A Spring Wedding
Edward woke early the morning of the 25th, leaving his bride-to-be alone to get ready for the day ahead. He went ahead and dressed before heading down to the lakeside, though he felt strange walking through the castle in a fancy suit. By the time he made it to where the wedding was to be held, the sky was turning a pale blue and the mist that hung over the lake at dawn was beginning to dissipate.
His heart pounded in his chest when he saw where the house elves had set up for the wedding. Suddenly, what he and Winry were about to do became all the more real to Ed. He sat down hard in one of the chairs and, having nothing better to do, stared out over the water, deep in thought.
"What're you thinking about, brother?," came the curious voice of his very stealthy younger brother. Al had his hands shoved into the pockets of his suit pants, his hair was pulled back, a smile graced his face. Inside he was bursting with joy for his older brother, finally tying the knot with the girl he loved. "You know you shouldn't think so hard, Ed. You'll only hurt yourself," he teased.
Ed started up from the chair at the sound of Al's voice. "Don't sneak up on me like that!," he hissed, "I'm nervous enough as it is!"
He grinned. "Don't wet yourself, brother. It's too late for you to change your pants!," he teased once again, a bigger grin replacing the previous.
Scowling slightly at the younger Elric, Ed grumbled, "Jeez, some brother you are, teasing me like that on my freaking wedding day."
"Awww..you'd do it to me too! Don't lie, admit it," he said jovially, smacking Ed on the shoulder in a friendly way. "So...the big day. I hope you don't run screaming like a little girl! I'd be so embarassed!"
"Oh, I thought you didn't care about getting married!," Ed shot back.
Al ignored him and giggled then stared out at the lake. "You and Winry going to have kids? I demand a niece. Or a nephew, even a monkey."
Ed's face went bright red. "K-kids?," he stuttered, "We, uh, haven't really talked about that..."
"Well get crackin'!," he said, putting his hands on his hips. "Get'er pregnant! Hahah...I sound like a mother - I want my grandbabies!"
"Don't be ridiculous Al!," Ed shouted back, his ears now turning an interesting shade of purple. "We're only twenty, we don't- it's too- just not now, okay!"
He smirked - "What are you...impotent?" The bantering began, watching his older brother getting frustrated became a recent past time of his, to see how flustered Ed could get before he went past flustered to murderous.
"I am NOT!," he screeched at Al, "I could get her pregnant right now, if I wanted to! Hell, I bet she'd have twins, I'm just that good!"
"Right now?," he teased, crossing his arms. "Wouldn't that be a show."
"Not here! You know perfectly well what I meant, dammit!"
Al chuckled a little, then looked at the sky. "So...marriage huh? The ultimate step. The final border to cross...aren't you scared?"
Ed blinked at the sudden change in topic. "I... yeah, a little, I guess. I mean, I should be, right?"
"If you weren't, I'd have Winry put the fear of god into you, at least," he said, smiling faintly. "It's going to be beautiful...try not to cry too much!"
For the moment he ignored Al's jabs. "You know, I sent a letter to Dad awhile back. Telling him about the wedding."
He halted in what he was about to say...his eyes went a little wide..."D...did he ever reply back?"
Ed shook his head. "No... You know, as much as I hate him, I'd have liked to have had at least one parent here today."
Al smiled sadly..."Yeah...Mom...mom would really want to be here," he said in a sad tone of voice. He forced a cheerier note into his strained voice, "At least...um at least...she's here in spirit," he said.
Ed looked down at the ground in silence for a moment. "Yeah, she would have." He turned away from Al and discreetly wiped the back of his hand across his cheek.
"Ed...? Are you crying?," Al asked, aghast.
Ed shook his head furiously. "No, no, just something in my eye."
"Yeah. Tears I bet...," he said, swatting his brother on the back of the head. "It's not a sin for you to cry, Ed!," he said gently.
"Oh shut up," he shot back weakly, "You're the one who brought Mom up in the first place."
