Elf's Wedding Day

Elf's Wedding Day
By Halcyon
For Rigel and Amia
Originally finished May 2014
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Sunlight danced through the broad leaves of one of the many tall palm trees that dotted the elven city of Filia. The sun's warm rays traveled down through the palms and through a stained glass window, coming to rest next to the elf who sat inside the temple's waiting room. To the elf, the desert sun represented all that made this place his home: after all, its warm and comforting embrace was the source of life for all elves and their ancestors.

His name was Rigel, and, as it was for all elves, this place was the one of his birth. The city of Filia rested on the north side of the Longa Desert, nestled against a cliff face that isolated the desert from the rest of the Iria Continent. Rigel had been an orphan for all of his life, making it a rather simple choice for him to follow the path of an Adventurer. As such, he had left his home at a young age to travel the world. Now, however, he had returned to the home of his ancestors.

Now, the elf was to be married.

Rigel exhaled slowly, closing his eyes as he did so. Though the warm sun was immensely relaxing, especially to an elf who had missed its rays for so long while abroad, he found it difficult to still his racing heart or to untie the knot in his chest. Rigel was young, to be sure, but it was customary for elves to marry young. Still, Rigel felt very uneasy, such as does any groom before a wedding ceremony. Was he ready for such a step forward in his life? Did he have what it takes to be a husband?

The thoughts racing through the elf's head were cut short by a sudden but soft knocking at the waiting room's door. Without waiting for a response, the small wooden door pushed open. A petite lay priestess walked in with an elegant outfit draped neatly over one of her arms. She looked over at him and smiled. He blinked once, remembering to return the smile, before standing up to receive the clothes.

"Here's your wedding garments" she pointed out, before handing them over. "That should be all of it. Let me know if anything seems out of place."

"Uh. Thanks." Rigel replied somewhat absentmindedly. He took the outfit, setting it down next to the shoes and hat that had been brought in earlier. After the lay priestess walked out, he began to undress.

Though he was still a youth, years of adventuring had made the elf fit and strong. He wasn't muscular, but was very lean, with evidence of his fitness visible on his shirtless body. His hair was thick and blonde, running straight down almost to his shoulders. Though long hair was very common among elf men, it was not as common among humans in the west. As such, he had kept it medium-length while traveling. His eyes were large and round, with just a touch of youthful innocence left in them. Taking his sasha robe in hand and setting it down on his chair, Rigel picked up the groom's outfit.

The clothes were traditional elf style, and very elegant. The extravagant shirt differed sharply from a western tuxedo. The garment was tan in color, covered in lavish adornments, and looked more like a priest's outfit than a suit. Though clothes were generally cheap, formal outfits were very expensive, and this one especially so. To rent the getup for one afternoon, Rigel had to pay fifty times the cost of his usual robe. It was expensive, but he had saved up enough money, and this was surely worth it.

After he finished changing, Rigel began to look himself over in the mirror. Though the clothes were traditional to his culture, the formal and delicate garments felt strange and foreign in the place of his usual, practical outfit. The sight caused the elf's nervousness to return - he really looked the part, and the reality of his situation was sinking further and further in.

Before he could continue to deliberate, the waiting room's reception door suddenly swung open again, this time without the advanced warning of a knock. Rigel turned, slightly surprised, to see three young elves about his age hurrying into the room, greeting him excitedly.

"Hey!" the first elf exclaimed, running over to The surprised elf. "What's going on, Rai?"

"Rallen!" he replied, a smile spreading across his face in realization that his friends had snuck in to see him. The first elf, Rallen, embraced him tightly while the other two stood close by. "What are you guys doing here?"

"What do you think, buddy?" Rallen replied. "We're here to see off our best friend before he gets married!" he answered, causing Rigel to smile and blush with embarrassment.

"Hey man, congratulations." the second elf replied. "We're really happy for you, dude."

"Yeah, good stuff... getting married and all that" the third elf added.

"Thanks, Aniki." Rigel laughed. "And Karil. It's good to see you guys!"

"So, how do you feel, bro?" the elf named Rallen asked.

"Really weird..." Rigel replied, honestly. "I almost can't believe this is really happening. How long has it been...?" he trailed off, as his mind began to wander again. Though he was technically an orphan, the entire village had become Rigel's family from a young age. These three were no exception, and had been his best friends from the very beginning. Indeed, some of his fondest memories were of exploring the desert and it's many secrets with these three elves: Rallen, Aniki, and Karil. Together, they made an adventuring party of four. It was a very effective combination of talents.

