Cult of the Lamb : The Man in the Forest

Chapter 27: Disclosure

Baal and Bharadei's wedding was finally upon them. The week leading up to the event had been a bit hectic. Mir̃alai, as Bharadei's closest friend, was to be her witness, so she had been involved in the planning on top of the numerous duties she was already responsible for as a leader. Aym wasn't just Baal's witness, he was also responsible for locating Forneus and escorting her back to attend the ceremony. Baal and Bharadei ultimately agreed that the guests could wear whatever they wanted. For most, this simply did not matter as nearly everyone would wear their standard issue robes. However, it did matter for Kenedra. It mattered deeply. When she saw the dresses Mir̃alai had crafted for them, she was absolutely gushing. It was the first time she had shown that much passion in a while.

Mir̃alai had created traditional dresses for each of them. Kenedra's was the most playful of the lot. She had a dress with a bright red skirt, multi-colored stripes, and the black, ruffled top was adorned with flower pattern embroidery. It was everything she adored. According to Mir̃alai, she had Nykka's help in crafting it and it was a duplicate of the style Nykka herself had worn many, many years ago. The same could be said for Merida and Lydie's dresses. They were quite different than Kenedra's though due to the northern region in which Mir̃alai's sheep clan originally hailed from before they relocated to Anura. Nykka lived most of her early life in the southern Faiths and it was there that she adopted the style of the various creatures living there at the time. Merida and Lydie's dresses were not ruffled like Ken's dress. They had long, warm, flowing fabric that gave them a touch of elegance and mystique missing from Kenedra's light, whimsical dress. Their new dresses were primarily red to match the Cult, but they were traditionally more natural colors. Green, blue, yellow... etcetera. Both twins had a leather sash to wear around their waists, and a wood-bead necklace. These beads were cylindrical and thick enough for little patterns to be painted on each one. The dress' sleeves were connected by thin, criss-crossing straps and fastened tight to their biceps by strings of colored twine. The most eye-catching aspect of these dresses were the intricate patterns on the skirt, the centerpiece of these designs was a rounded, triangular knot that had no beginning or end. It was a symbol often used in Mir̃alai's clan, and represented unity. Merida's dress nearly matched Lydie's with only a few minor differences. For example, the accents and patterns on Merida's dress were gold to represent her relationship with Kenedra, while Lydie's were black to represent their parentage. Both had thinner white fabric beneath the skirt which peaked out through apron-like slits in the outer red fabric. The twins also had their faces painted with symbols much like the kind their mother had tattooed on her face, and Kenedra had golden markings similar to Nykka's. By the end of it all, Merida was actually happy she decided to give the dress a chance. She had no plans to make a habit of wearing them, it was a little uncomfortable, but she did like it aesthetically. Additionally, that dress in particular clearly meant a lot to Mir̃alai, as she was nearly moved to happy tears when both girls were ready. Mir̃alai had made a dress for herself similar to the sort her daughters wore, though hers was a hair more elegant with its long, draping sleeves. Hers was also mainly black, this was apparently to match Aym who Merida hadn't seen yet.

The wedding had put Kenedra in a good mood, which was a wonderful change from the gloom she'd been experiencing since Narinder's punishment. Merida had a feeling this shift would be temporary, but she was happy for it nonetheless. Mir̃alai had already made her way to Nykka's Domain to help with the finishing touches, and Aym was still out getting Forneus. So, it was up to Caxton to ensure everyone else from Mir̃alai's cult who planned to attend made it on time. He had made multiple rounds in the early afternoon reminding everyone that they would be departing as a group at five-thirty sharp and to meet by the gate.

When five-thirty came around, Merida, Lydie, and Kenedra joined the mass throng of red-clad followers all waiting to go to the wedding. There they found Khalyn, Aerwyn, Dallion, and Cassius standing in a little group. Cassius' cheeks lit up upon seeing Lydie and he caught her in a sweet embrace.