"I know...," he said, smiling at his brother. "Whoo...," he breathed out, and smiled at the sky more firmly. "I still want a niece or a nephew!"
"Eventually," Ed replied, grinning softly, "You'll just have to be patient."
He nodded. "I will. I'm a patient man," he said, and then hugged his arms against his chest.
"So...," he murmured, biting his lower lip, "When does the wedding start?"
"In a few hours... You have the rings, right?"
He patted his pocket lightly. "Yeah, I have them. Safe and sound." He smiled.
"Good." Ed sighed heavily and stared back out at the lake.
Al stared at the lake, then looked at his brother. "Hey...I'm gonna go..." He chuckled, and then rubbed Ed's shoulder. "See you later."
***
Later that morning, Winry woke up in a daze. She had been nervous the night before, getting very little sleep. She was surprised to find Ed already up and gone. That is, until she looked at her clock. Winry's eyes grew huge as she jumped out of bed.
"Ohcrapohcrapohcrap...," she said as she hurried to the bathroom to get herself ready. She dressed quickly and put on make-up. She hurried out of the room, looking quite odd in her flowing white gown.
Winry rushed down to the common room, only to find Al wasn't there at the moment. She took a second to catch her breath. She couldn't help but think everyone was staring at her. She obviously had to stand out dressed as she was.
"He better get here soon..." Winry said, half annoyed, half embarrassed.
Alphonse rushed into the common room and looked around frantically, afraid that Winry might have run off and left his brother at the altar. He stopped cold when he caught sight of her in her white dress.
Winry spotted Al only seconds after he had done the same. She rushed over to him in a huff. "Where were you?! I've been standing here, looking like a fool for minutes now!"
"You don't look like a fool," he said in awe, "You look... really pretty." He shook his head. "And besides, you're the one who's late anyway! Brother is down by the lake freaking out because you haven't showed up yet!"
Winry's anger turned to guilt quite quickly. "I'm sorry, Al... I woke up late and I had to get ready and... I'm sorry." She hung her head.
"No, no, it's okay!," Al said, feeling guilty in return. "Everybody's waiting, let's just hurry down there, okay?"
Winry couldn't help but smile as she shook her head yes. She took Al's hand and began to head down to the lakeside.
As they walked, Al turned to her and asked, "Are you nervous?"
Winry let out a nervous laugh. "I don't think nervous is a strong enough word to describe how I feel, Al."
"Y-you're not getting cold feet, are you?," he asked.
Winry shook her head quickly. "No! It's not that. It's just... It's a big step, you know? I wanna do it, but I can't help but be a little bit afraid, too..."
"Oh... I bet Ed feels the same way..." They walked under an archway, finally leaving the castle.
Al escorted Winry a bit farther before breaking off on his own, leaving her to walk to Edward by herself. She took a deep breath and headed towards Ed.
Ed paced the altar, wondering when (or if) Al would return with Winry. He didn't even notice either of them until Al was at his side again. The younger brother nudged the older and nodded towards the bride, who was now approaching. Edward inhaled sharply and froze to the spot when he laid eyes on Winry. She was halfway to him before he even remembered to breathe.
Winry did her best to act calm as she walked towards Ed. She figured if she were to act nervous, it would only make him worse. She saw Al standing next to Ed, which helped her to relax a little bit. Soon enough, she was mere feet from him.
Ed could only dimly hear the priest speaking as all his focus went into keeping his eyes locked with Winry's through the filmy white of her veil. Suddenly, Ed heard the priest say, "...as long as you both shall live?," and he realized he was waiting on Winry's answer.
Winry could see Ed looking into her eyes. As much as she might have wanted to look away, she couldn't seem to do so. It took her a second to snap out of her zoned out state after she heard the priest ask the all important question. She knew after she gave her answer, there'd be no turning back. "... I will."
The priest repeated his inquiry and Ed was quite surprised when his voice didn't fail him. "...I will," he said softly.
