NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC: Please keep all OOC in the OOC thread, if you still want an invite post there. http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=450856

Also, please note that anyone tagging will be dealt with by the guards.

IC:

It was the day that Kurt had been waiting for, the day he was to marry his fiancé Quatre. Ever since the day he had proposed to Quatre, he had been eager more then ever to defeat his grandfather, Azazel. He had promised to marry him as soon as he defeated him and that had been done, the King was free to live up to his promise.

Kurt looked at himself in the mirror, he couldn’t remember the last time he had dressed so smartly. Even as King he would always refuse to wear smart clothes and just put on whatever took his fancy that day. This however was different, it was a very important day for him, one which would be remembered for years to come. Today of all days he had to make an impression, especially after his coronation had ended up so rushed. At least it felt like that, but the others had probably been planning it ever since Azazel had taken control.

The butterflies were now present in his stomach. Nervousness wasn’t beginning to take over. Though it wasn’t second thoughts, it was worrying about whether or not everything was going to go smoothly. The King’s thoughts drifted over to his eighteenth birthday and what had happened back then. This time however, security was tighter then ever and someone attacking the wedding was just not going to happen.

“Your Majesty, are you ready?” came a knock on the door.

Kurt sighed, “Yes Kiwi,” he replied.

How ready could on be on their wedding day? Kurt always felt as though he was missing something, something important. Maybe that was all just down to nerves. No second thoughts, none at all. Wait what if Quatre did?

“No,” the King quietly said to himself.

Quatre had been looking forward to the wedding for a long time. There was no way he’d have second thoughts. Kurt closed his eyes and turned away from the mirror. Walking over to the door, he opened it and left. His uncle, Kiwi, was waiting for him outside.

“It is time,” he told the King.

Kurt nodded.

Meanwhile outside, the guests were already seated, awaiting the start of the wedding. The wedding was being held on the shore of the Golden Lake, a favoured spot of Quatre’s since it was on the grounds of the family estate. It was a peaceful area, at least it was until the wedding started of course. The lake was lined with trees and an old large oak stood at the fore of a large clearing on the lakeside nearest Winner Mansion. There was a long garden path between the clearing and the main doors of the mansion.

Stood at the foot of the great oak was the altar. There at the altar stood the priestess who was to perform the wedding, she was the goddess Freyja. Along both sides were the guests, family, friends and important people invited from Draconis Nightcrawlis and other nations.

Lady Rasputin, who along with Tarja Winner had worked hard on planning the wedding. In her arms was the baby prince, Gabriel Daniel Wagner. He was quietly asleep and at only a few months old, he had been pretty oblivious to what had being going on around him.

It had been agreed that Quatre would wait at the altar while Kurt rode on horseback to the altar, as was tradition. Not having his parents, nor his sister there felt strange for the King. His mother in particular had always talked about what his wedding would be like and as he rode down to the alter, she, his father and sister were all not there. He looked across and saw Quatre’s family still intact, he wouldn’t admit it but he envied his husband to be over that fact.

Once beside the altar, Kurt dismounted and went to stand beside Quatre. Freyja smiled at them both. She was happy to finally be doing this, knowing that the two had waited years for this as a result of having to deal with the Kings grandfather and for Kurt to settle down in his role as King.

“First we must hallow the ground,” Freyja stated.

A blond haired man by the name of Jonas Flack, who happened to be Lord Flacks younger brother, stepped forward. He spoke clearly in Olde Draconian.
“Fyr ic bere ymb friðgearde,
Ond béode men frið fremman,
Líeg ic bere tó belúcan,
Béode ælwihta fléogan aweg.
Þunor wéoh, Þunor wéoh,
Þunor wéoh þisne ealh.
Fyr ic bere ymb friðgearde,
Ond béode men frið fremman,
Líeg ic bere tó belúcan,
Béode utlaga féran aweg.
Þunor wéoh, Þunor wéoh,
Þunor wéoh þisne ealh.
Þunor wéoh, Þunor wéoh,
Þunor wéoh þisne ealh.”

Then a blue haired man by the name of Freydrich Elvenchilde stepped forward. He spoke in clear Draconian.

“Fire I bear around this sacred site,
And bid all men make peace,
Flame I bear to enclose,
And bid evil spirits to flee
Thor make sacred, Thor make sacred,
Thor make sacred this holy site
Fire I bear around this sacred site,
And bid all men make peace,
Flame I bear to enclose,
And bid outlaws fare away.
Thor make sacred, Thor make sacred,
Thor make sacred this holy site.
Thor make sacred, Thor make sacred,
Thor make sacred this holy site.”

