Vlad was inside a small room, grumbling as he looked in a mirror and ran a comb through his hair again. And then again. And, after a little bit of water, again, just to reveal… the same mop he always had, his hair apparently impossible to tame. He gave up with a sigh, setting aside the comb and looking dubiously at several glass bottles, most of them splitting the bright sun coming through the window into various colorful beams on the far wall, and a tie on the vanity. “Am I really expected to wear a tie?...”
Alvis for his part was wearing a lovely suit with a red dragon pattern on his tie, “Yeah, it’s tradition here. Guess you’re not as used to such fancy dress, huh? … I’m not either, really.”
“Oh, no, I know all about ties,” Vlad replied, picking up the piece of cloth with a disgusted look. “They’re damn suffocating things. Hate them with a passion. I mean, Narris won’t care, I don’t think. She might even prefer I go out shirtless, but…”
“Nah, leave that for the honeymoon,” Alvis smirked, helping Vlad with the tie, “Trust me, if I did that when it was mine with Glacia, I don’t think I would’ve made it to the altar without getting swarmed.”
Vlad rolled his eyes, taking the tie back from Alvis. “I can do that myself, I’m not a child,” he sighed. “Trust me, I’ve been here about a year, I’m well aware of the very strange level of… attraction some of these women have for you. I really don’t get this whole polygamy thing, though, one good woman… that’s all I need,” he said, fixing up the tie with a frown and picking up the comb again, considering attacking his hair and deciding not to as he set the implement back down.
“Heh,” Alvis gave a smile, “Well, alright then, if you say so. Don’t be afraid to ask for help on matters like these, you’re already helped me plenty so far,” Alvis had already gotten a lot more confident in his swordplay and magical prowess by this time. “Wouldn’t want to think I couldn’t offer anything to you.”
“Maybe you can tell me why I would want to wear perfume,” Vlad said, nodding at the bottles. “I didn’t put those there, did you?”
“Nope, not me,” Alvis said. “I figure it might’ve been one of the ladies.”
“... it wasn’t Narris, you think? If she wants me to wear these I might try it, I guess, but… doesn’t seem like her?” Vlad said, picking up a red, glass bottle and examining it, spraying a little on his wrist to smell. He nearly dropped the bottle as he retched. “Ok, not that one. WAY too powerful.”
“Heh,” Alvis shrugged, “I don’t get what the deal with that sorta stuff is. The scent of a dragon is clearly better anyways than any perfume would be.”
“... well, yes,” Vlad nodded. “Really getting into the whole dragon side thing, aren’t you? Working on that hoard?” the older man asked, putting back the bottle and staring in the mirror. “I don’t deserve her. She doesn’t deserve to be stuck with me.”
“Oh, a little, after the heist I’ve been…” Alvis stopped when he realized how Vlad was feeling, patting him on the shoulder, “... don’t think like that. She chose to be with you, she went through all different worlds to see you again. If that isn’t dedication and devotion, Vlad, I don’t know what is.”
“That’s why she doesn’t deserve to be stuck with me,” Vlad replied softly, his face falling. “She deserves… someone who doesn’t ask so much of her as I do. I’m not saying I don’t love her, I do, the last year or so has let me make damn sure. But I haven’t earned this, at all,” he twisted a small ring on his left hand. “At all…”
“... Vlad, for someone as experienced as you are, you sure don’t understand stuff like this, do you?” Alvis smiled, “If someone like that is this dedicated to you, that willing to put up with any of your flaws, then you know you have something special. So you think you haven’t earned it? Make yourself feel like you’ve earned it. Take her on a lovely honeymoon, tell her every day how much she means to you, always make some time for her. You told me that a dragon should treasure their hoard? Treasure her, then.”
“I know that, Alvis,” He sighed, seeming like he might be fighting back some deeper emotion. “I was… I know. I do treasure her, more than anything else. How could I not, after all she did to bring me back here? To make me myself again. But Alvis… I can’t give her my whole heart, for all I say about one good woman,” Vlad continued, slowly pulling off the thin silver band that was on his left ring finger. “I just can’t. It would kill me, just like leaving her alone now would kill me.”
