“I am happy. I just don’t know what to say to him.”
“You don’t have to say anything. Do not doubt his love for you. He’s always loved you. Even when he was acting badly, he was afraid that he would be left alone.”
“It’s hard to believe,” Gregory sighed. “All those years of pain…”
“How devastated would you be if Yuki died?” Darkness asked gently.
Inhaling sharply, Gregory’s mind refused to even think about that possibility.
“Exactly.”
“I find it hard to hold anything against him now,” Gregory said after a long moment of silence.
“It’s always hard when the one you love leaves you,” Darkness agreed, her voice full of pain and loss.
“Darkness?”
“Sorry, dear one... just remembering. It’s almost time for me to go.”
“I’ll miss you.”
“I know. It makes me happy to know that you look forward to these moments as much as I do. Soon, you’ll have Yuki to keep you company. That will distract you from thoughts of me, and I won’t blame you for that. She would distract me, too, if our places were reversed.”
“Wait. Does that mean—?” Gregory started to ask, but the world around him trembled.
“Sorry, dear one. It’s time,” Darkness murmured. “Dream of me tonight.”
~*~*~
Gregory woke with a groan. After speaking with Darkness, his dreams had been filled with a woman of shadow, using and pleasing him at her leisure.
Dressing in his wedding attire, Gregory felt butterflies flutter in his stomach. His kimono was black silk with a blue flame pattern on it. The emblem of the clan was embroidered on the back, as was traditional for a magi’s wedding clothes.
Dressed for the day, Gregory looked at the boots he’d received the night before. He had yet to put them on, but he wondered about them. The gloves vanished or appeared when worn. His uncertainty about the boots would have made him skip them, but now, he had another thought. Taking off his normal footwear, he slipped the black leather boots on.
The sensation of the leather forming to his feet was a little unnerving, but they didn’t take long to do so. Looking down, he was puzzled. The footwear looked just as it had, but to Gregory, it felt as if the boots had shaped to his feet like a glove, becoming a second skin.
They look a little odd for the clothing, but not horri… Gregory’s thought trailed off as the boots changed their appearance. A second later, they looked to be identical to the ones he normally wore. Okay… so they’re like the obi Yukiko got? The footwear shifted again and became formal footwear, fit for a wedding or other major occasion.
The knock on his door jarred Gregory from his thoughts. Opening it, he found Dia standing there. “Dia? How can I help you?”
“The other two have left. I came to let you know that you may come have breakfast without worry.”
Gregory bowed to her. “Thank you, Dia.”
“The carriage will take you to Gin’s home once you’re ready to go. I have to finish some things before the rest of us can make it to the feast. Excuse me.”
Heading downstairs, Gregory forgot all about the boots, and the butterflies in his stomach continued to grow. “Good morning, Steva,” Gregory greeted the rat eurtik.
“Good morning to you, as well. Is your stomach a churning mess?” Steva asked.
“How’d you know?”
“I remember my own wedding day,” Steva chuckled. “Nervous and wondering if everything would go correctly or not. That settled down when I got to the difficulties set by her family.”
“That’s part of what makes me nervous,” Gregory admitted. “I have no doubt that Gin and Lin will have something planned... The greater the difficulties overcome, the more prosperous your marriage is supposed to be.”
“That’s what they say,” Steva agreed, bringing breakfast to Gregory. “We’ll all be at the feast. We know that no matter what they set before you, you’ll win.”
“Thank you for the confidence.”
Steva bowed to Gregory before he left the young man to eat in silence.
~*~*~
Yukiko sat still as Vana, Nessa’s mother, wove cyan cords of the softest cotton into Yukiko’s short hair.
“I still remember my wedding,” Vana sighed in happy remembrance. “This day you will have with you for the rest of your life.”
“Yes. Today is the day my heart joins with me,” Yukiko said happily.
“You’re lucky to have found him.”
“Yes... I thank Aether every night,” Yukiko said, with a hint of mirth.
Vana stopped when there was a knock on the door. She went to check on it, and looked back at Yukiko. “Do you mind if your friends come in?”
“They can enter,” Yukiko replied.
Jenn, Nessa, and Daciana entered the room, all of them smiling as they took seats near Yukiko. Jenn’s kimono was the only one besides Yukiko’s made of silk, but all three of their outfits were light blue and white, making Yukiko’s striking red kimono stand out beautifully.
“Your family is not going easy,” Jenn said. “I overheard Gin and Lin talking.”
“It’ll be fine. My heart won’t be stopped.”
~*~*~
Gregory paced the large room at Gin’s house, his nerves growing.
“Peace, son. I was similar once,” Carmichael said. “You both obviously love each other deeply.”
“You didn’t have the difficulties before the wedding,” Gregory said. “You two just pledged to each other.”
