The wedding halls were lit bright aflame by the decorative candles hanging off the chandeliers, noble visitors of Leutz and Ithanian heritage pouring in and claiming their seats. The celate standing by the wedding altar had instructed Rodrigo in his Eids, and it was now a matter of waiting for the bride, the Duchess of Lorhauser to make her entry.
Dressed from head to toe in white save for the yellow sash draped over his torso, Rodrigo awaited his bride-to-be's arrival with anxious eyes. And then, there she was. Amelina appeared at the entrance, guided ahead by her sister along the carpet, and stood across from Rodrigo as cheers echoed throughout the hall.
Exchanging a pair of excited glances at one another, the Sacrament of Harmany soon began. The Celate approached his altar, and began recanting the words, "Oh Elia the God Empress. These two souls have decided to unite as one life and one love, to love eachother now and forevermore until they join the Everwatcher. This woman loves her man as you loved God Emperor Allest, and this man swears to love and protect his woman until the end of his days as He has done for you in life. We thus beseech you to bless them and their love, as your love has been blessed a thousand times by your worshippers."
The Celate concluded his words with a nod of his head. He turned towards the Duchess of Lorhauser, beckoning for her to speak her Eid. Stripping the anxiety from her voice to face her lover, Amelina spoke. "I swear to love you until I stand at the steps of the Grand Staircase, and even after then, far into the afterlife. I swear to caress your wounds as Elia had done for Allest in times of strife, and I swear to forgive your flaws as Ness had done for her people. We will be together through every obstacle, hand in hand. This I swear to you, as your beloving wife."
A gleam in Rodrigo's eyes showed the utmost admiration he held for Amelina, as his golden-haired bride concluded her words with a sweet smile. The Celate turned to Rodrigo, then. "The groom shall now speak his Eid." he declared. It was then that Rodrigo sensed trouble.
His nerves itched as the sound of crumbling echoed from somewhere ahead. "..Rodrigo?" Amelina inquired with a squint of her eyes. All onlookers at the chairs glanced at Rodrigo with awaiting glances, as Rodrigo's attention drifted towards the shaking walls. The chandeliers swung aggressively, the candles flickering on and off, as everyone turned their heads to the ceiling. The ground was shaking violently. Soon, a crash was heard through the walls which sent rubbles piling down into the hall, the spectators screaming for their lives and bolting for the exits.
"Rodrigo?!" the Duchess shouted with fear in her voice, tears prickling in the corners of her eyes as she ran for her husband. Rodrigo stared at Amelina with wide eyes, until the wall had crumbled from behind and the rubbles hit him and buried him into the ground, the sounds of terror and screams muffling in the far distance as everything turned black.
The dream was no more. He knew he had now woken up, but everything was still pitch black.
Demetrius retreated from the Mercenary Keep after turning it's guns on the stronghold, leaving only destruction behind it, and most if not all of it's inhabitants had already escaped. The walls had fallen, and far under the rubble, buried among the debris and the ash, laid the Lord of the Keep.
Groaning raspily and choking out his wheezing breaths, the Duke mustered what little strength remained in him to wrestle the piles of rubble out of his way, clinging onto the debris and shoving himself towards the bright blue sky above. It took all the will he had left in him to cling towards the surface and take the cold air into his lungs, inhaling deep through his nostrils.
He soon surfaced, his long, tangled hairs messily draped over his face and shoulders, his face and body bruised by the damages he had taken in his sleep, his prosthetic hand damaged with sparks fizzling out of the twitching fingers, and his clothes torn apart into shreds. The concussion was strong, strong enough to feel as if mortars were blasting in his skull. Slowly opening his dimly-lit violet eyes, the Duke gazed upon the destruction of his Keep, with all it's isolation, despair and loneliness.
The Duke wheezed, leaning against one of his shoulders and sitting in the pile of broken walls. He glanced sidelong to a leg sticking out under the broken debris. Reaching over, the Duke desperately mustered what Bolven strength remained in his arms to tug aside the broken wall, seeing the broken and buried remains of one of his grunts, their eyes faced towards the sky and all emotion and color stripped from their bruised face, laying dead and cold.
