The Art of Trouble

Chapter 16: Beneath the Amber Moon

"Husbands shall cleave to his wife, and they shall be two in one flesh..." Ephesians 5:31

Lucy was standing, along with Gray under a humongous tree. The bride was contemplating her surrounding, and right then, she took a grasp of its physical detail.
There was an arch made of fresh flowers, from where she had just passed through as she walked the aisle; sounds of harp, made up of different kinds of strings filled the atmosphere with a romantic vibe, and the people of Arakani had been gathering in an outspread semicircle. The women and the little girls wore tiaras that are also made of fresh flowers, and men had satin-like sash, imprinted with an odd, ethnic embroidery; lads were in pairs as they formed a line along the aisle, bringing with them their own offerings their family had provided.

"Pater, miter, E' vir schizo tuo uxorem et sarkaaftoi deu se un sarka." Gyna began. "We'r ah he'r to see Raven et Luna, as dey speak the'r vows."

Gyna continued to say something, until it had reached to a point, where the Kanian lads moved near them. This time, they formed a horizontal line. Each of them kneeled and raised his own offering at the altar.

Gray had been gazing at the lake, ever since the ceremony started. It's not because he was uninterested with the punctilio that's momentarily happening, rather he was in deep thought.
The lake incredibly stretched out as far as his eyes could see. Its crystals glistened mystically, despite the shadows bordering on its corners. At the sky, just above the horizon, the plump, amber moon was made to recognize itself. For Gray, the view was heavenly  to watch. It captivated, not only his eyes, but also his soul, and the only entity that could match it was the person in front of him.
Just an hour ago, when they were preparing for the ceremony, he took a glimpse of that beauty.
They were given time to reflect and contemplate about their feelings, emotions, and everything. The ice mage was looking above the sky, which at that time, was still without the moon. He was memorizing the speech, he and Lucy were going to say. It was their vow,  a Kanian way, "To give manifestation in your union," as Lameria had conveyed.
Gray kept scratching his head. He had trouble memorizing the words. He was supposed to go, and find Lucy so that they could memorize it together but, he got a little lost along the way. He kept on trudging at different directions, looking for a way back to the enclave, until he found a flamboyant cabin. He quickly moved to its direction. As soon as he was already near it, he got really pleased when he heard a familiar voice, reciting the same words that he too had to memorize.
Gray swore it was not his intention to peek, yet upon hearing Lucy, he wanted to call her out, and what could be an easier way to do that, other than the door.
The window was left ajar, so it was only right to look through it, except, it really wasn't.

"... From this day onwards..." The soon to be bride, utter such a line as she wore a silky robe. Not long after, she got rid of it, in order to wear her very own wedding dress. She delicately put it on her, whilst touching every detail of the fabric, tracing it throughout her curves, and completely unaware of what's around her. She didn't seem to notice that a man, who isn't really a stranger, witnessed an entrancing figure that she unknowingly possessed.

"Raven, it's time..." Gray snapped out from his reverie. And when he went back to reality, his eyes made contact with those brown ones.
All of a sudden, the moment changed as they looked into each others' eyes. Anxiety had turned into a mutual understanding, and, uncertainty had transformed into lucidity.
The two had then understood it as a queau.

"Father, mother, friend, people, I am hers and she is mine... I am his and he is mine... from this day until the end of my days."

After the bride and the groom spoke the vow, a white, ribbon-like material was tied together around their wrists, as if to bind their love. They were asked to kneel. Then, a white cloth was made to cover both of them, to express the strength in their matrimony. Lucy and Gray hadn't thought of anything else, but the present. Lucy was absorbed with every part of the ceremony, and Gray, no one could explain how he felt at that time, even he, himself couldn't. Happiness? Yes, probably that's it. However, he couldn't explain why, is it because they have planned this all along, and now they can proceed to the next step of their mission? Or maybe because, he could say the same thing as of Lucy? Seeing her, a hint of joy hadn't been made concealed by her face.
The latter couldn't also utterly express what she felt. Just hours prior to the ceremony, she felt giddy, and she was bewildered with herself that it made her cry and laugh at the same time. Yet, now, those feelings were zeroed. Just by seeing Gray, everything about this predicament had been brought down to serenity. Then, she felt glad.

"Raven and Luna, you may now rise and present yourselves as husband and wife."