Raven's Song

by Launnie Roush

  “Ah. Well, I suppose we shouldn’t keep everyone waitin', then.”

  The brothers moved in unison as they entered the temple proper. The building’s interior was brightly lit by sunlight pouring in through glass panels set in the curved roof. Rows of cherrywood pews were bisected by aisles carpeted in burgundy. At the temple’s center was a circular dais from which the sermons were conducted. Every Wednesday evening, this and every other White Order temple in the Federation was filled with devout followers who prayed, sang devotional songs, and listened raptly while the holy speaker delivered the teachings. Today, small bouquets of wildflowers adorned the ends of the pews and white streamers of gauzy silk were draped gracefully from the ceiling.

  In observance of a centuries-old Federation matrimonial tradition, the guests of the groom were clothed in black and white, while the bride’s guests were clothed in white and green, the official colors of the bride and groom’s respective home states. Max recognized his family and every member of his father’s board of directors among his guests. The rest were a potpourri of personal friends, notable VSF troopers, and influential individuals from all across Raven.

  The bridesmaids, all of whom held small bouquets of wildflowers, and groomsmen, a line consisting of Bertram, Michael, Ronald, and Daryl, stood around the dais, all of them looking splendid in their formal clothes. Upon the dais stood a simple wooden holy table with the Book of the Creator, two lit white candles, and a smoking censer placed upon it. A sizable infinity symbol of gilded metal was suspended above all this. Blessed Anthony Bell, who was outfitted in his formal white cassock and surplice, stood before the holy table, and as Max approached he stepped down to lay his hands upon the groom’s brow and bless him.

  Anthony has just finished when there came the sound of a string quartet playing a transcendently lovely tune, and the doors on the far side of the chapel opened. All in attendance stood, faced the doors, and gasps of wonder and appreciation could be heard throughout the building. Caitlyn was resplendent in her wedding dress as she walked down the aisle arm-in-arm with her father. Max’s heart nearly stopped as he beheld her radiant beauty and marveled at her delicate grace. When Caitlyn reached the dais, Anthony blessed her before facing Abraham.

  “Do you, of your own volition, consent to this union?” he asked the father of the bride, his voice ringing out strong in the sizable space thanks to the sound amplifying nanites swarming about.

  Abraham, who had yet to fully forgive Max his past transgressions against his daughter, nonetheless smiled, gazed lovingly into his daughter’s eyes, and answered, “With all my heart.”

  He then kissed his child’s cheek, and he and Bert moved away. Anthony took Caitlyn’s hands and placed them in Max’s before stepping back onto the dais.

  “Marriage,” he recited, “is the ancient oath of love and complete devotion between two people. When we take this oath we promise to dedicate our lives to the one person we love above all others. Today, we gather to witness and celebrate the union of these lovers in matrimony most divine. It is in this blissful state that they shall live out their remaining lives as one and exist together for all eternity. Objections?”

  If anyone in the room had any objections to the proposed union, they did not voice them, so Anthony proceeded. “The rings?”

  Megan and Bert stepped forward, placing rings into their respective siblings’ hands.

  “Now Maximilian, place the ring upon Caitlyn’s finger and speak your vows,” Anthony instructed.

  Max gently, almost reverently, took Caitlyn’s left hand and slid her ring onto the appropriate finger. It was a beautiful thing made of a thin band of gold and a small cluster of pure white diamonds sparkling at its center which was girded by two equally small, square-cut emeralds. He was trying desperately, and with little success, to still the quaking in his hands. Caitlyn smiled patiently as she waited for him to speak, her eyes already moistening with joyous tears. The tender expression on her face helped him find the courage to execute the most important action in his life so far.

  “Dearest Caitlyn,” he recited in a gentle voice, “I know I’ve not been good to you for many years now, and in that time I’ve hurt you and forsaken you. I am ashamed of my stupidity and am so very thankful you are giving me the gift of your love and allowing me the privilege of being your husband. But I must admit that right now I've never been more terrified in my life. I'm terrified at the idea of disappointin’ you or hurtin’ you again or, worst of all, losin’ you. So, I'll swear to you now that I'll commit every second of my life to your happiness. I'll provide for you and protect you, and I'll lay down my life in tireless service to you. You're my heart, my soul, my only happiness, and my reason for existing. I love you so very much, Caitlyn, and, if you'll let me, I'll spend an eternity provin’ this to you.”

