[Legend of Sun Knight] fic: A Slice of Wedding Cake Slice 16
Oh hey, I'm back earlier than I thought since my previous post. XD;
Title: A Slice of Wedding Cake - Slice 16
Fandom: The Legend of Sun Knight
Words: 4692
Summary: Sun and Judgment are getting married. The "why" and "how" really aren't that important right now. For this is not a story about their romance; this is the story of us observers. Yes, we, the underappreciated observers of this whole spectacle who did 99% of the work, and only received a slice of wedding cake in return. Grisia/Lesus, Ceo/Roland
Notes: Co-written with kiyutsuna. Odd chapters are hers. Even chapters are mine! All illustrations are done by kiyutsuna.
Slice 16: Mistakes Were Made
Earth
Sun and Judgment were feeding each other.
I turned away from the disgustingly sweet scene, refilling my wine glass instead to distract myself. While Leaf had outdone himself with the catering, that did not mean I wanted to see my leaders flirt so blatantly over the food! Have some pity for our eyes, geez.
I had refilled my glass with perfect timing. Soon after I put down the bottle, I saw Ice wheel in a monstrous cake with flowers trying to suicide off the sides. How he was even managing to keep that thing from teetering over the edge of the cart was a mystery beyond me, but since the cake was here and accounted for, that was my clue to get things rolling.
"You're up," I told Hell.
Hell, who had been in the middle of listening to Storm chatter on about the delicious amount of caffeine in the cake he had taste-tested and how awake it had made him feel when he had taken a bite, had completely forgotten it was time for those damn speeches. And this was why I, the only lucid person here not melting into a puddle over the idea of true love, had to play babysitter.
That, and as Sun's "best friend," plenty of followers had expressed their disappointment upon discovering that I wasn't the best man. I gave them that unity and balance excuse that Sun had been spouting, but even that hadn't taken care of the frowns adorning several of our clerics' faces. In the end, I reassured them that even though I wasn't the best man, I was helping my best friend out behind the scenes. They cooed after that and exclaimed, "How sweet! The best of friends!"
Of course, that got back to Sun and somehow I ended up responsible for making sure this whole thing ran on schedule, "best friend's" wedding and all. As the pseudo MC of this reception, it was my job to give the resident death monarch a poke to wake him up from his lovesickness.
"Are you going to say something to everyone first?" Hell asked.
I thought about it for a second. "Nah."
"Oh."
Hell stood up with his wine glass.
Thank the God of Light I wasn't the best man, or even worse, the maid of honor. Saved me the trouble of having to stutter through an entirely fake speech. The crowd didn't immediately quiet down, continuing to eat and chatter. If Hell sprouted his leathery wings in the middle of the room, he'd definitely get a different response, but at the moment, he was just another well dressed guy.
With lots of girls staring at him. And a fair share of guys glaring.
As more people stared or glared, other people began noticing and turned in Hell's direction. The chatter ceased, and Hell had the stage. Just as Hell was about to speak, Storm tugged on Hell's sleeve to stall him and gave me a pointed look for putting Hell on the spot.
Hey hey, he's the best man. He's supposed to speak! I'm just here to make sure everything runs on schedule. Is someone protective or what? But ugh, fine.
I plastered on a small smile and stood up to call everyone's attention to our speakers. "C-citizens of Leafbud, children of the God of Light, and our esteemed g-guests, a m-moment of pause for the best man, who w-will be sharing with us a toast for our newlyweds. Please welcome, Supreme Dragon Hell!"
I sat down and raised an eyebrow at Storm. There, happy?
Storm was smiling widely, but he was no longer even looking at me, and instead had his eyes fixed on Hell. Why did I even bother?
Hell started by thanking everyone for coming and introducing himself as the Hell Knight, the best man. As the Hell Knight, he'd always been one of the shadows. Seeing him take the stage was a strange sight, especially when it was for making a speech instead of fighting with a sword.
That was more Storm's forte. Shy, bumbling Ceo who masqueraded as a footloose charmer who loved attention. He had blushed even at the sight of paintings, not to mention talking face-to-face with an actual girl. How he had even survived to adulthood without combusting was just as much of a miracle as Sun not killing himself with his sword. Yet, Ceo had winked his way into office, and he had taken to crowds like a fish to water, a complete natural under the spotlight.
Hell was just the opposite, much more down to earth, much less accustomed to being the center of attention, much more succinct. They say that opposites attract, and dear God of Light, everyone around me lately were hellbent on proving that true.
If it had been up to Hell, he probably would have ended the speech there, but the Pope was adamant that the speech needed to be long to sell the wedding even more. Therefore, Hell continued on in an uncharacteristic fashion. Given that we had the public to consider, there was a lot he couldn't talk about. But somehow, he was managing. I bet Storm had a hand in that.
"It feels like just yesterday, yet also a lifetime ago, that I became acquainted with Sun Knight and Judgment Knight. We were children then, if you can imagine us in such a way, with the world before us." Heh, I bet Storm wrote that line for him. "Even back then, Sun Knight led with his generous heart"-I held back my snicker; it wasn't like Sun could've led with his swordsmanship-"and I gladly followed. If not for him, I would not be here today."
Hell really wouldn't have been here if not for Sun. Who else would've been stupid enough to instate a death lord, now a death monarch, as the Hell Knight? Sun had invited trouble right to his door. Hell's lich must've had the time of her undead life laughing at Sun for handing over his life on a silver platter. If Sun hadn't been dead, I'd have wanted to shake him back and forth and ask him how he could've been so blind-his eyes were no excuse-and I'd probably have wrung his neck myself for his stupidity.
