Chapter 159: Wrong Finger

 

  Stryg squirmed in his exorbitant clothes. He had lost track of how many layers, sashes, and belts Loh’s servants had placed on him. He would have preferred the simpler regalia of Sylvan tribes, but Loh insisted he wear the traditional clothing of an aristocrat. 

  Stryg had argued that despite being a mage he wasn’t an aristocrat. Loh had argued that he was her apprentice and therefore she had somewhat adopted him into House Noir. Stryg had argued that was not how adoption worked, Loh had threatened to shut him up with a curse spell. Stryg gave up the argument.

  He craned his neck behind to look at the black flame crest emblazoned on his white jacket, the symbol of House Noir.

  “I’m uncomfortable with this,” Stryg grumbled.

  “You should be honored to have been given the privilege to wear the colors and crest of a Ruling Family,” Elm said.

  The high-priest stood a few stony steps above Stryg.

  “I just wanna get out of these stuffy clothes already,” Stryg pulled at his absurdly long sleeve. He couldn’t even see his hands for Lunae’s sake!

  “Just relax and try to enjoy the moment. This is your big day after all,” Clypeus whispered from beside him.

  Stryg glanced at the stony steps under him. He sighed quietly and looked up at the empty aisle. Elm had arranged several rows of chairs to be placed on each side of the aisle. Stryg thought it excessive, he hadn’t thought many people would come.

  Clearly, he had been wrong. Each chair was occupied, there were even people standing in the back. Feli’s side of the aisle was filled with mostly unfamiliar faces. Stryg hadn’t realized how many of Feli’s friends he didn’t know.

  Stryg knew he was busy with school and training, but he hadn’t noticed there was such a large part of Feli’s life he wasn’t acquainted with. He should probably make an effort to rectify that at some point.

  As for his own side of the aisle, well, Stryg had surprised himself.

  “There are so many people who came,” Stryg mumbled to Clypeus.

  The vampire stood beside Stryg and patted his back, “They all came out for you.”

  Callum Veres sat in the front row with the red-headed dwarf, Kithina.

  “I can’t believe Stryg is actually doing this,” Kithina whispered.

  “What do you mean?” Callum asked.

  “I never really took Stryg for the settling-down-kind-of-guy, ya know?” Kithina admitted. 

  “Believe me, there can be a lot more to people than meets the eye. If you don’t look closely, they may just surprise you,” Callum stared at the blue goblin.

  “Meh, I mean I guess you’re right, Cal. But Stryg always seemed more of a non-commitment kind of guy. I mean, just the other day I caught him ogling a bunch of women when we were at the tavern.”

  “Well, who’s to say Stryg won’t see other people? From what I understand, Sylvan folk are quite sexually liberal.”

  “Ugh, so much for romance,” Kithina rolled her eyes.

  “Not necessarily. Whether it be for politics, business alliances, magical pedigree, or simple lust, at least half of aristocrats engage in polygamy. Although, I admit it takes a special kind of couple to have romance be the center of that sort of relationship. Then again, they may just be that couple.”

  “Or Feli ends up hating him and Stryg gets kicked out of the house,” Kithina shrugged. 

  Callum chuckled, “Yeah, maybe you’re right.”

   Loh sat a few seats away, right next to the aisle. She wanted to have the closest seat and view to her apprentice, it only felt right. 

  She glanced back at the temple entrance. What’s taking so long?

  Loh was dressed in a white and black form-fitting dress. Her dark-elf beauty and elegant dress drew the eye of every man in the temple. Yet there was one woman who didn’t seem to notice, the one who sat next to her.

  Loh took a moment to drink in the sight of the lovely Tauri Katag. How her stunning amber eyes glanced inquisitively at the temple’s statues. How Tauri’s silky black hair fell perfectly over her crimson cheek.

  Tauri’s graceful body was wrapped in a high-cut orange dress, much to Loh’s appreciation. Loh’s eyes wandered over at Tauri’s breasts, they weren’t noticeably large, some might even call them small, but Loh couldn’t help but stare. To Loh, she was perfect.

  Loh leaned over, “Thanks for coming on such short notice. I didn’t know who else to invite as my plus-one.”

  She used the chance to stare at Tauri’s shapely legs for half a second, before leaning back.

  Tauri turned her attention to Loh with a smile, “Anytime. That’s what friends are for.”

