[Legend of Sun Knight] fic: A Slice of Wedding Cake - Slice 14
Breaking the month long fic drought with... *drum rolls* Cake! Because, HAPPY BIRTHDAY fhaystshilffe! You are awesome, and I hope you have an awesome day and that we didn't get the date or time wrong XDDD. Have some cake. ♥
Title: A Slice of Wedding Cake - Slice 14
Fandom: The Legend of Sun Knight
Words: 3,956
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 13: Something Blue
Slice 14: No More Excuses
Back when we first took over our positions from our teachers, none of us ever thought that I would be the first to get married. I definitely never thought it'd happen! Actually, we never really thought any of us would get married. Our heads had been full of thoughts about knighthood, about the God of Light, about fulfilling our duties, about everything except romance.
But romance comes at the strangest of times. It's really not something you can plan. When I opened my eyes again with Sun bowed over me, romance had definitely been the farthest thing from my mind. However, as Mike knelt down to carry Sun on his back, I had climbed onto Ann's back. She'd carried me without saying a single word, our journey away from the site of my death carried out in silence. I'd placed my arms around her, and she'd gripped it so hard that it hurt. I was alive. Alive. I struggled to stay awake so I could tell her to put me down if she grew too tired, but despite her uneven gait and her death grip, I was soon lulled to sleep, exhausted by my dalliance with death. She carried me just like that all the way to town.
I don't actually know when I fell in love. Was it when she carried me, or when she had first called me Elmy? Or was it when I argued with her, searing anger I had never ever felt before rushing through me?
Whenever it was, I knew that I could show my true self in front of her, and that she wouldn't mind. She had already seen me at my worst. Through each of our letters and each of the words we exchanged, I could not help but fall deeper and deeper in love.
Being in love is... an indescribable feeling. Each time I received one of Ann's letters, my heart would pound so fast, it would be like discovering a new spice on the market all over again. It was difficult, with her being so far, but it only made the time we got to spend together even more precious.
Then, there was a month when her letters suddenly stopped coming. I frantically read over all of our latest correspondence, trying to figure out if I had said something wrong. Millions of thoughts plagued me. Is she tired of the long distance relationship? Has she finally realized that I'm really not a good person at all? Maybe this is for the best... She is a princess. I am merely a holy knight, a penniless one at that.
Besides, when it all came down to it, our relationship had started out of shared guilt.
"Is your Sun Knight alright now?"
"No, Ann. He... He... It's all my fault! I should never have died."
"No! Elmy! It's not your fault. It's mine..."
Just when I had started convincing myself that maybe it was best that we part, Sun had come barging into my room, unwilling to let me wallow in my negativity. When he found out that I was indeed still feeling guilty over his sight, he flew into a huge rage.
"If you like her, you like her!" he yelled with not an ounce of grace. "Don't you want to be with her forever? I can't believe you're still going on about my eyes!"
"But, but..." My voice grew small.
"Don't you dare use me as an excuse, Elmairy!"
That was perhaps the first time I had ever made Sun mad. He grew so angry that he even dropped the nickname he always liked calling me.
"You are going to write to her," Sun said.
I hurriedly nodded.
"And you are going to propose to her."
I hurriedly nodded once more. Then, his words actually registered, and my jaws dropped. "What?!"
Suffice it to say, my marriage with Ann came about largely thanks to Sun, who gave me the final push. He was the reason why we got together and the reason why we finally got married. If we had been left to our own devices, we would have danced a long distance relationship for eternity. In the end, Sun had even sent me directly to the Kingdom of Moon Orchid using instant teleportation to prevent me from backing out. There, I finally got to see Ann again. The mere sight of her took my breath away. It had been much too long since the last time I'd gotten to see her in person.
Without a doubt, I love her.
I later found out that Ann had felt uneasy about our relationship, not because she no longer liked me or that she was tired of how far we were from each other. She worried about how her duties would affect our relationship. She was the second princess. Since her elder sister had married the Silent Eagle of the Cathedral of the Shadow God and moved out of the kingdom, Ann was basically the next in line.
She knew of my promise to Sun. I could never move to the Kingdom of Moon Orchid. Neither of us even considered the possibility that I'd become the king. I wasn't someone who could lead a kingdom. Years down the line, even after my retirement, I would remain in Leaf Bud City, which wasn't fair to her, but she hadn't thought of it that way. Instead, she had been afraid that she would inconvenience me. I feared that we would have to part after all, and it had nearly come to pass. Her sister Alice had convinced her to take some distance and time to think things over. If I had dallied any longer, Ann might have decided to end things once and for all.
I really didn't want that. I wanted to be with her forever and ever.
After I rambled off my apologies, declared just how much I loved her, and actually blurted out a proposal, Ann didn't speak for the longest time, and for the same amount of time, I fretted over her possible responses. When she finally spoke, it was to whisper, "I can't leave before my younger sister is able to rule."
