Wedding Ceremony (Part 2)

People slowly gathered at the training grounds. The stage, seats and tables with plenty of food on them, were already set up. Though we were barely able to fit all the necessary tables and chairs in that large open area. The amount of people would be staggering. "Just how many people does this town have?", I asked. "About one and a half thousand. It's quite big, right? We had to set up about four-hundred tables to fit everyone. If the stage wasn't there, we would fit a bit more easily though", father replied.

Besides the stage, there was an aisle in the middle. This was for my mother to walk down, and join father on the stage. Once the place was packed and people found their seats, father told me to join him on the stage. Our closest family would sit there, with mother and father in the middle. The ceremony would take place on the stage as well. The stage was a bit raised, which meant everyone would be able to see everything.

Kara also joined us on the stage. She wasn't my family, but my father's student and therefore had a space reserved next to us. "Are you excited, Anna?", she asked me. "Yea, my parents will be married officially now. Though they've been calling each other wife and husband for a while now", I replied. "Do you study medicine under your father too?", she then asked. "Nah, I'm not interested in that. I study Formations instead", I said proudly. "That's a bit of a shame, we co…", before she finished, someone shouted, "The bride is coming!". Everyone's attention shifted towards the aisle.

Grandpa was holding my mother's arm, escorting her towards the stage. He was dressed in an elegant blue robe. His grey hair was combed neatly to the side, while his expression displayed pure pride in his daughter. Though my grandpa looked good, his outfit paled in comparison to my mother's wedding dress.

The pure white dress with a half moon cut out for her leg, looked really stunning. The half round skirt hung down almost touching the ground, and fluttered every time there was a slight breeze. The body had vine-like patterns sewn into it, as well as transparent sleeves with the same design. The closer she got, the more design features I spotted. Above the vines on her body, there seemed to be a starry sky portrayed with a moon hanging in the corner. It was subtle and barely noticeable, but this surely gave her dress greater charm. Her white high heels matched the half moon design of the dress, and made mother a bit taller too. Her hair was neatly arranged to one side, gently flowing as she moved.

"Wow…", father whispered to himself. "Mom is the prettiest woman in the world, right?", I said with a smile. "... Eh? Oh, sorry Anna, I was mesmerised… When I said there is no creature more beautiful than your mother, I believe everyone can see that now", he replied, refusing to look at me. All of his attention was on my mother, but no one could blame him. She was beautiful.

Grandpa and mother made it onto the stage, where grandpa passed my mother's hand to my father. "You are one lucky man, you know? Even I couldn't believe my daughter was this beautiful… Your mother would be so proud of you", grandpa said with a tear in his eye. "She is, isn't she? I promise to take good care of her, forever", father replied. "I wouldn't forgive you, if you didn't. Go on, get married already. We are no longer teenagers here", grandpa urged them. My parents looked at each other, then stepped towards my great uncle.

"Please, have a seat everyone… We gathered here today, to celebrate this special occasion. Sonia and Nex stand before us, to take the vows of husband and wife... I believe that no one here doubts your love for each other, or the relationship you have. This ceremony is a symbol, an oath to grow stronger together. For good and for bad, for thick and thin. Your love proves that no matter the difficulty or differences, no matter what challenges life throws at you, you will be together for eternity. The vows will symbolise your willingness to continue solving those challenges, those difficulties and differences together. For you may be two separate persons, but your love makes you one", great uncle said.

"Nex Wintersteed, I ask you. Do you take Sonia Clovergrowth as your wife? Do you promise to be faithful, caring and love her for the rest of your life? Do you promise to treat her with respect, and work with her towards a better future?", great uncle asked my father. "Yes", father replied without a shred of hesitation. He then grabbed mother's ring, and placed it on her finger.

"Sonia Clovergrowth, I ask you. Do you take Nex Wintersteed as your husband? Do you promise him eternal love, faithfulness and care for the rest of your life? Do you promise to treat him with respect, and work together towards a better future?", great uncle asked my mother. "Yes", she replied with a smile, then took my father's ring and placed it on his finger.