What a generous heart indeed, to forgive his murderer so easily after that. Sun had never blamed Hell for what had occurred, and while Sun hadn't seen it coming-how could he, when Hell was his childhood friend-he had never wondered why none of us had seen it coming either. How could we have let him walk to his death? I surely could have done something with the Shield of Earth to prevent him from dying at all. The Earth Knight is the Sun Knight's shield, dammit. Sun was supposed to be as undying as a cockroach! Sun may have forgiven it all, but I never had.
So, let Hell sweat out there some more. Who knew if he could even sweat, but whatever. It wasn't like he was going to go blind standing in the spotlight, no matter how awkward it might feel.
Plenty of people probably just thought Hell was talking about how he was supposedly Sun's "substitute." The Hell Knight was rumored to be the Sun Knight's double, a rumor that Sun had made widespread because of his harebrained scheme back in our third year in office when he had announced Hell as his substitute in the three way deathmatch for Princess Jasmine's hand.
In any case, Hell went on some more about being here thanks to Sun, but by the time I tuned in again, he had moved onto Judgment.
"Even back then, Judgment Knight had considerable skill with his sword. I am lucky to have him as my superior." Hell paused, thinking for a moment, but I bet he'd forgotten what he had wanted to say. When he finally continued, he said, "His blade flies true in the face of justice, so that no wrongdoers might stand in his way." Another pause. "His judgment is swift and just, as steady as his swordhand. Judgment Knight wields his sword with strength and skill, leaving no one unsatisfied-"
Pfft! Hey, hey, if you wax any more poetry about Judgment's sword, someone is going to get jealous!
Not just a someone either. Two someones.
Oh, the look on Sun's face! Someone's mind was in the gut-
A sudden foot kicked me in the shin, but really, what did the owner of the foot think that would accomplish? I barely felt a thing. I raised an eyebrow at Sun, who was smiling the fakest smile ever-his foot must be smarting-and of course that was when he zapped me. Again. Just like earlier.
"Ow!" Come on, if you want to zap someone, zap Metal instead! He enjoys it!
"Stop snickering," Sun warned me under his breath.
"I'm not," I said and kicked him back, and I can assure you my kicks hit much harder. The resulting "ow!" he tried to muffle was music to my ears.
Judgment gave both of us an unimpressed look and used his eyes to indicate the wine glass he was suddenly holding up. Well golly, I'd missed the rest of Hell's speech thanks to someone's trigger happy zapping. What a pity.
Hell had finally reached his limit and had no more to say, and thus, it was time for him to lead the toast.
Sun quickly grabbed his own wine glass, while I grabbed mine at a much more leisurely pace. Sun was so whipped. I gulped the contents down and refilled my glass again. Hell finally got to sit down. Storm immediately patted him on the back to comfort him.
"All yours now, Storm," I reminded him, as he was still rubbing Hell on the back. This is no time to feel him up, Storm.
To think, shy, bumbling Ceo had learned to feel someone up. Will wonders never cease? We've just been throwing the wrong sort at him all these years, when all he needed all along was a death monarch.
Storm got up after what felt like a lifetime. It had already been long enough that the crowd had begun talking among themselves again, but Storm just had something to him that drew people's attention to him right away, so he didn't have to stand there for very long for everyone to notice him and quiet down, unlike someone else earlier.
It was probably the blue hair, among other things.
Without Storm's prompting, I stood up and announced to the crowd, "And now, please w-welcome the 'm-maid' of honor, Ceo Storm, who will be leading us in our next toast." He raised an eyebrow at me for my unprompted behavior-hah, take that!-but quickly turned to address the citizens instead. How boring. But I sat back to watch.
Storm cut quite a figure in his tuxedo, his smile ever charming. He gave the crowd a sweeping glance, emerald eyes containing a gaze that commanded all to look his way. Even I could not help but look his way. Those clerics behind him couldn't even hold a candle against his beauty, which shone all the more whenever he was in the spotlight. He was a far cry from that timid bundle of nerves that had stalked me all those years ago, wanting to observe how I interacted with girls.
What a pity that he wasn't a girl. Why must I be surrounded by pretty boys? The God of Light must be making fun of me, for my leader to be a stunning blond, and for yet another stunning man to be fluttering by my side all these years. All that beauty, wasted on guys.
Just like Hell, Storm had plenty he couldn't talk about, not when the reception was such a public event. But that mattered little to Storm, not when he was such a good public speaker who could spin all sorts of tales. He brushed a strand of his hair behind his ear and said, "I, Storm Knight, thank you all for joining us on this momentous day, in which we celebrate the union of our leaders, Sun Knight and Judgment Knight."
He gestured at Sun, who smiled, and Judgment, who gave a nod. Storm gave his own smile and continued, "Long have our two factions been at odds with each other, but today is the day that we put all of that behind us to truly join as a united front. I am honored to stand here today as Judgment Knight's 'maid' of honor. You must be wondering, how is it that I am not Sun Knight's maid of honor, but rather Judgment Knight's? Well, that is a long story, but suffice to say, it is thanks to Sun Knight's warm insistence that we embrace our foes and love our differences that I stand here before you in such a fashion, in a show of true unity between our factions."
You just didn't hear Sun when he asked for someone to volunteer. I snickered to myself, but I quickly snapped my head up, just in case Sun had heard me. I really did not need him zapping me again.
Good, he wasn't paying me any attention, as he was completely focused on Storm's speech. A single look from Judgment earlier, and Sun was behaving. Will wonders never cease? We've been dealing with him the wrong way all this time, when all he needed all along was getting married with his "public" enemy. People do say that wives rule the roost, after all.
