Toya gave him a smile and a wink. “We have our own pack and while I might not be a lycan.. I most certainly am his wife and that makes me alpha.” She crossed her arms in victory.

“I don’t know I’ve seen Blaine throw you over his shoulder when he is thoroughly disappointed in you.” Lily chuckled.

Kirika gave Bryar a chuckle and smile, “I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean it love.” She took his hands tighter and gave a grin to the other queens. It only took him answering Angela for the others to know what was going on.

Angela whirled her finger. “Then let’s get you two married.”

“Now?!” Kirika looked at Bryar.

“Why not? The Festival of Colors is going on now and I think it would make a splendid place for the two of you to be wed. The Festival of Free Love to prove your love? I quite like that and it’s romantic. We’ll get the two of you adorned in the latest fashion from Abed and get you two married. I can perform the marriage ceremony.”

Kirika looked up at Bryar and smiled. “What do you think? Take the plunge now?”

As Kirika’s grip tightened on his hand, he could not help but allowing his smile to broaden.  “Then it shall be so,” he said, looking into her eyes.  His gaze only left her own as Angela spoke.  He looked at the Triune goddess with wide eyes.

His heart skipped a beat.

“Now?” he said, in unison with Kirika.  His incredulity was not due to the fact that he was concerned about the ceremony taking place, but more over from the fact that the two had just now been betrothed.  Suddenly, the strangeness of the situation washed over him.  He had hardly known Kirika for very long, but he had somehow fallen in love with the young girl quickly.  The two of them were now betrothed so she could become a true queen - but now the betrothal was to be short lived as the two of them were to be married shortly - if not the same day that they were currently in.

“Okay,” he said, finally, smiling at Kirika, nodding as she asked him what he thought..  “We’ll do it now.”  He turned back to Angela and nodded at her.  “I agree.  We would be honored to have you perform our marriage ceremony, and Abed seems a fitting place for it.”  He looked to Kirika, his eyes lighting up.  “I don’t view it as a plunge - a plunge implies a sudden fall.  This is merely another path on the road in front of us.”

The goddess seemed amused by their responses but she was even more amused that they were so serious about it. “Then let it be so. We’ll do it in town center near the color festival.” Angela gave Bryar a smile. “You are absolutely correct. And soon you’ll have little Bryars running around!” Kirika shot Angela a look but the goddess just chuckled.

Lily took Bryar by his arm and smirked at Kirika. “You aren’t allowed to see each other in your outfits. I will take care of the bear you take care of the girl.” Lily whisked him off to get dressed in some of Abed’s finest wedding outfits. She even cleaned him up a bit and washed his hair.

Kirika on the other hand was taken into a shop. “This is short notice but we need a red saree… and lots of jewelry.” She could see the greed flowing from the shop keep’s eyes as Angela jingled a sack of gems. “Only the finest silk if you would.” More greed, well she couldn’t blame them. The man and wife team moved their best to get Kirika fitted with a saree that best fit the situation.

The red silk crop top fit snug against her breast. The skirt to the saree was just as vibrant of a red with gold detail stitched throughout, almost as if the thread was made of gold to give it the color. Her hair was something Angela did herself as she took time to pin it up and using her finger (and hot fire magic) she got the perfect curls. A veil of the same fabric was on the crown of her head and fastened into her fair with a golden circlet with many rubies.

Gold bangles were put on the tops of her arms, decorated with the same fine cut rubies that graced not only her circlet now but also her earrings. Kirika felt more like a queen on the way to a ball as she looked at herself in the mirror. Angela came around as finishing touches were made to the girl’s appearance. “You look beautiful. He’ll probably die.” The veil was long enough she was able to bring it around her and hold it to her sides like a cloak of sorts. She had never seen herself like this.

Angela did her make up and for once Kirika was left speechless about herself. The way Angela had done it, made her eyes shine like sapphires in candle light compared to their normal icy appearance. “Well we best get you to the center of town before he notices we’re late.” She chuckled a bit as she brought Kirika to where the celebration was being held.