Nervously, Ed reached out to take her hands in his. He began to repeat after the priest, "I, Edward, take thee Winry," he swallowed nervously, "To be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward." The rest of the vows tumbled from his mouth and he almost sighed in relief as he finished with, "'Til death do us part."
Winry couldn't help but smile as Ed recited the priest's words. She nodded as he uttered the last line. She could feel herself on the verge of tears of happiness. The last part of the wedding ceremony could very well put her over the top. She repeated the priest's words as well, her voice cracking a few times until she finished with, "'Til death do us part."
Ed nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt Al nudge him and whisper, "...The rings, brother," as he slipped the two wedding bands into his left hand. He paused the look down at the gold bands glittering in the palm of his hand before discreetly handing the larger one to Winry.
Almost dropping the ring several times in the process, Ed slid the thin gold band onto Winry's finger. His voice nearly cracked as he said, "With this ring, I thee wed."
Winry held Ed's hand gently as she slowly slid the ring on, as if she expected the worst to happen. After the ring was in place, she repeated his words, "With this ring, I thee wed."
All Ed could think about was how heavy the ring on his left hand seemed, when the priest began to ask, "Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, to be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?"
Now there really was no turning back, he thought. He paused for a moment, his voice caught in his throat until his eyes again met with Winry's. Finally, he answered, "I do."
The priest started to repeat the words to Winry. She seemed to grow more and more nervous with each passing syllable. She took a second to breath and relax, but she couldn't contain herself. The moment she said "I do," tears started to stream down her face.
Ed was already reaching for her veil as the priest announced, "I now pronounce you husband and wife." Within seconds, his lips were pressed against Winry's and his arms were wrapped around her waist. (He could have sworn her shoes had made her a good inch taller than him, much to his consternation.)
After the kiss, Winry nuzzled her head into Ed's shoulder. Her tears were freely flowing at this point. She wrapped Ed up tight in a hug. "I love you, Ed."
"I love you too," he murmured into her ear, quite forgetting about the guests until Al coughed pointedly and nodded toward them. Not letting go of his new wife, Ed told everyone, "There's cake, punch, and champagne for everyone on that table over there."
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His heart pounded in his chest when he saw where the house elves had set up for the wedding. Suddenly, what he and Winry were about to do became all the more real to Ed. He sat down hard in one of the chairs and, having nothing better to do, stared out over the water, deep in thought.
"What're you thinking about, brother?," came the curious voice of his very stealthy younger brother. Al had his hands shoved into the pockets of his suit pants, his hair was pulled back, a smile graced his face. Inside he was bursting with joy for his older brother, finally tying the knot with the girl he loved. "You know you shouldn't think so hard, Ed. You'll only hurt yourself," he teased.
Ed started up from the chair at the sound of Al's voice. "Don't sneak up on me like that!," he hissed, "I'm nervous enough as it is!"
He grinned. "Don't wet yourself, brother. It's too late for you to change your pants!," he teased once again, a bigger grin replacing the previous.
Scowling slightly at the younger Elric, Ed grumbled, "Jeez, some brother you are, teasing me like that on my freaking wedding day."
"Awww..you'd do it to me too! Don't lie, admit it," he said jovially, smacking Ed on the shoulder in a friendly way. "So...the big day. I hope you don't run screaming like a little girl! I'd be so embarassed!"
"Oh, I thought you didn't care about getting married!," Ed shot back.
Al ignored him and giggled then stared out at the lake. "You and Winry going to have kids? I demand a niece. Or a nephew, even a monkey."
Ed's face went bright red. "K-kids?," he stuttered, "We, uh, haven't really talked about that..."
"Well get crackin'!," he said, putting his hands on his hips. "Get'er pregnant! Hahah...I sound like a mother - I want my grandbabies!"
"Don't be ridiculous Al!," Ed shouted back, his ears now turning an interesting shade of purple. "We're only twenty, we don't- it's too- just not now, okay!"