"Then that means...?"
"Yes! Of course, Elmy! How could you ever doubt?"
Then, she threw her arms around me.
Ann was, as expected, very strong. She nearly squeezed the breath out of me when we hugged, but I didn't care about that at all. To be able to be with her was a miracle. While I felt guilty that she would be the one leaving her homeland, she assured me that she did not mind. She just hoped that I would not mind that even after we got married, she would not be able to move to Leaf Bud City right away, not before her sister grew up more.
Now, we were husband and wife.
Truly, when I became one of the Twelve Holy Knights, I never thought I would get married. No one actually thought I would get married first, and none of us ever thought Sun would even have anything to do with the word marriage!
But here we were.
I wiped at my eyes. I couldn't stop my eyes from growing wet during Sun and Judgment's vows. For them to be able to be able to marry each other, and in public no less, was so touching that I thought my tears would never end. When a handkerchief came into view, I took it gratefully.
"Thanks..." I said and turned my head, only to see Earth raising his eyebrow at me.
"Wasn't me," he said with a shake of his head.
It was then that I heard a quiet little hic from my side. I hurriedly turned, managing to catch a glimpse of Cloud.
Just because his bangs were long didn't mean he didn't need his handkerchief! He needed it more than me!
In any case, my tears stopped after that. I was glad because the sight of Judgment passionately kissing Sun was one no one would want to miss!
Ann's hand found its way over to mine as we greeted each of the guests and guided them to their seats. I gave Ann a small smile, and she squeezed my hand. Then she leaned in and said, "I didn't know Judgment Knight could be so romantic. Why didn't you ever tell me about their pie-buying courtship?"
"Did you hear about that from Judgment?" I asked.
"A little bit, but he didn't really elaborate."
I chuckled. "If he told you, then I guess I can say that Judgment has always been buying blueberry pies for Sun. He used to climb the temple's walls to sneak out to Sun's favorite store."
Ann squealed. "I can't believe it! Judgment Knight really did that?"
"Yeah. He still buys blueberry pies for him. He just doesn't have to climb the walls to do it anymore."
Ann giggled. I could not help smiling wider. I found my hand reaching out to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. Under the sunlight, her eyes shimmered beautifully, her skin radiant.
She returned the favor, grinning as she brushed her hand through my hair.
We continued to guide the guests to their assigned tables. Because of just how many people wanted to attend the Sun Knight and the Judgment Knight's wedding reception, the Pope ended up choosing an outdoor location to accommodate as many people as possible. There was even a small entrance fee for attendees, with the earnings counted as donations to the Church of the God of Light. Even the wedding gifts that the attendees had brought, that were sitting by the entrance next to the refreshments, looked like they might end up as donations to the Church. I thought I saw clerics going through the gifts and tallying them up under the Pope's orders. Sun was not likely to let that one go.
Storm, on the other hand, took one look at the mountains and mountains of gifts and despaired. "How many thank you cards would this be... If I ever get married, it's going to be the smallest event ever with no paperwork involved!"
He pulled at his tie in frustration. He was now wearing a white tuxedo. Beside Storm, Hell had his eyebrows furrowed and looked deep in thought as he stared relentlessly at the piles of gifts. It made me wonder what was going through his mind.
Right after the wedding ceremony, both Storm and Judgment had left to change out of their dresses, having fulfilled the bargain with the Pope. Now, Judgment was going around from table-to-table with Sun to personally greet the guests. Some looked disappointed that Judgment was no longer wearing a dress, but the women didn't seem to mind too much even though several of them seemed eager to show off their dresses in front of him.
Despite the entrance fee, the plaza was packed, and the guests kept coming. Ann and I hurried back and forth between the tables and the entrance. Just like how we had been seated in the Hall of Praise, the seating at the reception was similar. But instead of having our teachers at a separate table, we had a long table that would sit all twenty-four of us, including any guests that we had brought with us. The table was slightly apart from the rest of the tables.
"There you are, Elmairy!"
When I turned to greet our latest guest, I found a wine flask shoved at me. I hastily grabbed it, only to realize that it was my teacher who had given it to me. Teacher Wen smiled widely at me and took a swig from his wine flask -- a different one than the one he had given to me.
"Teacher, are you drinking already? We do have wine prepared," I said, worried. My teacher had always had a problem with drinking. If he drank too much now, he wouldn't be able to enjoy the other wines, yet I was sure he would still attempt to do so anyway when he shouldn't drink so much.
"Oh, don't you worry," he said, giving a nod toward his wife who was mingling with a few other housewives. "It's coffee, like usual. She made sure of it!"
"I heard that too much coffee isn't good either."
