Page 75 of A Snake By Name
“Oh my gods, you look so beautiful! The dress fits perfectly!” Rory says.
“And your hair, it’s gorgeous! They did such a good job with these ribbons!” Lorelai marvels.
I smile at them before turning my attention to Zalith and Slyth.
“You finally did it, you bastard,” Slyth jokes, patting me on the back.
“You sound surprised,” I say.
“I think we all are, a little bit. You were always such a loner. I never really thought you would settle down and have a family one day. But it suits you well, my friend.”
I chuckle as I follow them to my and Krista’s table, where the two of us sit while everyone else sits at another long table in front of us. We are to eat alone while the guests eat together.
“The food looks amazing,” she marvels.
“Don’t worry, I had them slip in some capra cheese. There’s a small plate of it right here.”
“Oh, thank gods!” she says, immediately grabbing a chunk and eating it.
I laugh because this girl really is addicted to the stuff right now. Just the other night, I caught her sneaking out of bed to grab some. It’s comical, really.
As we eat, a Jinrayaha player starts up, and everyone stops talking for a moment to enjoy the music.
“It’s beautiful,” Krista whispers.
“I knew you’d like it. I picked my favorite songs for them to play.”
“I didn’t know you were such a big fan of music!”
“Indeed. Sometimes it was the only escape I had. I don’t get to hear it often, but over the years it’s grown to be my favorite musical instrument.”
“We should teach the kids how to play. That way we always have music playing in the house.”
“That’s a lovely idea, I hadn’t thought of that. We will certainly arrange for lessons once they are old enough. Hopefully, a couple of them will be good at it.”
After dinner, we share a short dance together because Krista really can’t handle standing for too long, especially since she’s been on her feet all day. Once we finish, the rest of the guests begin dancing, while a Liya player starts up.
Once we have spent the appropriate time engaging with our guests, Krista and I sneak off to our honeymoon suite, prepared for us by Princess Aurora.
“Wow, it is so beautiful here. Aurora really knows what she’s doing,” Krista says.
“I agree, this will be the perfect place for us to spend the next couple of days alone,” I say, gesturing to the private courtyard outside with a small garden and eating area.
“Is it time?” she asks.
“Absolutely. I’ve been waiting all night for this.”
Krista pulls the stone out of a hidden flap in her dress and hands it to me. I look her in the eyes before looking down at the stone.
A huge smile spreads across my face.
“The stone of peace, promising us a calm, harmonious life together,” I say, looking back up at her. “It’s perfect.”
And thus begins our peaceful journey together.
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SELLIS