The sea applauded; great amber waves chorused beneath an orange sky licked by dark purple brushstrokes. It all seemed very far away, as if the heavens were celebrating the wedding of royalty, or gods, while Mary prepared for her own wedding at the same time. She was dressed, and the vibrant red hues of her skirts shone in the evening light, the satin fabric reflecting everything. She might’ve stepped out of the sky herself if not for the white fabric bodice of her gown; perhaps she was a morning cloud come to watch. The trim of her dress had been inspired a little bit by Dorian and a little bit by Tabitha.
While Mary had known she wanted to incorporate some of the intricate beading and embroidery she’d seen in other traditional Indian gowns, she hadn’t been sure what to do until she saw Dorian’s mug all those days ago. As his rabbit, such an important part of who he was, quibbled about the surface, Mary thought of Tabitha’s second great love. It was easy, then, for the seamstress to charm the gold and silver stitching to look like flames and scales. Now, a dragon was in permanent flight among her skirts, and though it was ferocious, it was not frightening. This was a creature, not a monster, and a proper beast at that.
Dorian said something to get Mary’s attention and she granted it to him, openly shining as she smiled. Overwhelmed, she wrapped her arms around him in a quick hug, laughing and adjusting her usual oversized hat as she pulled away.
“Did I mess my hair up? Oh, we spent so much time trying to get it to behave.” She was blithering; she could feel it. There was no need, though, because everything was already perfect, and Dorian assured her of as much with one of his kind smiles.
Everything was going to be perfect. While she and Dorian were preparing their exit - or entrance as the case may be - Mary and Tabitha’s guests had found seats in the transformed gardens of Darius and Evangeline’s loaned space.
Tiny lights twinkled among bushes, paying homage to the glistening fairy wing Tabitha had gifted her future wife, and paper lanterns in every color imaginable hovered in the sky above them. The effect was to lend a sense of dancing to the event, even before it was time for that. The gardens themselves were reminiscent of so many of Tabitha and Mary’s conversations in the previous months, and a discretely brewed cauldron of amortentia gave fluttering paper flowers a gentle aroma; the guests had a little hint of their own love during the ceremony.
With Christmas in the air as well, it was no surprise that the scent of hot chocolate with marshmallows, Tabitha’s shampoo, and something sweeter brushed Mary’s senses as one such flower drifted by, and she righted herself, accepting the arm Dorian offered. He was a proper gentleman, and Mary blushed despite herself.
“Let’s go and get me married,” she laughed.
Before their last step into the open, and into the first night of the rest of her life, Mary pulled slightly on Dorian’s arm to signal that they should stop. She tried not to clutch at his arm. At their feet, Ailuros looked up with an understanding purr.
Mary looked up to see the first hint of stars forming in the sky, and reminded herself for just one moment to breathe. To breathe in the woman she loved, and the woman who would have loved her too. Not quite jasmine, and not quite clove, the third aroma brushed Mary forward, onto the next page. It was sweet, warm, and familiar, and she hadn’t really gotten to smell it for a very long time.
She only hoped that one day, she would get to see her daughter off too.
**
"Tabitha,
I'm not usually given to these sorts of things. I prefer the playful and the cheerful and the wonderful to the sorts of seriousness that tend to appear in life instead. You know, as do many of the people here, that there are several faces not amongst those watching us up here - watching me be all awkward as I stumble over my words to try to really just say how much I love you, but I'll get there - and you know how very little ways I've come since then.
I hadn't grown much until I met you. I hadn't learned what it meant to grow for myself, that is. It's not terribly hard to find people who matter enough to make the world a better place. Everyone here is someone that I want to make the world a better place for, and everyone here is so beautiful. So beautiful.
But you, my love, make me want to make myself better. You make me want to make the world a better place for myself to live in and you make me want to do so with you by my side. I think that you could probably convince me to ride a dragon with you, and I know about half of you is warring with the fact that that's a terrible idea, just as you're thinking about how much you want to do that.
My point is this: I have never wanted to be in a relationship that I needed. I don't want to be with someone that I depend on for my happiness. Instead, I want to be with someone that reminds me everyday that I can rely on myself, and who is such a gift to be around, that it's not about needing them, but wanted them. I want you because I love you, and there's no one else I'd rather be with. Even myself.
So here, in these gardens, and on this island, and in this time, I want the world to know that you are the reason for the beating in my chest, not because we share one heart or anything like that, but because you are remind me of how very human I am, and how very beautiful that is to be.
I love you, Tabitha, and it's my great honor to call you my wife. 'til death do us part."