  “I’m glad you’re my friend,” Loh smiled painfully.

  Tauri stared at Stryg’s eyes that kept glancing all around the temple, “Stryg looks nervous. I’ve never seen him like that, crazy sure, but not nervous.”

  “I guess love changes people,” Loh grinned.

  “...I wonder if Aizel would have been that nervous,” Tauri mumbled.

  Loh’s smile died as she noticed the pain that flashed through the orc’s amber eyes. The look of pain was gone as quick as it had appeared, but there was no denying it was there.

  “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought you here. I didn’t mean to bring back bad memories,” Loh sighed.

  “Oh, please, that was over six years ago, I’m fine. I was just reminiscing about the past for a bit,” Tauri smiled calmly. “Also, I was wondering what kind of dress I would have worn. Believe me, whichever dress it had been, I would have killed it.”

  “Everyone would have swooned at the sight of you,” Loh chuckled.

  “Damn right, I’m a national treasure,” Tauri winked playfully.

  “Careful, you don’t want to make Feli jealous.”

  “Are you kidding me? Why else do you think I came?” Tauri giggled.

  Loh smiled weakly. You’re laughing, but I know you’re forcing yourself. I know you’re in pain, Tauri.

  Captain of the guard, Rorik Polamtal, sat in the middle row, with several of the other regular tavern goers. His shoulders shook as he cried softly.

  “Oh my god, are you really crying right now? Over the barmaid?” Mrs. Polamtal stared at her husband in shock.

  “I’m not crying over a barmaid. I’m just a little emotional is all,” Rorik sniffed.

  “Well, be emotional somewhere else, or I swear to the gods I will give you something to really cry about,” she snapped.

  “...Yes, ma’am,” Rorik nodded.

  Witt tapped his foot impatiently from the last row in the back.

  “Stop that,” Karen pinched his thigh.

  “Ow, dammit that stings,” Witt winced.

  “Then stop moving so much, you’re being rude. We are still in the temple of the ebon gods,” Karen chastised.

  “I’m just hungry and we’ve been waiting for over an hour,” Witt grumbled.

  “It’s her big day, I think she can afford to be running a little late,” Karen whispered.

  “A little?” Witt looked staggered.

  “Oh, get over it,” Karen shook her head. “You’d do well to learn from the kids.”

  “Hehe,” little Sophi laughed.

  Witt glanced down the row of chairs at Sophi and the orphan goblins who all sat still and patient. He was surprised that Stryg had invited them all. The cold goblin mage seemed to have taken a liking to the orphans and they to him.

  For the past month, Stryg would stop by once a week at the temple and tell the children about the fabled city of Lunis. The children would sit wide-eyed and listen with eager attention. Witt didn’t know what surprised him more, that Stryg actually cared about some orphan kids or that he had been invited to the wedding.

  Witt’s stomach growled, he hung his head in defeat.

  The temple’s front doors were kicked open with a loud bang. Bright sunlight flooded the large room. The sounds of trumpets blared across the temple. Rhian strutted inside, arms held high, a perpetual smirk on her face.

  Rhian was dressed in a long black dress that matched her black coat, with a purple ribbon tied into her hair. A woman in an elaborate white dress and veil sat sidesaddle on the centaur’s back.

  Rhian kicked her feet up to the beat of the trumpets. She slowly and proudly walked down the aisle, her body swaying with the music. Maximus came up from behind her, a perpetual peeved expression on his gruff face. He held a basket of flowers in his hand.

  With a quiet grumble Maximus tossed the flowers across both sides of the aisle, most of the flowers went flying high and past the aisle and fell onto the guests. The musicians followed behind the centaurs.

  “Aren’t they all supposed to come in before the bride?” Clypeus whispered to Stryg.

  “Something like that,” Stryg mumbled. His attention was focused on the woman who sat on Rhian’s saddle.

  Rhian reached the end of the aisle and trotted up the last few steps to Stryg and Clypeus. The music died down and the retinue dispersed to the sides.

  Rhian curled her forelegs inward and bent down in a flourishing bow, “Rhiannon of Ebon Hollow greets her chieftain. It is my great and distinguished honor to present to you, your bride.”

  The bride slipped down the saddle, Stryg reached out and caught her and gently lowered her to the ground. The bride lowered her head so Stryg could remove the veil. Feli’s chestnut eyes awaited him. He always thought Feli was beautiful, but today that word fell short.