“Vlad…” Alvis thought about it, “I would never ask you to forget about her. And you shouldn’t; that’s part of what made you what you are, for the better. But she also wanted you to be happy again. Besides, I heard that she told Narris something about love being a limitless resource, so even if there is still a part of you that still has some for her, don’t think it’ll ruin what you have with Narris.”
“That does sound like her,” Vlad smiled sadly. “I probably shouldn’t wear this anymore. It’s time to move on, isn’t it? Not to forget, but… put it away as fond memories, right?... Gods, Alvis, this is the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
“Even for someone like you, I suppose there are still challenges that seem insurmountable,” Alvis said. “But… I think perhaps you’re right about this. Just… always remember what you learned from her.”
“Oh, those are lessons and loves I can never ever forget,” Vlad laughed, clenching his hand around the ring. “Funny, you know. I fell in love with her in a way both the polar opposite and the exact same as Narris. Do you… mind if I tell you?”
“Of course,” Alvis knew a little from the memory but not the full details of it.
“I don’t know what you learned already, so I’ll start from… the start,” Vlad said. “I killed my mother. I didn’t know it, at the time, but it was pretty easy to tell once she shifted out of dragon form. Her name was Rina… and killing her ruined me. I was drinking myself into the grave, Alvis, at a pace that not even I today could match and come out healthy. I spent two weeks locked in my own house in Sauville, and I counted when I cleaned out the bottles. Two hundred fifteen of them. Most were smaller, but a few were… large,” Vlad closed his eyes, reminiscing. “That was a bad time.”
Alvis nodded slowly; he knew at least about the actual moment it happened, but the aftermath he didn’t. He simply listened to him, not wanting to interrupt his story.
“It wasn’t Aiko that got me out of that building, actually. It was Clarine, a penguin shapeshifter girl,” Vlad continued after looking at the wood of the vanity for a minute. “I owe her a lot for that, I fully intended to die. But I didn’t, so I sought out some kind of help in how to deal with the pain, and that was what led me to Aiko. She was… so gentle, and caring, for some guy who reeked of booze and self-hatred. I think I was wounded still, too, I remember having a limp. We talked about… how to honor my mother, and how to mourn her, and how to deal with the guilt. She was so damned nervous, Alvis, she was stuttering all over the place. It honestly helped, I thought it was so damned silly.”
Alvis gave a smile; now this was something he did understand quite a bit. “Glacia was like that when I first met her, too; she was so awkward at the time, if you can believe it. So yeah, I think that might’ve been a sign.”
“We did a ritual from Izumi for my mother. I think it’s called a wake here, or at least it’s roughly similar. Gods, she made so much food, it was insane. There was a prayer, then you ate the food in the specific order…” Vlad smiled at this point, reminiscing. “I think that ritual was when I first started to think I might like her quite a bit. She taught me to use chopsticks as part of that whole thing, and I kept dropping stuff. Her stutter started to go away… That was a day I think on a lot.”
“Heh… it’s always like that, isn’t it? I took Glacia out for a meal at this restaurant in Silver City where they offered the spiciest dishes; not around anymore sadly, but I think the dishes are still being served somewhere if you’d like to try? … anyways, seemed Glacia was getting really curious when I kept on having their best meals, and ended up wanting to try one herself. The poor elf ate just two bites before her taste buds started melting and she ended up dousing her whole head in water!” Alvis laughed out loud. “Hoo, she was so embarrassed, but it was at that moment she finally dropped the knight act she had been working on and acted like herself. Guess sometimes little moments like that mean a lot.”
“That’s about the opposite of how Aiko was,” Vlad smiled, his eyes really lighting up. “She always thought she was the best eater of spicy food, no matter how many times I proved my tolerance was stronger,” he laughed. “Oh, gods, in that ritual, she made something she considered a spicy dish, and it was nothing compared to some of the other things people in camp ate. Well, by people, I mean me and two others, but still. You know, though, that was where I started to think I might like her… but it wasn’t where I knew I was in love,” he continued. “I… did something absolutely ridiculous. I threw an entire Izumin festival, right in the center of Sauville, just to force Aiko to actually take a break from working herself to death for once.”
