Wedding Bells

Writers: AL, Chelle, Eimi
Date Posted: 17th October 2010

Characters: Parale, Briata, Ioven, Syren, Sidlin
Description: Parale and Ioven are finally married.
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 10, day 23 of Turn 5

Briata

She was standing in the small cavern off of the bigger one. Parale had
the dress on that Briata had lent her and she was a bit nervous about
the whole thing, but she was also ready for it to be over. She had a
small bouquet in her hands of some lavender flowers that were fresh. Her eyes were big as she waited for Briata to tell her it was time.

Perhaps it seemed an eternity, but it was only another moment or two
when Briata slipped in. Her smile was bright as her friend came into
view and she stepped closer, her voice soft. "Are you ready?"

"MMmhm. Is everyone out there?" She bit her lip, realizing just how much
her life was going to change in the next few moments. Still, she had
already left Garnet Valley so she was going to do this.

"Yes." Briata nodded slowly, drawing a little closer to her friend.
"Are you nervous?" she asked softly, reaching out to gently caress
Parale's shoulder.

"It'll be allright. Okay, lead me out." Her way of dealing with
nervousness was to barrel through something.

Briata reached up to pat her hair as if to make sure nothing had fallen
from the flowery bun into which she had placed it. "Let's go." The
skirts of her light yellow dress whispered softly with her movements and
she stepped out, glancing behind her to make sure that Parale was
following.

Entering the chamber in the purple dress that Briata had lent her,
Parale was a little unsure of herself at first. She had never been so
groomed in her entire life. Hoping it looked nice and not foolish, she
made her way to Ioven and the harper, smiling shyly.

The harper smiled encouragingly, nodding a greeting to them both.

Ioven stood, clean shaven, hair newly cut, and smith-hall red dress
shirt freshly pressed. Nothing, however, could really hide the dark
circles around his eyes that spoke of a long and restless night. His
sleep had been disturbed by a mix of emotions - nervousness, regret,
guilt - and more than a few haunting memories, the good as well as the
bad. More than a few tears had been shed. As hard as it had been, he
was glad to let it out so he could face the day and his new bride with
calm resignation rather than resentment, which had been his greatest
fear.

"You look very nice," he whispered to her as he held his arm out for her
to take. Turning his head, he glanced back at the two girls who sat
behind him, and nodded acknowledgement to the captain of the boat that
had carried them down the river who had agreed to stand as his witness,
and to Briata who had taken her place. Looking back at the harper he
was about to give him the signal to proceed when he heard a voice from
behind him.

"Syren, don't," Venrys hissed at her little sister, but she was already
out of her seat and gently tugging on the purple fabric of the bride's
dress.

"Parale?" she whispered softly.

Feeling the tug, she did what was automatic to her. Turning, she leaned
down to be on a better level with the little girl, wondering what could
be on Syren's mind. "What is it, Renling?" she whispered back.

"Hello." The little girl smiled up at her and waved, only wanting that
little acknowledgment from her soon-to-be stepmother.

Parale smiled back, squeezing her for a moment. "Good afternoon.
Now go get in place so we can start. The harper probably has other
things to do, you know," she whispered.

Syren nodded, satisfied now that was done. Smiling up at her father,
who returned it with a warm grin of his own, she took a seat next to her
older sister, who, not to be outdone by the little one, waved silently.

Ioven's smile was much more genuine and warm as he offered Parale his
arm once more. It was a nice reminder of just why he had chosen to do
this, and this woman in particular.

It had all happened quickly, just a brief moment in time, a faint
hesitation in the ceremony as the little girl approached her soon to be
mother. Briata couldn't help but smile at the child and a wistful
expression crossed over her face. Tears made her eyes glitter, but she
struggled and brought herself quickly under control. This was not the time nor the place. This was Parale's time. Not hers. Briata straightened and planted a smile upon her face.

Parale took Ioven's arm and then faced the harper. She was ready for
this. She made a quick glance to Briata then she focused on the Master,
hoping she would say everything right.

The harper smiled at the couple as they were ready to begin. "You came
here today, Ioven, with the intention of taking this woman, Parale, to
be your wife. You carefully picked a woman that could be a mother to
your children and a partner to you in all aspects of your life. Are you
now ready to pledge to her your protection, your support, and your
provision as her friend and husband?"

