The sober wedding

“You look like an angel.” Fleur said.
“I do, don't I?” Ruki grinned.
For once in her life, she really believed she looked beautiful as she looked in the mirror. A white cape covered her back. It's edges were made of a beautiful lace imported from Madash and were covered with small pearls that reflected the candlelight that lit the room.

On her head was a silver crown forged in Kin especially for this wedding. It was delicate and in the middle was another pearl to match her cape. She wore a matching bracelet around her left front leg which was a gift from the Tokowa Lands. Her hair was tied up with a lace ribbon, something the hairdresser had worked over an hour on.

“Yes, you really do.” Togli agreed.
Yuuro's sister in law had come with her entire family, including Stanno and queen Katine. Queen Katine was somewhere with her grandmother and surely Stanno would accompany Yuuro, and Togli had decided to stay and help her.
“I think it's about time though. Are you ready, Ruki?” Fleur asked after checking the sun.

Ruki stared at her reflection in the mirror. Was she ready? Was she ready to go out and commit herself to Yuuro for the rest of her life? She shook her head. How could she ever answer that?
“Yes. Let's go.” She said and together with Fleur and Togli she left the safe confinement of her room. The castle was all but deserted. Everyone who was invited to the wedding had gone to the clearing in the forest, and the servants were busy preparing the dinner feast in the kitchens.

The fresh snow greeted them as the three ponies stepped outside. Winter had been mild so far, but the snow had finally come three days before their wedding day. Everything was covered in white by now, but it was not so bad that the roads had become hard to walk on. The sky was covered in a shade of grey that only meant more snow, but for now at least it was dry.

The path to the clearing was no longer as hidden as it had been when Yuuro and she had first found it. lots of ponies had walked on it recently, not only for the construction of the little house, which had to be fixed before they could even think of having a wedding there, but also all the guests and visitors had walked over it the past few hours, completely destroying the fresh snow that covered everything else.

The three of them silently followed the path. Ruki was grateful that neither of her companions said anything. When they approached the clearing, Fleur asked her to wait as she trotted towards the little house. On each side of the clearing were benches on which ponies sat. She recognized her family- her aunts Stelline and Ivy, the nanny with her little sister Frika, and she recognized Queen Katine and her family. The other ponies were all officials from both the Friendship Lands and other lands. Ruki didn't recognize many of them, except for the queen of the Tokawa Lands, queen Asilde, whom she had met last winter.

The little house had been completely remodeled. The roof was completely new and the walls were almost completely replaced as well, for the old wood had simply rotten away over time. The outline of the house was lit by a thousand candles which burned brightly in the waning winter light. In front of the house she saw her grandmother, wearing the Queen's crown, and her mother. A little bit to the left of them stood Yuuro together with Stanno. Even though she was pretty far away, she could see her soon to be husband was quite nervous, too.

She saw Fleur nod, which meant that it was time. “Good luck, Ruki.” Togli whispered as she walked to her own seat. As soon as both Togli and Fleur were seated, Ruki slowly walked forward. As she passed the rows of attendants, Ruki realized she barely felt her legs. All eyes were on her, and they would remain on her until all of this was over. There were so many ponies... Didn't she only invite the bare minimum of ponies? She hadn't realized that were already this many.

She stopped in front of the house. She bowed before her grandmother, the queen.
“Rise, Ruki.” Regina said after a moment or two. Ruki got up and stared at her grandmother.
They had rehearsed this so many times, but now that it was for real Ruki had completely forgotten what would happen next. Only when her grandmother started to talk did she realize Regina would give a speech first, before they proceeded with the ceremony. As was customary, Yuuro was still standing at the side, and the speech was solely for her.

“Friends and family, colleagues and representatives of various countries, I thank you for joining us here on this beloved winter evening. Tonight, my granddaughter Ruki will be wed to Yuuro, son of queen Katine of Kin. This is a big step, not just for these two young ponies, but for all of us, because this wonderful event marks the beginning of a new future, for all of us.

Not too long ago, all of us were worried that this day might never come. We worried that the skies would darken and they would cover the lands in eternal darkness, which would claim not only our lives but that of the entire world. Thanks to the hard work of my children, and to the sacrifice of my wonderful daughter Twinkle Star, we managed to avoid this. We managed to resurrect the guardians and ensure our future, so that we are here now.

Princess Ruki. Your life so far has been anything but ordinary. Forced by the dark guardian Aras, your mother had to leave you in the care of your wonderful father, your existence unknown to anyone. But as you grew older, you refused to linger. You set out to find your mother, your home country, and your destiny in life. Instead, you found the world in disarray, and through your searches you ended up with High King Takato's resistance group. Through this, you helped defeating the old king Shanjahen and you were reunited with your family at last.

And now, you have accepted your role in life as a princess, and as the future queen. You have seen so much of the world, and learned so much, I am certain you will one day fulfill this role like no one else can. But you will not face this future alone. You chose someone to be at your side always, and I do not think you could have made a better choice. Step forward, Yuuro of Kin.”

Ruki glanced aside and she saw her soon to be husband step forward. Yuuro wore a dark green cloak, the color of his country. Once he stood next to her he quickly winked at her and then looked at Regina, who continued talking.

“Yuuro. Ever since you came here to study with us, your life has changed considerably. Not only did you learn whatever we could teach you about the Friendship Lands and it's history, you also came along on the mission to Asterian. There, you met Ruki. And now, here you two are, ready to bind yourself to each other eternally.

