Two weddings, no funerals (OPEN)

[Vanator]

Vanator made his way through the gathering crowd towards the main pavilion. He was stopped several times by friends and relative congratulating him and older women commenting on how neat and clean he appeared. Male kin slapped him on the back or slugged his arm as he passed by, all accompanied by beaming smiles which Van reflected back to each. He was happy but felt no anxiety, simply appreciative of all that had come to celebrate the family that was being created that evening. Entering the colorfully adorned pavilion, the groom met his father's gaze with a nod. Bremon had entered near the front of the large tent, and Vanator moved to stand next to him. Starting with a handshake, he suddenly threw his other arm around the Diamond clansman. "Thank you, brother, for being a part of this." Van spoke. The embrace was brief, and Bremen nodded and smiled. "You better treat them both right, or I will take Kashik back and keep Khiara for myself!" He teased. Vanator's gaze shifted from his brother-in-law to focus at the back of the pavilion, over Bremon's shoulder. Kashik and Khiara had entered, arm in arm. At the sight of the women, his heart jumped and butterflies went mad in his stomach. God's they looked beautiful. Eyes fixed on his brides, Van nudged his way towards them, finally coming to a stop before the girls. His eyes were bright, the gold-flecks in his dark irises almost twinkling. His grin widened as his jaw dropped slightly. He examined each woman, overwhelmed. "You, you look absolutely beautiful!" He finally sputtered. He took one of Kashik's hands and one of Khiara's in each of his. "I have to be the most blessed Drykas to walk the grass." His gaze shifted from Kashik's bright teal eyes to the swirling lavender and gold irises of Khiara. "Are you ready to do this?."

[Kashik]

"Our husband sounds surprised to find us so breath-taking," Kashik chuckled, winking to Khiara even as she laid her hand in Vanator's and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Of course we're ready. Khi here might turn an alarming shade of pink at any moment, but I'm fairly sure we can deal with that," she giggled, reaching over to give the Vanthan girl a playful tug of her sleeve. "Come, come, let's not keep the heavy drinkers waiting. They won't break the casks until the vows are said, and I'm quite sure you two have waited long enough for two lifetimes." For all her teasing, there was no question that Kashik was thrilled for this day to have come - she was beaming, glowing with pregnancy and happiness, gold-and-darkness wrapped in creamy lace. "Let's make this family official, shall we?"

[Khiara]

Khiara smiled as they entered the main pavilion, slightly overwhelmed by the crowd of people. Both Kashik and Vanator came from such large families...extended and such...and although she felt at home, Khiara was still a foreigner. For now. She knew some of them would probably disapprove. Maybe? But with Kashik and Vanator with her, the young brunette felt confident to face them, to prove herself drykas.

Turning her swirling gaze on the front of the pavilion, she felt the warmth in her cheeks returning. Vanator stood there, dressed in such fine garb - fit for a prince. He radiated like her own personal sun, golden in the very sense of the word. His eyes found them, and the vantha felt a lump in her throat. How could this be real? Any of it? As he approached, Khiara felt her heart race. Surely it pounded so loudly Kashik could hear it!

Shifting her gaze to Kashik, the woman giggled a little, before blushing again. Shyly, she dropped her gaze as the drykas woman teased her, still smiling. Looking up as Vanator took her hand, Khiara swallowed the emotional outpouring that threatened. Tears she would not have. Not yet. Eyes a bright violet, she nodded.

"I've been ready for this a long, long time." She said softly, glancing up as Bremon approached.

"Van, get to the front, you need to let me give her away before you can take her." He said with a chuckle, moving to stand beside the girl. Beaming up at the man Khiara linked an arm in his, before turning back to Kashik and Vanator, ready to begin.

[Vanator]

OOCSorry, I thought I had posted this! Gazing at Kashik, Vanator was still amazed with how she held herself with such ease, her light teasing delivered with casual warmth. Her words always seemed to sooth his spirit, not that they were filled with cryptic wisdom, but they were rich with love and simple sense that often brought calm water to his raging seas. "You are always beautiful my dear." He quipped, but with sincerity, leaning in again to press a kiss to her full lips. At his first wife's jibe about how long Khiara and Van had waited to be together, the Drykas groom glanced at his Vanthan bride-to-be, a rare, shy grin flitting across his face. "Yes, lets make this official." Van concurred as Bremon approached and urged him back to the front of the giant tent. Taking Kashik by the hand, entwining his fingers in hers, Vanator strolled proudly, unhurried as he lead his wife to the front of the pavilion. the massive structure was lit by a myriad of candles and lamps, creating a warm and surprisingly intimate feel, despite the mass of family and friends gathered with them. A hush rolled across the crowd and guests scurried to take their seats. Reaching the end of the aisle, the honored Drykas couple together ascended the three low steps to the platform erected for the ceremony, adorned with white and blue and sprigs of early fall flora. The couple separated, turning to face each other, a space left between them for Khiara. After beaming at each other for the length of a breath, Van reached again to take Kashik's hand in his own and the couple turned their eyes towards the rear of the tent, where Khiara stood radiating with her arm in Bremon's. In turn, the guests craned their necks to see the new bride as Bremon lead the Vanthan down the large center aisle. Vanator drew in a deep breath and released it. It was not a nervous sigh. just a reflex to the significance of the moment. The ceremony celebrated the end to one phase in his life and the beginning of a new one. His gaze shifted from one beautiful bride to the other. The Drykas once had thought he would never find someone to love like he had loved Tamar. Now, he had found love again..two-fold. He glowed with contentment and excitement, only tempered to maintain the image of a respectable Ankal heir before the guest. Brightsmile heir and vanthan bride stepped onto the platform. Bremon, in a rare ocassion of restraint, uttered no comment, simplying taking Khiara's hand and placing it in Vanator's. Then, flashing Kashik a big brother grin, Bremon likewise gently set his sister's hand into that of Khiara's. With a nod and a wink at the groom, Bremon left the platform, leaving the three alone before Cheva.