  Feli’s olive skin seemed to glow with an inner light. Her lips had been painted a soft purple like her eyeshadow. Her familiar scent of strawberries filled his nostrils. A lock of Feli’s deep purple hair brushed Stryg’s cheek.

  “Hey, you,” Feli smiled warmly.

  “Uhhh,” Stryg’s pupils widened to ovals.

  Clypeus nudged his best friend’s shoulder.

  Stryg swallowed, “Uh, I mean, hi, h-hello, how are you?”

  Feli giggled softly, “I’m doing well, thanks for asking.”

  The high-priest Elm cleared his throat. “We are gathered here today in the temple of our great ebon gods to bear witness to the union of Stryg of the Sylvan tribe of Ebon Hollow and Feli of the Sylvan tribe of Ebon Hollow. If anyone wishes to speak against this union, speak now or forever hold your silence.”

  Rorik stood up, his wife smacked his groin, he keeled over without a word.

  “...Yes, well, moving on.” Elm raised his hands, “What is marriage? What is love? These are the questions we have come here to answe-”

  “Yeah, let’s skip all of that,” Stryg said without breaking eye contact with Feli.

  Elm sighed, “Ahem, very well. The groom may speak his vows first.”

  “Vows?” Stryg tilted his head.

  Feli’s eye twitched. 

  “Please for the love of Stjerne, tell me you wrote your vows down,” she whispered angrily with a strained smile.

  “I didn’t need to,” Stryg blinked. “They are simple enough, I always remember them.”

  “Go on then,” Feli raised her eyebrow.

  “I will keep you safe from the enemies of our tribe. I will make our tribe the greatest in the Realm so that no one will ever try to harm you or anyone else in Ebon Hollow.”

  Stryg grabbed her hand, “I will stand by your side no matter what monster comes into our lives. I will be here, right next to you, until the end. This I vow with my life.”

  Stryg stared up into her eyes, “Human from the City of Shades, beauty from the Merry Crescent, girl who makes me smile, Feli... I love you.”

  The crowd sat in stunned silence. The orc, Kegrog, wiped a tear from his eye, Nora Azol looked at him in surprise. Kithina was slack-jawed, she had never expected to hear such words from the blue goblin. Callum felt genuinely happy for Stryg. Loh found herself smiling from ear to ear. Karen was proud of her friend and how far he had come from the wary goblin she had met on the street over a year and a half ago.

  “So, how’d I do?” Stryg whispered.

  “Hm… Not as long as I had hoped, but it’ll do,” Feli smiled and gripped his small hands tightly.

  “The bride may now say her vows,” Elm nodded to her.

  Feli laughed, “Where do I begin? It’s been a crazy year, things have changed a lot from when we first met, Stryg. We got together because we both wanted something from each other, we weren’t interested in anything more. But then I got to know you and everything changed, I fell in love, and -”

  “That’s enough for me,” Stryg cut her off.

  “Huh?” Feli furrowed her brow.

  “You love me, right?”

  “Obviously,” Feli rested her forehead on his.

  “And you’ll stand by my side?”

  “Like I told you before, we are in this together. I’ll stand by your side to the end, no matter what.”

  “Then that’s enough for me,” Stryg said firmly.

  Elm sighed to himself, “The ring please.”

  “Oh, right,” Clypeus checked his pocket and pulled out a gold ring with a large amethyst.

  He handed it to Stryg and stepped back.

  Feli offered Stryg her hand, he slipped the finger on her pinky.

  “Wrong finger,” Feli whispered.

  “Huh?”

  “The finger next to it.”

  “Sylvan goblins don’t even use rings,” Stryg grumbled and slipped the ring on the other finger.

  “Nice,” Feli winked.

  Elm opened his arms wide, “By the power vested in me by our great ebon gods, Stjerne, Bellum, Caligo, and Lunae, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride, buuut, you already are…”

  Stryg didn’t want to wait anymore. He pulled Feli down and kissed her the moment Elm started talking. The crowd cheered and clapped. 

  Feli yelled in surprise as Stryg picked her up into his arms.

  “You’re mine forever now, I won’t let you go,” Stryg whispered.

  “I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Feli smirked.

   Rhian knelt down without a word, Stryg hopped on her saddle.

  Rhian made a valiant pose and pointed her finger to the temple doorway, “To the Merry Crescent tavern!”