“Heh, why does that sound just like you,” Alvis chuckled, “Doing something like that, I mean. Dragons have to think big, after all!”
“Yeah, but I was like… thirty-two at the time. I was practically a baby,” Vlad smiled again, though this one seemed less grounded. “We had a good time. There was some hot chocolate, mine had liquidized ghost peppers in it, which was awesome… A fish catching game, Aiko told me the fish were more evasive than me, until I caught one first try. And then… the fireworks. I got a ladder, you know, and we sat on the roof of my house. I watched her even more than the explosions, and when it was done… I confessed. She thought I was after her money, or power!” The man rolled his eyes. “I reminded her I’m a dragon and could have easily just squatted in Sauville demanding tribute.”
“Good thing you didn’t, I’m sure Aiko preferred the way you handled it,” Alvis smirked; he knew there were good times to flex a dragon’s might but others a more subdued approach was best. “At least you were smart enough to do it that way; Glacia had to propose to me in order for it to get into my head. During a mission in the Shadow Plane, no less! By Airus I was dense… still am, kinda, but seems you picked a great time to do so.”
“Well, it was a confession, not a proposal,” Vlad said. “I was thirty-one, which is young for a dragon, and we weren’t dating. I’d never even had a girlfriend before! She… kinda half rejected me anyways, though.”
“.. wait, really?” Alvis was confused.
“Oh, yeah, for sure. At first she didn’t believe me, like I said, but then I convinced her I was serious. Told her she was beautiful, kind, selfless, and probably my lucky charm, I think… and then she said we couldn’t, because her mother… right. She was a princess, I’m not sure I ever mentioned that. Her mom was the queen, and her elder sisters were both badass warriors in their own way. Anyways, she said her mom and sisters would kill me, so we couldn’t date. We found a compromise, obviously.”
“A… compromise?” Alvis asked.
“She declared I was to be her retainer,” Vlad snorted, then laughed outright. “Oh, gods, we were such stupid kids. I’m absolutely certain her mom knew exactly what was going down with the weird foreign boy her daughter happened to bring home as a ‘retainer’, but we felt so damn smart. We were kind of dating in secret for awhile before we made it official, because of that, but those were some fun… and difficult… times. It really did let me know I’d made the right choice. WE had made the right choice.”
Alvis was reminded of all the antics Queen Aurora had gotten up to in order to be around her loved ones, and that sounded like something she might’ve done. Come to think of it, didn’t Talva do something similar? “Heh, well, even if some choices seem stupid sometimes, you can make the most out of it in the end, I suppose. Seems like you sure did at least.”
“Yeah… yeah, I did. It was a great time, and a good life,” Vlad held the ring up to the light, watching the sun glance off of it. “I’m not going to throw it out, but I will put it up. Maybe someday I’ll need it again, for Diana or Keiko or something… but for now, I’ll only need the ring Narris will give me. Can you hold onto this for now, Alvis? I’d rather not have it burning a hole in my pocket.”
“Of course, Vlad.” Alvis took the ring, before patting him on the shoulder. “... look, I don’t know everything about your life, but if the last year's training with you taught me anything, it’s that you can achieve a lot with just some dedication and passion. Just give that same amount here and you’ll do great.”
“Smooth talking son of a bitch,” Vlad snorted, fixing up his tie. “Come on, let’s go get the rest of the groomsmen and get out there. Fifteen minutes to Narris at the altar…”
------
Narris was in a similarity small room to her fiance, muttering to herself as one of her attendants finished styling her hair. The normally buoyant dragon was visibly worried as she adjusted her rather revealing dress, "Gah…is keeping my hair up like that really necessary ye two? Same goes for those pearls…I mean I get it be a special occasion and all, but surely this be a bit excessive."