Storm continued, "Thanks to the amiable relations between our factions that we now share, I have come to know Judgment Knight just as well as I know my own leader. He is someone who takes his work with utmost seriousness, and while you will more often than not see a frown on his face as opposed to a smile, he is truly caring deep inside behind that scary face. Yup, that's exactly the face I'm talking about right there!"
Dear God of Light, Storm knew no fear, and damn was he good at dramatic pauses. He wasn't giving any particular details, yet even that was plenty to string people along, making them hang onto his every word despite their Judgment Knight's intimidating glower.
"For countless years, you and I alike have watched Judgment Knight and Sun Knight at odds, their ideologies clashing. But I ask for all present to cast your memories to that dreadful year when darkness sought to steal our land and break our spirits. Yes, I am referring to that year, the beginning of the encroachment of darkness. Sun Knight was absent from our side for many dreadful months, too severely ill from the sudden imbalance of holy and dark elements across the continent to even leave his bed. For these same number of months, I cannot tell you how often we, the rest of the Twelve Holy Knights, found Judgment Knight by Sun Knight's bedside, silently watching over him. Judgment Knight would hold Sun Knight's hand with his head bowed, praying for him to recover."
Ah, that story again, but with a spin on it for the public. Now they too, will know just how lovesick they are. I tilted my wine glass, eyes flicking over to Sun and Judgment, only to see Judgment reach his hand out to clasp Sun's, perhaps in memory, his glower melting into a fond gaze directed at Sun, joy and gratitude alike for having Sun here with him. Now that Judgment could show his feelings for Sun in the public, it was like he was trying to make up for all those years that he couldn't, geez.
Storm held his hand over his heart and glanced over at Sun and Judgment as well, continuing on with his tale. "It was then that I knew he was secretly a romantic, and that the hatred he had professed for my leader all these years was just the opposite-a deep, passionate love. If love and hate are two sides of the same coin, I daresay that theirs has landed on the side of love, when Judgment Knight wished with all his heart for Sun Knight to once again walk by his side."
He raised his wine glass and said, "To Judgment and Sun, my leaders and brothers, I wish you happiness, health, and love, through life and death, until the end of time. Cheers!"
"Cheers!" everyone else echoed, followed by several glasses clinking against each other. I sipped at my wine, watching Sun pretend to grow a bit tipsy from his second glass of wine, cheeks turning rosy, while what was in Judgment's wine glass was likely to be some sort of tea, as he was drinking it with no problem whatsoever.
Sun's teacher spoke up next, regaling us with tales of a much younger Sun and his first meeting with Judgment, and how they had immediately begun arguing (when in truth, their teachers had instructed them to argue as practice). When he toasted the newlyweds, Sun raised his glass and was about to drink, but Judgment took the glass and downed it for him instead, causing dropped jaws and squealing alike. Sun smiled widely and kissed Judgment on the cheek for his gallantry, causing even more squealing.
That was wine, wasn't it? If Judgment planned on drinking every toast after this in Sun's place since the "Sun Knight" couldn't hold his liquor past three cups, he wasn't going to last the night. But seriously, they're getting married. Who cares about the Sun Knight's image of being a lightweight? Judgment had even worn a dress! They sure have strange priorities.
Judgment's teacher continued after Sun's. He didn't say much, only that Judgment's love for Sun knew no bounds, even if it meant wearing the dress in this relationship, as we had all witnessed. It was to giggles and chuckles that we had our final toast, with Judgment once again taking on Sun's share.
I pushed a jug of water over, just in case. With the speeches over, next would be cutting the cake, followed by dances. We were still on schedule. Not bad, not bad. My job was almost done. I was about to stand up and announce the cake cutting when Storm grinned and said in a loud voice, "Hey Earth, as Sun's 'best friend,' do you have some words for him before we move on to the cake?"
I stilled, already knowing what he had done. While I wanted to brush him off, he had spoken loudly to catch everyone's attention. All eyes were on me now, putting me in the spotlight. Never let it be said that Storm didn't hold grudges because he so did. He was totally getting back at me for putting Hell on the spot earlier.
Come on, Storm. It's not like Hell even knew I had done anything. You are so overprotective of him.
It was sobering, actually, to see Storm fall in love like this. I hadn't thought it would ever happen.
I tilted my wine glass, watching the wine swirl inside. Then, I stood up, casting my memories back. I hadn't prepared a speech. I had had no intention of stuttering through a speech, considering it was all a farce that I was Sun's "best friend." But it was what the public wanted, what Storm wanted, and I actually knew just what I wanted to talk about.
Now, while Ice was the first to realize that Sun and Judgment had the hots for each other, and Leaf was the one who got Sun to propose, they wouldn't even be in a relationship if it weren't for me. I still remembered Sun chatting up that archer girl in his room, clearly intent on bidding his church hermit status goodbye with some frolicking.
I had thought it would be the perfect payback to interrupt him, given how often he interrupted me all the damn time, and dear God of Light was it the best revenge seeing the girl bid him a hasty farewell and fleeing as if her life depended on it. I mean, getting caught canoodling with the Sun Knight in his room was quite the scandal. The public would've probably blamed her for seducing their Sun Knight and leading him away from the God of Light's side, and they actually wouldn't have been off the mark. What did Sun know of wooing anyone? Absolutely nothing. She had to have been the one putting the moves on him.
Lucky for them that I was around!
While I didn't know it then, Judgment apparently already had a thing for Sun even back then, for some unfathomable reason. In any case, Judgment would have possibly given up on pursuing anything with Sun and just watched over him from the sidelines, convincing himself that that was better for Sun, so Sun really should be thanking me for preventing that and for helping his relationship along. It was all meant to be.
