Chapter 144: The Wedding

The wedding was held at night, with the sacred tree as their most valued witness. The tree was a massive, towering white tree with purple leaves that seemed to glow in different colors depending on the angle one decided to look at it. Within the confines of the Evergreen Forest, not many similar trees could be found.

It was a royal wedding, the night sky full of stars twinkled above them, adding a dignified atmosphere to the ceremony. Within this place, there were a little over 100 guests, but it was neither rowdy nor crowded.

Although the ceremony might be a simple, outdoor wedding, the magical feeling from the place alone was palpable. Each seat and decoration around the place was made with magic.

The seats were made of roots as a base, with vines and flowers of various colors serving as the cushion and adding more color to the otherwise brown furniture. A massive, glowing flower decorated the back of the seats, adding a beautiful touch shining under the glow of the tree.

The elven priests stood and gathered, while the other elves started to play their musical instruments. One was strumming their deft fingers on something that looked like a harp, while another created an accompanying melody with their ocarina. The songs helped set the mood and made everyone relax.

When the silver light of the moon shone at the peak of the tree, the ceremony was started.

"Let they who seek the blessed union be named and brought forward under the loving branches of the sacred tree.'

Tristan was called first, and later, Serene came to follow him.

He came here without much in the way of expectation. But when he saw the goddess walk towards him, His feet turned frozen stiff.

The princess wore a long white flowing silk dress, silver and gold beads forming the sacred symbols of the elven gods, while her golden hair were decorated with a woven crown of silver flowers.

Under the glistening branches of the sacred tree, the two faced each other.

The elven priest presented a small, delicate sapling for all to see, placed the sapling between the bride and groom, and began the ceremony.

"Unity is Balance, Balance is Unity, take the sacred words into your heart, and understand your own intertwined paths."

The elven priest bent down, picked up two matching silver rings from the base of the tree, and gave them one each. Then, he gestured for the couple to let their fingers intertwine before binding their hands with white silk.

Tristan tried hard to remember. Elder Anmar had drilled to him the long line of vows some time ago, and while he personally doesn't really care about whether he would get it right, the girl in front of him made him reconsider his stance. In the end, he resolved to speak the vows as best as he could.

"By root and seed, by bud and stem, by leaf and flower and fruit, by life and love, I swear upon the sacred name of the Seldarine, the god of the Elven. Under the watch of the eternal shade, I, Tristan, take thee, Serene, to my hand, heart, and spirit, our pure white vows binding us together in this moment. Let the setting of the sun and the rising of the stars be our witness, that not even death shall part us, for we shall be born again, at the same time, at the same place, and as each other, where we shall meet, know, remember, and love once more."

Serene followed and spoke the same thing with her gaze focused towards him. Under the light of the sacred tree, her eyes seemed to light up like gemstones.

Even though Tristan managed to focus still, his heart felt like it was hammering next to his ears. 

She finished her vows flawlessly, and the elven priest spoke the final blessing before unbinding their hands.

Now, the two are officially married, and they turned to look at the audience.

In the front seats, King Callan and all the elven elders sat together, while the rest of the rows were filled by the elven masters.

Among them, Tristan could see his sister staring at him with a wide smile but also teary eyes.

The queen walked towards Serene and smiled before taking out a small, ornate wooden box. Inside, there was a necklace with a shiny green crystal on it. The queen gave the necklace to Serene, before taking out a ring adorned with a similar green crystal.

"Welcome to the family, Tristan."

Right after Tristan accepted it, the audience started to hum together, creating a symphony of beautiful, slow notes to celebrate their union of love, all accompanied with the melodic thrum of the harp.

Tristan did not have a chance to see many weddings in his life, but he was sure of one thing. No matter how other weddings look, this must be the most beautiful as it could be.

Now, the ceremony was over, but it was still not finished for them two.

The two still had to deal with the wedding night. In elf culture, the wedding night was almost as important as the ceremony itself, and some even claimed that a bad wedding night was an omen of misfortune.

Serene and Tristan, hand in hand, walked inside a room that was provided for them. The door was brown, making the gold and silver flowers decorating it stand out.

They stepped in and found out that the inside was even more generously decorated, A bed for two stood in the middle of the room, with petals of various colors scattered all over it. Luxurious furniture with gemstones and beautiful carvings completing the look.

Seeing the beautiful wife in front of him, a  voice came into his mind "Go For it Tristan! be a Man!"

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Written by Avans, Published exclusively by W.e.b.n.o.v.e.l, 

The ceremony quote from valinors angel site. thank you