Time slipped quietly by amid the bustle of preparations, like the flowing waters of Lake Liurnia.
At last, the wedding day arrived.
The Church of Vows, high on the Eastern Tableland, an ancient building that seldom received visitors, welcomed an unprecedented bustle and clamor.
Caria's nobles wore splendid clothes and conversed politely; the Inquisitor Knights had changed into gleaming ceremonial armor and stood straight-backed.
Scholars and professors from the True Magic Academy surveyed the ceremonial venue, which blended sacred and wild elements, with curious, appraising eyes.
Even some plainly dressed Albinaurics appeared on the outskirts-most had been assigned to help maintain order and were permitted to watch the ceremony from a distance.
Although Horace intended to promote equality, deeply rooted prejudices and practical considerations meant that only a very few Albinaurics could actually enter the church's central area to join the celebration.
Horace stood beside Turtle, having made the rare choice to shed his usual leather armor for a formal blue-and-white outfit embroidered in silver thread with the Caria Crest and simple geometric patterns.
The outfit softened some of his battlefield sharpness and gave him more of the composed bearing of a noble lord and bridegroom, though his occasional, unconscious movements of his neck and wrists still betrayed the slight restriction imposed by the finery.
Elsewhere, Rellana wore a wedding gown painstakingly made by Caria's most skilled tailors.
She was breathtakingly beautiful, though her face was slightly pale and her hands were unconsciously clenched tight.
Queen Rennala had set aside some of her regal majesty today and was every bit a gentle elder sister. Holding her younger sister's cold hand lightly, she soothed her in a low voice. "Take a deep breath, Rellana. Look how beautiful you are in the mirror. He's waiting just outside, just as he does every