Aren't I such a good friend?
Earlier in the day, I hadn't forgotten to bring that up with Sun.
"Aren't you glad I barged in that time you were alone with that archer girl?" I needled Sun.
He rolled his eyes at me.
"And that time with Charlotte the second," I said, this time lowering my voice so others wouldn't overhear.
Sun grimaced. He never liked admitting his mistakes, and that had been one huge mistake in the making. All three of them had been miserable, even when none of them knew why. I barged in on Sun and that Charlotte girl plenty of times, intent on never leaving them alone as payback for the countless times Sun had interrupted me, and never did I actually see either of them face each other with fondness. They definitely weren't the center of each other's worlds.
By then, I knew what Judgment felt, and I was pretty sure that Sun returned his feelings. It was just that neither of them were taking the first step, and then there was Charlotte throwing herself at Sun, visiting him in his room all the time, and Sun wasn't turning her down.
I mean, if I were in Sun's place, I definitely wouldn't turn her down. There was no harm in experimenting or fooling around, but even I could tell that none of them were in it for a fling. Pity. Flings were so much more enjoyable. Why give up an entire forest for a single tree?
She had guts, I had to give her that, as she didn't flee whenever I busted the door open, but it wasn't like they could do anything with me there. Sun had been frustrated with me, but geez, way to take your frustration out on the wrong person!
Considering that she had been the Demon King's captive for an extended period of time, Charlotte had to have nerves of steel. That aside, she was trying to prove something. I could tell. It was a classic tale of the captive growing sympathetic toward the captor. Even I could tell it wasn't love.
So, I invited her to tea, somehow ending the night with a sobbing girl stuffing her face with cookies and confessing that she did like Sun, having seen him at his worst. She admired him for his tenacity despite the bad hands life had dealt him.
But admiration wasn't the same as love, and I soon found out that she was actually trying to convince herself to fall in love with Sun because he seemed interested in her. She dearly wanted to be in love again, this time a requited one unlike her infatuation with some Teddy guy. Besides, she felt he deserved being loved, as he had been so lonely as the Demon King.
It was too bad for her that Sun had been giving mixed signals. This definitely wouldn't have been a requited love for her, and I told her as much. She hadn't needed much convincing-all you had to do was witness Sun and Judgment in the same room, and you could see the care they had for each other. So no, Sun wasn't going to be lonely anymore. There wasn't a chance we would let that happen, and Judgment would certainly be the first to make sure of that.
Besides that, she was obviously still in love with that Teddy guy.
Just how I ended up playing relationship counselor, I would never know. That certainly wasn't what my tea or snacks were for.
"Do you have to bring that up on the day of my wedding?" Sun grumbled.
"Duh, of course! I'm never going to let you live that down. You should thank me for helping you out! Who knows, if I didn't interrupt, you might be marrying Charlotte right now, and all three of you would mope for all eternity."
And wouldn't that have been miserable for everyone? Yes, even me, as Storm and the others had been a huge pain during those days, always lamenting about poor Judgment and how stupid Sun was being. I shudder to imagine what they'd be like if Charlotte had managed to sweep Sun off his feet. Of course I was going to bust open that door, even faster than Blaze could kick it!
I held my glass of wine and smiled widely. "I, Earth Knight, cannot say how h-happy I am for my b-best friend today." I gestured at Sun, who could only smile back.
"Sun Knight, as th-the leader of the Holy Temple and the spokesperson of the G-God of Light, has only ever l-loved the God of Light and has n-never ever b-beheld a woman." Even though he did try, pft, but payback is payback. "It c-came as no surprise to me that Sun Knight f-fell in love with J-Judgment Knight, as he had never had eyes for women"-or anyone, considering how blind he is; oh man, better hold back that scowl, Sun-"instead e-embracing the b-benevolence of the God of Light, loving and accepting even those with their b-back against the light. It is my h-honor to c-congratulate Sun Knight and Judgment Knight on their union today, in a b-beautiful marriage of opposites, a c-completion of two halves."
For a moment, even Storm's eyes were on me, surprised that I managed to pull something out of nowhere, even if not as grand as his speech had been. He probably thought he could stump me by putting me on the spot, but hey, it wasn't like I hadn't been pulling compliments out of thin air for all the lovely ladies, or making digs at Sun for practically half my life. By now, it was as easy as breathing, and it wasn't like I hated attention either. If things had happened differently, I bet I could have rocked that Storm Knight position.
I almost smirked, but I smoothed that away to a much more acceptable smile and raised my glass high. "I ask for all to join me in this 'f-final' toast to our n-newlyweds. May the God of Light b-bless this cherished union."
As I drank my wine, I could see Judgment once again taking over for Sun, while Storm was starting to do the same for Hell. Even Leaf and his wife were making eyes at each other as they took a sip of each other's drinks. Ugh, love birds everywhere.
But hey, with all of them pairing off like this, that meant there was more fish in the ocean for me. I caught the emerald eyes of a woman sitting at a different table. While she wasn't a drop dead beauty, she was still a looker, and she totally had her eyes on me the entire time. I smiled at her, pleased when she didn't look away, instead smiling back at me. Her smile was rather charming, and her fine figure was a sight for sore eyes, especially when Sun and Judgment started feeding each other again, this time taking turns to shove cake into each other's mouths.
to be continued
Kiyutsuna: We solemnly swear that the next chapter won't take another 3 years. QuQ This wedding can go down in history as the longest wedding ever...
Lucathia: Me, finally about to send this chapter out into the open, only to realize it doesn't have a title. *slaps a title on* Now it's ready! Many years later. Whoops. Hey, Christmas miracle...?