Roses and lilies were everywhere as it was being set up under an arch. Not bad for a last minute decision but they did have friends. “Bryar.” Kirika chuckled his name out as she seen him for the first time in noble’s attire. It looked weird on him.

The were lifted an eyebrow at Angela when she mentioned ‘little Bryars’ running around.  Truthfully, his relationship with Kirika had blossomed so suddenly that he hadn’t put any thought at all into what their future would look like.  Would the two of them end up bearing children together? He supposed it would make sense, as she was to become Queen.  Royals were generally expected to keep up appearances and bear children to carry on the family name.  The thought was not unpleasant to him, in fact it brought a smile to his face.  “We shall see about that, won’t we?” he responded to Angela, the smile giving away his thoughts on the subject.

He gave a backward glance at Kirika as Lily began to take him away, making an attempt to blow her a kiss but failing miserably.  A while later, Lilly had managed to clean him up and even tame his wild hair.  He glanced in a mirror, and raised his eyebrows in mild surprise.  “M’la- Lily,” he said, correcting himself as he recalled that he had been told not to refer to her in such formal terms.  “I’m impressed.  I don’t think I’ve ever looked this… clean,” he said, with a bit of a laugh.

Lily disappeared, and came back a few moments later, carrying some very brightly colored clothing over her arm.  She held it up to Bryar, who immediately began to shake his head.  “Nope, not happening,” he said, looking at the ruby colored tunic which appeared to be about knee length, coupled with golden pants.  The shoes looked like slippers that he had seen women wear before, made from the same color red as the tunic. 

Lily gave Bryar a smile.  “Yes,” she said, and cornered the were, forcing him into the garments.  A bit of a struggle later, he was clothed in Abed’s finest, staring at himself incredulously in a mirror.  Lily was laughing and he was frowning… he felt like a painted doll.  “You look so handsome!” she told him reassuringly, and he could not help but smile.  “If this is what I have to wear to marry Kirika, then this is what I shall wear,” he said, resolve in his voice.

Lily quickly led him to the center of town where an arch set with lilies and roses had been laid out for the ceremony.  It seemed that Kirika had not arrived just yet, and Bryar could feel butterflies in his stomach as he awaited her arrival.  The Abedian Color Festival was underfoot, and joyous sounds filled the air from all directions, matching the feelings that Bryar was having about the upcoming nuptials.  “Finishing touch!” said Lilly, draping a gold cloak-like scarf over his arm. 

At that moment, he heard Kirika laugh his name and turned to see her in all of her beauty.  Breathless, he could only breathe the three syllables of her name.  “Kirika,” he whispered nearly inaudibly, his eyes watering slightly.  For having known the girl for such a short time, he felt completely overwhelmed with emotion at the prospect of what was to come.  

When Bryar made it up to her she gave him a smile and moved her finger up to mess with the water in his eyes. There was a gentle smile to her face as she chuckled, “I’ve never seen you this cleaned up before..” Maybe there would be a lot more of this but she didn’t mind either way. She took his hands in hers and brought them up to her painted lips, gently she kissed them as not to smudge the make up that the others worked so hard on.

Angela was dressed for the occasion now, perhaps a little too much even for Abed. Her red hair was littered with flowers and plants, truly mother earth. They had but a small crowd around them as they were getting ready for the ceremony. They sat down on benches that seemingly sprung up when Kiri wasn’t looking. She blushed a bit as she felt all eyes on Bryar and herself.

Kiri’s blue eyes left Bryar’s only to look at Angela who was waiting for the voices to settle. “Love is fleeting.” Angela opened up with her words, her voice soft but it seemed to flow through the air. “You blink and someone you can never forget appears in your world. Some of us are not so lucky to keep this person. They disappear on the wind that brings them in. These two souls are a few of the lucky ones.”