He smirked - "What are you...impotent?" The bantering began, watching his older brother getting frustrated became a recent past time of his, to see how flustered Ed could get before he went past flustered to murderous.
"I am NOT!," he screeched at Al, "I could get her pregnant right now, if I wanted to! Hell, I bet she'd have twins, I'm just that good!"
"Right now?," he teased, crossing his arms. "Wouldn't that be a show."
"Not here! You know perfectly well what I meant, dammit!"
Al chuckled a little, then looked at the sky. "So...marriage huh? The ultimate step. The final border to cross...aren't you scared?"
Ed blinked at the sudden change in topic. "I... yeah, a little, I guess. I mean, I should be, right?"
"If you weren't, I'd have Winry put the fear of god into you, at least," he said, smiling faintly. "It's going to be beautiful...try not to cry too much!"
For the moment he ignored Al's jabs. "You know, I sent a letter to Dad awhile back. Telling him about the wedding."
He halted in what he was about to say...his eyes went a little wide..."D...did he ever reply back?"
Ed shook his head. "No... You know, as much as I hate him, I'd have liked to have had at least one parent here today."
Al smiled sadly..."Yeah...Mom...mom would really want to be here," he said in a sad tone of voice. He forced a cheerier note into his strained voice, "At least...um at least...she's here in spirit," he said.
Ed looked down at the ground in silence for a moment. "Yeah, she would have." He turned away from Al and discreetly wiped the back of his hand across his cheek.
"Ed...? Are you crying?," Al asked, aghast.
Ed shook his head furiously. "No, no, just something in my eye."
"Yeah. Tears I bet...," he said, swatting his brother on the back of the head. "It's not a sin for you to cry, Ed!," he said gently.
"Oh shut up," he shot back weakly, "You're the one who brought Mom up in the first place."
"I know...," he said, smiling at his brother. "Whoo...," he breathed out, and smiled at the sky more firmly. "I still want a niece or a nephew!"
"Eventually," Ed replied, grinning softly, "You'll just have to be patient."
He nodded. "I will. I'm a patient man," he said, and then hugged his arms against his chest.
"So...," he murmured, biting his lower lip, "When does the wedding start?"
"In a few hours... You have the rings, right?"
He patted his pocket lightly. "Yeah, I have them. Safe and sound." He smiled.
"Good." Ed sighed heavily and stared back out at the lake.
Al stared at the lake, then looked at his brother. "Hey...I'm gonna go..." He chuckled, and then rubbed Ed's shoulder. "See you later."
***
Later that morning, Winry woke up in a daze. She had been nervous the night before, getting very little sleep. She was surprised to find Ed already up and gone. That is, until she looked at her clock. Winry's eyes grew huge as she jumped out of bed.
"Ohcrapohcrapohcrap...," she said as she hurried to the bathroom to get herself ready. She dressed quickly and put on make-up. She hurried out of the room, looking quite odd in her flowing white gown.
Winry rushed down to the common room, only to find Al wasn't there at the moment. She took a second to catch her breath. She couldn't help but think everyone was staring at her. She obviously had to stand out dressed as she was.
"He better get here soon..." Winry said, half annoyed, half embarrassed.
Alphonse rushed into the common room and looked around frantically, afraid that Winry might have run off and left his brother at the altar. He stopped cold when he caught sight of her in her white dress.
Winry spotted Al only seconds after he had done the same. She rushed over to him in a huff. "Where were you?! I've been standing here, looking like a fool for minutes now!"
"You don't look like a fool," he said in awe, "You look... really pretty." He shook his head. "And besides, you're the one who's late anyway! Brother is down by the lake freaking out because you haven't showed up yet!"
Winry's anger turned to guilt quite quickly. "I'm sorry, Al... I woke up late and I had to get ready and... I'm sorry." She hung her head.
"No, no, it's okay!," Al said, feeling guilty in return. "Everybody's waiting, let's just hurry down there, okay?"