This entry was originally posted at https://lucathia.dreamwidth.org/369695.html. You can comment here or there.
Title: A Slice of Wedding Cake - Slice 16
Fandom: The Legend of Sun Knight
Words: 4692
Summary: Sun and Judgment are getting married. The "why" and "how" really aren't that important right now. For this is not a story about their romance; this is the story of us observers. Yes, we, the underappreciated observers of this whole spectacle who did 99% of the work, and only received a slice of wedding cake in return. Grisia/Lesus, Ceo/Roland
Notes: Co-written with kiyutsuna. Odd chapters are hers. Even chapters are mine! All illustrations are done by kiyutsuna.
Slice 16: Mistakes Were Made
Earth
Sun and Judgment were feeding each other.
I turned away from the disgustingly sweet scene, refilling my wine glass instead to distract myself. While Leaf had outdone himself with the catering, that did not mean I wanted to see my leaders flirt so blatantly over the food! Have some pity for our eyes, geez.
I had refilled my glass with perfect timing. Soon after I put down the bottle, I saw Ice wheel in a monstrous cake with flowers trying to suicide off the sides. How he was even managing to keep that thing from teetering over the edge of the cart was a mystery beyond me, but since the cake was here and accounted for, that was my clue to get things rolling.
"You're up," I told Hell.
Hell, who had been in the middle of listening to Storm chatter on about the delicious amount of caffeine in the cake he had taste-tested and how awake it had made him feel when he had taken a bite, had completely forgotten it was time for those damn speeches. And this was why I, the only lucid person here not melting into a puddle over the idea of true love, had to play babysitter.
That, and as Sun's "best friend," plenty of followers had expressed their disappointment upon discovering that I wasn't the best man. I gave them that unity and balance excuse that Sun had been spouting, but even that hadn't taken care of the frowns adorning several of our clerics' faces. In the end, I reassured them that even though I wasn't the best man, I was helping my best friend out behind the scenes. They cooed after that and exclaimed, "How sweet! The best of friends!"
Of course, that got back to Sun and somehow I ended up responsible for making sure this whole thing ran on schedule, "best friend's" wedding and all. As the pseudo MC of this reception, it was my job to give the resident death monarch a poke to wake him up from his lovesickness.
"Are you going to say something to everyone first?" Hell asked.
I thought about it for a second. "Nah."
"Oh."
Hell stood up with his wine glass.
Thank the God of Light I wasn't the best man, or even worse, the maid of honor. Saved me the trouble of having to stutter through an entirely fake speech. The crowd didn't immediately quiet down, continuing to eat and chatter. If Hell sprouted his leathery wings in the middle of the room, he'd definitely get a different response, but at the moment, he was just another well dressed guy.
With lots of girls staring at him. And a fair share of guys glaring.
As more people stared or glared, other people began noticing and turned in Hell's direction. The chatter ceased, and Hell had the stage. Just as Hell was about to speak, Storm tugged on Hell's sleeve to stall him and gave me a pointed look for putting Hell on the spot.
Hey hey, he's the best man. He's supposed to speak! I'm just here to make sure everything runs on schedule. Is someone protective or what? But ugh, fine.
I plastered on a small smile and stood up to call everyone's attention to our speakers. "C-citizens of Leafbud, children of the God of Light, and our esteemed g-guests, a m-moment of pause for the best man, who w-will be sharing with us a toast for our newlyweds. Please welcome, Supreme Dragon Hell!"
I sat down and raised an eyebrow at Storm. There, happy?
Storm was smiling widely, but he was no longer even looking at me, and instead had his eyes fixed on Hell. Why did I even bother?
Hell started by thanking everyone for coming and introducing himself as the Hell Knight, the best man. As the Hell Knight, he'd always been one of the shadows. Seeing him take the stage was a strange sight, especially when it was for making a speech instead of fighting with a sword.
That was more Storm's forte. Shy, bumbling Ceo who masqueraded as a footloose charmer who loved attention. He had blushed even at the sight of paintings, not to mention talking face-to-face with an actual girl. How he had even survived to adulthood without combusting was just as much of a miracle as Sun not killing himself with his sword. Yet, Ceo had winked his way into office, and he had taken to crowds like a fish to water, a complete natural under the spotlight.
Hell was just the opposite, much more down to earth, much less accustomed to being the center of attention, much more succinct. They say that opposites attract, and dear God of Light, everyone around me lately were hellbent on proving that true.
If it had been up to Hell, he probably would have ended the speech there, but the Pope was adamant that the speech needed to be long to sell the wedding even more. Therefore, Hell continued on in an uncharacteristic fashion. Given that we had the public to consider, there was a lot he couldn't talk about. But somehow, he was managing. I bet Storm had a hand in that.
"It feels like just yesterday, yet also a lifetime ago, that I became acquainted with Sun Knight and Judgment Knight. We were children then, if you can imagine us in such a way, with the world before us." Heh, I bet Storm wrote that line for him. "Even back then, Sun Knight led with his generous heart"-I held back my snicker; it wasn't like Sun could've led with his swordsmanship-"and I gladly followed. If not for him, I would not be here today."
Hell really wouldn't have been here if not for Sun. Who else would've been stupid enough to instate a death lord, now a death monarch, as the Hell Knight? Sun had invited trouble right to his door. Hell's lich must've had the time of her undead life laughing at Sun for handing over his life on a silver platter. If Sun hadn't been dead, I'd have wanted to shake him back and forth and ask him how he could've been so blind-his eyes were no excuse-and I'd probably have wrung his neck myself for his stupidity.