“Thank you,” Freyja said and looked toward the god Thor who was stood near the back.

He nodded, there was no way he’d block his godsons wedding even if he’d rather Kurt marry a dumb blonde woman.

“We are gathered here today to witness and bless the wedding of Kurt and Quatre and to support their troth by our community of faith and family. We are witnessing the establishment of a new hearth of Heathen faith,” Freyja began. “Marriage is about love, but even more it is about frith, trust, honour, and shared hamingja. Each of you holds in your hands, now, the trust, the honour, the hamingja, and luck of the other one. By combining them, in troth, you create a ground for family, frith, and luck to grow and strengthen through the years. Together, each of your powers is more than doubled. So keep strong your honour and your trust in yourselves, in each other, an in your child. Honour fith and Heathen thew, and these powers will like the rune of Tiw, hold you fast on your course through the mists of night as well as through all your brightest days.”

Freyja smiled at the couple. Kurt still had butterflies in his stomach.
“Holy Ones, goddesses and gods! Ancestors both recent and ancient, especially kin of the grooms! Good wights of this place honour us now by your presence, your witness, and your blessings. Hail the Holy Ones!”

There was a murmur from some of the gods at the back. Though it was traditional to say those lines, it really wasn’t necessary since they were present anyway. Freyja looked a little bemused at the murmuring while Kurt and Quatre just looked on.

Now was the part that made Kurt nervous.

“Now let us hear the boasts of worth from the wedding parties,” Freyja then stated and looked towards Quatre’s family.

Kurt gulped as Quatre’s father stepped forward.

“I challenge Kurt’s party as to why he is worthy to marry my only son,” he said.

Kurt’s uncle Kiwi stepped forward, “Because as anyone can see they are clearly in love and only an selfish person would try to keep them apart,” he said. “I know within your heart that you would not wish to deny your son his happiness.”

Quatre’s father nodded and smiled. “That is true, I only want what's best for my son,” he explained. “But is Kurt really what is best for my son? Lady Nocturnes attacks have left me rather worried, can I trust Kurt to look after my son?”

Kurt wondered why tradition barred him from countering the challenges himself. Still he knew that all challenges would be met, he knew that his uncle would never let him down.

“Of course, Kurt would protect Quatre with his life,” Kiwi replied.

“Ah but Kurt’s manners are despicable, he eats like a pig and he’s foul mouthed,” Kethoro Cyredathem pointed out, she had agreed to be Quatre’s Morwyn chan Arddyrchafwch.

Kurt glared at her, he wasn’t pleased with the ‘bad manners, foul mouthed’ remarks from her. Quatre’s father raised an eyebrow with interest.

Kiwi didn’t miss a beat as he replied, “Kurt has manners that equal those of the gods themselves, Thor in particular,” he said. “To question Kurt’s manners would be akin to questioning the manners of the gods, after all he does tend to learn things from Thor and would you really want to question Thor’s manners.”

Kurt smiled, that certainly sounded good and for once someone defended his manners. He noticed Quatre trying not to laugh.

“Then,” Mr Winner began to say and paused. He looked at Kurt and smiled. “In that case, he proves his worth in marrying my only son.”

‘Alright,’ Kurt though, his smile widening.

Kiwi then nodded. “Then it is agreed that the wedding can go ahead,” he said.

“Agreed,” Mr Winner nodded.

Now was the time to exchange the handgeld and brýdgifu. Freyja nodded and Kurt knew what was expected of him.

"Do you have the handgeld as you oathed to have?" Freyja asked.

“Yes,” Kurt said, giving a nod.

Kurt then handed over a small pouch to Kethoro as was customary and said, "I give you this, the handgeld as I oathed to do."

Freyja then turned to Quatre’s Morwyn chan Arddyrchafwch, Kethoro. "Do you have the brýdgifu as you oathed to have?" she asked.

“Yes,” Kethoro nodded.

As was customary, she passed the brýdgifu to Quatre. "I give you this the brýdgifu. It is yours to have and hold all of your days," she told him.

"The brýdgifu and handgeld have been gifted and given. The holy oaths given have been held. Now let the bridegroom and bride exchange their oaths," Freyja then announced.

Kurt unsheathed his ancestral sword and presented it to Quatre. "I give you this sword to save for our son to have and to use," he then said.

Quatre now gave Kurt a new sword, "To keep us safe, you must bear a blade. With this sword keep safe our home."

Kurt then turned to Quatre. “I, Kurt Thor Wagner II, son of Kurt and Wanda Wagner, take thee to be my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, to love and live for, until death do us depart. May our lives intertwine with these words in the same wyrd.”