  Those tears which had been previously unwept now fell freely from Caitlyn’s eyes as her truest love sincerely pledge his life to her. “Caitlyn, if you would please be so kind,” Anthony instructed.

  “Dear sweet Maximilian,” she cooed, “we've known each other almost our entire lives. When I was a little girl you were my best friend, and as we grew, I came to adore you, and, despite all we’ve been through, I still do. You are the most perfect thing I've ever seen. My knees go weak when you look at me, your voice sends shivers through me, and your touch stops my heart. When we’re together, you treat me like a queen, although I've done nothing to deserve such kindness. I love you with all my being, Max, and want nothing more than to be with you, through prosperous years and those of hardship, for all time.”

  Anthony nodded, apparently pleased with the words of devotion the bride and groom had just spoken. “Maximilian Von Raben, do you take this woman to be yours, to honor and serve, through all aspects of prosperity and hardship, until death does sever you?”

  Maximilian squeezed Caitlyn’s hand, “With all I have!”

  Anthony asked Caitlyn the same question, replacing the word “woman” with “man", and she answered as warm tears coursed down her cheeks, “Always and forever!”

  Anthony raised his hands high above the couple and announced, “It is with the blessings of the Creator that I now proclaim you husband and wife. You may now share your first kiss as a wedded couple.”

  All in attendance stood and let out celebratory cheers as the newlyweds did just that.

  NINE

  “Just lookit ‘er! Doesn’t she take your breath away?!” an enraptured Max proclaimed.

  “I do not breathe, but she is an angel among humanity,” Daryl agreed.

  The reception party was at full revelry as the friends and families of the newlyweds danced and made merry in the main hall of the New Bismarck civic auditorium. The spacious room was nicely decorated in silk streamers and wildflowers matching the White Seat’s decorations. A table nearly fifty feet long was piled high with culinary delicacies to please any palate and was crowned by an ice sculpture of a pair of hands, one obviously masculine and the other feminine, lovingly clasped together. A large bandstand had been erected and a skilled band, which was headed up by Megan’s extremely talented husband, was entertaining the guests with poplar tunes from a multitude of musical forms.

  Caitlyn and her bridesmaids stood at the edge of the dance floor. They were all laughing and gesturing excitedly as they carried on a spirited conversation amongst themselves.

  “I can’t believe it, Daryl. I just can’t believe I have a wife now,” Max remarked in wonder.

  Daryl shrugged, “It was bound to happen sooner or later. I am just glad to see you and Caitlyn so happy.”

  Just then Bert, Michael, and Ronald sauntered over. Max felt a potent fraternal love well up in him upon beholding this trio. The men had been fast friends since early childhood, and Max could remember being ten years old and idolizing his older brother and the two roguish cut-ups he kept company with. Though they were ten years older than Max, they had included him in as many of their youthful shenanigans as possible, going as far
as naming him their mascot, a mantle Max wore proudly. As Max grew into manhood, Bert and his pals had adopted him into their fold, promoting him from mascot to full-fledged member of their nameless fraternal order. This order was one in which joy and hardships were shared amongst its members, everything from teenage Max’s discovery that Caitlyn’s, the love of his life, loved him just as deeply to the overwhelming grief that was born of the tragic and sudden death of Bert’s wife. These men would always be his beloved brothers, and Max’s appointing them as his best men had been as reflexive as blinking ones’ eyes.

  “And here, my friends, we have the happily-married man of the hour! Look, a small fortune spent on food, and he doesn’t even have a plate!” Ronald teased as he hefted his own formidably filled platter.

  “It appears he’s too busy ogling his wife,” Michael observed.

  “She’s so beautiful!” Max sighed.