What a generous heart indeed, to forgive his murderer so easily after that. Sun had never blamed Hell for what had occurred, and while Sun hadn't seen it coming-how could he, when Hell was his childhood friend-he had never wondered why none of us had seen it coming either. How could we have let him walk to his death? I surely could have done something with the Shield of Earth to prevent him from dying at all. The Earth Knight is the Sun Knight's shield, dammit. Sun was supposed to be as undying as a cockroach! Sun may have forgiven it all, but I never had.
So, let Hell sweat out there some more. Who knew if he could even sweat, but whatever. It wasn't like he was going to go blind standing in the spotlight, no matter how awkward it might feel.
Plenty of people probably just thought Hell was talking about how he was supposedly Sun's "substitute." The Hell Knight was rumored to be the Sun Knight's double, a rumor that Sun had made widespread because of his harebrained scheme back in our third year in office when he had announced Hell as his substitute in the three way deathmatch for Princess Jasmine's hand.
In any case, Hell went on some more about being here thanks to Sun, but by the time I tuned in again, he had moved onto Judgment.
"Even back then, Judgment Knight had considerable skill with his sword. I am lucky to have him as my superior." Hell paused, thinking for a moment, but I bet he'd forgotten what he had wanted to say. When he finally continued, he said, "His blade flies true in the face of justice, so that no wrongdoers might stand in his way." Another pause. "His judgment is swift and just, as steady as his swordhand. Judgment Knight wields his sword with strength and skill, leaving no one unsatisfied-"
Pfft! Hey, hey, if you wax any more poetry about Judgment's sword, someone is going to get jealous!
Not just a someone either. Two someones.
Oh, the look on Sun's face! Someone's mind was in the gut-
A sudden foot kicked me in the shin, but really, what did the owner of the foot think that would accomplish? I barely felt a thing. I raised an eyebrow at Sun, who was smiling the fakest smile ever-his foot must be smarting-and of course that was when he zapped me. Again. Just like earlier.
"Ow!" Come on, if you want to zap someone, zap Metal instead! He enjoys it!
"Stop snickering," Sun warned me under his breath.
"I'm not," I said and kicked him back, and I can assure you my kicks hit much harder. The resulting "ow!" he tried to muffle was music to my ears.
Judgment gave both of us an unimpressed look and used his eyes to indicate the wine glass he was suddenly holding up. Well golly, I'd missed the rest of Hell's speech thanks to someone's trigger happy zapping. What a pity.
Hell had finally reached his limit and had no more to say, and thus, it was time for him to lead the toast.
Sun quickly grabbed his own wine glass, while I grabbed mine at a much more leisurely pace. Sun was so whipped. I gulped the contents down and refilled my glass again. Hell finally got to sit down. Storm immediately patted him on the back to comfort him.
"All yours now, Storm," I reminded him, as he was still rubbing Hell on the back. This is no time to feel him up, Storm.
To think, shy, bumbling Ceo had learned to feel someone up. Will wonders never cease? We've just been throwing the wrong sort at him all these years, when all he needed all along was a death monarch.
Storm got up after what felt like a lifetime. It had already been long enough that the crowd had begun talking among themselves again, but Storm just had something to him that drew people's attention to him right away, so he didn't have to stand there for very long for everyone to notice him and quiet down, unlike someone else earlier.
It was probably the blue hair, among other things.
Without Storm's prompting, I stood up and announced to the crowd, "And now, please w-welcome the 'm-maid' of honor, Ceo Storm, who will be leading us in our next toast." He raised an eyebrow at me for my unprompted behavior-hah, take that!-but quickly turned to address the citizens instead. How boring. But I sat back to watch.
Storm cut quite a figure in his tuxedo, his smile ever charming. He gave the crowd a sweeping glance, emerald eyes containing a gaze that commanded all to look his way. Even I could not help but look his way. Those clerics behind him couldn't even hold a candle against his beauty, which shone all the more whenever he was in the spotlight. He was a far cry from that timid bundle of nerves that had stalked me all those years ago, wanting to observe how I interacted with girls.
What a pity that he wasn't a girl. Why must I be surrounded by pretty boys? The God of Light must be making fun of me, for my leader to be a stunning blond, and for yet another stunning man to be fluttering by my side all these years. All that beauty, wasted on guys.
Just like Hell, Storm had plenty he couldn't talk about, not when the reception was such a public event. But that mattered little to Storm, not when he was such a good public speaker who could spin all sorts of tales. He brushed a strand of his hair behind his ear and said, "I, Storm Knight, thank you all for joining us on this momentous day, in which we celebrate the union of our leaders, Sun Knight and Judgment Knight."
He gestured at Sun, who smiled, and Judgment, who gave a nod. Storm gave his own smile and continued, "Long have our two factions been at odds with each other, but today is the day that we put all of that behind us to truly join as a united front. I am honored to stand here today as Judgment Knight's 'maid' of honor. You must be wondering, how is it that I am not Sun Knight's maid of honor, but rather Judgment Knight's? Well, that is a long story, but suffice to say, it is thanks to Sun Knight's warm insistence that we embrace our foes and love our differences that I stand here before you in such a fashion, in a show of true unity between our factions."
You just didn't hear Sun when he asked for someone to volunteer. I snickered to myself, but I quickly snapped my head up, just in case Sun had heard me. I really did not need him zapping me again.
Good, he wasn't paying me any attention, as he was completely focused on Storm's speech. A single look from Judgment earlier, and Sun was behaving. Will wonders never cease? We've been dealing with him the wrong way all this time, when all he needed all along was getting married with his "public" enemy. People do say that wives rule the roost, after all.