Quatre then replied “I Quatre Makoto Winner, son of Raberba and Tarja Winner, take thee to be my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, to honour and love, until death do us depart. May Frige weave our threads in the same weave.”

With that done, Freyja said a prayer. “Hal Wær --- weardes weddas,
Bidde áðas wæccan -- ond tréowð wíte gif brecan.”
To which Freydrich translated: “Hail Wær --- warder of vows,
I bid you watch these oaths --- and if this troth is broken, punish.”

It was then that the rings were exchanged. Both Kurt and Quatre uttered the same words and placed the ring on each others finger. "With this ring I thee wed.”

Freyja then spoke another prayer. “Hal Frige Módor---myge Wódnes,
léof mid þín léodum---léohtmód bist,
rúne hieldst---rúmheort bist,
mearum ond máðmum---meduradenne,
for gesiðmægen--- symle aghwar;
eodor æþelinga---arest gegretest,
forman fulle---to Fréan hond,
ricence geracst--- ond rad witst mann,
Frige eallcnáwestre ---fræfel gyden,
Esageardes cwén--- cwémlic hláfidge.
Biergst byrdum --- bearn weardst.
blétse sinhiwan --- swa bliss habban.”

This time she translated it herself. “Hail Frigga Mother--- Odin's mirth,
dear to the folk ---you are light hearted,
hold secrets---and generous are,
with mares and treasures---when the mead is dealt out,
for warriors---at symbel together;
always the princes---you greet first,
first the full---to the lord's hand,
greatness you attain---and for Man counsel know,
Frigga all knowing ---cunning goddess,
Asgard's queen ---pleasing lady.
You guard births---ward the young.
Bless the couple --- so that bliss they will have.”

Freyja then held out her hands to unite the couple.

"May you each be bliss and blessing to one another, to your child and to your united kin. May your frith, luck, and hamingja grow ever stronger through the years. May the holy goddesses and gods smile upon your marriage and your family, and may your housewights always behave themselves reasonably well. You may kiss your husband."

Kurt leaned forward and kissed Quatre.

“I know present you Kurt and Quatre Wagner.”

The gathered friends and family stood up, cheering and clapping as the newly wedded couple walked down hand in hand. They headed for the mansion itself and to the buffet to celebrate their marriage.

Odcal watched the preceedings with the rest of the guests. He watched as Kurt rode to the altar. Interesting wedding ceremonies they have here. He thought to himself. Then he started trying to clear his ears when some blond person started speaking. Then he figured out it was just Olde Draconian and he wasn't having ear problems and mentally berated himself.

Then he realized that if they were going to do an actual complete traditional Draconian ceremony complete with mindboggling Olde Draconian. Well.. this will be interesting to say the least.

Odcal remained respectfully quiet throughout the wedding although he was having a hard time not laughing as Kiwi calmly compared Kurt's manners to those of Thor's. He stopped himself before he accidentally angered a bunch of gods.

He remained quiet and at the end of ceremony he broke into loud applause. "Congratulations you two!" He called out to the newlyweds.

Kra-vessin n'la watched the proceedings through multifaceted eyes - out of respect for the ceremony Mother's representative had kept to the back - raised up on his central and rear legs he could easily see the events, and his unusual form would not prove distracting to the other guests.

Watching the event, the Thyrian managed to work out what was supposed to be happening, although with a typically Thyrian approach - apparently a wedding was a linking of two Creches through ceremony and mutual affection between a member of one Creche for another in the other family group, although this race's Creches were far smaller than Thyrian ones.

During the ceremony Kra-vessin, and through him, Mother, observed the proceedings themselves in addition to the Gods and actions/dress of the other guests. Multifaceted eyes and quad-lobed brains are useful for some things, after all.

After the ceremony and as the other guests began to cheer and call out the Thyrian took the hint from them, lifting up onto rear legs with his wings humming in a peculiar form of applause, combined with the clack of two pairs of clawed hands/feet.

Aria watched as the two walked down the aisle, with interest and a faint, unreadable look in her sparkling blue eyes. While she wasn't a fan of same-gender marriages, she knew it was very important to the King and his fiancee, and important to James.

As the marriage proceeded, her aide made sure to capture the ceramony.
While the initial part was unusual to say the least, and the main part of the ceramony, that was held in old Draconian, was confusing, she managed to figure out the main parts of the wedding.

As the two were married, she applauded as loud as any. She wondered what surprises where instore now that the offical ceramony was concluded.