Petra sighed, taking another look at Narris’ hair. “Yes, Narris, it is necessary. I mean… you’re getting married, girl. You kinda did it out of order, but you only have your first wedding once. And you picked that dress, so don’t come complaining to me if it slips!”
“I know, right!?” Glacia giggled, “Even I chose something a little more conservative with Alv! But this does feel like you, too.”
“It’s definitely the ‘Narris’ style,” Petra agreed, smacking the bride-to-be’s hand away from her dress. “Stop messing with it! I put a lot of effort into helping you make sure there’s no accidents, for Camille’s sake.”
"Aye, that be why I went with it….That plus I be thinking Vlad might rather enjoy the view.” Narris said, growling as Petra smacked her hand away. “Alright, ye made yer point….I guess I can put up with it if means that Vlad be happy.”
“And this day’s just as much about him being happy as it is you,” Glacia said. “Make sure he remembers this as one of the happiest days of his life, Nari, and you’ll have a wonderful time going forward.”
“I mean, if he’s not happy being up there, I’m sure we can find a replacement,” Petra snorted. “It’ll be fine, Narris. You’re almost ready, let me just…” the Rohanian woman bit her lip as she took a soft brush over Narris’ face, pausing to consider every few moments. “I’m not a professional, but I do love my makeup, so… I’ve done the best I can. You’re so damn beautiful I’m not sure if my effort was even needed, but there’s no way he won’t be stunned by you now.”
“I know, Glaci….Truly, this is going to be a day the two of us will be rememberin for millenia to come. Plus, I be thinkin today will make him quite the happy dragon.” Narris said, giving the goddess a warm smile as she looked towards the mirror. She admired Petra’s handiwork, seemingly rather pleased with the result, “Well, I suppose ye be having a point….As much as i hate to brag, there be a reason beyond me personality that I was so popular in my old line of work. That said, ye did a damn good job bringing that beauty out, Petra.”
“Maybe don’t mention that old line of work on the wedding night, hun,” Petra said, humming to herself as she did another small touch up on Narris. “Ok, NOW I’m done. You look like the hottest bi- uh, woman in the entire nation, at least, Narris. How’re you feeling, though? No upset stomach I hope?”
Narris chuckled at Petra’s remark, a slight blush spreading across her face. Though she wasn’t normally one for wearing makeup, she did have to admit that Petra’s skill with it did a fine job in bringing out her beauty, “I…feel…well truth be told, I be both terrified and exhilarated, Petra. On the one hand, I feel like this be the greatest moment of me life….yet I…can’t help but shake the feelin that this be either a dream or just a fantasy. Almost like it be unreal…”
Glacia shook her head, “If it was a dream, well, I think I spent an awful lot of time helping set this up!” She giggled. “You’ve worked so hard on this, Nari, don’t be scared! It’ll be great, you’ll see!”
“My wedding with Rolven was the best day of my life,” Petra added. “Though… it was a Blackfang wedding…” She shuddered, shaking her head. “So I doubt yours will cause any property damage, which is good. Do you think they got him to actually wear the suit? Rolven told me he was quite resistant to it, especially that tie.”
“Knowing Alv, he probably got him to do it,” Glacia said. “Probably told him something like how good he’d look in one.”
“I be willing to bet yer husband probably tried to say how much it would anger that father of mine if he showed up in a nicer suit.” Narris chuckled as she gave Petra a quizzical look, “Really? I’d heard the stories but….always just wrote them off as being tall tales…especially what i heard about Eyvel’s. No way anyone would allow a cannon to be shot like that….”
“I wasn’t alive for those ones, so I don’t know,” Petra shrugged. “Sounds like the queen though. You think he used any of the colognes or perfumes I left for him? I figured you’d like it if he smelled nice up there, Narris, so I left him a wide selection.”
“Knowing Alv, he probably said something silly like ‘a dragon’s scent is better than any perfume,’” Glacia shrugged.
Petra rolled her eyes, muttering. “Men, I swear to every god listening, they’re so stupid about these things sometimes.”
