Chapter 515: The Wedding II

Chapter 515: The Wedding II

The dress was something special, something only Auri and I could do. Wed practiced it in her hall of mirrors, working on getting something just right that I loved.

My little phoenix friends utter mastery over flames of every color gave me infinite possibilities and variations. Interestingly, white as a wedding color hadnt caught on, or at least hadnt been the Exterreri fashion for hundreds of years. They took the approach that brides looked much better in black, which seemed strange to me - but not getting married in black seemed strange to them.

Took all kinds.

Either way, red had always been my color, and red was the primary color of fire.

My wedding dress was predominantly red, going from my shoulders, sweeping all the way down to my ankles. We couldve gone for a super fancy train or ridiculous dress - Auris mastery of flames could let us do silly things - but that just wasnt me. It was a tighter, closer dress that I wouldve described as clingy if it wasnt made out of fire.

From that base, Auri showed off. Subtle threads and laces were woven throughout in dozens of different colors. Blue streamers, orange wings against my back, a trim of green around the hem, and finally, a tiara of golden flames on my head.

Auri needed to be close to me in order to keep the flames going, and so she was hiding in the tiara, the flames the exact color of her beak. As my bonded companion, it was only right that she spent most of the day with me.

The doors flew open, music from the temple across the road blared, and Iona marched in with a dozen other Valkyries, a barbaric grin on her face.

She looked fantastic.

A Valkyrie first, shed elected to get married in their tradition, which in her case, meant getting married in her full plate armor. The very same full plate Id gotten for her as a wedding present.

I was well-paid. I thought an entire oversized villa was expensive.

It was nothing compared to a suit of three-alloy magical metal.

Crucible smiths were rare.

Magic metals were rarer, every scrap desired.

Crucible smiths that could alloy magical metals were about as rare as healers that could grant Immortality to others.

And then I needed a smith that could alloy exactly the metals I wanted, which was like getting the exact type of Immortality-granting from a healer.

In the end, Id needed to settle a hair for a [Crucible Alloy Smith] that actually existed, as opposed to getting my dream combination done. The combination was arguably more amazing than what Id planned, given that the smith actually knew their stuff, versus my doodling and daydreaming.

Adamantium. Famous for being practically indestructible.

Arcadium. Famous for slowly regrowing itself, with an emphasis on slowly.

Aegea. Utterly useless on its own, it amplified any other magical metals it was alloyed with.

Alloying metals together naturally made their individual properties weaker - an adamantium alloy wasnt quite as indestructible as pure adamantium - but the aegea blended in reversed that, making the suit even stronger than pure adamantium.

The mango on top - the entire blend came out dark blue, and Iona looked amazing in it. I felt my knees go a little weak as she came in.

She suddenly stopped as she locked eyes with me, almost causing a pile-up as the other Valkyries behind her werent expecting her to stop.

Wow. She said breathlessly. You look fantastic.

I blushed at the compliment, and felt my normally confident tongue getting all tied up.

Thats why were here to kidnap her! Goblin Slayer shouted, Ionas maid of honor keeping things moving along.

Technically, she wasnt called a maid of honor, but the role translated well enough.

The rest of the Valkyries roared in bloodthirsty approval, the six of them quickly surrounding me. Goblin Slayer moved to pick me up, then hesitated, looking to Iona.

Uh, Dusk, is it safe? Shes got 400 levels on me and those flames look hot.

They were a little more understanding that I had my own set of traditions and people who wanted to respect me, and that was the excuse given why I had the easy way through.

Nobody was willing to give voice to the real reason - there literally werent enough Valkyries. Most of them had decided to come attend this event - our place was rapidly becoming the new nerve center of the Valkyries, being all wandering [Knight-Errants] wasnt great for communication, who wouldve guessed. Even with nearly all of them being here, they needed to spread out quite a bit more than was normal just to fill the entire aisle, barely giving Iona a passable trial of blades.

I was grinning like an idiot the entire way up, even when the men and women of the Sixth turned into a number of Sentinels providing an honor guard. Devour and Queen, Tyrannus and Skater, Ooze and Calm.

