Music.
There is far more music and singing at weddings here, far more singing, and far fewer vows. With each new song and each new instrument, the wedding chamber fills with melodies foreign and beautiful. The crowd sings along with each song, even Altan beside me sings and his voice is a low and warm caress.
As we enter the third song, I realize that I'm the only one in the whole room that is not singing. I shift uneasily on my feet and then attempt to do a trick I used to do when I sang in the school choir but didn't know the words: I mouthed the word "Watermelon, watermelon." Over and over to the beat of the music.
After the fourth song ends, the priest that stands before Altan and I raises his hands in the sky. "Praise be to Vohan and Praise be to Jala for allowing this long-awaited Union!" Cheers erupt through the sanctuary and I find myself smiling despite the circumstances. Perhaps this marriage will be of some good, even if not for myself. A war will be ending and fewer lives will be lost.
Altan squeezes my hand and I am reminded that he still holds it. As the cheering ceases the Priest before us motions for the crowd to be seated and the sound of squeaking chair legs follows as the crowd takes their seats.
"Lady Azul of Pani Rastra, under your God Jala, will you vow to have this man as your husband until death parts you?" The priest inquires. His attention as well as the attention of every person in the room shifts to me.
My mouth opens and I realize how dry my mouth has become. I clear my throat and the sound of it seems extraordinarily loud. "I- erm yes, I do" I muster over my nerves.
~What would have happened if I said 'no'?~
A smile splits Altan's face, that half smile that I always find captivating, and his dimple shows on his cheek. His hair has already started to come out of the style it was pushed into, an unruly curl falling on his forehead. And damn he looks good in black. I'm glad he's a fire Mage and not an Air Mage. I don't think pink or purple would be nearly as attractive on him.
~Seriously, for a forced marriage and all. I got pretty lucky. He's an actual hunk.~
"And do you-" The priest repeats the question, but this time directs it at Altan.
"I do." Altan's voice is clear and audible to everyone in the room. There is so much certainty behind his words. He sounds like the Duke that I know he is.
"May the Gods bless your union!" The priest shouts, as if loud enough for the Gods to hear. "And may your marriage be fruitful and plentiful!"
Clapping echoes through the chamber, although it doesn't feel loud or rambunctious enough to be the kind of clapping that means the wedding is over.
~What did Altan say came after the vow?~
"Bring out the Wedding Platter!" The Priest calls as if in answer to my question.
~Oh, right...~
A small low standing table is brought between us and set on the floor. Altan sits on the dais, behind the table, and suddenly Dilera is beside me helping me sit on the ground beside him. In the tight dress, I find it nearly impossible to bend my knees, and when I finally find myself seated on the floor beside Altan I wonder how I'll ever stand back up.
On the table set before us, a small platter of food is served. It's not unlike the one that Altan had presented to me before, on the night he got drunk. My cheeks warm at the memory that will never cease to give me butterflies and I'm suddenly very aware of Altan's presence beside me. As well as all of the other people in the room... staring at us... waiting for us to feed each other.
My stomach flips and I don't think I've ever felt so very not-hungry. Feeding each other seems so intimate, it feels like something that we should do alone not with a million people watching.
No, It's so intimate it feels like something Altan and I shouldn't be doing at all. Especially since we agreed to have a love-less marriage.
On the wedding platter, there are assorted cheeses, meats, crackers, and fruits. A charcuterie board I could have only dreamed of in my past life. I'm reminded of the time I tied to make a charcuterie board for my friends, but the fancy cheeses at the store were so expensive that I just ended up using kraft singles that my mom had at home. I also forgot to buy fruits so I ended up cutting up an old too-ripe banana we had had sitting around. It was probably the worst charcuterie board ever made and an embarrassment of a wedding platter in this world. Needless to say, I decided on that day that charcuterie boards are for the wealthy and my friends and I just ate instant ramen instead.
Altan is the first to move for the wedding platter unsurprisingly, and as he lifts a quarter of a fig up to my mouth I regret not going for the food first. Altan's lips crack open as if in an example of what I should do and I open my mouth hesitantly. He slips the date into my mouth and his fingers brush past my lips as he does. The movement is so soft, so gentle that this intimate act of feeding each other becomes even more nerve-wracking.
My entire face feels hot and probably looks as red as the flames on Ot Ulut's flag. My stomach is dancing so much that I fear it will reject the food I'm about to offer it.
The taste of the sweet fruit on my tongue is somewhat of a distraction. As I bite into the fig I realize that honey has been drizzled over the top of it. Making the fruit taste even sweeter.
~Honey.~
If it's possible, my blush deepens and my head becomes fuzzy from the nerves.
~Honey is what Altan said my kiss tasted like.~
I chew the fig hastenedly, but the damn thing won't break down into a size small enough for me to swallow. I chew harder, then I begin to worry that everyone is wondering why I'm taking so long. So I swallow the chunks in my mouth despite them probably being too big and find myself coughing.
~Good God, I'm coughing up my wedding platter in front of everyone.~
I hear whispers and a few chuckles from the crowd, then suddenly Dilera is beside me again, this time with a glass of water and I drink it quickly before turning back to the task at hand.
~I need to feed Altan and get this over with before I die of embarrassment.~
I look over the wedding platter and decide to give Altan a taste of his own medicine I grab a Medjool date that hasn't been cut in half, it was probably placed there as decoration not for us to eat. The thing is massive and will definitely be a mouthful. I see Altan's eyes narrow a bit as I reach for it and as I bring it to his mouth I notice that it's also drizzled with honey. The sweet substance coats my fingertips as the fruit lingers in front of Altan's lips.
Altan looks at me for a beat before his eyes go back to the date that I've decided may be a choking hazard because it's so large.
~Wouldn't that be convenient? If Altan just happened to choke to death on our wedding day? Would that make me the sole ruler of Kizeljer?~ I wonder. ~Probably not, they're wayyy to patriarchal here.~
Altan assesses the date and then does something unexpected. He grabs my wrist that holds the fruit and steadies it for himself, his large warm fingers encircle my wrist and for a short second, I stop breathing. He eyes me playfully once more before turning back to my offering, then he takes a goddamned bite of the thing.
~Is he allowed to do that? shouldn't he have to eat it all in one go, like I did?~
As Altan takes his bite, his lips brush past the tips of my fingers. The feeling runs straight up my fingers and down my arm. As Altan chews, I consider taking my hand away but he's still holding it in place with his.
I swallow nervously as he brings my hands back to his mouth and eats the rest of the date. Except, it's not just the date that goes into his mouth, it's also my fingers. For a brief second as the date passes his lips, my fingers feel the soft warm inside of his mouth. He releases my wrist and I pull my hand back as the sensation shoots up my arm and makes its way all the way to the center of me.
I avert my gaze and try to calm my beating heart. His lips... his mouth... his tongue touching me... it's too much. My mouth feels dry again... but other parts of me... not so much.
~At least it's over now. We both fed each other something, now we can move on.~
My thoughts vanish as Altan holds up a piece of cheese in front of me. I round my head to him.
~Hold on. We're still feeding each other? How long does this last?~
I look the wedding plate over. The thing is HUGE. There is no way we are supposed to eat ALL of that in front of everyone. My mind races back to when Altan told me about the ceremony while we rode to Kiziljer.
~What did he say about the Wedding Platter? How will it end?~
Then it hits me like a smack to the back of the head.
That's right, it ends when we kiss...