“Heh, I’m sure it be a nice scent knowing ye…..” Narris shook her head at the two’s remarks before sighing, “I would say otherwise, but…ye know Vlad. Ye know he ain’t exactly the best when it comes to these things. Still….he does at least try though.”
“And that means a lot, I think,” Glacia smiled. “If he didn’t care, he wouldn’t try. Personally, I think it’s much better to try but struggle than to not try at all, Nari.”
“True…it does mean a fair bit, Glaci. Honestly, he may not be perfect…but the fact he trys means the world to me….” Narris chuckled, “Who knows? Perhaps with time he be gettin it.”
“He’ll learn,” Petra joined in after a moment of silence. “Or, at least, he’ll get better at it. That’s actually what convinced me to marry Rolven. As much as he can be a bit of an idiot, he’s actually pretty smart, always trying to do better. I don’t know Vlad so well as you two, but from listening to your stories, Narris, I think he’s the same kind.”
“Seems that way from what I’ve seen,” Glacia giggled.
“As much as I hate to admit it, that i…fiance of your’s does seems to share that with Rolven. Both can be hard headed or oblivious much of the time, but they are smarter than you initially give them credit for. Not only that, but they do care about those they hold dear….even if they could do a better job of showing it.” came a stern voice from behind the trio. Looking in the doorway, they could see a tall dark skinned man with piercing green eyes and short trimmed white hair. Narris turned around and gave the figure a smile as she moved to embrace him,.”And here I was thinkin that ye weren’t going to show up, Dad. At least that be what I had heard from Rolven…”
“Well, let’s just say that Rolven and that bondmate of yours made a rather good case as to why I should be there. That, plus I want to make sure that idiot of yours doesn’t leave you at the altar.” Araya joked, returning his daughter’s embrace.
“Oh, so Rolven guilt tripped you?” Petra asked. “Really, he shouldn’t have had to. You know how much it means to a woman to have her father walk her down the aisle? I didn’t get to have that, and I can’t believe you almost let your silly pride take it away from your daughter too!”
“Is that the ‘dragon pride’ Alv keeps going on about?” Glacia giggled. “I dunno if I’ll ever get that, to be honest…”
“It be okay to admit it dad, ye didn’t want to show up for yer own daughter’s wedding because it would mean swallowin yer pride….and facin the dragon who bested ye.” Narris said, rolling her eyes as Araya sighed. He threw his hands up in defeat, “I…suppose it was a mix of that and him egging me on. But yes…..I suppose you do have a point even if I don’t care to admit it.”
Petra huffed. “Come on Glacia, we should go get into position. Let Narris tell her dad he’s an idiot herself,” the Alistinian woman said, grabbing the arctic elf’s hand and half-dragging her out of the room, giving Araya a disapproving glare as she walked out.
“Okeydokies, have fun with that Nari!” Glacia waved goodbye to the two dragons as she floated alongside the Alistanian.
Araya opened his mouth to speak, but said nothing as he heard Narris growl. “Ye know she be right, dad. I know ye don’t like me fiance, but ye can at least put that dislike aside for today for my sake.”
“Fine….I suppose I can tolerate him for today, if only because I do not wish to ruin your happiness. That said, once today is over…..the three of us are going to have a long chat about what I expect from him if he is to be married to you.” Araya said, sighing as he offered his daughter his arm, “Come on, we best not keep him waiting. Bahamut knows I’d rather not give that upstart something else to use against me…”
“That’s all I ask from ye for today, Dad.” Narris said, taking her father’s arm as they departed the room.
------
Vlad stood on the left side of the altar, fiddling his fingers as he looked around. First, he glanced down his own line of groomsmen; Alvis was there, just to his right, the best man of this particular wedding, then Lowell, and beyond him Rolven. The final spot for the groomsmen was empty, to be filled by Araya once he had walked Narris up the aisle, a thought that prompted Vlad to look over the bridesmaids, right as Glacia and Petra settled in, Glacia in the foremost position as the maid of honor. He watched as his adoptive daughter, Keiko, made a face at Petra, getting a small giggle in return. At the end of the line was Aoife, who he gave a brief, nervous smile, and shark-like woman who he remembered as Diega, though he didn’t know too much about her.