"Yeah, dude, I know what you mean..." Rallen chimed in. "You remember those days? When we all used to go exploring Longa Desert Ruins together? Those beetles were crazy..." He chuckled. As a warrior, Rallen fought with the traditional elven two-swords style. Now, however, his scimitars were absent from his person. This was a different kind of journey, one without weapons.

"A party of four." Aniki chimed in, "We were unstoppable. Rallen the warrior, us two archers, and the best elf Mage in the city."

"You mean the only elf Mage!" Rigel laughed. He recalled a fond memory of their past adventures together, where he used magic to fight alongside his companions. Even though it was uncommon for elves, he had chosen to practice magic from a young age, instead of archery and sword fighting like the others. Rigel sat and reminisced about various dungeon crawls with his friends, remembering the excitement and danger as if it were fresh and new again. "Those days were really special. Sometimes I miss the simpler times, you know?"

"Hey man, you're the one that left!" Rallen pointed out with mock accusation. "Left us losers here while you went to explore the big wide world." The four of them shared a laugh. The energy in the room was the warm and nostalgic aura of best friends reunited in reminiscence. "So..." Rallen continued, leaning forward. "Tell us about this girl, dude!"

"Yeah man, spill the beans" added Karil.

"Huh?" replied Rigel with an embarrassed smile. "What do you mean?"

Rallen leaned backwards with an exaggerated sigh, putting his hands behind his head. "Dude. You're getting married, for Eweca's sake! We've never even met this chick! What's her name, anyway?

"Her name?" the elf answered. His lips moved, and he spoke the name with a single delicate breath, as if it would break in half if he wasn't careful enough:

"Amia"

"How'd you guys meet?" Rallen asked, without missing a beat. "Come on. I wanna hear the whole story! We've got plenty of time."

"She's a human, isn't she?" Aniki added.

"Yeah." Rigel replied. "Well, actually, I met her at a music store in Dunbarton. It turns out that we were both looking for dungeon partners, so we went in a party, and that turned into a few more, and..." Rigel paused, acknowledging his friends' interested stares with an embarrassed chuckle. "Well, pretty soon we were doing dungeons with just us two. She's a warrior, so-"

"WHOA!" Rallen interjected. "She's a warrior chick?! Damn, bro! She kicks your ass, doesn't she?"

The room exploded into laughter, including the groom. "Give me a break, Rallen!" he complained. "No, it's not like that. She's actually pretty petite. She fights two-sword style like you, actually." Rigel smiled. Though he didn't say it outright, his voice was filled with pride. "Well, one thing led to another, and we ended up traveling together..." he trailed off again, allowing himself another moment of nostalgia for days gone by. "...for a long time. And now..." he shrugged, the rest of the story being evident enough.

For a few seconds, nobody said anything. It wasn't an awkward silence, but instead, one of pensive thought. "Wow..." Rallen finally said. "So that's the story... this is really happening, isn't it?"

"That's my line, buddy..." Rigel chuckled. The thoughtful silence returned, but was soon broken again. "It's so weird, thinking back, and... I don't know. Being here now. Are those times really behind us for good?"

"Hey!" Rallen said, suddenly inspired. "Of course they aren't, Rai! What's really changed, huh? You're still you, right? We're still the friends you grew up with, and Filia's still, you know..." he paused, just enough to choose the right words to speak his mind. "Still your home, you know?"

Rigel smiled again, the kind of smile that came from being reassured by one's friends. Even if Rallen wasn't the best with words, their mutual understanding from years of friendship conveyed their meaning in a more powerful way. "Yeah." he finally replied. "You're right. We're adventurers, aren't we? There's no reason we have to give that up, just because we're older now." he paused, suddenly adding "I'd love to go adventuring with you four and Amia together, when things are... you know... back to normal." he finished, trailing off and looking down to the floor. What did he mean by that last phrase? Would things ever really be back to "normal" again?

"I think," the elf named Aniki suddenly chimed in, "that sounds like it would be fun. You know we and the rest of the elves here will always be around."

"Ah, quit it." Rigel laughed again. "I know. Thanks, man."

"Good. Anyway..." Aniki continued, "we've bothered you enough, I'm sure. Let's get going - I'm sure you've got to get ready."

"Oh... yeah." Rigel replied, suddenly back to reality. "Thanks, guys. I'll see you soon, alright?"