[Kashik]

Kashik beamed as her brother brought Khiara to them, somehow managing to find a balance between her usual boisterousness and the gravity required by the situation - which was to say, she was grinning bright enough to set the Sea aflame, but she wasn't bouncing in place like she might usually have been. Pregnancy might not have settled the wildness in her, but it had given her a bit of perspective on when to reign it in.

As she took Khiara's hand in hers, she leaned forward to press a kiss to the girl's cheek. "Khiara Snowsong," she said clearly, her voice warm and inviting as she smiled to the woman who was about to join her marriage. "Words cannot express what joy I feel to welcome you into our family." She turned her smile to Vanator then, giving him a sly wink. "You have brought warmth to our tent and to our hearts. You have also brought us your kindness, your understanding, and a love that we can only hope to honor."

[Khiara]

(( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9I9M4H9n_I&feature=related ))

Khiara felt her body tremble as she took each step through the crowd of drykas' faces. If it weren't for Bremon, the vanthan felt as though her legs would collapse under her. Looking up at Kashik and Vanator, the young brunette flashed them both a happy smile, before dropping her gaze to the floor. It would be horrible were she to trip on the way down.

Reaching the alter, Khiara beamed at Bremon as he literally handed her to Vanator and Kashik in turn. Accepting the drykas woman's kiss, she listened to the words as they flowed into the evening air, unable to stop the slight blush in her cheeks when Kashik grinned. For all she had mellowed out, the woman was still a tease. Smiling, she squeezed the woman's hand and leaned forward, pressing her forehead to Kashik's own gently. Pulling back, her violet eyes swirled as she looked into the woman's teal ones. Loud enough for the pavilion to hear, she spoke.

"The splendour of fire,
The speed of lighting,
The swiftness of wind,
The depth of the sea,
The stability of earth,
and the firmness of rock.
All these, I see within and around you.
Kashik, Blessed by the Goddess,
Born to the Diamond Clan
Honoured Daughter of Rhinald Brightsmile
And Beloved First Wife of Vanator Denusk,
I give you my love, and my life, so that we may
together learn and grow, till the Goddess calls again."

Smiling, the young vantha turned her gaze to Vanator, tears in her eyes. A lump in her throat caught her voice and Khiara laughed softly. How could this be real? Goddess, let me dream forever if this is my sleep.

"I...sorry." Taking a deep breath, Khiara closed her eyes for a moment, before opening them and looking into the warm rich earthy brown of Vanator's, captivated again by the golden flecks that danced in the firelight.

"I want to be your wife,
For ever and ever without break or decay.
When the hills are flat
and all the rivers are dry,
When it lightings and thunders in Winter,
When it rains and snows in Summer,
When the Sky and the Earth mingle
Not 'til then will I part from you.
Vanator, Horseman of the Cyphrus Grasslands,
Born to the Saphirre Clan,
Honoured Son of Eachann,
Heir to the Denusk Pavilion
and Beloved Husband to Kashik Brightsmile,
I give you my heart and my soul, my life is bound to you.
Forever, till the Goddess calls again."

[Vanator]