"I am," Ioven nodded, trying not to compare them to the words of a
harper spoken a lifetime ago.

Sidlin turned then to the bride. "Parale, you have accepted Ioven's
proposal and have come here to be wed to him with the full knowledge
that you are not only becoming a wife today, but a mother to these
lovely two girls as well. Your life is about to change dramatically.
You have not only left your family behind and have pledged to start a
new life in a new place, but you will be faced with the challenge of
starting in the middle of a life, rather than the beginning. Most women
can ease into the role of wife and then mother gradually, but from this
day forth you will be expected to run Ioven's home, take care of his
needs, and provide love and support to both him and his children. You
will be sharing everything with Ioven - your triumphs and your failures,
your strengths and your weaknesses, as he will be sharing his with you.
With all this in mind, Parale, do you still come here willingly, and are
you now ready to bind yourself to Ioven for the rest of your days?"

"Yes Master, I am." That had been quite a long promise. **Ioven smells
good** She tried not to lean over to get a better whiff of the smell,
keeping her mind on the proceedings.

Sidlin turned again to the groom. "Journeyman Ioven, you have brought a
token of your promise to Parale. Offer it to her now and ask her to
accept you as her husband."

Clearing his throat, Ioven pulled a silver token from his pocket as he
reached for her hand. He was a little ashamed at how plain it was,
engraved only with the date and their initials, but it was the best he
could do on such short notice. "Parale, I would ask you to accept this
mark as a token of my promise to you today. Our meeting was a happy
accident for my children and myself. I feel honored that you would
trust me so completely that you would leave your home and all you know
to start a new life with us. I promise to you now that I will strive to
prove to you everyday for the rest of our lives together that your
faith was not misplaced. I promise to care for you and to provide you
with the desires of your heart as far as I am able. You would make me
very happy, Parale, if you would accept me now." Gently, he pressed the
coin into her hand.

The harper nodded his approval and turned to the bride once more.
"Parale, do you accept this token and his promises? If you do, please
tell him so now."

She watched his eyes and his mouth as he spoke, trying to commit it
all to memory. This was important. Parale found her stomach had finally
started to feel a bit nervous, but she pushed that thought aside. She
thought of the girls and looked again at Ioven's face. **I've come this
far.**

"I do," she replied, looking up at him with trust in her face.

Sidlin smiled encouragingly. "Have you a token for Ioven as well today?
If so, offer it to him now."

She reached into her bouquet and pulled out a wooden piece. She had
dyed it red for him and it had the date and the initials on it as well.
Placing it into his hand, she took a breath. "Ioven, I give you this to
represent my life that I place into your hands for safekeeping. This is
my promise to be by your side, nurse you when you're sick, feed you when
you're hungry, and support you when you ask. I will give you children as I am able and plan to be mother to those you have. Take this if you will have me."

Ioven looked down at the mark in his hand. Her speech had been short,
but heart-felt and sweet. She was indeed putting her life, her future,
and her trust completely in his care. Whether he loved her or not, they
were now both in this together, and would be for the rest of their
lives. He had chosen her to be a mother to his children, but it was to
_him_ that she was promising herself. Unexpectedly, he found himself
genuinely touched. When the harper asked if he would accept her gift,
if he would accept her as his wife, his hand closed over the wooden
piece and without hesitation, he responded "I will."

"Then in front of these witnesses here today," the harper nodded to the
both of them in turn, "you have officially bonded yourselves to one
another. Ioven, you may kiss your new wife."

Still clutching the coin in his hand, Ioven placed his hands on her hips
and gently pulled her closer for a soft kiss, an unexpected warmth
spreading over him as their lips met.

Parale found herself responding to him, instinctively allowing him to
lead since she knew nothing of kissing and romance. Her submission was
apparent, but she didn't rush to break the kiss either.

Briata's smile brightened even as the moisture slipped into her eyes.
She allowed a few tears, but no more. It was happiness for Parale, even
though the marriage wasn't necessarily out of love. It seemed as if he
was a good man and would be good to her at least. No, it was more the
remembrance of the kiss of someone else, of a man who was no longer with her. Of wondering what it would have been like if things had been different. They hadn't been married, but they had been as close to it as a dragonrider could get. The ache pounded in her breast and she struggled for control and won once more. No, not here. Not now.

Last updated on the November 7th 2010

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Wedding Bells