Storm continued, "Thanks to the amiable relations between our factions that we now share, I have come to know Judgment Knight just as well as I know my own leader. He is someone who takes his work with utmost seriousness, and while you will more often than not see a frown on his face as opposed to a smile, he is truly caring deep inside behind that scary face. Yup, that's exactly the face I'm talking about right there!"
Dear God of Light, Storm knew no fear, and damn was he good at dramatic pauses. He wasn't giving any particular details, yet even that was plenty to string people along, making them hang onto his every word despite their Judgment Knight's intimidating glower.
"For countless years, you and I alike have watched Judgment Knight and Sun Knight at odds, their ideologies clashing. But I ask for all present to cast your memories to that dreadful year when darkness sought to steal our land and break our spirits. Yes, I am referring to that year, the beginning of the encroachment of darkness. Sun Knight was absent from our side for many dreadful months, too severely ill from the sudden imbalance of holy and dark elements across the continent to even leave his bed. For these same number of months, I cannot tell you how often we, the rest of the Twelve Holy Knights, found Judgment Knight by Sun Knight's bedside, silently watching over him. Judgment Knight would hold Sun Knight's hand with his head bowed, praying for him to recover."
Ah, that story again, but with a spin on it for the public. Now they too, will know just how lovesick they are. I tilted my wine glass, eyes flicking over to Sun and Judgment, only to see Judgment reach his hand out to clasp Sun's, perhaps in memory, his glower melting into a fond gaze directed at Sun, joy and gratitude alike for having Sun here with him. Now that Judgment could show his feelings for Sun in the public, it was like he was trying to make up for all those years that he couldn't, geez.
Storm held his hand over his heart and glanced over at Sun and Judgment as well, continuing on with his tale. "It was then that I knew he was secretly a romantic, and that the hatred he had professed for my leader all these years was just the opposite-a deep, passionate love. If love and hate are two sides of the same coin, I daresay that theirs has landed on the side of love, when Judgment Knight wished with all his heart for Sun Knight to once again walk by his side."
He raised his wine glass and said, "To Judgment and Sun, my leaders and brothers, I wish you happiness, health, and love, through life and death, until the end of time. Cheers!"
"Cheers!" everyone else echoed, followed by several glasses clinking against each other. I sipped at my wine, watching Sun pretend to grow a bit tipsy from his second glass of wine, cheeks turning rosy, while what was in Judgment's wine glass was likely to be some sort of tea, as he was drinking it with no problem whatsoever.
Sun's teacher spoke up next, regaling us with tales of a much younger Sun and his first meeting with Judgment, and how they had immediately begun arguing (when in truth, their teachers had instructed them to argue as practice). When he toasted the newlyweds, Sun raised his glass and was about to drink, but Judgment took the glass and downed it for him instead, causing dropped jaws and squealing alike. Sun smiled widely and kissed Judgment on the cheek for his gallantry, causing even more squealing.
That was wine, wasn't it? If Judgment planned on drinking every toast after this in Sun's place since the "Sun Knight" couldn't hold his liquor past three cups, he wasn't going to last the night. But seriously, they're getting married. Who cares about the Sun Knight's image of being a lightweight? Judgment had even worn a dress! They sure have strange priorities.
Judgment's teacher continued after Sun's. He didn't say much, only that Judgment's love for Sun knew no bounds, even if it meant wearing the dress in this relationship, as we had all witnessed. It was to giggles and chuckles that we had our final toast, with Judgment once again taking on Sun's share.
I pushed a jug of water over, just in case. With the speeches over, next would be cutting the cake, followed by dances. We were still on schedule. Not bad, not bad. My job was almost done. I was about to stand up and announce the cake cutting when Storm grinned and said in a loud voice, "Hey Earth, as Sun's 'best friend,' do you have some words for him before we move on to the cake?"
I stilled, already knowing what he had done. While I wanted to brush him off, he had spoken loudly to catch everyone's attention. All eyes were on me now, putting me in the spotlight. Never let it be said that Storm didn't hold grudges because he so did. He was totally getting back at me for putting Hell on the spot earlier.
Come on, Storm. It's not like Hell even knew I had done anything. You are so overprotective of him.
It was sobering, actually, to see Storm fall in love like this. I hadn't thought it would ever happen.
I tilted my wine glass, watching the wine swirl inside. Then, I stood up, casting my memories back. I hadn't prepared a speech. I had had no intention of stuttering through a speech, considering it was all a farce that I was Sun's "best friend." But it was what the public wanted, what Storm wanted, and I actually knew just what I wanted to talk about.
Now, while Ice was the first to realize that Sun and Judgment had the hots for each other, and Leaf was the one who got Sun to propose, they wouldn't even be in a relationship if it weren't for me. I still remembered Sun chatting up that archer girl in his room, clearly intent on bidding his church hermit status goodbye with some frolicking.
I had thought it would be the perfect payback to interrupt him, given how often he interrupted me all the damn time, and dear God of Light was it the best revenge seeing the girl bid him a hasty farewell and fleeing as if her life depended on it. I mean, getting caught canoodling with the Sun Knight in his room was quite the scandal. The public would've probably blamed her for seducing their Sun Knight and leading him away from the God of Light's side, and they actually wouldn't have been off the mark. What did Sun know of wooing anyone? Absolutely nothing. She had to have been the one putting the moves on him.
Lucky for them that I was around!
While I didn't know it then, Judgment apparently already had a thing for Sun even back then, for some unfathomable reason. In any case, Judgment would have possibly given up on pursuing anything with Sun and just watched over him from the sidelines, convincing himself that that was better for Sun, so Sun really should be thanking me for preventing that and for helping his relationship along. It was all meant to be.
