Chapter 12
Rosa looked in the mirror, her flowing, white dress barely fitting. Everything seemed so hastily planned. There was only one thing that she was sure of, and that was she wanted to marry Nicholas. Everything else was in chaos.
She knew that she had to do this. She knew that she wanted to do this. And yet, when it came down to the moment, she was terrified. What if this didn't work? What if this was the last moment of happiness they ever had? She had spent so long dreaming of this moment, imagining so many alternatives. None of them had ever ended up like this.
The church was mostly empty, and she was trying to steel herself for that. She felt like she was doing something wrong, sneaking. And yet, it felt so right.
“Ariel just wants to say good luck,” Enya said as she came into the room with a phone. “On Facetime. No carapace magic can get to us through the magic of Apple.”
“Of course,” Rosa took the phone from her, looking at the beautiful face of her red-headed, soon-to-be sister-in-law. “Hello!”
“Hi,” Ariel said. They weren't too far away, but Alexander had chosen to stand in solidarity with his wife. Their bond grew each day, although it pained Alexander to not attend his brother's wedding. Rosa knew Ariel would never ask her husband that, but he had chosen to watch from the phone rather than attend. “Have fun.”
“That's your advice?” Rosa raised an eyebrow. “Really?”
“Don't look at me,” Ariel smiled. “My wedding was a drunken whirlwind, and the best part was the hot sex after. But hey, it worked out for me.”
“Ariel!” Alexander called in the background, embarrassed.
She grinned. “So, you'll be fine.”
“Thank you,” Rosa smiled, used to Ariel's comments. “I'm sure I'll see you soon.”
“Hopefully safely,” Ariel said. “Congrats, sister.”
Rosa handed the phone back to Enya as Yvette put the final flowers in her hair. “Well, I think it's honorable to do this. I think it's beautiful,” Enya said.
“I just…I want to be able to know we were locked together for our lives,” Rosa said. “Even if it goes wrong.”
“It won't,” Yvette assured her. “Unless Peter trips as he walks you up the aisle.”
“Excuse me,” Peter swept into the bridal room then. “I have never tripped in my life.”
“You tripped on the way to breakfast yesterday morning!” Yvette cried, and he smiled.
“I suppose there was that,” he said. “Are you ready? Everyone who is going to be here is here.”
“I think so,” Rosa said. “So, by everyone, do you mean five people?”
“The priest, two of my brothers–one of whom is your future husband, I give you–your sisters in law…,” he counted on his fingers, “and myself.”
“Oh, six,” she said. “Excellent.”
“Come,” he held out his arm. “What matters now is your wedding day and your happiness.”
She accepted that and took his arm.
She didn't care that it wasn't a grand wedding. She didn't care that there weren’t a thousand people in the church, or that it wasn't in the palace. As soon as she saw Nicholas at the end of the aisle, all she could think about was how much she wanted to be his wife.
Peter's arm was tight around her waist, guiding her as carefully as he could. Her legs had barely recovered, and they had placed a chair at the end of the aisle. It looked plain without any dressings. She had enough time to make an IPod play list, but not much else. She wished she had gotten her dress tailored or had asked a few friends from work. But it was too late for all of that.
As soon as Peter put her hands in Nicholas', she forgot about everything else. He held her steady while Nicholas took off her veil, kissing her and then letting her sit. She focused on his face, his sparkling eyes, and everything melted away.
They were getting married, at long last. That was what mattered.
Nicholas turned to the priest, who nodded and cleared his throat. Everything had been so hastily planned that they hadn't even had time to look over the vows properly. They had read them over just once from an internet printout before handing them over to the priest. Rosa hoped that she remembered what to say.
The priest looked to the few of them gathered at the front pew, standing silently. She could feel their eyes boring into the back of her head, but she didn't turn around.
“Into this union, Rosa and Nicholas now come to be joined. If any of you can show just cause why they may not be lawfully wed, speak now, or else forever hold your peace.”
Of course, no one said anything. She didn't really expect any noise, although, she supposed, there was always the excuse that this was pointless. She knew that his brothers thought they couldn't stop the cycle that had already happened. But they had to try.
“Rosa,” the priest said as he turned to her. She was so glad that he was feeding her the lines, because there was no way that she could remember them.
“Will you have this man to be your husband, to live together with him in the covenant of marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, and, forsaking all others, be faithful unto him as long as you both shall live?”
“I do,” she whispered. Somewhere in the middle of the words, it hit her. This was forever. They were getting married; their dream forever. She just prayed that they had some time for happiness. She didn't want forever; but she wanted a few years to live in this wedded bliss before she slipped away. The way things were looking, though, even a year was a stretch.
“Nicholas, will you have this woman to be your wife, to live together with her in the covenant of marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, and, forsaking all others, be faithful unto her as long as you both shall live?”
“I will,” he said, looking up at the priest with emotion in his eyes. None of those words really compared to what they had already gone through. It seemed like they had been to the ends of the Earth and back without even thinking about it. Sickness and health would be easy compared to what they would be facing.
As for forsaking all others, he had done that the moment he had seen her. There was always Rosa, and no one else ever held a candle to her beauty. He would be faithful to her until the end of her days.
“Will all of you witnessing these promises do all in your power to uphold these two persons in their marriage?”
“We do,” the small crowd behind him said.
“Rosa and Nicholas, having witnessed your vows of love to one another, it is my joy to present you to all gathered here as husband and wife. Nicholas, you may kiss the bride.”
He leaned over to kiss her gently, and she relished in his touch.
“We're married!” she said, leaning her forehead against his.
“We are,” he whispered, “and I promise to take care of you forever.”