That is why I ask you, Yuuro. Are you willing to stand by Ruki's side forever, assist her when she needs it, laugh and cry with her and be there for her always till death parts you?”
“I do.” Yuuro said convinced, while looking at Ruki. Ruki sighed- now it was her turn. She looked from Yuuro to her grandmother, who smiled softly.

“And you, Ruki, do you accept Yuuro as your lifelong companion, will you take care of him and accept his support, and will you stay by his side till death parts you?” Regina asked.
“I do.” Ruki said.
“Then I now declare you husband and wife!” the queen of the Friendship lands said, and all the guests got up and cheered and applauded.

It was done. She was married now. Yuuro smiled at her so sweetly Ruki could do nothing but smile back. As he kissed her, the crowd cheered again, but this time Ruki barely noticed it. They were bound now, together, forever... She would never have to be alone again, or in despair because she was the one left behind. Yuuro would always be there for her.

The next hour passed by in a blur. Everyone lined up to congratulate them, And Ruki had never in her entire life seen so many faces in such a short time. Everyone had gifts for the newly wed couple, but they didn't have time to open them. In fact, she didn't even have time to think about what might be in them, for when the last pony had finished congratulating them, they were quickly pushed inside the house.

Inside, her mother was waiting together with queen Katine and her aunt Hikary.
“Oh, Ruki...” Taira whispered when they were inside and hugged her. Only then did Ruki notice her mother's swollen eyes- had she been crying? Well, that was what mothers did at weddings, she guessed.
“I'm so happy for you. Congratulations.” Taira said as she held her daughter tight.

“Thanks, mom.” Ruki said as she gently pushed her mother away. She was not in the mood for long hugs now- everything was just so overwhelming.
“Would you like something to drink?” Hikary asked, pointing at a bottle of water and a bottle of wine.
“Water, please.” Ruki said.
“Don't worry honey. It'll all be over soon.” Yuuro said, sensing her stress.

“I know. It's okay. It's not too bad, and I'm really grateful so many ponies showed up for us... but all of this just makes me really tired.” Sensing their need to have a private discussion, Taira Hikary and Regina slipped outside to mingle with the guests who by now were having warm drinks under the stars in the cold snow.
“I know it does. I know we wanted to keep this small, but even the amount of ponies outside is dazzling.”

When her family had left, Yuuro walked towards her and held her tight.
“It's over now.”
“I know. And I'm happy. We'll be together now... forever.” Ruki whispered as she felt Yuuro stroking her hair. They would be...
“We will have to go outside again though.” Yuuro said.
“I know.” Ruki finished the water Hikary had given her. “Let's go.”

When she left the house, Ruki saw the guests had scattered around several tables, each lit up by a large candle. The sky had grown dark and it was probably rather cold in the snow, but Ruki didn't really feel it. She noticed her mother at a nearby table and decided to join her, so she motioned Yuuro to follow her.

“Hello, mother.” She greeted Taira.
“Oh, Ruki, Yuuro!” Taira exclaimed, surprised to see her daughter outside already.
“I'm sure you remember queen Asilde?” Taira asked.
“Of course, from the Tokowa Lands.” Ruki bowed slightly before the queen, who bowed back in return. Queen Asilde was a little bit younger than Taira, but had been queen for a few years now, but that was all Ruki could remember.

“Once again, congratulations on your marriage, princess Ruki.” Asilde greeted her.
“Thank you very much.” Ruki smiled.
“And you, too, Yuuro. I have to admit my Crya was quite jealous when she heard you were engaged!” Asilde laughed. Momentarily confused, Ruki remembered Crya was Asilde's youngest daughter.

“I'm sure she was, for I got really lucky indeed.” Ruki heard herself say.
“That you did. And so did you, Yuuro, never forget.” Asilde said, smiling.
“I won't, my lady.” Yuuro said, and by the candlelight Ruki could see he was blushing.
“Why don't you two sit down? We'll have the servants deliver some more wine.” Taira proposed, pointing at two empty chairs.

Ruki gladly accepted, happy she didn't have to go wander between ponies she hardly knew.
“As I was saying to your mother, I was thinking... maybe we should create an alliance between eastern countries. Now that the Breach is collapsing in on itself, it might be wise to create a bond against the western empire.” Asilde said.

“That sounds like a good idea. The connections in the west are really strong between countries, and I think most ponies see themselves as subjects of the High King instead of as citizens of their own countries. I don't think that's a good thing... but I think we'll be dealing with the west a lot more than we have the past couple centuries. It might be smart to stand united.” Ruki said, happy to think of something else for a moment.

“Say, Ruki... why don't you join us when we have an official talk about this? Asilde proposed to meet next summer. You know much more than we do about the west, so it might be very good to have you there.” Taira proposed.
“Uh... sure, although I'm not sure how much help I might be.” Ruki blushed, not expecting her mother's proposal.

“I'm sure you'll do great, my love.” Yuuro smiled as he kissed her on the cheek.
“But enough about business now! We're here to celebrate your wedding! Tell me, how did you two meet? I heard Regina explain it was in ZoroAster, but...” Asilde smiled.
“Oh, it's a long, long story.” Yuuro sighed, probably well aware that this would not be the last time that night they would be made to tell that story.

“That's okay, I have time.” Asilde winked.
The queen of the Tokowa Lands took another sip of her wine as Yuuro began to tell how he had actually met Ruki in the library in Kin, a long long time ago. Ruki sighed, relieved Yuuro was talking. The stars shone bright, with only a faint moon there to illuminate the snow on which they sat. It might be winter, but Ruki wasn't cold.