The door opened and Vallum came face to face with his dad. His dad had a scowl on his face. He saw his mother peek out from behind and she rushed past him to get to Vallum.
"You are home!" She greeted him with one arm wrapped around him and one arm knocking him in the head. "And you're here too, Kenra! He saved you from the cult. That is great."
Vallum's dad looked at Kenra, who was standing off a bit, watching. "Does this mean it 'went well'?"
"Yeah, dad. Me and Kay are getting married."
Vallum was met with a strong punch to the temple that made him temporarily black out.
"Watch it, dad! You know how strong you are. You could kill me."
His dad muttered something like "I wish." Before speaking out loud, "You didn't even ask for Trace's blessing before you proposed, did you?"
"..."
Kenra tried to step in. "My dad loves Vallum. He will be excited to hear that we are getting married."
His dad's shoulders dropped. "I have failed."
"Ahem." Vallum cleared his throat. His father looked at him warily when he spoke, "The wedding is going to be today."
His father's eyes shot wide open.
"Today?!" His mother practically screamed. She dashed into the house, "I have to get ready."
"Who is even going to do it?" His dad asked.
"I am going to ask my father to do it." Kenra said.
"Trace? This'll be a fine example of a wedding." He said, exasperated.
"It'll be in the field behind the house." Vallum was stuck on his mission of telling his dad what was going to happen without taking input. "Um... could I borrow a suit?"
His dad gave him a withering look. "Go and talk to Trace and then get your butt back over here, son."
After being sent off by his father, the two of them went to visit Kenra's parents. Safe to say, they were both shocked. Kenra did what she could to assure them that it was happening, and for the most part, they were accepting of it. Vallum left Kenra with her family to get ready and then went back to his own house. When he got there, he found his dad sitting outside the door, with his back up against the wall. His head was leaned back, and he was staring aimlessly into the sky.
"Dad." Vallum said, getting his attention.
He stiffly got up and lead Vallum into the house. His mother was in her room, getting herself ready, and he could hear her muttering to herself as she worked. There was a suit laid out on the couch. Vallum walked over to it and picked it up. It was a black suit without much decor. It had a blue tie that went with it.
"You can wear it on one condition."
Vallum looked over at his dad.
"I want you to love that girl you are marrying. This is your choice to make, and no matter how badly I have failed as a father, I will not stand for you hurting her because you are following a whim." His father looked him in the eyes. His face was completely serious.
Equally serious, Vallum returned his father's gaze. "I do. I do and I will."
"Don't say that to me. Suit up and go tell that girl." His lips curled up the slightest bit as he spoke.
Then the time came.
"Today we are gathered together to..." Kenra's father was dressed in a nice suit, and he spoke to the small crowd that had gathered. Vallum searched the crowd and saw a few faces from the hamlet and a couple from the village. His mother and father were sitting in the front row. The former, being very well dressed. She didn't have a single hair out of place. His father was dressed simply, though.
Even though he tried to stop himself, he spent a moment to see if Vynn or Sari had turned up. Neither of them were there, and he pushed the thought out of his mind. He tired of looking at the crowd, so he looked at the thing that he would never get tired of looking at: Kenra's face. She had a shy smile on her face, and she repeated the vows. They both had the same vows, short and simple.
"I promise to love you unconditionally." They both said it, and they both meant it. Neither doubted that the rest would fall into place around their love.
Vallum was lost in Kenra's face as the ceremony went on. Her eyes sparkled and her hair shined in the sun. Her skin was...
"I do." He said the words without thinking about it, and it was his own voice that broke him out of his thoughts.
A moment later, Kenra followed suit, and said, "I do."
"You... may kiss the bride."
Kenra was Vallum's whole world at this point. He saw nothing else and heard nothing else. He took her hands in his and felt the slight tremble. Her hands were sweating and he could hear her soft breaths. She looked at him expectantly, and he leaned in. Their lips touched and their heartbeats quickened. Kenra wrapped her arms around Vallum's neck and he put his hands around her waist. When they pulled away from the kiss, everyone was silent for a moment, and then they started clapping.
'That's it. I'm married to Kenra. I can't believe that she is my wife." Despite his doubts, the beaming face of the girl with her arms wrapped around him was more than enough to tell him that this was completely real.
Kenra read his face and leaned in to whisper, "It's real, Val. I can't believe that you are my husband."
Both of them were overtaken by the magnitude of what just happened. After a while they went and mingled with the guests that had come. Later, Vallum would find two coins stuck in his pocket with no idea where they came from. In time, they met the guests and were ushered away to go be alone.
"This is our life now, Kay."
"Yeah, Val. It was crazy getting here, but I am so glad we did."
"Hey, Kay?"
"Yes?"
"I never want this moment to end."
"Me neither."
"And... I love you."
"I love you too."