Dusk was a time of magic and power in Arctra. Dusk was when women hoped to birth their children, when warriors hoped to be blooded for the first time, when marriages were made in the sight of the Nine. The line between day and night was sacred to the gods, and in that sacred time, no man or woman would dare to raise their hand against another without true and just cause. Thus it was that at dusk, man and woman were led to a place set aside from the camp, lit with torches, overhung with trees, to where a shrine to the Nine had been carved with painstaking devotion into the bark of an aged oak.
Tradition called for them to be blindfolded, that they did not lay eyes upon one another until they were married - an old tradition, from the days of arranged marriages between the old folk and the new, to prevent either bride or groom from taking to the hills to escape their intended before the wedding itself. With their eyes bound, it was their family who led them to that place - Makos and Conall leading Liam with steady grip, and Meara taking the place of Shaye's family with gentle hands. They were brought before the carven shrine, a sword lain upon the ground between them, separating the lovers with naked steel.
The priest, a young man who burned with devotion for the Nine, glanced between the blindfolded pair, reaching out to lay one hand on each of their shoulders. "In the eyes of the Nine, you are two," he intoned, a little nervous of the fact that he was standing within arms' length of the two deadliest warriors in Arctra. "Separate, alone. In this time, at this hour, when day sinks slowly into the embrace of the night, you shall be joined, and be forever one, together for eternity."
Even the deadliest warriors in Arctra longed for love and understanding, robbed of the promises they had made to each other when they'd been little more than children, until this very moment. Liam's expression was solemn beneath the blindfold that covered his eyes. This was the most solemn, the most sacred day of his life, the one day he had been praying and hoping and fighting for since the day of their last parting sixteen years in the past.
Shaye, too, was solemn and silent, though she thought she must be more nervous than Liam. All these years, he had been waiting and planning for this moment, when all she had wanted was for him to survive this war. She had never thought of herself as a part of his future, despite their shared oath. She wanted to reach out, to touch him, but for now the distance between them was a chasm, allowing her only to listen to the words of the priest and crackle of the torches around them.
The priest swallowed audibly, and went on. "Liam O'Connor, in devotion to the Nine, do you claim this lady for your wife?"
If Liam was nervous, he did not show it, nor did he sense the priest's nervousness. He was acutely aware of Shaye's presence, though he couldn't see her, knowing she stood close by, feeling her presence, even if he couldn't yet see her. After all the years of loneliness and longing, he could hardly believe his heart's desire was nearly his at last. "I do," Liam replied simply and clearly upon hearing the priest's question. Whether his people were sure of Shaye or not, he was never more sure of anything in his life than this.
"By Arca, will you love her" By Juri, are your lands hers" By Thalan, will you share truth' By Hano, will you give your protection to her" By Leeso, will you heal her hurts" By Tura, will you fight her enemies" By Gaeden, will you provide for her" By Rinca, will you shelter her" And by Drago, will you walk with her in the land beyond death?"
He did not need long to consider before answering those questions, sure that this was what his heart had longed for for most of his life. "Yes, I swear that I will."
"Hold forth your hand, Liam O'Connor." There was no need to wait for Liam to do so, for here was where the ceremony moved on. The priest turned to Shaye, asking her to claim this man as her husband, and to swear by the Nine all that he had sworn for her. This she did, willingly and warmly, sightless behind her blindfold, utterly unaware of anything but the man at her side and the heat of the torches close by. When she was bidden, she raised her own hand, and felt the young priest place her palm over Liam's, automatically linking her fingers with those of her love without needing to be told. "In the eyes of the Nine, the promises have been spoken, the oath sworn. These two are now one. Let no one put them asunder."
There was a pause, and Shaye smirked as she heard Makos muttering to the priest, who gulped audibly once again, and spoke up. "Ah ....Lord O'Connor, I believe you have a token you wish your lady to wear?"
Liam's fingers linked with those of his beloved, her voice soothing to his ears, proving to him that he was not dreaming, though it would take a few days yet of waking up beside her before he truly believed it. He smiled when she returned the same promises he had spoken, the same oath shared, though this was all mostly formality. They had sworn their hearts to each other long ago and bound themselves together with a blood oath made to Thalan under a full moon. "Yes," Liam replied, turning his head in the direction of Makos' voice, though with his eyes bound he had little sense of direction. "Conall. Do you have it?"
Curiosity made Shaye's fingers itch to raise her blindfold and see what was going on on Liam's other side, especially given the amount of muttering and grumbling she could hear coming from Gregor Makos. Conall, it seemed, was not so eager for this wedding as the others here, though she could hardly blame him.
There was a thump as Makos nudged Conall hard. "Get it out, boy, or I'll search you for it myself."
Conall grumbled a little, more so at the rebuke from Makos than the wedding itself. Who was he to begrudge Liam happiness when he had not begrudged Conall the same, even if he wasn't so certain of the First Blade as the others seemed to be. He reached into a pouch he wore at his waist and pulled out something shiny and small and precious. It had been part of Liam's family for generations, passed down from eldest son to eldest son to give to his bride - a token that symbolized their love and fidelity and signified the unbreakable bond between them. Conall handed the thing to Makos, rather than give it to the priest himself.