A quiet, sweet silence had fallen over the crowded pavilion, as the brides and bridegroom stood before them, handsome and elegant and beautiful. Vanator's smile brightened as Kashik expressed her welcome to Khiara. The man was truly blessed. Drykas marriages were often made for convenience or political reasons, and wives often cooperated with each other only as far as was required. But Van's brides were friends, loved each other and complimented each others strengths. They would truly be a blessed marriage. He squeezed Kashik's hand in response to her wink, and both Denusks' eyes fell to the Vanthan as she turned to address her teal-eyed Drykas friend, offering her emotion-laden vows to Vanator's first wife, before shifting to make her expressions of devotion to her groom. The Vanthan woman's vows were poetic, in the tradition of the storytellers of her homeland, delivered with a lyrical, lilting accent. Vanator's heart swelled with joy to hear his once secret love express her feelings openly with such eloquence and beauty. His grin did not fade as Khiara finished and he leaned forward to press his lips against the cool skin of her forehead, meeting her bright gaze, the proud love apparent in his eyes. Then his glance returned to Kahsik's, his hand reaching out to take her's, making a complete circle of the three of them. He admired his wife for a breath, never having seen her adorned so beautifully, the soft light illuminating the rich, deep-toned skin of her face. His heart trilled as he locked his gaze with hers. Vanator's voice raised clearly, strong but laced with a soft compassion. "Kashik, before Cheva alone we had made our vows of devotion one to another. but now, I want our family and friends to witness the depth of our love. You have captured my heart. Like the storm that first brought us together, all you do you do with intensity. You love with fire, you care with compassion, you fight with ferocity, and you live with laughter. You breathed life into my weary soul and accepted me as I was. You are beautiful and strong and I adored you from the moment I laid eyes upon you. I love you Kashik with the Brightsmile. I share with you my body and my soul, never to deny either to you. I vow my faithfulness, my protection, my providence, my love and my heart to you. Kashik Denusk, my beloved first bride, I love you with all I am, and I vow all this to you, again, before Cheva." Vanator leaned in to press a soft kiss to Kashik's lips, lingeringin her gaze for a moment before turning back towards Khiara. He settled into the Vanthan's exotic color-swirled eyes, again finding himself drawn into them. Again, Vanator's strong voice lifted over the silence. "Khiara Snowsong, daughter of Avanthal, your journey has brought you far from home, and I can only thank your Goddess for bringing you to me. We have waited long, you and I, to embrace the love that we could not deny, no matter how we tried. But we shared a pain of loss too. My pain has been eased, with the love of Kashik, and now you. I pray our love will ease your pain as well. Khiara, your voice is like a soothing balm, your gentleness comforting, your perception enlightening, your beauty breathtaking. I count it all joy to make you my wife. I will be your strong arm to lean on, defender, provider, lover and friend. I vow to you my faithfulness and devotion and to love you without condition. L love you Khiara, deeply, and I share with you my body and soul, to be part of Kashik and my loving union. I vow this before Cheva."

[Kashik]

Kashik smiled warmly as the vows were exchanged, tears of joy shimmering in turquoise eyes. "Let it be so," she whispered, "now and forever. Let us honor each other, love each other, and serve as each others' strength in the years to come."

She released Khiara's hand to reach up and touch a light fingertip to the side of her throat - where the new Chevas mark had appeared, the same design that she and Vanator wore. The spear and axe that had marked them both now incorporated the delicate snowflake of the Vanthan.

"Joy to you," she said with a bright grin, leaning forward to press a kiss to Khiara's cheek, then she turned to press another to her husband's lips. "Joy to you," she laughed in Pavi, then the room exploded in cheers as the phrase was shouted back by Brightsmile, Denusk, and the rest of the pavilions in attendance.

[Khiara]

Khiara couldn't stop the tears once Vanator started speaking, trying to swallow the lump in her throat and keep her lip from trembling. As he turned to her, all the vantha could do was smile through them, taking a few shallow breaths as she tried not to cry terribly.

For a moment, she felt light headed, almost faint. From somewhere far away, she could hear a voice singing. It was a man, and he was singing a vanthan wedding song of love and well wishes. Khiara could see herself watching the ceremony from above, floating in the autumn breeze. The singing sounded closer, like a soft whisper in her ear. She smiled.

"And now, your heart is complete." The voice said, love and joy in its tone. With a sudden gust of wind, Khiara found herself back in her own body - if she had ever left - and looked briefly to the right. There was no one there. Warmed from the inside out, she smiled again at Kashik as she spoke to the gathered family and friends. An uproar burst from the guests, and Khiara jumped with a laugh. Looking back at her husband and her friend, the vantha nodded. She felt whole again.

[Vanator]

Vanator's smile was broad as his contented gaze moved between Kashik and Khiara. "Joy to you." He uttered to both women, his tone smoothed with loving sincerity. Eachann, Vanator's father and Ankal of his Pavilion, and Drindal, Ankal of the Brightsmile pavilion, approached the marriage platform and turned to face the rejoicing guests. Over the applause and cheers, Eachann raised his voice. "On behalf of the Denusk and Brightsmile Pavilions, I declare these three husband and wives!" The cheering rose again as the guests stood to their feet. Vanator leaned in again to kiss Kashik, a lingering moment before flashing her a grin and turning to Khiara. He pressed his lips against hers and let the first kiss as husband and wife tarry as the crowd applauded. With one of their hands in each of his he turned to face the gathering of family and friends, beaming with joy as he stood between the two beautiful women. The moment was rich with meaning for the man, and a swelling in his chest confirmed its impact upon his emotions. So long, it seemed, he had wandered. Searching for some remedy, some direction, some temporal relief from his pain and remorse. He had lost what had helped define him. Now, the emptiness that he felt, the love that he needed, had been fulfilled, even to overflowing he realized, as he looked at Khiara and Kashik. His gaze slipped to his first wife's tummy, still flat and unchanged by their unborn child. Yes, Vanator could not have felt more blessed, and he was humbled by his fortune.