Vlad let his eyes drift over those in the seats to watch, not particularly paying attention to them; he knew some of them, of course, he could see Yuki and Shieldy, and the damned cat who had tried to see if she could grab a piece of his hoard, whether it was a joke or not, and lots of people he figured knew Narris and had less than zero idea who the fuck he was, but that was ok.
He next looked to the sky; the sun was a bit past it’s zenith, something he had asked for in regards to the timing, not wanting to be wearing the heavy, dark suit that had been picked for him by those more knowledgeable in fashion during the hottest parts of the day. A few birds flew by, too fast and small for him to identify from unfamiliar breeds, and in the far distance he watched as a passenger jet fly by, probably well out of sight of most in attendance. He wasn’t sure who he had to thank, but the weather was beautiful, not to hot or too cold up on the small dais of the altar, the flowers in perfect bloom, beautiful and large, not a cloud in the sky, yet somehow without sunlight so bright as to be blinding when reflected off the white lattices around. And then the door of the church creaked, and Vlad forgot about everything else as his head snapped around to watch his bride begin her journey to him.
He could see Narris being escorted by her father down the aisle, a long white veil covering her face as her revealing dress fluttered in the wind. She carried a bouquet of blossoms of gold, silver, and white in her hands, all of which glistened brightly as they were struck by the rays of the afternoon sun. She walked side by side with her father, whose suit clad form towered over that of his daughter. As the two approached the altar, Araya glared at Vlad with barely concealed contempt, but said nothing as he released Narris from his custody. The great wyrm took his seat beside Marron and Iriyea in the front row of seating as Narris took her place across from Vlad.
Vlad didn't say anything; even he knew it was the officiant's time to speak, but he stared at Narris, in the dress he had refused to be shown before now, and swallowed heavily. He knew, right now, that Alvis had been right, and all he really needed to do was dedicate himself to the beautiful woman across from him, a task he suddenly felt was not only doable, but outright easy. Of course he would devote himself to her; she saved his life, his mind, and then accepted who he was all the while trying to help him be better… what more could he ask?
At the altar, the high priestess of Glacia and de facto leader of Glacius, Fridea Chandel, stood behind a podium, the elf giving the crowd a warm smile. “Honored Guests, in the name of our Lady of Affection,” she gave a smile to Glacia, who winked back, “We are here today for a most joyous union. If you may, please state your vows, to show your devotion and affection for one another.”
Vlad took a breath, reaching out to take Narris’ hands in his own. “I… sometimes I struggle with putting my feelings into words, so this wasn’t the easiest thing for me,” he began, as the rest of the wedding and the party started to fade out of his notice, his eyes only for Narris now. “To be honest, I’m not entirely convinced I deserve you, Narris. There’s the obvious things, of course; you’re beautiful, your force of will seems second to none… but it’s really your love, your unshaking faith, that makes me move, and… in the morning, the first thing I do is check if you’re still there. It’s a bad habit, and an old one I can’t seem to shake, but you have no idea how much it means to me when you turn and smile at me in those first moments of waking up. I… this has gone a little off what I had prepared,” Vlad awkwardly smiled. “I wanted to talk about how strong you are, how you’ve already been such a good mother to Keiko and Diana, how you’re so beautiful… and I do love all of that about you, but I’m in love with the woman who refused to let me ruin myself, directly or not, and continues to refuse to let me forget how amazing the world can be. You have done more for me than I can ever repay, Narris, but I swear to you, for the rest of our very long lives, I will do my damndest to repay it in every minor and major way, to make you the happiest, healthiest woman in the entire world.”