My eyes caught Artemis and Julius sitting in a seat of honor, the two of them filling in for my parents for the ceremony. Mirroring them was Alruna the Perpetual and Sigrun the Grandmaster, filling in for Ionas parents.

We didnt have parents, and yet, at the same time, we did. Seeing them sitting there and beaming filled my overflowing heart with joy and love.

They were here for me.

Night was the priest for the event, dressed in a simple cloth raiment. Iona and I stepped up before him at the same time, the two of us trading a loving glance.

It was here! It was now! It was time!

A pair of trumpets quickly blasted out some high happy notes before falling silent again.

We paused a moment, and the room darkened as the predicted solar eclipse hit, one of the moons blotting out the sun. An auspicious time for our ceremony. A subtle influence and presence from the moon goddesses - the ashen skies above Sanguino entirely blotted out the sun. The eclipse shouldnt have done anything.

It was a fairly brilliant maneuver, and I mentally praised them. The wedding was attended by a lot of high level Classers, and as a subtle flex it was great. They would all notice.

Night spoke softly, but his words carried. I had no doubt that even the soldiers suffering from tinnitus with a padded helmet on in the back of the temple could hear every word clearly. Not that anyone was, I was blasting my healing throughout the entire section of the city.

Welcome one and all, welcome humans and vampires, welcome old and young to this auspicious event, the marriage of Elaine, the Dawn Sentinel to Iona, the Dusk Valkyrie. On this day

My heart was racing too fast and I only had eyes for Iona. Nights speech washed over us. A message of love, of commitment. Of two becoming one, of facing challenges together as a team.

... and now, if the two of you would please link hands. Night asked.

Iona and I clasped hands together, my right with her left. Night turned to the altar, took the red ribbon, and tied it around our hands and wrist. We were bound together, and itd be bad luck if we broke it before the end of the night. Cooperation and teamwork were required, and while nobody could tell if wed used a skill to reinforce it and make it harder, it wasnt classy to do so.

The vows, if you would. He said, nodding subtly to me.

Id worked on them quite a bit, but I was no poet. In the end, Id gone for shorter and sweeter.

Iona, my love, as I stand in front of you, Im reminded of the day our paths first crossed, a moment that forever altered the course of my life. In you, I found not just a partner, but a soulmate, a companion in both sorrow and joy. I vow to be your sanctuary, your place of peace and understanding. I vow to listen with compassion, speak with kindness, and act with love. In health, I will celebrate and walk beside you, basking in the light of our shared joy and triumphs. I will be the steadfast hand that holds yours, the gentle voice that soothes your fears, and the unwavering spirit that supports you. In sickness and in health, through blessings and curses, in wealth and poverty, not even death can do us apart. I swore.

The crowd was silent as Night turned to Iona.

I have faced countless challenges, but standing here before you and pledging my heart is the most significant and joyous battle I couldve ever undertaken. I vow to protect you as your eternal guardian, in both life and death. I promise to be your sword and your shield, to fight for our love with the utmost fervor. In the quiet moments away from battle I will be your gentle companion, listening and learning from your wisdom. Come weal or woe, come famine or disaster, come cataclysm and destruction, blessing or curse, I will be by your side. I promise to respect, cherish, and love you, for all that you are and all that you make me, and not even death can do us apart. She swore.

[*ding!* Youve unlocked the General Skill [Wedding Vows with Iona]. Would you like to replace a General Skill with it?]

[Warning: Vows are binding]

Iona clearly got the same notification, and we locked eyes, thinking the same thing. A tiny shake of her head, a flicker of my eyes, and we mutually dismissed the notification.

We didnt take the skill. Why would we?

Now. Please bow to each other. Night said, which was our first challenge. We were close enough for our hands to be tied together - if we didnt execute it well, wed bump heads and look bad. Wed practiced, which was fortunate, and executed the bow flawlessly.

Bow to your parents. He said, which was another small challenge. We needed to shuffle in a circle to keep our ribbon unbroken, but we pulled it off.

Bow to the moon goddesses. Night said, and the two of us had to shuffle around once again.

Before Selene and Lunaris, before all the gods and goddesses in the pantheon, before the heavens and earth, before the vast and boundless sky, before friends and family, with the power vested in me, I declare you two married as wife and wife. You may kiss.

We kissed.