"Let this day be marked as the beginning of your new journey. The journey you thread together, for the rest of your lives. Nex Wintersteed and Sonia Wintersteed, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride, Nex", great uncle announced. Father grabbed mother, and kissed her in front of all the people. While the crowd cheered, and some people shed the tears, my parents became married. 'They are officially husband and wife, and I'm their daughter', I thought as a smile bloomed on my face. I was happy, really happy that they could prove their love to others. I was glad to have such parents.

"Thank you everyone for coming here today. Please, have fun and enjoy yourselves to your heart contents!", father exclaimed. The crowd cheered, while they took a seat at our table. Mother ate very little, since she didn't want to dirty the dress. Both of them were glued together though, even when people came to wish them well during the party. We ate, chatted and laughed together, I even got to know Kara a bit more. She told me how my father made her study about medicine, and how strict he was with her. The two masters congratulated my father too, and they expressed how great my mother looked.

The party went on until evening, where father stood up to say something. "You guys continue without us, there's still plenty of food and drinks on the tables. We thank you once again for being here, and celebrating with us", he said. Some people laughed, others commented that my father was impatient. "Frosty, entertain our guests and there might be something in it for you", father said suddenly, then raised his right arm.

His arm gleamed, before Frosty shot into the sky with a loud roar. The whole area became filled with silence, no one dared to even make a noise at the sight in front of them. "Don't worry guys, he will be nice", father added. "Don't forget your promise. I expect something in return… You look good, Fox. That bastard is lucky to have you. Go on kids, have your fun", Frosty replied. Father grabbed mother into his arms, smiled then disappeared. "That rascal father of yours, he's so impatient… Though I must admit, Frosty is a majestic creature, right?", grandpa said. "Give it a rest, grandpa. They got married, what did you expect? Anyway, Frosty! Do an ice breath!", I shouted.

Frosty rolled his eyes, but did as asked. His breath of ice sprayed over the area, producing loads of tiny ice crystals. "I couldn't expect anything less from your father. What a majestic creature indeed. I wish our town could have one of those", great uncle said. "Hehe, it's not like such creatures grow on trees, father. Besides, would such a creature listen to any of us? Remember who Nex is?", uncle Norty replied with a laugh. "Nex never ceases to amaze me, but Jeff is better in my eyes", aunt Haily said while grabbing uncle Jeff to her embrace. "I'm lucky to have such a wife, hehe", uncle Jeff added.

"Hey Frosty! How about you give us some rides?", I asked. "That's out of the question", Frosty replied, annoyed. "I guess you don't want those ice shards then… a shame", I tried trickery instead. "...Wait! Only a few times, and you promise to tell him about the shards", he replied. "Guys! Who wants to fly atop a dragon!?", I exclaimed. Some people seemed afraid, but a lot of youngsters raised their hands and voices. "You have a long night ahead of you, Frosty. Though I promise to get you that ice shard", I said. "Deal", Frosty replied before slowly landing outside the open area.

Frosty really had to work hard during that night. Loads of people wanted to fly on top of a dragon, a creature thought to exist in legends alone. Especially young adults who aspired to become warriors. They saw Frosty as an ultimate existence that my father befriended. This gave them a lot of inspiration for the future. "See, you thought my father was some sort of lunatic. Frosty exists, so how do you feel now?", I asked Lana and Vick. "Anna, I'll be damned, you guys have my deepest apologies. So that's how you guys came here? I'm so jealous", Lana said while Vick stared at Frosty with sparkling eyes.

They had a go as well, and both of them loved it. Even Mira and Remi decided to have a go together with my grandpa and other adults. Kara was no different, she wasn't even afraid of a large dragon. The two masters in the Arts had a go too, though they went with my uncles. Frosty was really nice to kids and whatnot, but with adults, he flew like crazy.

The night slowly ended. Everyone, mostly drunk, returned to their homes for some sleep. My parents were nowhere to be found for the next few days, but everyone assured me they were simply taking their time. None of our guests left before saying goodbye though. They waited patiently for my parents to return. 'This trip was really great. I met my whole family, saw a bit of the Endrosian Empire and had fun. I'm officially a Wintersteed now, just like mom and my unborn sibling… This makes me feel happy for some reason, even though we were family for a long time', I thought.