"You worry as much as always!" My teacher exclaimed. "This is a day to be happy, Elmairy!"
"I'll always worry over your health, Teacher," I said. "But you're right! I'll try not to worry too much today." I raised the wine flask Teacher had given me. "Is this a present for Grisia and Lesus?"
"Indeed it is! It's wine of the highest caliber!"
Just as I was wondering why my teacher had given their gift directly to me, he explained, "Better to get it directly to your hands than to chance that wily old coot from stealing it!" He gestured behind him.
I glanced in the direction my teacher had pointed out, immediately noticing the Pope who was excitedly watching the piles of gifts grow taller. Even though I knew the Pope was much, much older than me, at this moment, he really resembled an eager kid.
"To think Neo's student would get married and that Chasel's student would be the one wearing the dress!" my teacher said. "If I hadn't seen it with my very own eyes, I would never have believed it."
After he spoke, he gave me an admonishing glance. "Child, if you had inside knowledge, you should have imparted some insider information with your teacher. I bet a lot of money on Neo's student wearing the dress!"
"Ah..."
Actually, Teacher... I was just desperate when I bet on Judgment!
Even though I never thought I would win the bet, the earnings from the bet did line my pockets quite nicely, which meant I was able to cater the food at the reception to my heart's content. While the Pope did give me funds for the event, they weren't nearly enough for all that I wanted to do. After the guests had all arrived, the servers began bringing out food for each table.
I then went from table-to-table, adding the final touch to each dish. At our table, cilantro was a given. I remembered Sun enjoyed saffron quite a lot too. It went well with soup. Then, I added basil, rosemary, and garlic powder as well, chatting a bit with each table as I made my rounds.
"I can't help but marvel at how different you and your teacher are each time I meet him," Ann said. Even though she hadn't said it out loud, I knew she was wondering how my teacher could be the Leaf Knight with the way he behaved.
I sprinkled some pepper on the boar and thought over Ann's words. "We're not all that different," I eventually said. "He worries a lot too, just in his own way."
During my training years, I hadn't understood why my teacher liked to drink so much. It wasn't until later that I realized one could only worry so much without being overwhelmed. Teacher had his wine. I had my straw dolls... and also my seasonings.
With each flick of my wrist, each shake of a jar, each taste of bursting flavor, I could feel my worries tossed to the back of my mind. For a split second, only "taste" mattered, and nothing else.
I smiled and added my finishing touches.
After I finished, I sat down to eat and watch Sun and Judgment finish making their way around. They probably wouldn't be able to finish soon. Everyone wanted to speak with them, and Sun had to praise the God of Light in every three sentences, so his words likely wouldn't be succinct. Maybe it would be faster if they had Judgment do most of the talking? The public seemed not to be as afraid of him today.
"It's a little surreal, isn't it?" Stone asked as he too watched the two of them.
We all nodded. It was truly surreal, to be here at the wedding reception of Sun and Judgment. However, that surrealness was broken when Blaze exclaimed, "This soup is amazing! You really outdid yourself, Leaf!"
We dug in, hearty chatter filling the air as we ate. The conversation mostly centered on Sun and Judgment's relationship as each person tried to figure out just how this wedding had come about. The teachers were particularly curious. I even heard Teacher Neo and Teacher Chasel debate on how Grisia was the one who had proposed.
"About that..." I said.
While I did not know the details of the entire process, I did know the particulars of the marriage proposal. The moment I accidentally revealed this fact, all eyes were suddenly on me, urging me to share the juicy details. Even Ann begged me, and I could never resist that look of hers.
I did worry if Sun would be angry at me for talking about it, but then I remembered how he had tricked me into proposing. So fair was only fair! Especially since Judgment actually had a larger part in the proposal than Sun was making it out to be.
"It's actually a little funny..." I began. Just thinking about it was already making me smile.
I was no expert on romance, but being the only married one out of us all seemed to make the others consider me an expert. After Judgment and Sun's latest fiasco, both of them seemed to have come to some sort of realization.
"I really wish we could make our relationship public," Judgment had confided in me. Seeing him at my door really surprised me. He rarely ever came to find me, and he was even pouring his heart out to me. This was extremely nerve-wracking. He went on to say, "Whenever Grisia gets hurt yet I am unable to hug him right then and there is much too painful. I know I should be happy with what we have, but is it selfish of me to wish we could be as public as your relationship with Ann?"
Before I was even able to say anything, Judgment shook his head. "I'm sorry, forget I said anything. I just... had too much going on in my head. Thanks for listening."
Then, he left hastily. I blinked at my door.
When I heard knocking on my door again, I thought that Judgment must have returned and decided to talk it over after all. I had thought over his words, trying to think of what to say. I was lucky, very lucky. Not only was Ann female, we weren't the leaders of opposing factions that were supposed to hate each other, and neither of us were vessels for the dark element. Truth to be told, Judgment and Sun had walked a tough path, and it wasn't going to get any easier.
