Oh, how time seems to move. How it barrels in like an ocean wave, roaring, rushing, but can move as softly, as gently as a breeze. How it sweeps her up in its grasp—dancing, laughing, running—but then can spin her slowly, brushing past her casually in the street. Time can do so many things. It can heal all wounds physical and spiritual. It can repair things broken; hearts, bridges, hopes. And when time aligns just perfectly, it can bring two souls together on completely different paths and change their lives forever.
Time had done that for Eulalie.
It had brought her Somnus, and with him in her life all the things she has gone through, all the things she will go through, are nothing. They become stepping stones, easy to conquer. No mountains too high, no rivers too wide. In him, in them together, all things are no longer obstacles but just experiences. Together there is nothing that they cannot face off against and defeat. Eulalie’s love for him has always been true, neverending, and recent events have only solidified that.
Time. It indeed gave Somnus to her, and in turn she gave herself to him.
In the time since he had proposed to her, they have been swept up in planning. So much has happened since that early summer day when they stood alone in their rooms and perhaps realized something that their hearts have known all along: that they are meant for each other. That together they are whole.
And together they climb the slopes of the Arma Mountains, together to Veneror they go, with the barely rising sun before them. The night flees before the dawn, stars laying down to bed for the day ahead as the pair goes. Higher, higher, to the peak of the mountains. The altars of the gods almost seemed to beckon them, calling them forth.
The cathedral rises up in front of them, carved out of the mountain. Weathered, solid stone rises over their heads, arching up, up, up. Within lie the long abandoned foundations where the gods statued forms once stood. But still their presences lingered, still the hallowed sanctuary requests of them respect and reverence, and Eulalie obliges. She stands outside its grand entrance and looks at the way the pale early morning sunlight reaches its fingers around its lines and angles.
Then she looks at the man beside her, wreathed in gold and golden light, and cannot help the way her heart jumps, the way it leaps and cries and sings all at once. She smiles, and her eyes are light, shining with the love the fills her and leaves her breathless.
She reaches out for him, brushing her muzzle against his cheek and pressing a soft, gentle kiss there. “Ready?” she asks him, the question floating in the tranquil silence around them. Oh, there will be a formal wedding later this day, with all their friends and loved ones from all across Novus to celebrate with. But this trip to Veneror was only for them and Oriens, and what better time to ask for the god’s blessing but during the dawn.
After a moment’s assurance that Somnus is at her side, Eulalie steps within the walls of the mountain cathedral. Her steps echo off the high vaulted ceilings, like a heartbeat, getting softer and softer the longer it carries on. She walks until she is standing before Orien’s vacant place within the sanctuary. She looks at the pedestal, at the offerings laid at the ground, at his feet, and her smile softens. Her heart prepares itself for this moment, thudding gently in her chest. She can feel it all across her skin, a steady drumbeat.
“Oriens,” her voice is a song, sweet and melodic and chiming in the cool morning air. She looks at Somnus again, and all the words she can ever think to say are there in her eyes. Then, she gently reaches up and unclasps the thin golden necklaces she wears. There is a coolness against her skin where the metal leaves it blank, and she holds them up momentarily before placing them among the other offerings there, “these necklaces represent a turning point in my life. They represent the moment life became new for me, after a difficult time.”
Her heart skips and soars, and her skin shivers with Somnus’ nearness. Oh, she would never get used to the feel of his warmth on her skin, the sound of his breath in her ears. “A life that has brought Somnus to me, the greatest gift that I could ever receive,” she breathes in, filling her lungs with air that is brimming with the smell of him, “I humbly ask you to bless our union, so that we might step into a new life together, as one.” And she steps closer to Somnus so that her side might bush against him, and she waits with a racing, hopeful heart. She finds herself at time's mercy again.
If I could be honest, here at the altar
I refuse to grow old unless it’s with you
As they arrived to their destination, dawn was beginning to break, illuminating the world in an ethereal glow. It was fitting that they had come to seek Oriens’ blessing at the start of a new day, as daylight was beginning to crest upon the horizon. With a new day came a new beginning, and Somnus was ready.
It was a beautiful sight. Watching the sun rise had always brought him insurmountable joy ever since he had been a child, but since finding his way into Novus, that joy had turned into something far deeper, a reverent form of appreciation. It was easy to grow lost and captivated in the presence of such a brilliant display of nature, and here upon Veneror, the view was undoubtedly the most beautiful across the land.