  “Lookit ‘er blushin’! What cha think they’re gabbin’ about over there?!” Ronald wondered aloud.

  “They are discussing the act of pillowing,” Daryl answered simply.

  Ronald turned to Daryl, “And how wouldja know that, robo-dork?”

  “I can read lips,” Daryl answered simply.

  “Then read this!” Ronald snapped before silently mouthing a vulgar insult at the SIR.

  “Very clever,” Daryl remarked with a small smile as

  the men around him laughed loudly.

  At this moment, the sound of Frederic’s voice rang out over the din of the crowd, “My beloved family and dearest friends, I wish to thank you for gathering here today to celebrate the blessed union of my son, Maximilian, to Caitlyn Floyd, the daughter of one of my staunchest allies!”

  Applause and cries of gaiety filled the air for nearly a minute, dying only when Frederic motioned for quiet.

  “Once again, I thank you,” he continued, “but now I believe it’s time for my son to join his wife on the dance floor for their first dance. Maximilian, come forward and fulfill your first duty as husband. And yes, that’s a direct order from your boss.”

  A small ripple of laughter met Frederic’s joke, and Max felt as if every eye in the building had turned to him. It seemed as though his heart was going to pound itself out of his chest. On the field of battle, he was brave to the core, but it was a markedly different story in certain social situations.

  Bert gave him a gentle nudge towards the dance floor. “Go on, your wife’s waiting,” he urged quietly.

  Spurred into action, Max strolled briskly towards Caitlyn, her bridesmaids moving aside while whispering excitedly to each other. Caitlyn was smiling nervously as she fidgeted uncontrollably. Max held out his hand and as Caitlyn took it, the band broke into a touchingly romantic song, which the newlyweds were thrilled to discover was their love song.

  Once they had reached the center of the floor, Max kissed Caitlyn’s hand before they entered into a dancer’s embrace. “We’ve never done this in front of so many people,” Caitlyn whispered.

  “We‘re waiting!” Ronald called from his spot by the dance floor, causing another quiet ripple of laughter to move across the room but doing little to put the newlyweds at ease.

  “We’ll just have to try our best,” Max told her.

  They started to move in time to the music, and although Max accidentally trod on Caitlyn’s feet on two occasions, they quickly found their rhythm. The rest of the world seemed to fade away and they gazed lovingly into each other’s eyes while they danced, which was fitting as the song spoke of two lovers floating in space and drifting in time, together forever in their very own universe. As the song reached its climax, the dancefloor suddenly lit up with a breathtaking galaxy of tiny stars, darting comets, and shimmering nebulae, all created by the countless nanites which permeated the air around the newlyweds. This visual spectacle, coupled with the gracefully dancing couple, created a wondrously beautiful scene which deeply touched all in attendance.

  They finished their dance with no further difficulties, and as the song came to an end, Max drew his wife close and kissed her tenderly while joyous applause filled the air.

  #

  After the reception had come to a close, the newlyweds were ushered onto an air transport and flown to their honeymoon destination. Mayaimi was a coastal resort city located in the far southern reaches of the state of Mustang, and it had a well established reputation thanks to its pristine beaches and vibrant nightlife. Max and Caitlyn spent three hours being escorted all across the city by its mayor, a short, incandescently enthusiastic man who bragged about his city almost nonstop. The newlyweds were so deeply immersed in one another that they hardly heard a word uttered by their host. After what seemed like an eternity, the newlyweds were shown to their hotel just as the sun was starting to sink into the western sky.

  Max stood on the balcony of their luxuriant honeymoon suite, where he leaned on its rail and admired the panoramic view of the white-sanded beach the hotel stood adjacent to. He could hear the distant crash of waves against the shore and the smell of salty sea air teased his nostrils, both sensations he had been denied for most his life due to his living in a landlocked city. Deep down, he felt nothing but pure bliss and a deep sense of satisfaction. He was so involved with all this that he did not hear Caitlyn, who had recently finished showering, come up behind him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder with a contented sigh, her wedding ring sparkling in the early evening light.