Ang took their hands in hers and smiled to each of them. “In all of my years, I’ve only known a few loves that I was jealous of. One is my sister Toya and her husband Blaine. My parents were the other. I wanted that and again I stand here jealous. Love so fleeting and deep seeded yet so young. I can tell it will last like the Crystalized flowers of Sularia. Forever and always, our words of choice. My ex husband and I had a phrase… Until Final Death.”

She took a string and tied it around both of their hands. “It meant that until the day our souls stopped walking this plane that we would be together and married. We would care for our children despite how we felt for each other.” Her eyes went to Kirika and then to Bryar’s. “You are not getting a blessing from me but from that phrase itself. I want to bless you instead with luck and happiness. Something that this world, so dark that it is, needs. I want you to lead that light while you lead your Court into it.”

Kirika gave a smile and nodded to Bryar. “I can do that. I can do that with all of my heart and strength.”

Angela gave a nod and smiled, “I knew you could. I’ve watched you since I was a girl. You were able to touch the shadows and make them disperse but you never had a light to add to the darkness. Bryar will you be her light? Light the shallow shadows she disperses and help her lead the Court. If you can do this, I bless not only you but your children. It is happiness that we need in this world.”

“I don’t know the last time I was this clean,” Bryar said in response to Kirika’s comment on his appearance.  “But you… you look just as beautiful as you always do,” he said, beaming.  He gripped her hands as she grabbed his and his smile broadened as she kissed his skin.  While he and Kirika still held hands, he twisted to get a better look at the small crowd that had gathered to watch their union.  He quickly looked back to Kirika, his heart pounding from nerves - he had never been great at being in front of people, and this was certainly no time for him to panic.

Bryar’s eyes moved away from Kirika one more time to fall on Angela as the goddess began to speak the words that would make up the marriage between he and Kirika.  He smiled as she took their hands in her own and spoke words of lasting love, his eyes drifting back to Kirika once more.  The two had hardly known each other, but he felt more connected to her than he would have expected, and now they were being bonded together by a Triune goddess - it was unexpected but wholly welcome in his mind.  

As Angela wrapped the string around their hands, he shifted his gaze back to her and paid full attention to what she was saying and to the blessings that she was bestowing upon them.  He could not remove the smile from his face, as Kirika spoke an honest and true resolution to what Angela said to her.  He was glad to see that she did not seem nervous to be married to him, but mostly at the situation.  She had him convinced that this was what she wanted, just as much as he wanted it. 

Then, it was his turn.

His eyes watered a bit more, tears of joy now forming.  “I would dream of nothing more than to be that light for her,” he said to Angela, though he did not take his eyes away from Kirika.  “I will help her lead her court, as well,” he said, his eyes lingering on his love waiting for Angela to finish the ceremony.

Angela held both of their hands, in all of her years she had done many ceremonies. She had done a lot of them for her people and Kirika was no different. There was something about the way Kirika and Bryar were staring at each other that made her feel a tad jealous.  Nodding to Bryar’s words she pulled their hands  up so everyone can see.

“Have you ever tried to get a knot out of a piece of jewelry? It’s a pain in the behind isn’t it?” Angela cracked a smile and Kirika laughed. “A love knot is no different. You want this knot here. You don’t want to disturb it or even make it come undone. This knot is your marriage. This little red ribbon represents the whole that you two form. You two will continue to grow as individual people but you must always remember where your heart is. If you do not nurture what you have it will come undone.” She wiggled their hands out of the ribbon and presented them the knots.

“We have presents for each of you.” Two pretty onyx rings were presented, one was clearly more decorated with blue gems like Kirika’s eyes. “Crafted in Baltil. These will be the rings of your marriage. A present from the Queens of Arri.” Moving she gave them each the other’s. 

“Put the rings on you two. We don’t have all day.” Kirika laughed at her aunt’s words as she slipped Bryar’s ring onto his heartstring finger. “These rings are the final binding. Let not even the passage of time separate you two. Forever and always. You may share the first kiss to finish the binding when you are ready.”