The Fire and The Storm - The Nexus of Kellaran #2
Chapter 146

Part 22

"In order to protect Karzog, Povon checks quite thoroughly to see if anyone else has figured it out, and so far no one has, with the possible exception of Quewanak. She can't check him without him knowing it, and knowing what she's checking for. It's quite likely that he's figured it out, but Povon is pretty sure that it's not the kind of thing he'd care about, one way or the other. If anyone else starts to figure it out, Povor will probably tamper with their minds just enough to make them forget about it.

"It's no one's business but your own, but Povon felt, and we agree, that we still need to know what's going on in your lives so that we can do what we can to protect you, since you're all still our dependent children, and still a long way from adulthood. We wouldn't intrude on your privacy, but that doesn't mean that we're not going to be observant."

"I understand." Fire nodded, as Six and Val joined them on the sofa beside Mark and held hands.

"You all know that Six prophesized that he and I were each other's destined loves." Val quietly stated. "I was the last of us to know. Six told me the last time we were here, before the big brainstorming session. We haven't even spoken of it to each other since then, but the knowledge is always there, coloring my thoughts, always.

"I don't know if it would be smarter for us to try to defy the prophesy, but we're not going to. We don't want to. Besides, right now it doesn't make any real difference anyway, and it won't until we're old enough to want to consummate our love. Without sex, it doesn't really matter to the rest of the world if I love him as a friend, or as a brother, or as a husband. Or all three at once.

"But part of me really wishes we didn't have to keep it secret to avoid problems. I wish I could do as you will today, and declare our love to the world, but I know we'll never be able to have a real wedding." "Sure you will, same as me and Karz." Fire assured her with a supportive caress on her shoulder. "We'll just have to do it in complete disguise under assumed names in a very small gathering in a very remote and obscure place. After the war we'll let ourselves fade from the public eye for a while first, and that'll help too."

"Thanks." Val smiled. "But that's not the same as doing it here in Laylas chapel, and feeling the magic binding and the magic love that this place adds to the marriage."

She looked to Six and held his eyes with hers. "So today, at the same time that Mother is saying her vows to Father, in my heart and in my mind, I'll be saying my vows to you. We should be close enough to them that the power released by their vows should cover ours, if such silent vows can even trigger the binding."

"I'll do the same, as Father says his vows." Six quietly assured her.

"As will Karz and I." Fire decided.

"I think that would be beautiful." Mark told them. "But please, only do so if you're absolutely and completely certain that it's the right thing to do. All of you."

"Yes Father." Six assured him. "We fully realize the power and importance of such vows."

He tilted his head to the side a bit and said; "Others are arriving."

Mark's grandfather Markhan the Third and his grandmother Sana were the first to join them a moment later, emerging from the door to the stairs from the lower floor and looking in their twenties. Over the next seven minutes they were joined by Caria, Yazadril, Nemia, Hilsith, Dalia, Bezedil, Povon, Kragorram, Karzog, Silaran, Equemev, Somonik, and six cousins and friends of Alilia from Heartwood.

The Dragons assumed smaller Simulacrums, but the room was still pleasantly full for a while. Then the bridesmaids and groomsmen left to take their places on the dais.

Eventually the chandelier chimed with a shimmering descending arpeggio from the centermost crystal outward to the perimeter, and an orchestra was heard outside beginning a stately piece with haunting harmonies.

"We should assume our formation." Somonik declared. "I believe that the correct order is myself as Master of The Ceremony, then the groom's party in the order of Mark, Markhan the Senior and Sana, then Six as best man. Then Talia's party; her, her parents, her maid of honor, then Alilia followed by Caria, then Val.

When they were all lined up Somonik formally declared; "We go forth with dignity.", and led the way down the wide curving stairway within the red wood of the great tree. They moved across the great hall on the first floor, following Somonik until he stopped before the open double doors facing the aisle that led to the dais.

They did so just as the last of the bridesmaids and groomsmen were making their way from the aisle to the third-highest tier of the dais. It was lucky that there was plenty of room on the dais. Kragorram and Povon assumed smaller Simulacrums to make room, but Karzog, Silaran, and Equemev did not, and they shared the third tier with eight elves. Karzog did sit up straight and wrap his tail around himself to conserve space.

Once they were in place, Somonik stepped forth into the aisle, then gracefully rose into the air and flew at a slow walking pace above the aisle, his simulacrum's three-meter wingspan slowly beating in time to the music. Above the center of the top tier of the dais he turned in the air, and alighted on the marble facing back down the aisle.

Mark stepped forth, Markhan and Sana just behind him, Six in the center of the aisle behind them, and made their measured way to the dais and up to its second level, then around it to the left. Talia and her party followed, stepping gracefully in time to the music, then Alilia and her party.

As Mark and his party waited for his brides to walk the hundred meters or so down the aisle, there was time to look about for a moment and to appreciate the decorations and the guests.

It was perfectly twilight, balanced between light and dark. Mark wasn't sure what time it was here, but his suspicions that this was artificial were confirmed over the coming hours, when the twilight failed to darken into night.

All the decorations were a single great Illusion; the markings for the aisle, the trunks of the great redwood trees all around them up to where they were hidden by branches hundreds of meters up, and floating through the air between six and eighteen meters above them. All were flowering plants that seemed to be made of light itself, glowing and shining in every color of the rainbow, slowly but visibly growing and shrinking and blooming and changing all the time, each incredibly detailed and beautiful. It was breathtaking. Mark made a mental note to thank and congratulate Caria about it.

Around the perimeter of the gathering the ninety-nine dragons who ruled Xervian Draconia lounged on the moss with their mates, then inward from them were the unicorns of The Senate of The People of Morning with their mates. The rulers of all the other nations of The Just Alliance were arranged in groups inward from there, in approximate order of size. Those who had been invited as personal family and friends of the brides and groom were closest to the dais. All were arrayed in their finery and formalwear, and they were an impressive group to behold. Officially, the rulers of The Sylvan Nation and Serminaki Draconia were present on the dais, but it was felt that those peoples shouldn't be completely unrepresented among the guests, so Zwak Deathbringer, Plozofen Dolimatbene, and Povon and Kragorram's Serminaki assistants were also present with their escorts.

Those who preferred it were seated in comfortable armchairs.

Also present were the fourteen gods who represented their nations in The Assembly of The Just Alliance, though they were making an effort to not be noticed very much, in order to not distract from the proceedings. The leaders of The Hidden Nation were also in attendance, but Mark could detect no evidence of their presence.

When all were in place upon the dais Somonik flared his wings for a moment, calling for silence as the orchestra stilled. He needed no magic enhancement to make his voice heard by all, but it was provided by the event staff anyway.000000☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐

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