I was deep in thought when I opened my door, only to be surprised again. Judgment hadn't returned. Instead, Sun was the one outside my door. While both of them were very good friends of mine, having both leaders come to my door in a single day was still a little intimidating.
When Sun walked in, he sighed heavily.
"What's wrong, Sun?" I asked.
"It's..." He sighed again. "It's nothing."
"It can't be nothing if you're so worried," I said.
He then poured his heart out to me, going back and forth about how he really shouldn't have given in to his desires. He would only hurt Lesus! How could he tie Lesus to him like this?
But Sun, can't you see how good you are for each other?
The fact that they had both come to me within minutes of each other, concerned about the other, warmed my heart. If that wasn't love, then what was? It was like their hearts were connected!
I was completely certain that they would want to be together forever and ever.
"Sun," I called out.
He raised his head to look at me. Sometimes, it was all too easy to forget he couldn't use his eyes anymore when he did things like this, but I would never forget. My heart ached just from thinking of how much he had had to sacrifice over the years.
Sun, why not let yourself have this?
"If you like him, you like him!" I stated. "You want to be with him for all eternity, right? What does it matter if you're the Demon King or not?"
"But..." Sun began to say.
I cut him off. "Sun, you've been the Demon King for years, and none of us have died! Don't you dare look down on us, Sun! Do you think so little of Judgment's love for you?"
"I..." said Sun weakly. "Leaf, you're really intense today."
"Well, that's because I'm right!" I said and folded my arms across my chest. "Now listen, Sun, you're going to go find Judgment, okay?"
"...Okay. Wait, why does this sound so familiar... Oh no, no. Just Lesus getting corrupted is bad enough! Strawberry, don't you dare become bad!"
I smiled. I had learned from the best. "And you are going to propose to him! No more excuses!"
"No way, you got Sun to propose?" Metal shouted. There were astonished looks all around the table. Sun wasn't someone so easily convinced, and I wasn't good with persuasion like Storm or Stone.
I shook my head. "Not exactly. What happened was, he started thinking about it. I even gave him a straw doll of Judgment so he could practice proposing to it."
"You gave him a straw doll. Of Judgment," Earth said. Then, he snickered but stopped when his teacher sighed.
"Yeah. Is something wrong?" I asked.
"No, no, c-continue with the story." He waved his hand in the air.
"Well," I said, "It's actually kind of anticlimactic. Judgment walked in on Sun when he was practicing proposing to the straw doll and pretty much heard all of Sun's true intentions. Even though Sun wanted to pretend like he'd never said anything, Judgment wouldn't let him. They had a heart-to-heart and decided to get married after all."
"So Sun didn't 'propose' to Judgment! He proposed to a straw doll!" Storm shouted and laughed, suddenly wide awake.
Teacher Neo grumbled, "So he didn't propose all dramatically! I was all proud and everything too."
"Strawberry, I can't believe you told them!" A sudden voice sounded. I looked over and saw Sun walking over with a "wide" smile on his face. Judgment was not far behind him and was dressed in a tuxedo much like Sun's, except it was white. When he came to a stop by Sun's side, he wove his fingers with Sun's. Immediately, a bunch of our eyes glued themselves onto that gesture. It was really, really sweet.
Moon teased, "What, no denial about what happened?"
"The God of Light deemed it time for Sun to get married. Why would Sun be in denial about being the one to propose?" Sun said, smile growing even wider.
"Yeah, to a straw doll," Earth snickered quietly, but we'd still heard him. Then, he flinched. "Ow!"
"Oh, oh, zap me instead!" Metal said. Sun did not hold back at all, immediately sending a zap of lightning at Metal. It was such a small and instantaneous zap that only our table would be able to see it, but they seemed to have forgotten about the teachers.
Metal's teacher, Teacher Dansbert, held his head and muttered, "I didn't hear that. I didn't see that."
"Grisia," was all Judgment had to say, and Sun stopped.
I watched, so happy for them that I thought I might drift into the air. It was like yesterday when both Sun and Judgment had worried that their relationship could never work out, that they would only hurt each other, that they could only hide.
But now, they were married and holding hands in public. They were actually married even though it had seemed an impossible feat. Both of them had been so worried. I blinked my eyes, hard, and then stood up.
I pulled Sun into a hug.
I couldn't wipe the smile from my face, nor could I prevent my voice from cracking. I clutched at Sun's tuxedo. I was probably getting it wet.
"C-congratulations, Sun! I'm so, so happy for the two of you."
Sun hugged me back tightly and said, "Thank you."
to be continued
Lucathia: Ingredients-- 1/4 cheesy ElmyAnn romance, 1/2 random tidbits, 1/4 proposal reveal, mix well. Sprinkle seasoning, and voila!
