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Silent Wedding Vows
Silent Wedding Vows

They stood on the hill, overlooking the town. To those who lived there, it was simply called ‘Home’. To others, it had been given various names. Most simply knew it as ‘the Barbarian Town’. Many of the members of their party had already walked down the hill, glad to see this remote vestige of civilization. Sinaedh and the scout stood, her hand stealing to his, his fingers curling around hers. She glanced at him, smiling. “What do you think of it?”
“Strange place.” He shrugged. “There are other things I’d rather look at.” He grinned at her.
Sinaedh felt herself blushing. She stepped closer to him, looking up into his eyes, clear blue, almost like the skies above. He leaned down slightly, his hand sliding around her waist. Then he stepped back, eyes darting. Sinaedh turned, hearing the rapid footfalls of someone running up toward them. Was there trouble?
A young local boy raced up the hill, waving. “Missy! You missy Sinaedh?”
She nodded, nearly smiling at the thick accent he used with the words. “I am.” A frown briefly crossed her face. “Is there trouble?”
“No, no trouble, missy.” The boy grinned, white teeth flashing in his tanned face. “Dey wants ye, dat’s all. Dey say get missy Sinaedh and Master Dronamar, and bring dem down here!”
Sinaedh nodded, a puzzled frown on her face. What could be so important they had to go down to the town? She turned to the scout. “Will you come down with me?”
“Of course,” he answered, reaching for her hand again. They followed the boy down the hill and toward the large hall that was the center of the town. It was this structure that was the attraction for most who visited the barbarian village. Its enormous vaulted roof rose high above the few people below in an arch of stone. A line of windows midway down the walls let light into the cavernous single room. Tables and chairs sat in a few spots, and a few of the local villagers nodded as they walked through. Up ahead, on a raised dais, Sinaedh could see the members of the Company who had ridden hard and battled ancient zombies to clear a path to this place of respite.
She hurried forward, Dronamar close behind her, then curtsied to the leader of the group. “Sir Rhyllan? Is something amiss?”
“No, not at all.” The tall blond man grinned at her. Confused, Sinaedh looked from him to Claarissa, the dark haired cleric who seemed to accompany him at all times. “In fact,” he added. “Very much is right. Tell me, Sinaedh, can you perform a wedding here?”
Her eyes widened. She’d spoken with Claarissa earlier about performing the ceremony, but the date had been postponed once as war flared again in the frontiers, and had only recently been rescheduled for the next week. “W... wedding? Here? Of course, but...”
“Now?” Claarissa interjected. “Can you do that?”
“But I..,” she looked from one to the other. “I’m not prepared.”
“We know,” Rhyllan nodded. “But we are. And there’s no time like the present. It needn’t be a long ceremony. Just enough to make it official.”
“I... I suppose.” Sinaedh nodded. “I’ll need a moment to prepare.”
“Good.” Rhyllan glanced around him, then gestured to a smallish man wearing brown clothing. “Hanzou will stand for me, as my best man.” Claarissa gestured to one of the women accompanying the group. The pair of them soon had their heads together, doing their best to turn armor and shields into wedding garb. Sinaedh turned sightlessly toward the wall, thoughts inward. She lifted a hand to her forehead, closing her eyes. Could she remember the main parts of the wedding ceremony?
Slowly exhaling, Sinaedh allowed herself to recall the lessons she’d learned. As part of her training, she’d learned various ceremonies, some for joyful occasions, some to ease pain. She nodded, still with eyes closed, as the words she’d memorized returned to her thoughts. Yes, I can do this. She smiled, turned, and opened her eyes to see the scout watching her, a worried expression on his face. But as he saw that she was no longer troubled, his own visage eased, and he stepped back into the group that surrounded the make-shift wedding party.
Sinaedh placed her shield, guild cloak and mace on the ground, then stood on the dais. A look to Rhyllan, proud in his armor, which had been hurriedly cleaned of the gore of fighting the undead, then to Claarissa, standing near Laark the minstrel, her maid of honor, told her they were prepared. A smile to the scout, with an accompanying tingle in her belly, for they’d spoken of the day they’d share vows themselves, and then a look to those of the Company standing nearby, then she folded her hands before her, bowing her head briefly in prayer. The silent words comforted and centered her. When she opened her eyes, she was prepared.
“Dearly beloved,” she spoke to those assembled. “We are gathered together here to join together this man and woman in matrimony, which is an honorable estate. Therefore, if any man can show any just cause why they may not be lawfully joined together, let him now speak or else hereafter for ever hold his peace.” Sinaedh paused, glancing over those assembled, not expecting nor receiving any response to the ritual words.
After a nod, she continued. “Rhyllan, please repeat after me.” She caught his eye as he nodded, then spoke the words that he must vow. “I Rhyllan, take thee Claarissa to my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer for poorer, for fairer for fouler, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, and thereunto I plight thee my troth.”
Rhyllan was smiling, holding Claarissa’s hand as he responded. She turned to Claarissa, who was smiling as well, and spoke the vows she would repeat, hiding a small grin, for the vows given by the Church for women were slightly different. “I Claarissa take thee Rhyllan to my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to be bonny and buxom at bed and at board, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, and thereunto I plight thee my troth.”
Claarissa repeated, omitting as Sinaedh thought she might. A brief thought went through her mind that Claarissa, who had spent much time studying blessings and aids to war, hadn’t studied the ceremonies as well as she had. But no matter, for the form was correct. Sinaedh smiled to the woman, then looked to Rhyllan. “Do you have rings?”
Hanzou nodded, producing the rings he’d been holding. Sinaedh held them out before her. “Bless these rings, oh Lord, that those who wear them, that give and receive them, may be ever faithful to one another, remain in Your peace, and live and grow old together in Your love, seeing their children’s children.”
She took the ring that was destined for Claarissa, offering it to Rhyllan. “Place this on her finger, and repeat after me.” She paused with a smile as he slipped the brilliantly shining ring on Claarissa’s finger. “With this ring I thee wed. And with my body I thee honor. And with all my worldly goods I thee endow.”
Sinaedh offered the other ring to Claarissa, who slid it onto Rhyllan’s finger, repeating the same words. Smiling, Sinaedh looked out over the small crowd. “Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping, for only the hand of Life can contain your hearts. And stand together, yet not too near together, for the pillars of the temple stand apart, and the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow.”
Sinaedh paused, then continued, “Forasmuch as Rhyllan and Claarissa have consented together in holy wedlock, and have witnessed the same before God and this Company, and thereto have given and pledged their troth each to the other, and have declared such by giving and receiving of a ring and by joining of hands, I pronounce therefore that they be Man and Wife together.”
With a huge smile, Rhyllan took Claarissa into his arms, kissing her. Sinaedh smiled to herself. She didn’t even have to coach him through that part. With a relieved sigh, she took a few steps back, away from the happy couple, who were being congratulated by those present.



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