Away from the North

Epilogue

"It starts in an hour! How am I not supposed to be nervous? " I ask, fidgeting with the bow on the back of my light blue wedding dress. Jul bats my hands away from the bow and puts his hands on my shoulders.
"Yuku. It's going to be fine. She loves you," he says. I take a deep breath and nod, hugging him. He hugs me back and we walk out of the tent so Dali and Lilac can go and get dressed.
We greet the guests as they come, everyone invited but Jul's mom and Lilac's mom. Jul's dad brings his boyfriend, having asked him out after he talked to us about him when we were in North Korea.
We talk for a while and then go to set up the stuff. We don't have any music playing for when Dali and Lilac walk up the aisle, we all agreed that we did want that.
We decided to have a double wedding after Dali and Lilac proposed to me and Jul on the same day. We've been planning it for a month, inviting all our families, except for people who aren't welcome anymore.
We finish setting up a stuff and people start putting wedding gifts on two tables, one table of gifts for each couple. Everyone gets here and we walk up to the alter where a priest stands. He smiles at us and nods. He was one of the only ones we went to willing to marry me and Lilac.
There are television cameras in the back recording us. After we lead the soldiers to the capital and they took it over we became the heros that helped to take over North Korea and everyone wants to know about our lives.
No matter what precautions we took, the camera people still managed to get into the wedding and record us. We rented out the whole field to avoid this but there's really nothing we can do about it.
Dali and Lila walk out of the tent and down the aisle. Dali holds onto her father's arm while Lilac holds onto my dad's arm. They leave the girls at the alter and the priest starts talking.
"Jul Oln, do you take Dali Asar, to love and to hold for rest of your life? In sickness and in health?" The priest asks him. I can see him holding himself back from scooping Dali up in his arms and kisses her.
"I do," he replies to the priest. The priest then turns to Dali and asks her the same thing. Her parents are smiling widely at her from the chairs that we set out. She says "I do."
Jul slips a small ruby ring on Dali's finger and kisses her on the forehead. She giggles and takes the amethyst ring, slipping it onto Jul's ring finger. They smile at each other before turning to the priest.
"I pronounce you husband and wife! You may now kids the bride!" The priest declares. Jul dips Dali and kisses her for a few seconds before they pull apart, Jul looking dazed.
"And Lilac Ong, so you take Yuku Wu, to love and to hold for the rest of your life? I'm sickness and in health," the priest asks her. I look over and see her smiling at me.
"I do," she replies softly. I run my hands on the skirt of my dress, trying to get the nerves out. The priest turns to me and starts his speech but I lift a hand up.
"I prepared my own vows actually, if you don't mind," I tell him. He nods and waves for me to go on. I take a deep breath and stare into Lilac's beautiful green eyes.
"If I had never went away from the north, I wouldn't have met you. The love of my life, the one who calms me down, and makes sure I feel loved no matter what. The one I want to spend the rest of my life with. I will love you no matter what for the rest of my life. I do," I tell her.
Her green eyes glisten with tears and I hear Dali stifle a squeal from behind us. I grab her opal ring and slip it onto her finger. She slips my sapphire ring onto my ring finger and smiles up at me.
"I now pronounce you wife and wife! You may kiss the bride!" He exclaims. I cup her face with my right hand and kiss her gently on the mouth. I pull back and she laughs, hiding her face in my chest.
We walk over it the present tables and we all open presents, setting most of them in one pile because we all live together. I look over and see my parents and grandparents smiling at me.
"I'm going to go talk to my parents love," I say to Lilac. She nods and continues to open our gifts. I kiss her on the head and walk over to my parents.
"I'm sure you'll hate each other eventually," my dad jokes. I shake my head and smile at him. My mom walks over and hugs me, apologizing for not accepting me at first. I pat her back and pull away.
I talk to them for a little bit, catching up with them for the first time face to face I'm two years. It took a little longer than planned to get their country back I'm order.
"I'm going to go back to Lilac. She's probably wondering why I'm taking so long," I tell then after a while. They nod and I walk back over to Lilac, who finished unwrapping all our presents while I was gone.
She smiles sheepishly and I just shrug. Dali's dad announces the first dance for the couples and I take Lilac's hand, leading her to the grass clearing that we've seemed the dance floor.
I wrap my arms around her waist as the music starts playing. Lilac wraps her arms around my neck and I smile at Jul as we slow dance past them. I rest my head against Lilac's as the song ends. I kiss her softly and smile.
I will never regret going away from the north.