at the bar and kept a cautious eye on his charge. Apparently Xavier had taken him on as a Griffon handler. Shard finally shifted his gaze back to the horizon and settled in; intent on enjoying Raven’s company and the antics his Knights were sure to engage in.