Tradition called for them to be blindfolded, that they did not lay eyes upon one another until they were married - an old tradition, from the days of arranged marriages between the old folk and the new, to prevent either bride or groom from taking to the hills to escape their intended before the wedding itself. With their eyes bound, it was their family who led them to that place - Makos and Conall leading Liam with steady grip, and Meara taking the place of Shaye's family with gentle hands. They were brought before the carven shrine, a sword lain upon the ground between them, separating the lovers with naked steel.
The priest, a young man who burned with devotion for the Nine, glanced between the blindfolded pair, reaching out to lay one hand on each of their shoulders. "In the eyes of the Nine, you are two," he intoned, a little nervous of the fact that he was standing within arms' length of the two deadliest warriors in Arctra. "Separate, alone. In this time, at this hour, when day sinks slowly into the embrace of the night, you shall be joined, and be forever one, together for eternity."
Even the deadliest warriors in Arctra longed for love and understanding, robbed of the promises they had made to each other when they'd been little more than children, until this very moment. Liam's expression was solemn beneath the blindfold that covered his eyes. This was the most solemn, the most sacred day of his life, the one day he had been praying and hoping and fighting for since the day of their last parting sixteen years in the past.
Shaye, too, was solemn and silent, though she thought she must be more nervous than Liam. All these years, he had been waiting and planning for this moment, when all she had wanted was for him to survive this war. She had never thought of herself as a part of his future, despite their shared oath. She wanted to reach out, to touch him, but for now the distance between them was a chasm, allowing her only to listen to the words of the priest and crackle of the torches around them.
The priest swallowed audibly, and went on. "Liam O'Connor, in devotion to the Nine, do you claim this lady for your wife?"
If Liam was nervous, he did not show it, nor did he sense the priest's nervousness. He was acutely aware of Shaye's presence, though he couldn't see her, knowing she stood close by, feeling her presence, even if he couldn't yet see her. After all the years of loneliness and longing, he could hardly believe his heart's desire was nearly his at last. "I do," Liam replied simply and clearly upon hearing the priest's question. Whether his people were sure of Shaye or not, he was never more sure of anything in his life than this.
"By Arca, will you love her" By Juri, are your lands hers" By Thalan, will you share truth' By Hano, will you give your protection to her" By Leeso, will you heal her hurts" By Tura, will you fight her enemies" By Gaeden, will you provide for her" By Rinca, will you shelter her" And by Drago, will you walk with her in the land beyond death?"
He did not need long to consider before answering those questions, sure that this was what his heart had longed for for most of his life. "Yes, I swear that I will."
"Hold forth your hand, Liam O'Connor." There was no need to wait for Liam to do so, for here was where the ceremony moved on. The priest turned to Shaye, asking her to claim this man as her husband, and to swear by the Nine all that he had sworn for her. This she did, willingly and warmly, sightless behind her blindfold, utterly unaware of anything but the man at her side and the heat of the torches close by. When she was bidden, she raised her own hand, and felt the young priest place her palm over Liam's, automatically linking her fingers with those of her love without needing to be told. "In the eyes of the Nine, the promises have been spoken, the oath sworn. These two are now one. Let no one put them asunder."
There was a pause, and Shaye smirked as she heard Makos muttering to the priest, who gulped audibly once again, and spoke up. "Ah ....Lord O'Connor, I believe you have a token you wish your lady to wear?"
Liam's fingers linked with those of his beloved, her voice soothing to his ears, proving to him that he was not dreaming, though it would take a few days yet of waking up beside her before he truly believed it. He smiled when she returned the same promises he had spoken, the same oath shared, though this was all mostly formality. They had sworn their hearts to each other long ago and bound themselves together with a blood oath made to Thalan under a full moon. "Yes," Liam replied, turning his head in the direction of Makos' voice, though with his eyes bound he had little sense of direction. "Conall. Do you have it?"
Curiosity made Shaye's fingers itch to raise her blindfold and see what was going on on Liam's other side, especially given the amount of muttering and grumbling she could hear coming from Gregor Makos. Conall, it seemed, was not so eager for this wedding as the others here, though she could hardly blame him.
There was a thump as Makos nudged Conall hard. "Get it out, boy, or I'll search you for it myself."
Conall grumbled a little, more so at the rebuke from Makos than the wedding itself. Who was he to begrudge Liam happiness when he had not begrudged Conall the same, even if he wasn't so certain of the First Blade as the others seemed to be. He reached into a pouch he wore at his waist and pulled out something shiny and small and precious. It had been part of Liam's family for generations, passed down from eldest son to eldest son to give to his bride - a token that symbolized their love and fidelity and signified the unbreakable bond between them. Conall handed the thing to Makos, rather than give it to the priest himself.