Who: Triple H - Hades, Hestia, Hera What: Vows Where: Hades' Home When: May 5th, I believe? Warnings: None. Mushyness?
Her palm was sweaty, fingers slightly aching, and her hand hot from the continued body heat. But Hestia couldn't bring herself to let go of her sister's hand until they reached the door of Hades' estate. Her excitement was building like a reckless flame, a remnant of the hope and dread that had been building up until the very last second. Hera had said yes. Yes. Yes. Though it felt selfish, her childish imagination was already at work of how things would work, what could be fixed, made better, how the boys would react...
She could see no wrong. She had done a good thing. It felt like the world was right, at least for the moment.
Offering a smile to Hera, she let her go and pushed the doors open, walking inside and calling for their sibling.
Hades had departed from the muse's side. He had merely wished to be alone and secluded himself in a small room on the groundfloor, flush with windows. Hestia's voice made him sigh a little. Of course. That's just how it worked. Whenever he longed for company, he could find none. The second he wanted a moment to himself, he heard his name being called. But he stood and shook his head. No. This might be important. Dire even. "[I'm over here!]"
Hera had come in behind Hestia, closing the door and quietly following after. When she heard her brother's answer, she called her so to be spouse to her, then headed in the direction of his voice. There was a small smile on her lips now, and a far more relaxed air to her. Clearly, the widow was in a decent mood. So as she entered the room with Hades, she arched an eyebrow and launched almost right into things. "[Brother, do you have a set of rings near to hand that we could have or borrow?]"
Hades understood those words and he understood the action of smiling and yet he was still confused. He had missed something very important. Like context. Lacking that, none of this made sense to him. At all. "[Why?]"
"[She said yes,]" said Hestia simply, gesturing to their sister, still smiling with what she was convinced looked like idiotic glee.
Hera arched an eyebrow as she gave a sideways glance to her sister. Had they planned this? Did Hades know what it was that Hera was to be asked? If that were so, she would be a hair annoyed. But she also suspected that it was true and it had little difference in the grand scheme. She turned back to their brother. "[We would like to exchange wedding vows. We also would like you to be witness, if you are willing.]"
Hades stood in quiet shock for a moment. He rushed into marriage it failed in spectular tragedy but Hestia asks Hera on pretty much a whim and... And then Hades understood. Tragedy. Melpomene was with him and their luck was making good on the seemingly impossible. He managed a small smile. Let his sisters benefit from it. "[I would like that...]" And then he paused. What else had they asked? Rings? "[You need rings, yes?]"
Hestia nodded. "[Hera suggested you do the ceremony. You being a judge is appropriate, no?]" she said with a small laugh.
He had also been a king, a king who was looking forward to forging his own marriage with his fiance, which was also made him an appropriate choice. Hades was still slightly taken back, surprised right out of his brooding as he nodded. "[I can do something like that if you wish.]" Glancing at Hera in silent question, he didn't wait for any confirmation. It had been Hera that brought up that the wanted to exchange vows and for him to be a witness. That was enough for him. "[Wait here.]" Quickly, he left them there and went elsewhere in his large house only to return some minutes later. They wouldn't have to know how much rummaging he had to do and how much he had to think of a place where he might have stashed jewlery without going into his bedroom. But he found something. With both rings in hand and his blade that cut through anything now sheathed at his side, he opened his hand to show them, "[I'd have to resize them, but would these do?]"
There was little difference between witnessing vows and preforming the mini ceremony that they would be able to do standing within his home. If Hestia wanted a wedding however, with amazing dresses and flowers, the twins being ring bearers and all the rest, she would have to wait. They would discuss that later, however. She waited with her sister as Hades took off in search of a pair of rings, and looked on curiously at what he had chosen to bring back. Hera gave a small chuckle at his words. "[Even if I did not find them suitable, I would not be so rude as to turn down the offer. They will be perfect.]" She could buy Hestia a more fitting one later, if the hearth goddess wished.
The elder sister nodded in agreement. "[They're fine, lovely even.]" She took one ring and inspected it. Gosh. Suddenly the gravity fell upon her. She was getting... married? Married. Oh gods. Her heart beat all the faster with anticipation. "[So... I'm the new one to this,]" she said, chuckling a little to try and hide her nervousness. "[What do we do?]"
The rings were already out of her hand as soon as they both agreed to them. Quickly, with the blade sheathed at his side he cut either ring and removed the gold that made them too big for the women before him. Then he placed them both in Hestia's hands and leaned in to whisper into her ear, "[Heat them up so they're both rings again. Getting a torch is a bit pointless with you here..]" Releasing the rings into her hands, he kept a gentle hold on her wrist.
"[Right.]" Carefully, she held the bands together and closed her eyes to concentrate. A brief spark, and the broken bits began to melt together. Once they were whole again, she smoothed out the still melting bits with her fingertips, giving it a smooth edge as best she could. Hestia paused only to blow on them to cool them before handing one to Hera.
Hades nodded a little and then, still holding onto Hestia's wrist, offered Hestia's hand, symbolic of her whole person to Hera. Part of him felt it needed to be done, to symbolically give her to Hera, not because he was either Hestia's father or her king, but according to Hestia's own confession, he should have been her husband and he was her first and only lover. There was a sense of claim and belonging and so Hades handed her to Hera. For the sake of closure. He then took a step back.