Kiyutsuna: What, did you guys seriously think that Grisia properly proposed? xD;;; //bricked
Title: A Slice of Wedding Cake - Slice 14
Fandom: The Legend of Sun Knight
Words: 3,956
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 13: Something Blue
Slice 14: No More Excuses
Back when we first took over our positions from our teachers, none of us ever thought that I would be the first to get married. I definitely never thought it'd happen! Actually, we never really thought any of us would get married. Our heads had been full of thoughts about knighthood, about the God of Light, about fulfilling our duties, about everything except romance.
But romance comes at the strangest of times. It's really not something you can plan. When I opened my eyes again with Sun bowed over me, romance had definitely been the farthest thing from my mind. However, as Mike knelt down to carry Sun on his back, I had climbed onto Ann's back. She'd carried me without saying a single word, our journey away from the site of my death carried out in silence. I'd placed my arms around her, and she'd gripped it so hard that it hurt. I was alive. Alive. I struggled to stay awake so I could tell her to put me down if she grew too tired, but despite her uneven gait and her death grip, I was soon lulled to sleep, exhausted by my dalliance with death. She carried me just like that all the way to town.
I don't actually know when I fell in love. Was it when she carried me, or when she had first called me Elmy? Or was it when I argued with her, searing anger I had never ever felt before rushing through me?
Whenever it was, I knew that I could show my true self in front of her, and that she wouldn't mind. She had already seen me at my worst. Through each of our letters and each of the words we exchanged, I could not help but fall deeper and deeper in love.
Being in love is... an indescribable feeling. Each time I received one of Ann's letters, my heart would pound so fast, it would be like discovering a new spice on the market all over again. It was difficult, with her being so far, but it only made the time we got to spend together even more precious.
Then, there was a month when her letters suddenly stopped coming. I frantically read over all of our latest correspondence, trying to figure out if I had said something wrong. Millions of thoughts plagued me. Is she tired of the long distance relationship? Has she finally realized that I'm really not a good person at all? Maybe this is for the best... She is a princess. I am merely a holy knight, a penniless one at that.
Besides, when it all came down to it, our relationship had started out of shared guilt.
"Is your Sun Knight alright now?"
"No, Ann. He... He... It's all my fault! I should never have died."
"No! Elmy! It's not your fault. It's mine..."
Just when I had started convincing myself that maybe it was best that we part, Sun had come barging into my room, unwilling to let me wallow in my negativity. When he found out that I was indeed still feeling guilty over his sight, he flew into a huge rage.
"If you like her, you like her!" he yelled with not an ounce of grace. "Don't you want to be with her forever? I can't believe you're still going on about my eyes!"
"But, but..." My voice grew small.
"Don't you dare use me as an excuse, Elmairy!"
That was perhaps the first time I had ever made Sun mad. He grew so angry that he even dropped the nickname he always liked calling me.
"You are going to write to her," Sun said.
I hurriedly nodded.
"And you are going to propose to her."
I hurriedly nodded once more. Then, his words actually registered, and my jaws dropped. "What?!"
Suffice it to say, my marriage with Ann came about largely thanks to Sun, who gave me the final push. He was the reason why we got together and the reason why we finally got married. If we had been left to our own devices, we would have danced a long distance relationship for eternity. In the end, Sun had even sent me directly to the Kingdom of Moon Orchid using instant teleportation to prevent me from backing out. There, I finally got to see Ann again. The mere sight of her took my breath away. It had been much too long since the last time I'd gotten to see her in person.
Without a doubt, I love her.
I later found out that Ann had felt uneasy about our relationship, not because she no longer liked me or that she was tired of how far we were from each other. She worried about how her duties would affect our relationship. She was the second princess. Since her elder sister had married the Silent Eagle of the Cathedral of the Shadow God and moved out of the kingdom, Ann was basically the next in line.
She knew of my promise to Sun. I could never move to the Kingdom of Moon Orchid. Neither of us even considered the possibility that I'd become the king. I wasn't someone who could lead a kingdom. Years down the line, even after my retirement, I would remain in Leaf Bud City, which wasn't fair to her, but she hadn't thought of it that way. Instead, she had been afraid that she would inconvenience me. I feared that we would have to part after all, and it had nearly come to pass. Her sister Alice had convinced her to take some distance and time to think things over. If I had dallied any longer, Ann might have decided to end things once and for all.
I really didn't want that. I wanted to be with her forever and ever.
After I rambled off my apologies, declared just how much I loved her, and actually blurted out a proposal, Ann didn't speak for the longest time, and for the same amount of time, I fretted over her possible responses. When she finally spoke, it was to whisper, "I can't leave before my younger sister is able to rule."
"Then that means...?"