Vlad could see a faint smile through Narris’s veil, all the while the sound of a soft giggle could be heard coming from the bride to be. Narris had planned her vows well, but was at a loss for words as heard Vlad's. "Vlad….I…" she muttered, stumbling for a few moments as her mind raced, "Before I met you, I was unsure of what it was I wanted for my life. For years, I had spent me time in the vacuous pursuit of pleasure with me friends and former loves. Yet, looking back…it was an empty life and brought me little purpose. That…Well that changed when ye saved me from being devoured by that wyvern.” the dragoness paused, with Vlad being able to hear her holding back a few tears as she choked out, “Vlad, I not be lyin when I say ye be bar none….the best thing that has ever happened to me. It not be an exaggeration to say that I have grown fond of all yer little quirks and that personality of yers. Furthermore, I don’t think ye fully understand how much it means to me to able to wake up everyday in yer firm embrace….knowing that I be havin a home with ye and our family. I owe ye more than ye will ever know or than I can ever express in mere words, Vlad. I…I can’t promise that I can ever fully repay ye, but I will be damned if I won’t do me best to make sure that I do everything I can to make ye the happiest and most fulfilled man in all the realms.”
Fridea smiled as she heard the vows. “Now, Vladmir, under the blessings of the Lady of Affection, do you take Narrislyn as your wife?”
“I do,” Vladimir replied, and he pulled a small, golden band, in which was set a pattern of rubies, that formed the shape of a dragon’s head and fire, and slipped it onto her left ring finger.
“And do you, Narrislyn” Fridea continued, “Under the blessings of the Lady of Affection, Take Vladimir to be your husband?”
“I do.” Narrislyn replied as she summoned a golden band with runes carved into the surface, two deeps blue gems mounted set in what appeared to be a dragon’s head. She slipped the ring onto his right ring finger, all the while giving him a smile.
“By the power vested in me by…” she winked at Glacia, who waved with a smile, “Our Lady, I am overjoyed in uniting this couple in affection as husband and wife.”
Vlad reached forward, lifting the veil from Narris’ face, losing his breath as he stared into her deep green eyes, just barely noticing the makeup work as he he pressed his rough lips directly against Narris’ purple covered ones, holding for a second before breaking apart, a large, content smile on his face.
Narris closed her eyes as she returned the kiss, all the while her strong arms wrapped around her husband and pulled him into a close embrace. As their kiss ended, her smile seemed all the brighter as a few tears rolled down her cheeks.
Alvis walked up first to pat Vlad on the back, “Congrats, man.” Glacia meanwhile gave all the Bridesmaids, Fridea and then Narris hugs!
Petra followed immediately behind Glacia, giving the other bridesmaids hugs of her own, then heading for Narris, but she was swiftly beaten out by a little blur with wildly waving tails as Keiko dashed past Glacia, jumping up at Narris and wrapping her arms around her. “Congratulations, mom! I think you kinda did it in the wrong order, but now we really are a family, right?”
Narris returned the hug, all the while patting Keiko’s ear’s, “Aye, that we be sweetie….even if yer father and I did in a bit of an unorthodox way. And thanks Kei….you have no idea how much it means to be hearin that!”
Iriyea and Aoife for their parts moved to embrace Narris, and followed up with embracing the other bridesmaids. The aasimar chuckled as she eyed the dragoness and Vlad, “Congratulations, you two. Honestly, after all you have been through….I’d say you have earned a happy life together.”
“I don’t know that I earned much of anything, but I’ll happily take it anyways,” Vlad said, scratching the back of his head with his left hand as he turned to his groomsmen, giving each in turn a quick hug and clap on the back.
Marron meanwhile just sighed, unsure of why she even bothered to attend this; it was in no small part what she did that caused this to end up happening.
Glacia then gave Narris an extra hug, “So, Nari, got any plans on where you’re gonna go? Or will it be a surprise?”
“Oh….well first I think Vlad and I are going to take a little trip to Mount Aegir for a little ceremony there….and then probably go on a nice long trip to somewhere exotic….maybe a beach or island.” Narris chuckled as she returned Glacia’s hug, all the while Aoife sat next to Marron. She patted the half dragon’s back, giving her a reassuring smile, “Though it may not seem like it, she did value your presence here, sister. Even in spite of her marrying him, she does still care for you as both her bondmate and friend. Do not forget that.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Marron shrugged. “I’m trying to be better, I’m spending more time with Jasimine and Ana and all that. I can deal with Narris marrying that guy and all that. ‘Sides, if you can believe it I actually patched things up with Mythra.”
