Shahzad - Aurumstan Wedding
Sixty-fifth of Colossus Istan
Overlooking the ceremony below, the ruins of Aurumstan glimmer as the afternoon sun shines brightly off their golden facade. A cool breeze wafts the smell of the salty sea about the guests settled upon the sandy beach.
White elegant chairs, decorated with fabrics of teal or purple, form two columns, (arranging the attendees into guests for the bride or the groom, respectively) and in between them a purple and teal rug covers the freshly combed sand. An altar under a white canopy was situated at the head of the columns. While a small orchestra of musicians were positioned off to the side, currently entertaining the guests with a rendition in anticipation of the ceremony’s start.
When the song concludes it does so by fading into a moment of silence while the two flower girls, Amadi Aurum and Nandi Madide, prepared to make their entrance.
A new song then begins by way of a melodic chime of the piano with only the violin and cello joining in for the more intimate refrain.
Dressed in identical teal and purple billowing tulle skirts, and with two baskets in hand, Amadi and Nandi proceed down the aisle in tandem with the spreading of flower petals in their wake. Once the pair arrive at the altar, Nandi remains in place while little Amadi skips to her parents, Lord Mahk and Lady Lilita, who sat in the second row on the bride’s side.
It was then that Manizeh emerges from a display of mesmeric magic, suddenly appearing behind the guests. Small diamonds had been sewn into the long-sleeved white gown and fur-trimmed train, each one sparkling in the sunlight. From the amethyst gem diadem that rested securely upon her braided hair, to the diamond earrings in shades of purple, and her necklace of pearls and tear-dropped shaped turquoise diamonds, had all been fashioned to compliment her thematic bouquet of flowers. What little skin showed had been decorated with henna ink and turquoise lines painted throughout the pattern.
Salm stands at the ready in his garment of gold, proud and lengthy as it is, but his stare is fixed upon the show of violet to reveal his beloved. His hands are clasped at his back in sovereign fashion, and he merely grins at her from afar, ever-encouraging.
With tears of joy and eyes only for her groom, Manizeh glides down the aisle with slow, purposeful steps. Her mind open for those who might seek refuge and to share in the moment of elation.
Joining Salm at the altar, Manizeh bestows a chaste kiss upon his full lips much to the amusement of some, and the sneers of a few, within the audience of close friends and extended family. She is then to embrace Nandi with a warm hug, handing off the bridal bouquet for the young teen to hold.
As all become quiet, a middling woman at the front begins to speak, saying, “Manizeh, daughter of Suhl, and Salm, son of Jamasp—I am Ariadne Angelos, to marry these two people.”
Ariadne is like a sculpture amidst her simple, aubergine frock, and she holds in her grasp a humble scroll—with but a small smile to the couple, she begins to read aloud, all from the visible words.
“… from the sacred text of Lyssa, goddess of love: the road may be long, but you can walk it together.
There may be storms, but you can shelter one another. The cold may come in winter far, but you can be each other’s warmth.
Each companion to the other: two souls, united.
May no weapon sever the bond that holds your hands together.
And may no word sever the love that keeps your hearts as one."
The spiritualist tied a cord of regal, reddish blue around the couple's wrists and made a sign of the goddess over their joined hands. "I now pronounce you, Lord Salm and Lady Manizeh, married in the eyes of the Five Gods and within the laws of the Land of the Golden Sun. Congratulations.”
She lifts a hand at her pause, then to lament “… and just as you are married in the eyes of the gods, you are married in the eyes of the fallen—the family called Shahzad.”
At that, butterflies of all colors are released, by Manizeh and Nandi together, from either side of the traditional rite, to flutter through the air and out across the greater isle. Salm watches the fanfare with a smile mournful, but his gaze finds that of his new wife, too—and he kisses her without doubt.