Swing Me On Your Trapeze

[pinprick]

WHO: Friends of Nathaniel Howe and Anders.
WHAT: An informal Wintersend wedding
WHEN: Wintersend Day
WHERE: Camp Shady
NOTES: Open invitation to all Wardens and anyone who considers themselves a close enough friend of one of the grooms. We're not policing the invite list.

There's scarcely an announcement, though the men have had their minds made up for a while. It's assuredly not formal, invitation spread only by word of mouth. It is, due to the people involved, tactfully swept into Wintersend where it will be camouflaged by a number of other Wintersend celebrations.

No it's not a surprise. No it doesn't really make sense. But Anders and Nathaniel are getting married anyway.

Decorations are simple, mainly winter flowers and evergreen, whatever is colorful at this altitude. Those same winter flowers are made into crowns for the grooms, which is a tradition from the Anderfels. Nathaniel wears his dress uniform, a tradition everywhere. Anders wears a striking set of blue robes to match, though mages have no marriage traditions. Miraculously, a priest has agreed to perform the ceremony. She is content not to make this more or less than what it is: a celebration of the love of two people.

Vows are spoken, the ceremony kept short, and soon enough the grooms take hands and jump over a broom together--a tradition from Amaranthine which puzzles people to this day. And so they are now married, and the party can begin.

The party has simple but abundant fare--mostly meat and bread and plenty to drink, none of it nonalcoholic. There are fires and torches and lanterns casting their warm glow. A couple of Wardens provide the music for dancing on drum and fiddle. Anyone who pleases (Kaisa) is welcome to stand (if they still can) (Kaisa) and propose a toast to the husbands, to the Maker, to the Grey Wardens, to their right buttcheek that's gone numb from sitting (Kaisa), anything they wish. The drunker people get, the funnier everything is. No fighting is allowed, however (Kaisa).

Tonight, the moon is high and the stars are bright and the music is merry. It's easy to forget, for a short time, that the world is in such peril. It's easy to believe all will be well when you're celebrating a wedding.

Comments

[justice_is_blond]

Ridiculously pretty. Anders straightens his robes, beaming up at Nate. He's pretty in his partner's eyes, his husband's eyes, and that's all he needs right now.

"Sometimes I thought you were angry or annoyed. ...Which meant I should tease more, of course. Hope springs eternal when there's a handsome man to seduce." Anders reaches down to take Nate's free hand. "Handsome, skilled with a bow, exactly the sort of person a mage should stand next to if they want to increase their chance of enjoyment. And survival. I've always enjoyed how you protected me."

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"You protect me, too," Nathaniel responds softly. So many times, Anders has protected him. Saved him. In illness, in hurts of both body and heart. He threads his fingers with his husband's. "For example, very soon you will protect me from this crowd and sweep us both away. It's...it's really nice, having a party. But there's a limit to the amount of crowd I can take, and while our wedding night won't be what it is to most people, I did marry you and not them."

[justice_is_blond]

"Mm." He squeezes Nate's hand. He is more social than the archer. Crowds are fun, when they're not filled with people that hate him or hate his kind.

"To most people, it's something they expected to happen sometime in their lives. To us, to me, it's far more. Our wedding night will be very special. Forget other people." Normally it's others telling him to forget about other people. The turnaround today is an interesting one, and one he's not focusing on.

"You're the only one that matters to me. You're the one I married. And if you'd like..." Anders looks around. "We could slip away here very shortly. A quick round of guests, reunite here, and then we go and enjoy our tent."

[pinprick]

If this goes on too much longer, their wedding night will be them crashing into bed and not moving again until morning. Though when Anders puts it like that, Nathaniel feels himself pick up a bit. He smiles.

"I can do one more round, with that kind of reward promised at the end. One more, then." He leans in for a kiss.

[justice_is_blond]

Anders happily grants the kiss, kissing back, before tilting his head toward the few remaining guests.

"I'll go this way, you go that way, and we'll be done before you know it." And with one more hand squeeze, he's heading over to be social one more time, a little distractedly. Even if Nate's exhausted, tonight he at least gets to cuddle his husband and that thought just adds to his happiness.