Carmichael looked into the distance, clearly losing himself in a memory for a moment. “Yes, but I was still a nervous wreck until it was done.”
Gregory stopped pacing. “Okay.”
“Would you like more tea?” Elsa asked from the doorway.
Gregory gave Elsa a smile. “I’m fine, Elsa. Thank you.”
Elsa smiled back, her hands gently tugging at the waist of her light blue dress. “Okay. I’ll be waiting to let you know when they arrive.”
Carmichael watched Elsa go. “I was told you saved her from the street.”
“Saved is a bit too much. Elsa was surviving without our help. We just gave her a place to call home.”
“Her and her friends,” Baylyss said, stepping into the room. “How excited they all are today. They’ve been sad that they missed their training the last two weeks, but have been very excited about the wedding.”
“We’ve missed seeing them,” Gregory said.
“Everything is in place for your return tonight,” Baylyss said. “The place will be empty until tomorrow morning, when the children and I return to make breakfast.”
Gregory cheeks heated at what she was implying. “Thank you, Baylyss.”
Baylyss’ ear twitched. “I believe they’re coming.”
Elsa came rushing back into the room. “They’re coming down the street now.”
“Very well,” Gregory said, exhaling deeply. “Let me go meet my heart.”
~*~*~
Gregory heard the musicians when he stepped outside. The music was upbeat, festive, and full of energy. The instruments blended together beautifully as a whole, but also stood out when needed.
The first vehicle was an open wagon with the musicians in the back. The music reduced in volume, but kept playing as the carriage following them came to a slow halt. Behind them, another open carriage came to a stop. Jenn, Daciana, Nessa, Dia, Inda, and Indara sat in it, watching him. More open carriages pulled up behind that one, and Gregory gave them all a bow of his head.
One of the carriages caught Gregory’s attention when the door opened and Gin stepped out of it. Dressed in armor, Gin walked toward him, looking serious. “Gregory Pettit, you seek to become the husband of Yukiko Warlin?”
“I do seek to unite with my heart,” Gregory replied.
“There are challenges that must be faced for it to be allowed.”
“I will best any challenge that stands between us
.”
“Prove your devotion,” Gin said as he held out a hand, and the guard on the back of the carriage pulled down a naginata.
Gregory caught the weapon, and was glad to see it had a practice blade on it. Looking back to Gin, Gregory worried as Egil and Lin, also dressed in armor, climbed out and stood beside Gin. “Three-on-one?”
“This is your only challenge, but we had to make it equal to the woman who waits for you,” Gin said simply as he drew his sword, the blade catching the sunlight.
Gregory’s heart sped up when Lin and Egil both drew their swords. Setting his feet, he was glad the front of the home was open and that he had space to move. Baylyss and the kids stepped back with Carmichael, giving them as much room as possible.
The musicians shifted from the happy music they had been playing to a more ominous tune. A second after that, the three men rushed at Gregory.
Foresight came to Gregory in a heartbeat and, sliding on balanced feet, he met the rush with one of his own. He angled to isolate Lin first, as he was the weakest of the three. Gregory was focused on Lin, so the ruckus from the bridal train barely touched his awareness.
Egil and Gin did their best to stop Gregory from singling Lin out, but they were a few steps behind him. Gregory didn’t hold back— he knew he was well behind in the fight to start with.
Gregory knew everything he needed, and Lin hissed in pain, going down on one knee and holding his right wrist. Gregory tapped the butt of the naginata into Lin’s forehead to let the man know he’d be dead if Gregory wanted to kill him. Lin dropped to the ground, acting the dead man he should have been, though he held his injured wrist.
The next half-minute was the most chaotic, fluid fight Gregory had ever experienced as Gin and Egil pushed him. With his innate skill with the naginata and foresight, Gregory was able to keep up with the two armsmasters, but could not find an opening.
Neither of the older men said anything. They had to work to push Gregory, though Egil silently lamented he hadn’t brought a naginata himself. Baylyss rushed forward when the fight distanced itself from Lin. Helping him up, she got him out of the way before the fight moved back toward where he’d been.
The fight seemed like it would end with Gregory losing the moment he ran out of enough aether to keep his foresight going. Taking a chance, Gregory faked a stumble to the side when his foot came near Lin’s dropped sword.
Egil snorted. Going to take advantage of the misstep, he had to bring his sword up and sideways to deflect the metal flying at his face. That deflection moved his blade out of the way for Gregory, who had snapped the sword off the ground with the butt of the naginata.
Capitalizing on the distraction, Gregory chained three attacks together, pushing Egil’s sword farther out of alignment. Committing to his strategy, Gregory thrust forward. Egil was just a touch slow to stop the wooden blade from hitting his neck. Gagging and clutching his neck, Egil dropped his sword and fumbled for a vial attached to his obi.
