The Black Wings

Chapter 22

Making our way up to Nadie, everyone begins to rise. Our hands remain clasped together as we reach the main platform. She begins the ceremony immediately.

"Today is the celebration of these lover's union of eternal adoration. We thank those who came to witness the ceremony. We start with the lover's sacrifice." Nadie reads from some vintage bound book.

She walks to the giant brass bowl that lays itself it front of us. She takes out a match and tosses it in the bowl, igniting a controlled growing fire.

Before our wedding, we were both vigorously quizzed on the steps of the day. The lover's sacrifice requires me to rip out one of my feathers and cast it into the flames.

In Lana's case, she cut out a locket of her hair to burn.

I don't waste any time transforming. I understand why there was struggle putting on this suit. It's designed for my wings to pop through without ripping any of the materials.

I reach my hand up and carefully yank out one of my feathers. The feather I chose is both black and red.

I cast it to the flames along with Lana's locket of hair. They rise as our sacrifices being to burn.

"The bond through sacrifice has proved to work with this couple. We now remove the false paint to reveal their true faces." Nadie instructs as she pulls out a wet rag.

This part is when she wipes off all the makeup that decorated our faces. Its supposed to represent honesty or something like that.

The freezing water touches my skin as Nadie scrubs out each pore of mine harshly for a few moments.

"Now for the bride." She laughs lightly at the sight of my irritated skin as she walks to Lana.

I know my future wife well enough to make out the swear words she mutters as her skin is assaulted by the rag.

After a few minutes, we turn to face one another. With steady hands, I push away her netted veil.

"So beautiful." I insinuate to her as my eyes find her face.

"So beautiful." Lana responds to me with a full smile.

There's a pause of silence as we take each other in as if we met for the first time.

"Now, we reach the time for personal vows." Nadie respectively claps her hands together as she gives us space.

I bow my head down as I prepare to take a breath. We decided that I could speak first because I strongly dislike public speaking.

Yes, the person who is going to save an entire race is afraid of speeches.

"Lana, I don't have a doubt in my mind that we will last. We've already survived so much hell and I know I wouldn't have been able to do it without you. Although our time together may be rather short, our love shall be endless. I couldn't have asked for anyone else to be standing in front of me. I love you with all my heart."

My eyes begin to mist slightly at the conviction of my words to her. I've never loved someone like I loved her. I feel vulnerable to openly express such an emotion but being in her presence wipes away any insecurity.

"For my vows, I have a poem entitled Eternal Love." Lana begins to recite the poem she once told me at my cove.

Oh how it horribly fits the situation we are in right now.

After she finishes, she grabs my hands and strokes tiny circles in them. We stay like that until the last step is instructed.

"And now audience members is the last part of this wedding, the embrace. With the first act of physical love, this shall declare them as husband and wife. Ace and Lana, you may now proceed." Nadie bows to us as we move closer to us.

Lana's wiry hands lightly grip my cheeks as she presses her lips on mine in a kiss. My arms wrap right below her shoulders.

The kiss is short lived in tradition. We move to a hug and stay in it as every person in the audience bows before us.

I don't even care that we're going to be standing there for awhile, not as long as my wife is in my arms.

"That concludes your wedding, congratulations. Tomorrow night your celebrations shall commence. For now, I'll guide you to your new tree." Nadie grins as we walk hand in hand to our new home.

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Night fall reaches us rather quickly. Lana had to return to Nadie to get her dress off and I went with too because I almost ripped my suit in half.

"Isn't this nice?" I whisper to my wife as we cuddle in our nest. "All to ourselves."

"Some nights Wy would be talking the whole night to Junior, I wouldn't sleep Ace." Lana reminisces in an annoyed tone as she chuckles.

"Or when I had nightmares."

"Don't remind me."

We both laugh at the memory and cuddle together closer. My arm wraps around her lower back and her arms link together behind my neck.

I press my lips to her forehead but she turns away from the contact.

"What's wrong?" I ask her gently.

She doesn't respond right away but when she does, she sounds broken. "Its our wedding night Ace. You know what people are supposed to do now."

Lana lets go of me and shifts towards the edge of the bed.

"Hey." I call back to her and sit up. "We don't have to do anything."

"I'm a terrible wife, why do you love me if I can't even have sex with you?"

"Because it doesn't matter to me. There is love out there that exists without any sort of physical contact.

"You're just trying to be nice."

"No, no I'm not. I love when you wake up next to me with a smile. I love the way your eyes light up when they meet mine. I love how you can handle anything by yourself. I love you without even touching you Lana and I always will."

"Ace...damn you."

Lana rolls back over to me and buries her face in my chest. My fingers comb through her hair. No words are exchanged, we just listen the the music of the night.

That's how we fall asleep.