"We'll be out there with everybody else" Rallen began, as the three stood up to leave. "Today's your day, Rai. Congratulations!"

"Yeah dude, congrats." chimed in Karil, as the three walked toward the door. Rigel looked on, holding on to that nostalgia for one more moment.

"Oh, and by the way," Rallen added halfway out the door, as the other two slipped out into the reception hall: "You look great.

Rigel looked down at himself as the door shut, suddenly remembering his lavish wedding outfit. Laughing to himself, he shook his head and sat down with a sigh.

After he finished getting dressed, Rigel still had a bit of time to wait. It was almost time for the ceremonies to begin, and the young elf was left alone with his own thoughts once again while the last of the guests were arriving and the last of the preparations were being done.

Just as Rigel was beginning to wonder when he would be called on, there was another knock at the door, softer than the other times. This time, Rigel felt that he already knew who it would be. Steeling himself, he walked over to the door and opened it.

"Hello, young elf."

"Good afternoon, Lady Castanea" he replied. Standing in the doorway was the elf high priestess and village chief, Castanea. Though she was kind and gentle, the elf effortlessly commanded the respect of the entire village. Her demeanor was reflected in her soft, almost fragile expression, complimented with deep blue eyes and "unfocused pupils" that "glow in the coolness of the air" that did not betray even a hint of her age or experience.

The two entered the waiting room and closed the door. Then, after sitting in chairs opposite each other, the consultation began.

The gentle high priestess spoke with what was once described as a "bleary voice coming through some wet paper":

"It's good to see you, Rigel. You've grown up into such a handsome young man." she smiled, causing him to smile in return at the compliment. Because he was an orphan, the wise and kind high priestess had become somewhat of a mother figure to him, giving him advice and helping him in the times where he had no blood relatives to rely on. "Do you know why I have come?" she continued in her gentle voice.

"Yes" he answered. "It's customary for the high priestess to give the two getting married her blessing before the ceremony starts." he explained, speaking a bit more formally than he usually did.

"That's right." she responded, smiling. Then, continuing in the same motherly voice that had cared for him for so many years, she asked: "How do you feel, Rigel? You must be nervous."

Hearing the high priestess guess at his nervousness made Rigel feel a bit better. In a way, it seemed that the wise elf always said the right thing without even trying. "Well... yeah." He honestly began, loosening his tongue a bit as he settled back into familiar conversation with the village chief. "It's like, I don't really know what to think. I guess I never really pictured myself getting married, you know?" he continued. Once the words started coming out, Rigel found himself voicing all of his worries in a torrent that couldn't be stopped. "I don't even think I know how to be a... a husband. How did I end up here? It feels like just yesterday I was learning how to cast spells against armadillos."

Castanea smiled, a warm smile that reflected her seemingly infinite understanding and wisdom. As a magician, she had been the one to first interest Rigel in the magical arts, sending him down that path instead of the one that so many of his fellow elves had followed. However, fighting class wasn't the only thing that set him apart from his friends, as time had told. It was no surprise at all that Rigel was nervous. Such feelings were perfectly normal for one who was about to take such a step in life, especially so for an elf like Rigel who had been away from home for so long.

The elf high priestess closed her eyes and softly sighed, letting the still air in the room relax the mood and relieve the tension with its natural calm. For a moment, time itself seemed to stand still.

Finally, Castanea spoke. "You know..." she softly began, "I remember the days when you were young, when you were new to this world..." her soft gaze made its way towards the ceiling, focusing on nothing in particular as she reminisced fondly. "'A child of the village.' That's what we used to call you. Do you remember?"

The question was more rhetorical than serious. Rigel smiled shyly and looked down. He didn't answer, but he remembered, of course. These were his precious childhood memories, and she was the embodiment of them.

"Yes, I remember..." she continued, instead. "The village was a bit smaller back then, as well. Back when the memory tower was still there. I remember..." she added, "I remember when you used to sit at my feet, at the top of that little hill" she giggled, conceding a rare moment of sentimentality. As kind as the Elf chieftain was, it was very rare for her show any sign of weakness. And now, here she was, opening up to the young elf.

Rigel smiled warmly. When he was a child, the Elf priestess would receive her guests outside, including Rigel. He remembered sitting on the warm sand, with nothing but the clear desert sky above them. Truly, they were the simplest of times, when the enemies were small and easy to fight, leveling up was easy, and nothing in the world mattered but the familial love that the elves shared with one another.