Verdant eyes glanced across their walking path, turning towards the east. For a moment Somnus closed his eyes, letting the sun wash upon him, bathed in the light of his knowing patron. He lifted his jaw and let himself breathe, smelling the scent on the wind and the scent of his beloved lady at his side. His eyes blinked open and turned away to watch not the beauty of the dawn, but the beauty presented just in front of him. Eulalie.
Oh, but how she glowed. The yellow of her hair shone bright in the light, catching the rays like a halo. An angel, she seemed, so unearthly and magnificent, so beautiful and kind. Where some may be lured to watch the beauty of the sunrise, Somnus’ captivation was here, upon the woman who had agreed to become his beloved life-mate. There was no beauty in the world that could compare. She stood a beacon, a regal statuette of ivory and gold, of daylight and daisies personified. He was not worthy, but as she turned her pretty head and regarded him with a look of such love, such reverence, Somnus knew that he was
You are enough. He was enough.
The question asked from Eulalie caused his pulse to quicken.
’Ready?’
Eulalie pulled back, the warmth from her loving touch lingering despite the space between them. Somnus regarded his bride-to-be with warmth and fondness shining within verdant depths, allowing the emotion to show upon his handsome face unabashedly. When he answered, he reached over to trace a row of kisses along Eulalie’s pale neck, just upon that adorable spot of ebony. “Always.”
Together, they stepped into the cathedral seemingly carved into the face of the mountain. As one, they moved, leaving the sunrise behind to head towards their future. There was no sound other than the sounds of their hooves and their breaths. Silence stretched around them, daunting as it was exciting, but it was warm. Welcoming. It was as if the ideology of Novus knew that they would be coming and had already prepared them a stage. They arrived at the empty dias of Oriens, and Somnus dipped his obsidian crown in a low, regal bow to his mighty deity. Totem or not, this was the place of a holy relic, and the sheer energy that danced upon the air was a residual, visceral thing.
Turning his head, he watched and listened as Eulalie spoke her vows to Oriens, letting her desires known to the both of them. Oh, but Somnus knew he would never grow tired of listening to the sound of her voice. It was the song he wanted to memorize, now until the end of his days. Unbidden, tears began to pool at the corners of his eyes but the dunalino remained stubbornly silent. As Eulalie removed the necklaces from about her neck and set them down in offering to Oriens to bless their union, he smiled. Her heartfelt, passionate words complete, she stepped closer to Somnus and he relished in her warmth, in the feel of her.
Breathing in deep, Somnus began his own vow.
“Wisest of Majesties,” he began, taking another bow before procuring a number of small items from a satchel he had borrowed from a member of the court. From it, he pulled out a small kettle and his finest teacup, then went about pouring a cup and setting it out for Oriens just in front of the small offering pile. They had once shared tea and conversation, both mortal and God, and it felt only right to offer it to the patron of Delumine. He also procured a signet band made of a fine ebony stone, engraved with the sigil of the royal house of Vhallen. For a single moment, Somnus stared down at the band before pressing a kiss to it, and laid it to rest amidst the glittering necklaces of Eulalie’s.
Past and future. Time. It was time. Setting the bag aside, Somnus straightened up and cleared his throat to continue on, the rising tides of his emotions held at bay by the warmth and press of Eulalie against his side.
“I stand here today before your eternal wisdom, not as a sovereign of your chosen court, but as a humble man. I stand here and ask that you, great Oriens, bless this union between Eulalie and myself. There is no future as bright as the one I see with her. She, the mother of my children, has already fulfilled my heart and soul.” Unable to help it, Somnus turned his head and pressed a kiss to the freckled cheek of Eulalie, the raw emotion burning within his verdant eyes. ”I have been lost for many years, and it has always been Eulalie that has found me. She, in her strength and love, has always brought me home. I offer to you the last memento of a life I no longer live, to bless us with a new life of union, matrimony, and promise.”
Somnus glanced down and nodded his head towards the ebony bangle. His eyes slowly slid shut. ”I have given Eulalie all that I am. Her joy will be my joy. Her ambitions will be my ambitions. Her desires will be mine. Through her, I am whole. I, as well, humbly ask that you bless our union.”
Letting his eyes open, the Dawn King turned his head and offered his bride-to-be another smile. He could not hide the emotion upon his face and honestly, he did not want to. At this moment, Somnus had no qualms with allowing his soul to be laid bare before his greatest love. Let them see. Let all of Novus see, for he had nothing to hide.
