The warm day was absolutely perfect as Irene faced the small group that waited for her and Henry to finally be wed. While the sun was hot overhead, it was dulled by the gentle breeze that brushed through the plains and caused the lilacs of her mother's garden to gently sway, giving off their late bloom scent as they danced in the wind.

That smell was home to Irene, yet somehow the man who waited for her with the old priest was becoming her home as well. He had unwittingly become a fixture in her life even before the two of them knew that their feelings would evolve into something far more than their original placement of knight and her Commander.

Henry's face seemed so relieved to see her with her father. It warmed her heart as much as it stung to feel her father relying on her to walk forward as he did with the cane in his hands as well. She had to admit, her father looked sharp that day. It must have been hard for him to sit up and get ready, yet he did it for her.

There was already a lump in her throat. She didn't know how she was meant to get through the entire day feeling like this. She wanted to be positive for Henry, but ever lingering was the reason why they were being forced to do this faster than expected—even though neither one of them truly felt forced; it was just an unexpected way for their summer tour of the duchy to be completed.

When they made it to the end where Henry stood, Irene turned to her father, who gently patted her shoulder as he let her go. However, Irene wasn't ready yet as she suddenly wrapped her arms around the man passing her off. It felt even more symbolic than it might normally, like he was quietly telling her goodbye and assuring her that Henry would look after her in his stead.

At Arthur's pat against her arm, Irene knew it was time to let go. Neither of them wanted Henry to think she was hesitating. There were so many complicated feelings that went into the day. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Once Irene was at Henry's side, Rochelle came up behind the two of them, holding a ribbon. "Join hands," she requested.

Since Henry had been reading up on Sünstoian traditions, he was not surprised at the instruction. In fact, he eagerly took Irene's hand in his. He even offered his betrothed a small smile, hoping it would be comforting for her. Each step of the way, he hoped she understood that he was all in. He wouldn't shy from what it took to make her truly his.

The ribbon was wrapped around their joined hands, and Irene could feel Henry's calloused hands press against hers. This hard-working man she was allowed to marry—she wondered silently how she had somehow gotten so lucky. Women would kill to be in the very position she was in, but the promise of having the duchy wasn't what Irene cared about.

She squeezed Henry's hand and returned his comforting smile.

"As is customary for a Sünstoian wedding, it is time to offer your family swords," the priest announced.

The man was old. He was the very priest who had joined Rochelle and Arthur in their part Sünstoian wedding two decades before. After all, Kara, using her Volna skills, had ordained him able to read from Sunstoian scripture and bless a wedding. He was uniquely the only one in all of the Kingdom of Peroda who could do it.

The first sword offered was the very sword that saw Arthur in battle through the later years of his knight career. He obtained it after being lorded. It was the very one he had on his hip when he lost his hand due to an ogre.

Irene felt warm all the way through that her family, including Arne, who was the one offering the sword, were willing to pass this to Henry to show their acceptance of him. In her opinion, being accepted as their Duke was nothing compared to being let into their family.

The young Duke took the sword and gratefully bowed to his future in-laws. He then placed the sword on a stand at his side after silently acknowledging the finely crafted blade now in his possession. He would cherish it forever.

The last sword offered, however, was a shock to Irene. She searched Henry's face, wondering if it was alright for him to give away a sword that was such an important piece in his personal history.

He offered her a tight-lipped smile and a nod, telling her that this was what he wanted to do.

The "Chemoian Sword," as Henry coined it, was mysteriously given to him after winning a sword-fighting competition. It was the sword of the late Duke of Tenetium who had died under such mysterious circumstances all those years ago before the war—only to find that he was being exposed to poison because of the late Duchess.

Henry admitted that it felt too gilded for a peasant boy to have at the time, but what it represented was the silent message that he had been chosen to shepherd Chemois to better pastures. The very sword was what spurred the King's test for Henry to face the monster country, Polona, and retrieve more of the mysterious dragon metal to create a sword for Henry to carry now and eventually pass to his own heir.

It meant everything to Henry and all his achievements. How could he give it away on behalf of her?

However, it would be offensive to the traditions if either family questioned why the other would choose the weapon they gave, so all she could do was silently accept the sword from Commander Lothian, who had brought it to them, and bow in thanks. She then passed the sword to Arne, who placed it with their family.

Once this phase of the union was complete, the priest pulled out an old book that came from Irene's grandmother's house as well. He read a couple of paragraphs that were entirely in Sünstoian and the only ones that Irene and her father could understand.

All these years later, he had kept the brief translation that Kara had written herself, and the priest then read for those who didn't understand, "The sunny days will be easy, but the stormy seas will be what tests you. Through feast you will thrive, but through famine you will learn how to rely on one another. It will not always be easy, but what's important is the promise you have made today to know that you will always have one another to rely on. On the days where one can't give their all, the other will take over. There is no imbalance in a marriage of two equals."

Irene felt Henry's hand squeeze hers at the priest's words. She couldn't help smiling.

"Before you came here today, it was asked that you write a few promises to one another on paper," the priest explained. "We will burn them now and let the wind take them away, sealing the promises despite the fates of the world. You two were fated to be here today, after all."

The two offered their papers and, in a small metal bowl, the priest lit them with one of the torches that stood nearby with that express purpose.

"Now, if you swear to dedicate your lives to one another from this point forward, the ribbon may be cut, and you may seal this union with a kiss."

"I swear," Henry said, but was soon overlapped with Irene's eager, "I swear."

At that, Irene's pale face turned red in embarrassment. She was supposed to say it second, but she had gotten ahead of herself.

There wasn't time to dwell because Rochelle soon came with a small knife and cut through the ribbon. As she looked at the two, Irene could tell that she had been shedding tears.

Before Irene could pull away, knowing her hand was clammy due to nerves and how their hands had been tied together, Henry squeezed her hand. With his free one, he cupped Irene's blushing cheek.

"My wife," the Duke whispered before offering Irene a light kiss.

She wished that she could wrap her arms around him and continue, showing him just how much he meant to her, but she knew she needed to tame herself—there was still much to do before that.