He knew then, this was the consequence of bravery. He had been in this precise position time and time again. Sitting down among the rubble, the Duke gave his back against the debris and turned his gaze towards the Demetrius in the skies, far in the distance. He stared at it for a long, long time, until his eyes slowly fluttered closed. He could really do with some rest.
Dressed from head to toe in white save for the yellow sash draped over his torso, Rodrigo awaited his bride-to-be's arrival with anxious eyes. And then, there she was. Amelina appeared at the entrance, guided ahead by her sister along the carpet, and stood across from Rodrigo as cheers echoed throughout the hall.
Exchanging a pair of excited glances at one another, the Sacrament of Harmany soon began. The Celate approached his altar, and began recanting the words, "Oh Elia the God Empress. These two souls have decided to unite as one life and one love, to love eachother now and forevermore until they join the Everwatcher. This woman loves her man as you loved God Emperor Allest, and this man swears to love and protect his woman until the end of his days as He has done for you in life. We thus beseech you to bless them and their love, as your love has been blessed a thousand times by your worshippers."
The Celate concluded his words with a nod of his head. He turned towards the Duchess of Lorhauser, beckoning for her to speak her Eid. Stripping the anxiety from her voice to face her lover, Amelina spoke. "I swear to love you until I stand at the steps of the Grand Staircase, and even after then, far into the afterlife. I swear to caress your wounds as Elia had done for Allest in times of strife, and I swear to forgive your flaws as Ness had done for her people. We will be together through every obstacle, hand in hand. This I swear to you, as your beloving wife."
A gleam in Rodrigo's eyes showed the utmost admiration he held for Amelina, as his golden-haired bride concluded her words with a sweet smile. The Celate turned to Rodrigo, then. "The groom shall now speak his Eid." he declared. It was then that Rodrigo sensed trouble.
His nerves itched as the sound of crumbling echoed from somewhere ahead. "..Rodrigo?" Amelina inquired with a squint of her eyes. All onlookers at the chairs glanced at Rodrigo with awaiting glances, as Rodrigo's attention drifted towards the shaking walls. The chandeliers swung aggressively, the candles flickering on and off, as everyone turned their heads to the ceiling. The ground was shaking violently. Soon, a crash was heard through the walls which sent rubbles piling down into the hall, the spectators screaming for their lives and bolting for the exits.
"Rodrigo?!" the Duchess shouted with fear in her voice, tears prickling in the corners of her eyes as she ran for her husband. Rodrigo stared at Amelina with wide eyes, until the wall had crumbled from behind and the rubbles hit him and buried him into the ground, the sounds of terror and screams muffling in the far distance as everything turned black.
The dream was no more. He knew he had now woken up, but everything was still pitch black.
Demetrius retreated from the Mercenary Keep after turning it's guns on the stronghold, leaving only destruction behind it, and most if not all of it's inhabitants had already escaped. The walls had fallen, and far under the rubble, buried among the debris and the ash, laid the Lord of the Keep.
Groaning raspily and choking out his wheezing breaths, the Duke mustered what little strength remained in him to wrestle the piles of rubble out of his way, clinging onto the debris and shoving himself towards the bright blue sky above. It took all the will he had left in him to cling towards the surface and take the cold air into his lungs, inhaling deep through his nostrils.
He soon surfaced, his long, tangled hairs messily draped over his face and shoulders, his face and body bruised by the damages he had taken in his sleep, his prosthetic hand damaged with sparks fizzling out of the twitching fingers, and his clothes torn apart into shreds. The concussion was strong, strong enough to feel as if mortars were blasting in his skull. Slowly opening his dimly-lit violet eyes, the Duke gazed upon the destruction of his Keep, with all it's isolation, despair and loneliness.
The Duke wheezed, leaning against one of his shoulders and sitting in the pile of broken walls. He glanced sidelong to a leg sticking out under the broken debris. Reaching over, the Duke desperately mustered what Bolven strength remained in his arms to tug aside the broken wall, seeing the broken and buried remains of one of his grunts, their eyes faced towards the sky and all emotion and color stripped from their bruised face, laying dead and cold.
He knew then, this was the consequence of bravery. He had been in this precise position time and time again. Sitting down among the rubble, the Duke gave his back against the debris and turned his gaze towards the Demetrius in the skies, far in the distance. He stared at it for a long, long time, until his eyes slowly fluttered closed. He could really do with some rest.