"Yes! Of course, Elmy! How could you ever doubt?"
Then, she threw her arms around me.
Ann was, as expected, very strong. She nearly squeezed the breath out of me when we hugged, but I didn't care about that at all. To be able to be with her was a miracle. While I felt guilty that she would be the one leaving her homeland, she assured me that she did not mind. She just hoped that I would not mind that even after we got married, she would not be able to move to Leaf Bud City right away, not before her sister grew up more.
Now, we were husband and wife.
Truly, when I became one of the Twelve Holy Knights, I never thought I would get married. No one actually thought I would get married first, and none of us ever thought Sun would even have anything to do with the word marriage!
But here we were.
I wiped at my eyes. I couldn't stop my eyes from growing wet during Sun and Judgment's vows. For them to be able to be able to marry each other, and in public no less, was so touching that I thought my tears would never end. When a handkerchief came into view, I took it gratefully.
"Thanks..." I said and turned my head, only to see Earth raising his eyebrow at me.
"Wasn't me," he said with a shake of his head.
It was then that I heard a quiet little hic from my side. I hurriedly turned, managing to catch a glimpse of Cloud.
Just because his bangs were long didn't mean he didn't need his handkerchief! He needed it more than me!
In any case, my tears stopped after that. I was glad because the sight of Judgment passionately kissing Sun was one no one would want to miss!
Ann's hand found its way over to mine as we greeted each of the guests and guided them to their seats. I gave Ann a small smile, and she squeezed my hand. Then she leaned in and said, "I didn't know Judgment Knight could be so romantic. Why didn't you ever tell me about their pie-buying courtship?"
"Did you hear about that from Judgment?" I asked.
"A little bit, but he didn't really elaborate."
I chuckled. "If he told you, then I guess I can say that Judgment has always been buying blueberry pies for Sun. He used to climb the temple's walls to sneak out to Sun's favorite store."
Ann squealed. "I can't believe it! Judgment Knight really did that?"
"Yeah. He still buys blueberry pies for him. He just doesn't have to climb the walls to do it anymore."
Ann giggled. I could not help smiling wider. I found my hand reaching out to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. Under the sunlight, her eyes shimmered beautifully, her skin radiant.
She returned the favor, grinning as she brushed her hand through my hair.
We continued to guide the guests to their assigned tables. Because of just how many people wanted to attend the Sun Knight and the Judgment Knight's wedding reception, the Pope ended up choosing an outdoor location to accommodate as many people as possible. There was even a small entrance fee for attendees, with the earnings counted as donations to the Church of the God of Light. Even the wedding gifts that the attendees had brought, that were sitting by the entrance next to the refreshments, looked like they might end up as donations to the Church. I thought I saw clerics going through the gifts and tallying them up under the Pope's orders. Sun was not likely to let that one go.
Storm, on the other hand, took one look at the mountains and mountains of gifts and despaired. "How many thank you cards would this be... If I ever get married, it's going to be the smallest event ever with no paperwork involved!"
He pulled at his tie in frustration. He was now wearing a white tuxedo. Beside Storm, Hell had his eyebrows furrowed and looked deep in thought as he stared relentlessly at the piles of gifts. It made me wonder what was going through his mind.
Right after the wedding ceremony, both Storm and Judgment had left to change out of their dresses, having fulfilled the bargain with the Pope. Now, Judgment was going around from table-to-table with Sun to personally greet the guests. Some looked disappointed that Judgment was no longer wearing a dress, but the women didn't seem to mind too much even though several of them seemed eager to show off their dresses in front of him.
Despite the entrance fee, the plaza was packed, and the guests kept coming. Ann and I hurried back and forth between the tables and the entrance. Just like how we had been seated in the Hall of Praise, the seating at the reception was similar. But instead of having our teachers at a separate table, we had a long table that would sit all twenty-four of us, including any guests that we had brought with us. The table was slightly apart from the rest of the tables.
"There you are, Elmairy!"
When I turned to greet our latest guest, I found a wine flask shoved at me. I hastily grabbed it, only to realize that it was my teacher who had given it to me. Teacher Wen smiled widely at me and took a swig from his wine flask -- a different one than the one he had given to me.
"Teacher, are you drinking already? We do have wine prepared," I said, worried. My teacher had always had a problem with drinking. If he drank too much now, he wouldn't be able to enjoy the other wines, yet I was sure he would still attempt to do so anyway when he shouldn't drink so much.
"Oh, don't you worry," he said, giving a nod toward his wife who was mingling with a few other housewives. "It's coffee, like usual. She made sure of it!"
"I heard that too much coffee isn't good either."
"You worry as much as always!" My teacher exclaimed. "This is a day to be happy, Elmairy!"
"I'll always worry over your health, Teacher," I said. "But you're right! I'll try not to worry too much today." I raised the wine flask Teacher had given me. "Is this a present for Grisia and Lesus?"