“Aye! And that be proof enough that ye have grown since yer days in Undellah with the two of us, lass. I know we were hard on ye….perhaps even excessively so, but ye have more than made up for it with what ye’ve done both as Brasa and thru yer work in Rohane. Mind ye, that also don’t excuse Nari and I’s faults with ye either.” Diega said, resting a hand on Marron’s shoulder as she gave her a toothy grin, “All that bein said, I think I speak for us all when I say we be proud of ye for how much ye’ve grown.”
“... thanks,” Marron said, seemingly finding it hard to really look Diega in the eye. “I’ll keep trying to do better, so you all will wait and see what I’m really capable of.”
“I know ye will, lass. And don’t be forgettin that if ye stumble….Ye can count on me to help ye back up.” Diega replied
“Yeah, I know sexyfish,” Marron rolled her eyes, but still willing to look at Diega directly now. “I’ll keep in in mind. But just… have fun with everyone for now, alright? This is Narris’s big day, I’ll just head out…”
"No, ye ain't doing that, lass." Diega said, a sigh sighing as she sat next to Marron, “Runnin away like that won’t solve a damned thing and ye know it.”
“Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine,” Marron groaned, “I’ll stay if you want it, but I’m not gonna do much.”
Araya for his part grumbled as he made his way up to where Narris and Vlad were standing, feigning a smile as he embraced his daughter. “Congrats, little wing. I be proud of ye for finally settling down.” he said, breaking the embrace as he cast his gaze towards Vlad, “Heh, it’s hard to believe that two years ago we were coming to blows when you violated my home….and now I have to….er have the [i/] the pleasure[/i] of calling you my son in law. Certainly quite strange to be calling you that if I am being honest.”
Vlad smiled, even his dislike for his father-in-law only putting a small damper on his mood. "Very understandable; I am, after all, older and more powerful than you. But it's OK, father, I promise to take the best possible care of Narris, forever, if I'm lucky."
“You really are quite the comedian aren’t you? That was almost funny….almost as funny as your claim that you won our little duel..” Araya said, rolling his eyes. His lips formed into a small smirk as he spoke, “You and I both know the only reason you won that skirmish was because I was holding back. If we were to duel for real, you would have been defeated in the end….you little pretender.”
Vlad slowly breathed out through his nose, his smile becoming a little forced. "Come now, father, surely you don't want to relive how I defeated you in a one on many battle on the day I wed your daughter? Why not think of happier things, like how much she loves me?"
Araya’s smirk faded, his eyes seeming to grow colder as he glared at his son in law, “Oh, I fully intend on….settling[i/] that matter at a later date, preferably after my daughter’s….wedding. After all, it would not do for me to sully today by undermining her image of you.”
“Vlad….Father.” Narris said in a cold tone, her emerald eyes narrowing and brimming with barely concealed anger as she looked toward the two men before her. Her lips formed into a forced smile as she spoke, “Do you really wish to make the mistake of ruining what is supposed to be a day of celebration? Particularly over something so [i]trivial as the outcome of an old fight? Certainly you can put aside your differences for a few hours for my sake…..”
"I would never risk ruining this for either of us," Vlad said, grabbing his bride's hand. "I'm sorry if I worried you, Narris."
“I…apologize, little wing. I would never ruin your special day, particularly over this l….wonderful man you’ve married.” Araya remarked, swallowing his anger as he forced a smile.
“Good…I was almost worried that we would have a problem. Glad to see that my two favorite wyrms can put aside such pettiness on a day they should be celebrating.” Narris said, her scowl forming into a smile..
Vlad gave a quick glare at Araya, before leading Narris off the altar. "Come on, we should go mingle with the crowd… or at least you should. I think most of these people don't know me at all."