Gin grunted as he sidestepped around his injured friend. “Well done, but you can’t keep going for much longer.”
Gregory just grinned as he stepped into Gin’s attack, dropping the naginata as he did so. The surprise on Gin’s face was matched by the horror on everyone else’s faces when they saw the naginata hit the ground. Gin tried to stop himself, only to have his aborted attack slam into a barrier from Gregory’s enchanted armband, forcing Gin’s sword even farther out of position. Gregory slammed his open palm into Gin’s chin before grabbing the old man by the top of his armor and pitching him over his hip.
Gin wheezed when he hit the ground, his fingers loosening on his sword for a fraction of a second. That was all Gregory needed to yank it away and lay the blade against Gin’s neck.
“I yield,” Gin grunted. “You have proven your worth.”
Gregory nodded as he set the sword to the side and stood up. Lifting his head, he went to the carriage and opened the door, where he found Yukiko beaming at him. “Dear one, I’ve bested your family’s challenge. Do you still desire to join me?”
“Forever,” Yukiko whispered.
Gregory’s face lit up in a smile and he climbed into the carriage, shutting the door behind him.
Chapter Sixty-four
After shutting the door, Yukiko smiled at him. “Dear one,” Gregory whispered, taking the seat beside her.
“I was worried when I heard what they’d planned,” Yukiko said.
“They didn’t plan to kill me,” Gregory said. “Gin pulled that last strike, and I thought they were a little out of step. They definitely made me earn it.”
“Yes.”
“You look lovely,” Gregory said, staring into her cyan eyes.
Yukiko smiled as she stared back. “As do you, dear one. I don’t recognize the shoes, though.”
“The boots. They change,” Gregory said, focusing on them for a moment so they looked like his regular boots before going back.
“Oh, like my new obi.”
The carriage lurched slightly as it got underway, the musicians again playing a happy tune.
“Did you notice the others get upset?” Yukiko asked.
“What do you mean?” Gregory asked in return.
“Jenn, Daciana, and Nessa were unhappy that you had to face three all at once. They started to object, but Inda and Indara stopped them.”
“I heard something, but I had to focus.”
“Yes, you did.”
“Where are your parents? I expected them to be in here with you.”
“At the hall, waiting for us, along with the rest of the guests. In an hour, we’ll be wed.”
Gregory’s smile matched hers as he took her hand and held it lovingly.
~*~*~
When they made it to the wedding hall, small fireworks were set off, announcing the arrival of the procession. Gregory escorted Yukiko inside, the last ones to enter the marble building. Everyone was watching as the doors closed behind them. Friends, family, and others that had shown them kindness watched from either side of the aisle that the two walked down.
Side by side, hand-in-hand, the couple approached the far side of the room where an altar was waiting for them. To the left stood Yukiko’s parents and Jenn, while Carmichael was on the right.
The couple separated to walk around the altar, before coming back together and facing each other. Four matching sets of small cups were the only items on it. Together in perfect unison, Yukiko and Gregory picked up their first cups, decorated with the design of Aether’s flame. Each took a sip from the cup they held, before exchanging it with each other and finishing the drink.
“The first binding is to the gods. It was in aether they met, so Aether is the one they thank for bringing them together,” Hao announced.
Setting down the empty cups, they picked up the second set and repeated the process. The second cup had the image of an old couple smiling at each other.
“The second binding is to appease the spirits of their ancestors who came before them. It is only because of these forebears that they are here to love each other.”
Gregory and Yukiko continued to see only each other as they moved to the third cup. A child looking up at a man and woman decorated the third cup. After they drank, they set the cup back down.
“The third binding: a thank you to their parents who helped raise them and allowed this moment to come. May their marriage be as full of love as their parents’ marriages have been.”
The fourth cup held a single heart, and as the couple finished drinking the last one, both felt a surge of joy deep inside them.
“The last binding to each other, for they have pledged their hearts to one another,” Hao said, his voice a little thick as he finished speaking.
Setting their cups down, the newlyweds turned to face the cheering crowd. After a few moments, the gathering quieted and Gregory cleared his throat. “We thank you for coming to our wedding. We’ve been waiting for this day for six months, and while that might feel like no time
to some, it’s felt like an eternity to us.”
A ripple of laughter and knowing grins went through a portion of those attending.
“Now, we can hold our heads high and thank you for coming to this event. We’re honored to call you friends and family.” Gregory finished by bowing his head to the crowd.
“My dearest one has said much of what I wished to convey,” Yukiko said. “We know that this is only the start of our joined path, and that many obstacles will be encountered as we walk it. Those will be overcome, because we will aid each other at every hardship. And we know that in those moments when we both struggle, our friends will be there to help us.” Her smile was wide as she bowed her head and the gathering cheered.
Aether's Guard Page 54