Accepting the hand, Hera looked up at her brother, realizing what it was that he was doing. It was odd to her to consider that Hestia would need someone to give her away, though their brother was clearly the best choice. She nodded slightly to him as she took Hestia's hand within her own, a silent unworded promise in a way to be respectful of the bride she was accepting. So as he stepped back, Hera turned to look at Hestia, angling to speak directly to her. She cast her eyes to Hades briefly, then back to Hestia. "[Are you ready?]"
"[I am,]" said Hestia to Hera, and then repeated it to Hades. She was. It was hard to believe, but she really was.
Ah, good. "[I, Hera, daughter of Kronos and Rhea, take this woman to be my wife. I vow to be faithful and loyal, respectful and truthful, loving and caring, to provide and protect when needed, to listen and honor, as best as I am able, in the role of wife, until the day our marriage is ended.]" Lifting the ring for Hestia, she carefully slipped it on to her finger, making her vow complete.
Hades turned his eyes to Hestia now, "[And you?]"
Looking Hera in the eyes, Hestia repeated solemnly and as closely as she could, "[I, Hestia, daughter of Rhea and Kronos, take this woman to be my wife. I vow to be faithful and loyal, respectful, truthful, loving and caring, to provide and protect, to listen and honor, as best as I'm able to, in the role of wife until the day our marriage is ended.]" And she put Hera's own ring on, holding her hands gently once it was fitted.
Taking both their hands, he sandwiched them between his own and closed his eyes. Something defaulted in his mind, something ancient bubbled up to the surface of his soul. The ancients may have invoked Zeus for public oaths, for those of family honor, politics or any other such public account, but for the secret, the serious, the life-changing and those that possibly might not end until death, they would invoke the Chthonian one. "[I witness your vows and you will aver them. I conduct from you your former lives separate and in their passing usher to you your new lives joined as one life. So it shall be according to your own testimony.]" He opened his eyes again and released their hands, the moment passed from him as he stepped back from them again, meeting both their gazes as he did with a small nod.
Hera looked at Hestia as their brother spoke, knowing that the oaths they made were not small, and would be held to them. But as he finished, she closed her eyes with a smile, feeling how the marriage was sealed between them, and how strong it was. Her own marriage was one that was easy to sense, and this one had a new tone, new flavor, new feeling, while also being very clearly her marriage. She felt comfortable once more. Turning to look to Hades, she caught his nod, and returned it with one of her own, before looking to her wife, and seeing her reaction.
Hestia was smiling. This wasn't unusual, but there was a calmness to it now, a sense of good. It was a new page. They'd have to see where it took them. "The muses are going to be so sad. No one here to catch the bouquet," she joked, breaking the solemn air.
"You can always have a public party later. That should appease them if they are upset," Hades reasoned as he took another step away from there. Suddenly, he felt out of place, like he didn't belong to the moment even though they were in his house and he had just witnessed their vows. "Also, you have no bouquet anyway."
"There are gardens enough to create from if we chose." Hera gestured dismissively at the issue though. They were married. The topic of a bouquet for the wedding mattered no more just now. "Or, perhaps better, would be simply to stop at a flower shop on the way home." She arched an eyebrow to her sister. Clearly this was not home for either of them. And the house Hera had been living in previously was not one she would call home anymore either. That only left one 'home'.
The older sister rolled her eyes at the both of them. "Neither of you two know how to get a joke." But the word home sent a shiver down her spine and the hairs on her arms were unsettled. Home. Together. Deep in her primal core, her domain, the sound of it was bliss. "Did you want to go now?" she asked Hera; she certainly sounded ready to go. But she didn't want to cut and run on their brother either, it was rude.
Hera highly doubted that their brother would be the least bit bothered by them leaving so quickly. She had stayed long enough within his home. The sooner she left, the sooner his life would return to normal. "If that is suitable to you. I need only to gather a few of my own items." Clothing, mostly. All of her other important items were still at the house she had shared with Zeus or in another safe location.
Hades could almost hear the unspoken question and began to turn away from them, "You do not have to wait on me. Enjoy your new life together, I won't insist on you staying here with me any longer." He glanced at Hera, "You're probably getting stir crazy in here anyway." He then glanced at Hestia, "You gave me a blanket as my house warming when I moved into that house with you. Your new wife is getting a much better gift, you giving yourself to her."
The warm look that Hera gave to her new wife seemed to show her agreement on this matter. They would both be better for the arrangement, and finally the goddess of wives felt comfortable and whole once more. She knew her life with Hestia would vary drastically from her time with Zeus, and her time alone, she suspected that a number of changes were before her, but the prospect did not seem daunting. Merely, expected. Lifting Hestia's hand, she gave it a small kiss. "Come," she spoke softly. "Let us gather my things and give our brother his home once more." Hades was clearly freeing them to do as they needed.
The hearth goddess' only response to Hades' words and Hera's touch was a blush. She nodded to Hera and, turning to go with, mouthed her thanks to Hades again before following her sister up the stairs. No, her wife. That was going to take some getting used to.