Winry couldn't help but smile as she shook her head yes. She took Al's hand and began to head down to the lakeside.
As they walked, Al turned to her and asked, "Are you nervous?"
Winry let out a nervous laugh. "I don't think nervous is a strong enough word to describe how I feel, Al."
"Y-you're not getting cold feet, are you?," he asked.
Winry shook her head quickly. "No! It's not that. It's just... It's a big step, you know? I wanna do it, but I can't help but be a little bit afraid, too..."
"Oh... I bet Ed feels the same way..." They walked under an archway, finally leaving the castle.
Al escorted Winry a bit farther before breaking off on his own, leaving her to walk to Edward by herself. She took a deep breath and headed towards Ed.
Ed paced the altar, wondering when (or if) Al would return with Winry. He didn't even notice either of them until Al was at his side again. The younger brother nudged the older and nodded towards the bride, who was now approaching. Edward inhaled sharply and froze to the spot when he laid eyes on Winry. She was halfway to him before he even remembered to breathe.
Winry did her best to act calm as she walked towards Ed. She figured if she were to act nervous, it would only make him worse. She saw Al standing next to Ed, which helped her to relax a little bit. Soon enough, she was mere feet from him.
Ed could only dimly hear the priest speaking as all his focus went into keeping his eyes locked with Winry's through the filmy white of her veil. Suddenly, Ed heard the priest say, "...as long as you both shall live?," and he realized he was waiting on Winry's answer.
Winry could see Ed looking into her eyes. As much as she might have wanted to look away, she couldn't seem to do so. It took her a second to snap out of her zoned out state after she heard the priest ask the all important question. She knew after she gave her answer, there'd be no turning back. "... I will."
The priest repeated his inquiry and Ed was quite surprised when his voice didn't fail him. "...I will," he said softly.
Nervously, Ed reached out to take her hands in his. He began to repeat after the priest, "I, Edward, take thee Winry," he swallowed nervously, "To be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward." The rest of the vows tumbled from his mouth and he almost sighed in relief as he finished with, "'Til death do us part."
Winry couldn't help but smile as Ed recited the priest's words. She nodded as he uttered the last line. She could feel herself on the verge of tears of happiness. The last part of the wedding ceremony could very well put her over the top. She repeated the priest's words as well, her voice cracking a few times until she finished with, "'Til death do us part."
Ed nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt Al nudge him and whisper, "...The rings, brother," as he slipped the two wedding bands into his left hand. He paused the look down at the gold bands glittering in the palm of his hand before discreetly handing the larger one to Winry.
Almost dropping the ring several times in the process, Ed slid the thin gold band onto Winry's finger. His voice nearly cracked as he said, "With this ring, I thee wed."
Winry held Ed's hand gently as she slowly slid the ring on, as if she expected the worst to happen. After the ring was in place, she repeated his words, "With this ring, I thee wed."
All Ed could think about was how heavy the ring on his left hand seemed, when the priest began to ask, "Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, to be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?"
Now there really was no turning back, he thought. He paused for a moment, his voice caught in his throat until his eyes again met with Winry's. Finally, he answered, "I do."
The priest started to repeat the words to Winry. She seemed to grow more and more nervous with each passing syllable. She took a second to breath and relax, but she couldn't contain herself. The moment she said "I do," tears started to stream down her face.
Ed was already reaching for her veil as the priest announced, "I now pronounce you husband and wife." Within seconds, his lips were pressed against Winry's and his arms were wrapped around her waist. (He could have sworn her shoes had made her a good inch taller than him, much to his consternation.)
After the kiss, Winry nuzzled her head into Ed's shoulder. Her tears were freely flowing at this point. She wrapped Ed up tight in a hug. "I love you, Ed."
"I love you too," he murmured into her ear, quite forgetting about the guests until Al coughed pointedly and nodded toward them. Not letting go of his new wife, Ed told everyone, "There's cake, punch, and champagne for everyone on that table over there."
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