"Indeed it is! It's wine of the highest caliber!"
Just as I was wondering why my teacher had given their gift directly to me, he explained, "Better to get it directly to your hands than to chance that wily old coot from stealing it!" He gestured behind him.
I glanced in the direction my teacher had pointed out, immediately noticing the Pope who was excitedly watching the piles of gifts grow taller. Even though I knew the Pope was much, much older than me, at this moment, he really resembled an eager kid.
"To think Neo's student would get married and that Chasel's student would be the one wearing the dress!" my teacher said. "If I hadn't seen it with my very own eyes, I would never have believed it."
After he spoke, he gave me an admonishing glance. "Child, if you had inside knowledge, you should have imparted some insider information with your teacher. I bet a lot of money on Neo's student wearing the dress!"
"Ah..."
Actually, Teacher... I was just desperate when I bet on Judgment!
Even though I never thought I would win the bet, the earnings from the bet did line my pockets quite nicely, which meant I was able to cater the food at the reception to my heart's content. While the Pope did give me funds for the event, they weren't nearly enough for all that I wanted to do. After the guests had all arrived, the servers began bringing out food for each table.
I then went from table-to-table, adding the final touch to each dish. At our table, cilantro was a given. I remembered Sun enjoyed saffron quite a lot too. It went well with soup. Then, I added basil, rosemary, and garlic powder as well, chatting a bit with each table as I made my rounds.
"I can't help but marvel at how different you and your teacher are each time I meet him," Ann said. Even though she hadn't said it out loud, I knew she was wondering how my teacher could be the Leaf Knight with the way he behaved.
I sprinkled some pepper on the boar and thought over Ann's words. "We're not all that different," I eventually said. "He worries a lot too, just in his own way."
During my training years, I hadn't understood why my teacher liked to drink so much. It wasn't until later that I realized one could only worry so much without being overwhelmed. Teacher had his wine. I had my straw dolls... and also my seasonings.
With each flick of my wrist, each shake of a jar, each taste of bursting flavor, I could feel my worries tossed to the back of my mind. For a split second, only "taste" mattered, and nothing else.
I smiled and added my finishing touches.
After I finished, I sat down to eat and watch Sun and Judgment finish making their way around. They probably wouldn't be able to finish soon. Everyone wanted to speak with them, and Sun had to praise the God of Light in every three sentences, so his words likely wouldn't be succinct. Maybe it would be faster if they had Judgment do most of the talking? The public seemed not to be as afraid of him today.
"It's a little surreal, isn't it?" Stone asked as he too watched the two of them.
We all nodded. It was truly surreal, to be here at the wedding reception of Sun and Judgment. However, that surrealness was broken when Blaze exclaimed, "This soup is amazing! You really outdid yourself, Leaf!"
We dug in, hearty chatter filling the air as we ate. The conversation mostly centered on Sun and Judgment's relationship as each person tried to figure out just how this wedding had come about. The teachers were particularly curious. I even heard Teacher Neo and Teacher Chasel debate on how Grisia was the one who had proposed.
"About that..." I said.
While I did not know the details of the entire process, I did know the particulars of the marriage proposal. The moment I accidentally revealed this fact, all eyes were suddenly on me, urging me to share the juicy details. Even Ann begged me, and I could never resist that look of hers.
I did worry if Sun would be angry at me for talking about it, but then I remembered how he had tricked me into proposing. So fair was only fair! Especially since Judgment actually had a larger part in the proposal than Sun was making it out to be.
"It's actually a little funny..." I began. Just thinking about it was already making me smile.
I was no expert on romance, but being the only married one out of us all seemed to make the others consider me an expert. After Judgment and Sun's latest fiasco, both of them seemed to have come to some sort of realization.
"I really wish we could make our relationship public," Judgment had confided in me. Seeing him at my door really surprised me. He rarely ever came to find me, and he was even pouring his heart out to me. This was extremely nerve-wracking. He went on to say, "Whenever Grisia gets hurt yet I am unable to hug him right then and there is much too painful. I know I should be happy with what we have, but is it selfish of me to wish we could be as public as your relationship with Ann?"
Before I was even able to say anything, Judgment shook his head. "I'm sorry, forget I said anything. I just... had too much going on in my head. Thanks for listening."
Then, he left hastily. I blinked at my door.
When I heard knocking on my door again, I thought that Judgment must have returned and decided to talk it over after all. I had thought over his words, trying to think of what to say. I was lucky, very lucky. Not only was Ann female, we weren't the leaders of opposing factions that were supposed to hate each other, and neither of us were vessels for the dark element. Truth to be told, Judgment and Sun had walked a tough path, and it wasn't going to get any easier.