  Max clasped his hands over his wife’s and continued to watch the ocean while basking in the sun’s warmth and the feel of her body pressed so close to his own. After some time had passed, Caitlyn moved away from her husband, causing him to turn away from the view. Max smiled as she loosened the belt of her bathrobe with her own smile, a decidedly sultry one. She shrugged her way out of the garment, and it melted from her body and pooled at her feet, leaving her standing nude in his desirous gaze. He felt his arousal immediately blaze high as he took in her breath-taking form.

  Max was motionless for so long that Caitlyn lowered her gaze and tried to cover herself as she flushed with embarrassment. He quickly moved forward and grabbed her hands, preventing her from concealing the most glorious sight he had ever seen. Caitlyn looked up in time to meet Max in a deep, heart-stopping kiss that wrenched a loud, shameless moan of passion from her. When they finally broke from each other several fiery moments later, they were both panting for breath. Max, utterly overcome with lust, scooped Caitlyn off her feet, carried her to their honeymoon bed, and tossed her down with a touch of roughness she found extremely arousing.

  “Together. Always and forever,” she declared, her voice overflowing with unbridled lust, as Max rushed to undress himself.

  TEN

  Every year on the third Wednesday in June, all nine of the Federation’s state governors met with the president in Federal City, the capital city of the Federation, to discuss political, economic, and social issues. Many considered it a joyous time because it was through the governors that the people were allowed to voice to the president their hopes, wishes, and concerns. It was with this in mind that Governor Bertram Von Raben set off alone for Federal City.

  The air transport, a wedge-shaped conveyance with short, swept back wings and powerful scramjet engines capable of VTOL, or Vertical Take-Off and Landing, maneuvers, quickly traversed the continent, heading towards the capital. Located on the western seaboard of the Federation and built on the site of the ancient and storied city of Los Angeles, Federal City was a place of beauty and majesty unparalleled in the Federation. Shining, aesthetically pleasing skyscrapers towered above the landscape alongside massive alabaster statues of ancient presidents. The streets were wide, immaculate thoroughfares and numerous parks and arboretums took up the larger empty spaces between the skyscrapers, many of these lofty structures housing museums and other establishments of cultural import on their lower floors. Sculptures, memorials, murals, and fountains had been installed all throughout the city, serving t
o further accentuate its grandeur.

  Bert’s transport swooped low between the skyscrapers, the tallest of them proudly displaying the state banners on their fronts, as was tradition. It finally came to a stop above an intricately landscaped property, at the center of which stood the Summit House. This rotunda was nothing more than a pavilion consisting of an ornate white marble dome supported by thick, Doric pillars. The dome itself was a relic of ancient America and had once crowned that country’s capitol building in Washington, D.C. It was beneath this dome that the High Summit was held.

  Surrounding the Summit House were nine landing pads, each with a different state seal upon it. One of these pads featured a large black raven, and Bert’s transport coasted down to this pad and gently landed. After the transport had settled, he stood and straightened his summit robe, a black silken kimono with a white obi and matching white trim on the cuffs of the sleeves, then exited the vehicle.

  Bert’s best friend, Governor Stephen Fulsom, a tall, strappingly handsome and charming man, met him at the base of the gangplank and greeted him with a hearty handshake. The men had met in their early twenties, and Bert had been stunned to learn that Stephen was the polar opposite of what he had been raised to believe about the Fulsoms. The man was, in short, a paragon of virtue. They quickly became inseparable friends, earning the ire of their fathers. This, coupled with their placing of political duties over family affairs, had led to their mutual estrangements.

  “Last to arrive, as always,” Stephen commented.

  Bert grinned, “I find being last makes for a more memorable entrance.”

  Stephen laughed, and they continued their friendly banter as they strolled to the Summit House. Inside the House was a circle of nine large, plush chairs, each with a state flag hung above it. The official flag of the Federation, a golden eagle on a field of red, was suspended above the center of the room. Six other governors were scattered about the room and were engaged in conversation or private meditations, all of them wearing kimonos featuring their state colors.