-51-
There were many seats orderly arrayed in rows and columns in the garden, the main part of which the many paths ensconced by flower hedges led to.
Yorn sat in one of the seats in the garden, wide enough to house the seats of all the rowdy people behind him; townsfolk, servants, soldiers, and still had much room to spare.
He sat at the foremost row, only a distance away from a circular stump no different from a platform, low enough to step on with a slight foot lift.
And behind - or in front of - the platform was the crux of the garden, a bulky tree the likes of which he had never seen elsewhere; not in width. nor height, nor leaves. The entire garden was built around the tree as the centrepiece.
The low branches were lengthy while higher branches shortened the more they neared the top of the tree.
The lower branches were low enough Yorn swore he could hit their leaves with his head if he ran fast enough and jumped whilst elevated atop a box or two. Even thinner branches split from the already thin branches, which were all adorned with enough leaves to leaf-out a group of barren trees.
In the height of spring, like it was at present, the former green leaves changed to brilliant peach-pink leaves. The leaves danced and swayed along with the tree, and continued even as they fell to the ground.
"When ya think they'll be out?" Said Mir as he fidgeted in his seat beside Yorn.
He was entertained, before, by bickering with those behind them. But now that they stopped, he was bored again.
"I don't know. Why don't you go ask your wife?" Yorn replied, as he turned his head back and stared.
The seats were parted into two sides by an archway running between them, with the path below covered by a carpet leading to the platform.
Yorn sat at the rightmost seat next to the gap, with Mir to his left, and Louis to the left of Mir.
"Eh, she'll jus' be sending me 'ere 'gain. Ain't gon' bother." Mir said.
'Then why did you ask me?' Yorn thought.
He wanted to tell the loud crowd to all keep it down and barely held himself from doing so. But he couldn't lose his temper, for the same many reasons that made him anxious..
One of them being the person sitting opposite him on the other side of the seats. There sat a woman who was dressed like the townswomen and fitted in like one of the townspeople, gossipping and chatting with the women beside her.
But Yorn could tell who it was - while the townspeople couldn't - from the soft golden tresses of her head. His only solace was that the princess didn't seem to mind, and that the women were more orderly - they really weren't - compared to the brutes behind him.
"Still can't believe ya' sent the boy to our farms. We thought he'd never do it."
"That wasn't me, that was all Miriel." Yorn replied.
Even Yorn wondered how she'd managed to send the runaway kid back to the town, and made him stay there for a month at that. Almost as surprising as when she returned from the Capitol and told Yorn that Mark would be staying there for a while.
"But you leavin'? We thought it no longer possible. We used to, a long time back, but ya stayed too long we thought you were gon' replace Louis or somethin'." Mir said.
"It wasn't that long ago. And none of you even turned up that day." Yorn replied, glaring at Mir.
He took great care to slowly bring it up with Miriel, and then told it to the servants - who spread it to the townspeople - but on the day he actually left, only Miriel and Louis turned up. And also, Anne.
"Ya can't blame us, it was harvest day. It's your fault for leavin' on a harvest day. You know we ain't doing anything else on a harvest day."
"'Sides," Mir continued, "The girl did make that party for ya, be happy with that."
'That was all her, and I bet none of you even thought of it.' Yorn thought, as he kept glaring at Mir.
When Yorn returned to Lerkester a few days back, he was greeted with a surprise party prepared by Miriel, and the uncaring townspeople in attendance.
He might have been really happy back then, but hindsight - especially because Mir brought it up - only made him mad.
As the crowd chatted, the noise slowly dwindled until it stopped, like they could tell the event was starting soon.
All eyes were focused at the gap between two flower hedges which was where the archway started.
Moments later, they passed through the gap.
-
Miriel was dressed in a resplendent white gown that flowed behind her, a bridal headpiece festooned with flowers and ornaments covered her head and her braided light-brown fell behind her. She was exquisitely dressed and decorated from tip to toe by today's special coiffuses - courtesy of Elle.
Beside her was Mark, in a black suit with matching pants, a white shirt underneath, and a cravat on his neck. His grey hair, trimmed short and slicked back.
They had smiles on their faces as they walked towards the platform with their arms linked.
The crowd clapped as they entered and made for the platform, cheering and whistling as they walked on the carpet.
The leaves above them swayed and fell, like they were blessing the couple in their own leafy ways.
Finally the two stood on the platform, facing each other, holding each other's hands.
The crowd watched them, and also watched the figure of Hurlstead as he paced towards the platform, dressed in a gaudy white robe that looked unnatural on him.
The crowd laughed, the couple laughed, everyone laughed as he made his way to the platform, past the couple and stood facing the crowd.
The crowd soon settled down and finally, he began addressing the gathering.
"We are gathered here today, to witness and celebrate the pairing of Miriel and Mark."
"Before we continue, let any who disagree speak up now. You will be ignored, but I will chase you down after this."
The people laughed, except for Louis who knew how serious he was.
"As no one disagrees, we shall continue."
"Miriel, do you take Mark as your fated half; to love, honour, cherish, and protect, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"
Miriel stared at Mark as she held his hands, her smile never leaving her face for a moment. Memories after memories flitted through her mind, as she recalled the young boy who was crying by the street.
"I do." She replied.
""Mark, do you take Miriel to be your fated half; to love, honour, cherish, and protect, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"
Mark grinned as he watched Miriel while he held her hands. He remembered being smaller than her, how they would walk through the town while holding hands, scour the forests, and how she filled his heart with joy.
"I do." He replied.
"Then repeat after me."
"I, Miriel, take you, Mark, as my fated half, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do us part."
"I, Miriel, take you, Mark, as my fated half, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do us part." Miriel repeated.
"I, Mark, take you, Miriel, to be my fated half, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do us part."
"I, Mark, take you, Miriel, to be my fated half, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do us part." Mark repeated.
"Miriel and Mark, having pledged your love and commitment to each other before these witnesses, and by the Sun's loving blessings, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now seal your vows with a kiss."
And so they leaned in close to one another, closer, closing their eyes at the last moment, and kissed.
They parted and stared at each other while smiling.
"I present to you, Miriel and Mark, united by Fortune's pairing." Hustlead shouted.
At once the crowd rose and cheered, and clapped, and clamoured, and whistled.
The couple turned to the crowd and waved their hands, as they walked through the archway with their hands linked.
Petals danced as they fell, some gathered them and hoisted them at the couple, who laughed and threw them back in turn.
The celebrations were just starting. The townspeople had a lot planned for their precious Baroness and their new Baron.
In the manor hall, Yorn bawled while sitting on a chair, his glass empty in front of him, while Louis calmly sat beside him as he sipped from his glass, often patting Yorn's back from time to time.
Crausel stood at the corner of the room, watching with wide eyes at Mir and Jurrie dancing together. Moving like that at their age, he shivered as he imagined how gruelling it would be if he had to take care of them the next day.
Elle and Anne danced together and danced the most of all the gathered people. None even came close to their enthusiasm or energy.
Miriel heaved a sigh of relief as she watched them with Mark from their table. They wouldn't be bothering anyone else at least, and especially not Miriel.
Mark watched with wide and trembling eyes. Someone could actually match Anne's drive, and it was the lunatic princess.
The celebrations ensued long into the night, with everyone happy and joyful. Well, almost everyone.
This, unfortunately, brings us to the end of our story.
But thankfully, it is only the start to their unremarkable pairing.
May their days abound with joy and may they live happily ever after.
-The End-