I was deep in thought when I opened my door, only to be surprised again. Judgment hadn't returned. Instead, Sun was the one outside my door. While both of them were very good friends of mine, having both leaders come to my door in a single day was still a little intimidating.
When Sun walked in, he sighed heavily.
"What's wrong, Sun?" I asked.
"It's..." He sighed again. "It's nothing."
"It can't be nothing if you're so worried," I said.
He then poured his heart out to me, going back and forth about how he really shouldn't have given in to his desires. He would only hurt Lesus! How could he tie Lesus to him like this?
But Sun, can't you see how good you are for each other?
The fact that they had both come to me within minutes of each other, concerned about the other, warmed my heart. If that wasn't love, then what was? It was like their hearts were connected!
I was completely certain that they would want to be together forever and ever.
"Sun," I called out.
He raised his head to look at me. Sometimes, it was all too easy to forget he couldn't use his eyes anymore when he did things like this, but I would never forget. My heart ached just from thinking of how much he had had to sacrifice over the years.
Sun, why not let yourself have this?
"If you like him, you like him!" I stated. "You want to be with him for all eternity, right? What does it matter if you're the Demon King or not?"
"But..." Sun began to say.
I cut him off. "Sun, you've been the Demon King for years, and none of us have died! Don't you dare look down on us, Sun! Do you think so little of Judgment's love for you?"
"I..." said Sun weakly. "Leaf, you're really intense today."
"Well, that's because I'm right!" I said and folded my arms across my chest. "Now listen, Sun, you're going to go find Judgment, okay?"
"...Okay. Wait, why does this sound so familiar... Oh no, no. Just Lesus getting corrupted is bad enough! Strawberry, don't you dare become bad!"
I smiled. I had learned from the best. "And you are going to propose to him! No more excuses!"
"No way, you got Sun to propose?" Metal shouted. There were astonished looks all around the table. Sun wasn't someone so easily convinced, and I wasn't good with persuasion like Storm or Stone.
I shook my head. "Not exactly. What happened was, he started thinking about it. I even gave him a straw doll of Judgment so he could practice proposing to it."
"You gave him a straw doll. Of Judgment," Earth said. Then, he snickered but stopped when his teacher sighed.
"Yeah. Is something wrong?" I asked.
"No, no, c-continue with the story." He waved his hand in the air.
"Well," I said, "It's actually kind of anticlimactic. Judgment walked in on Sun when he was practicing proposing to the straw doll and pretty much heard all of Sun's true intentions. Even though Sun wanted to pretend like he'd never said anything, Judgment wouldn't let him. They had a heart-to-heart and decided to get married after all."
"So Sun didn't 'propose' to Judgment! He proposed to a straw doll!" Storm shouted and laughed, suddenly wide awake.
Teacher Neo grumbled, "So he didn't propose all dramatically! I was all proud and everything too."
"Strawberry, I can't believe you told them!" A sudden voice sounded. I looked over and saw Sun walking over with a "wide" smile on his face. Judgment was not far behind him and was dressed in a tuxedo much like Sun's, except it was white. When he came to a stop by Sun's side, he wove his fingers with Sun's. Immediately, a bunch of our eyes glued themselves onto that gesture. It was really, really sweet.
Moon teased, "What, no denial about what happened?"
"The God of Light deemed it time for Sun to get married. Why would Sun be in denial about being the one to propose?" Sun said, smile growing even wider.
"Yeah, to a straw doll," Earth snickered quietly, but we'd still heard him. Then, he flinched. "Ow!"
"Oh, oh, zap me instead!" Metal said. Sun did not hold back at all, immediately sending a zap of lightning at Metal. It was such a small and instantaneous zap that only our table would be able to see it, but they seemed to have forgotten about the teachers.
Metal's teacher, Teacher Dansbert, held his head and muttered, "I didn't hear that. I didn't see that."
"Grisia," was all Judgment had to say, and Sun stopped.
I watched, so happy for them that I thought I might drift into the air. It was like yesterday when both Sun and Judgment had worried that their relationship could never work out, that they would only hurt each other, that they could only hide.
But now, they were married and holding hands in public. They were actually married even though it had seemed an impossible feat. Both of them had been so worried. I blinked my eyes, hard, and then stood up.
I pulled Sun into a hug.
I couldn't wipe the smile from my face, nor could I prevent my voice from cracking. I clutched at Sun's tuxedo. I was probably getting it wet.
"C-congratulations, Sun! I'm so, so happy for the two of you."
Sun hugged me back tightly and said, "Thank you."
to be continued
Lucathia: Ingredients-- 1/4 cheesy ElmyAnn romance, 1/2 random tidbits, 1/4 proposal reveal, mix well. Sprinkle seasoning, and voila!
Kiyutsuna: What, did you guys seriously think that Grisia properly proposed? xD;;; //bricked