"Rigel, allow me to ask you a question." The elf priestess continued, choosing to finally address his troubles. "Close your eyes, and take a deep breath. Calm the storm inside of your heart, and block out all other earthly intrusions. Instead, focus on this one question. Think deeply about the answer. How do you feel about her?"

"Uh... I... w-what do you mean by that?" he stammered in response.

The elf priestess spoke again, even more slowly and gentler than before, as if to calm a sandstorm with only the peace of her own voice.

"Do you love her?"

Rigel froze. All at once, images of his fiancé flooded into his mind, despite his efforts to "block out all earthly intrusions". He found himself picturing their first meeting, to their first dungeon together. He recalled that he didn't remember exactly when he developed feelings for her, but when they became lovers, it seemed to him that nothing else in the world had been more true, more certain, than their love for each other. Even now, he pictured her amber eyes gazing deeply into his own, as if into his very soul, the very soul that she had become an inseparable part of. Time had passed, validating his feelings in a way, though he had never felt that they needed to be, anyway. Before, Rigel's head was a flurry of questions and uncertainties. Now, however, the answer to Castanea's question shone as clearly and sure as Eweca in the night sky:

"Yes," he answered, "with all of my heart."

Castanea smiled. His answer was the correct one, the only one she needed.

"Then do not doubt yourself any longer. You have matured, Rigel. You may think yourself young... but you are strong, and wise. I have faith that will surely solve any problems that you encounter. The rest will take care of itself. Therefore, you may still the uncertainty in your heart."

Rigel exhaled slowly and deeply. The high priestess' words lingered in his mind, the meaning of their message slowly sinking into his consciousness. Was it really all that simple? He didn't understand at all, but he trusted the words of his mentor.

Yet, even still, a peaceful relaxation slowly spread through the rest of the young elf's body. Somehow, that message had stood out in his mind more than anything else. If he was only sure of one thing, it was of the love that he shared with Amia, and, as long as he kept that in the center of his thoughts, the rest of his troubles seemed to slowly relax themselves away. Is this what it meant to be in love?

Seeing the calmed expression on his face, Castanea smiled and stood up. "Now, young elf, I believe it is time for me to depart. The ceremony will start soon, and I know you are ready."

Rigel smiled, and nodded in agreement. He was sure of himself, now. Though his heart still sped up at the mention of the wedding that was about to take place, the shadow of doubt had been illuminated away from his thoughts.

"Then, I will give you my blessing" she continued, finally getting to the formalities of the event. With a deliberate but quick hand-to-forehead gesture, it was finished. With a quick embrace, the miniature ceremony ended, and the elf high priestess exited to continue her duties. Once again, Rigel was by himself in the waiting room.

~ ~ ~

Sunlight danced through the broad leaves of a tall palm tree, traveling down and bathing the wedding hall and its audience in a warm glow. Though the hall was a part of the elven cathedral, it was essentially outside, having no ceiling. Instead, the desert sun came down unobstructed, allowing all present to experience its full brilliance.

Among those elves enjoying the sun's warmth was the groom, who nervously but surely walked down the aisle towards the altar. The wedding ceremony had begun at last, and all eyes were on the young elf as he walked straight into destiny.

Rigel reached the end of the aisle and stood facing the altar. The priestess conducting the ceremony continued with the rites as the audience looked on, excitedly and enthusiastically absorbed in the celebration taking place. Rigel stood stiffly, barely processing the priestess' words as they entered his ears, quickly becoming lost in a racing sea of thoughts. To him, the whole thing felt surreal and distant, like some kind of out-of-body experience. Now that he was finally here, he could hardly believe it.

The nervous elf was able to finally free himself from his racing thoughts for the briefest of moments, just enough to notice the progress of the ongoing ceremony. Following the progression of the wedding, Rigel slowly turned around to face the front of the hall, and was met face to face with his bride-to-be.

The sudden sight of his love in full wedding attire was shocking enough to put Rigel in a state of awe. Her cascading raven hair fell in long, beautiful waves just past her shoulders, which were bare above the form of her pure, flowing white dress, perhaps equal in extravagance to his own elaborate outfit in a way that accentuated her petite but feminine form. His eyes dared to travel over to her face, meeting hers in a passionate gaze. Though the setting was novel and unfamiliar, her dark but infinitely luminescent eyes reflected the same innocence and youthful passion that first attracted his attention all of those years ago.