Aren't I such a good friend?
Earlier in the day, I hadn't forgotten to bring that up with Sun.
"Aren't you glad I barged in that time you were alone with that archer girl?" I needled Sun.
He rolled his eyes at me.
"And that time with Charlotte the second," I said, this time lowering my voice so others wouldn't overhear.
Sun grimaced. He never liked admitting his mistakes, and that had been one huge mistake in the making. All three of them had been miserable, even when none of them knew why. I barged in on Sun and that Charlotte girl plenty of times, intent on never leaving them alone as payback for the countless times Sun had interrupted me, and never did I actually see either of them face each other with fondness. They definitely weren't the center of each other's worlds.
By then, I knew what Judgment felt, and I was pretty sure that Sun returned his feelings. It was just that neither of them were taking the first step, and then there was Charlotte throwing herself at Sun, visiting him in his room all the time, and Sun wasn't turning her down.
I mean, if I were in Sun's place, I definitely wouldn't turn her down. There was no harm in experimenting or fooling around, but even I could tell that none of them were in it for a fling. Pity. Flings were so much more enjoyable. Why give up an entire forest for a single tree?
She had guts, I had to give her that, as she didn't flee whenever I busted the door open, but it wasn't like they could do anything with me there. Sun had been frustrated with me, but geez, way to take your frustration out on the wrong person!
Considering that she had been the Demon King's captive for an extended period of time, Charlotte had to have nerves of steel. That aside, she was trying to prove something. I could tell. It was a classic tale of the captive growing sympathetic toward the captor. Even I could tell it wasn't love.
So, I invited her to tea, somehow ending the night with a sobbing girl stuffing her face with cookies and confessing that she did like Sun, having seen him at his worst. She admired him for his tenacity despite the bad hands life had dealt him.
But admiration wasn't the same as love, and I soon found out that she was actually trying to convince herself to fall in love with Sun because he seemed interested in her. She dearly wanted to be in love again, this time a requited one unlike her infatuation with some Teddy guy. Besides, she felt he deserved being loved, as he had been so lonely as the Demon King.
It was too bad for her that Sun had been giving mixed signals. This definitely wouldn't have been a requited love for her, and I told her as much. She hadn't needed much convincing-all you had to do was witness Sun and Judgment in the same room, and you could see the care they had for each other. So no, Sun wasn't going to be lonely anymore. There wasn't a chance we would let that happen, and Judgment would certainly be the first to make sure of that.
Besides that, she was obviously still in love with that Teddy guy.
Just how I ended up playing relationship counselor, I would never know. That certainly wasn't what my tea or snacks were for.
"Do you have to bring that up on the day of my wedding?" Sun grumbled.
"Duh, of course! I'm never going to let you live that down. You should thank me for helping you out! Who knows, if I didn't interrupt, you might be marrying Charlotte right now, and all three of you would mope for all eternity."
And wouldn't that have been miserable for everyone? Yes, even me, as Storm and the others had been a huge pain during those days, always lamenting about poor Judgment and how stupid Sun was being. I shudder to imagine what they'd be like if Charlotte had managed to sweep Sun off his feet. Of course I was going to bust open that door, even faster than Blaze could kick it!
I held my glass of wine and smiled widely. "I, Earth Knight, cannot say how h-happy I am for my b-best friend today." I gestured at Sun, who could only smile back.
"Sun Knight, as th-the leader of the Holy Temple and the spokesperson of the G-God of Light, has only ever l-loved the God of Light and has n-never ever b-beheld a woman." Even though he did try, pft, but payback is payback. "It c-came as no surprise to me that Sun Knight f-fell in love with J-Judgment Knight, as he had never had eyes for women"-or anyone, considering how blind he is; oh man, better hold back that scowl, Sun-"instead e-embracing the b-benevolence of the God of Light, loving and accepting even those with their b-back against the light. It is my h-honor to c-congratulate Sun Knight and Judgment Knight on their union today, in a b-beautiful marriage of opposites, a c-completion of two halves."
For a moment, even Storm's eyes were on me, surprised that I managed to pull something out of nowhere, even if not as grand as his speech had been. He probably thought he could stump me by putting me on the spot, but hey, it wasn't like I hadn't been pulling compliments out of thin air for all the lovely ladies, or making digs at Sun for practically half my life. By now, it was as easy as breathing, and it wasn't like I hated attention either. If things had happened differently, I bet I could have rocked that Storm Knight position.
I almost smirked, but I smoothed that away to a much more acceptable smile and raised my glass high. "I ask for all to join me in this 'f-final' toast to our n-newlyweds. May the God of Light b-bless this cherished union."
As I drank my wine, I could see Judgment once again taking over for Sun, while Storm was starting to do the same for Hell. Even Leaf and his wife were making eyes at each other as they took a sip of each other's drinks. Ugh, love birds everywhere.
But hey, with all of them pairing off like this, that meant there was more fish in the ocean for me. I caught the emerald eyes of a woman sitting at a different table. While she wasn't a drop dead beauty, she was still a looker, and she totally had her eyes on me the entire time. I smiled at her, pleased when she didn't look away, instead smiling back at me. Her smile was rather charming, and her fine figure was a sight for sore eyes, especially when Sun and Judgment started feeding each other again, this time taking turns to shove cake into each other's mouths.
to be continued
Kiyutsuna: We solemnly swear that the next chapter won't take another 3 years. QuQ This wedding can go down in history as the longest wedding ever...
Lucathia: Me, finally about to send this chapter out into the open, only to realize it doesn't have a title. *slaps a title on* Now it's ready! Many years later. Whoops. Hey, Christmas miracle...?
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