The mountain was alive with birdsong today, as if nature itself were rejoicing as the pair walked the familiar path to the altars. The wind carries with it the sweet smell of love and springtime, of hope and promise. That was what they were to each other; that was the effect they had even on nature.
Oriens had been waiting for this moment, had known it was coming. How could he not? He doubted there was a single soul in Delumine - perhaps in all of Novus - who had not known of the couple and seen how right they were for one another. Their love for one another was evident not only in the children they had brought into the world, but in the tenderness with which they looked at each other, the warmth of their embraces, the way they sought each other out before looking to anyone else. They were friends, partners, lovers, family; they completed each other’s lives.
He was there, as they approached the altar; he was in the flowers that bent towards them as they passed, his encouragement was the wind dancing through their manes, his joy was in the way the sun cast a warm glow about the mountain cathedral. The birds sing a chorus just for them, accentuating their steps that ring out against the stone floor. It is a wedding song, one of hope, of love, of joy; the only words needed are the ones they have come to speak.
”Oriens.”
The mountain echoes their words, immortalizing them in the wind that sweeps through the peaks. Together they’re changing the energy of Veneror; the stones would remember their steps, the wind would remember their voice. The mountains would welcome them here, forever and always.
Their gifts are laid out: twin necklaces from Eulalie, a kettle, teacup, and engraved ring from Somnus (the god of the morning can’t help the smile that spreads across his features, remembering how he and Somnus had once sat and had tea together on this very mountain. It seemed an eternity ago; the golden Sovereign had changed greatly during that time, and yet, he was still the same man, he had still not lost his honor or loyalty whereas many men faced with similar troubles might have.)
But it’s not the physical worth of the gifts that attracts Oriens, but the intrinsic value the couple has given them; these are their treasures, their lives and livelihood. They placed them now at the god’s altar to build a new life, one together. Quietly, the Delumine god slips into the temple behind them, framed by the rising sun.
Light illuminates the sun on his brow and the carved bands and symbols across his body, a soft glow spreading across his visage. And yet, he does not burn brightly; he is not as brilliant as his brother Solis, nor as luminous as his sister Caligo. And he is not quite so vibrant as Vespera, for he is the dark before the sunrise, and she is the color before the dark. It is better this way: Oriens lets the sunrise shine for itself, and he lets the couple be the star of the morning.
“Somnus,” he speaks at last. “It is good to see you, my old friend.”
He approaches on silent hooves, with a grace that seems more delicate and light than even the gentle breeze following him in.
“And Eulalie,” his smile is vibrant and fills his voice. Despite his ancient appearance there’s a boyishness in his eyes, a youthful sort of excitement at sharing in their secret. “You are radiant today.”
He looks again from the arrayed gifts to the couples’ faces, gauging their devotion with a glance. There’s little need to; this day was a long time coming, and it’s outcome predetermined.
“I’m happy for the two of you, so happy,” he begins, looking from Somnus to Eulalie. “You have been through much together; but it has always been together.”And now, it always will be.
As he begins to speak, the sun marking etched upon his forehead begins to grow stronger, its light illuminating the faces of the mortals standing before him. Can they feel the warmth? he wonders, The warmth that heats their face, the light that makes its way into their blood?
Their faces will grow warm, but the warmth will travel deeper; as they meet the god’s face, Somnus and Eulalie will feel a heat traveling in their veins, warming them from the inside out. Its the warmth of the rising sun filling them, fueled by the strength of their bond.
“I will bless your union,” he continues, and he steps forward now to touch them each upon the brow. “For i have not seen a love more deserving than your’s.” Dust, as golden as the sun, marks a sun on each of their foreheads.
“Keep your promises to each other, keep your faith, and you will know joy like none other.”
Oriens steps back, allowing them to face each other again.
And he wonders if they can feel it already, the bond that is stitching their souls together, connecting one spirit to the other.
Their patron diety, Oriens, has accepted their gifts and given them his blessing of the union by marking their brows and filling them both with the heat of the sun. While the dust will wash off and the warmth will fade in the next few minutes, they will find themselves especially attuned to one another. They will experience an enhanced awareness of the others’ mood, and will be able to sense when they may be in danger. No matter how far apart they may find themselves, they will always have an inexplicable understanding of their significant other’s location, allowing them to always find their way back to each other.
In addition, Somnus and Eulalie are guaranteed a successful pregnancy if they attempt one.
Congratulations!
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