Then, Amia reached the platform, and the two turned to face each other. Once again, time stood still.

His eyes continued to meet hers in a focused, unbroken gaze that was neither tense nor awkward. At last, they were finally together, and Rigel was truly at home. Not only was he back in the land of his birth and ancestors, but he was also with her - in that way, he was truly home, both physically and in his heart.

Their gazes finally parted when the two turned to face the altar. The sun shone brightly overhead. Rigel looked up to the sky for a brief moment. Their world was both a beautifully infinite and infinitely beautiful place, the story of which he wrote his own chapters. The next chapter, he suddenly realized, would be co-authored.

And it started today.

~ ~ ~

Starlight twinkled across the clear night sky, illuminating the cool desert night with its pure luminescence. The elven city of Filia was slowly relaxing from the day's events - a wedding for one of its young elves, as well as the ensuing celebration, which lasted well into the night. Even now, the distant glow of fires and the dull roar of happy chatter could be heard all the way from the outskirts of the city, where the married couple had escaped to.

Seeking a bit of alone time, Rigel and Amia had snuck away from the festivities to one of the numerous rocky hills that surrounded the southern side of the city. Each one rose to a little plateau that made for an ideal place to sit and chat.

Rigel and Amia found themselves sitting atop one of these little plateaus, enjoying the simple pleasure of each others' company while the stars looked down from above.

"Wow..." Rigel began, as his mind began to wander. "That was really something, wasn't it?"

Amia giggled, feeling at perfect ease in the solitary company of her lover. "Yeah! I know, right?" she answered. "I still can hardly believe we were there. I've got to say, though, things don't even really feel that different, you know? But it feels so good to be back here."

"Back here?" he asked, a bit confused by her meaning.

"Back in your arms, that is..." she replied, smiling warmly. "Not having to worry about anything. When I'm with you like this, it's like... I'd say, it's kinda like nothing else matters. Know what I mean?"

Rigel smiled, and sighed. Of course, he knew what she meant - the two were perfectly in sync, as usual. Once again, she had precisely and accurately articulated how he was feeling, in a way that made it seem like she understood him better than he understood himself. That was another thing about being in love, he had come to realize: to him, it seemed that they were on the same wavelength, in a way that nobody else he had ever met had made him feel. It was like their souls had been intertwined by the thread of fate, in a way that made itself eternally obvious in every way possible, every time they were together. It was an almost supernatural feeling, in a way that would make even someone who didn't believe in things like fate or destiny to reconsider. Before, he had been apprehensive and nervous, but now, his head was clear, without any trace of doubt that had riddled him before. Truly, he and her were soul mates. Now they were married, as if to prove it, as if it were something that needed to be proved, or solidified. To Rigel, his feelings were more than enough.

"So, what'd Violet give you back there?" Rigel asked.

"Oh!" she replied, shifting through her bag for a wedding present. Though the wedding was all the way in the desert, far from the humans' home lands, two of Amia's best friends had made the journey to attend their friend's marriage. One of them, Violet, had given her a present.
"'It's nothing big', she told me, but these are really special. I don't think there's any better time to use them than now, what do you think?" Violet explained, reaching into her bag and pulling out several sheets of sparkling paper.

Rigel laughed excitedly, and moved to look at the little novelties. "Wow!" he exclaimed, taking one of the papers and examining it closely. They sparkled with a magical shine, the product of some enchantment or another. "Look at these! Are these really for...?"

"Paper airplanes!" she laughed. "Yup!"

Rigel took one of the sheets, and eagerly began to fold along with her. The two made suitable little planes, just as they had done so many times before when they were younger. The height of the plateau over the desert made for a perfect vantage point for throwing the little gliders.

The two turned to each other, and shared a moment of mutual, boundless understanding, just as they had done in the wedding hall a few hours ago. This time, it lasted but a fleeting moment, before the two turned to the open sky in front of
them.

"One... two... three!" he counted, and the two released their airplanes. They soared through the air, leaving sparkling contrails of magic as they traveled towards their destination.

With his arms wrapped around her, the two sat in a mutual, wordless embrace.

"I love you, Rigel" she spoke, breaking the silence for a brief moment.

"I love you too, Amia" he replied, naturally. To him, the short phrase was perfect. At that moment, it would not have been possible for him to say anything he felt to be more true to his very soul.

The two turned, and released the second wave of paper planes. The two planes soared away, off towards a future where nothing was certain but each other's presence.

And that, too, was okay.

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