WE CAME, WE SAW, WE LOVED
There were no words to explain the excitement building up inside of him, rising like a wave that churns and spins and rolls steadily forward. Any minute now it would rise to its crescendo, crashing like a wave upon the sand that is Veneror.
But he’s content to enjoy the anticipation in the meantime. Aion is all too aware of the way his heart flip flops inside of his chest, like a runner getting ready to race, a bird preparing to fly. It’s beating too fast, alarmingly fast, but he doesn’t have time to stop and slow it down, or to slow himself down. He’s caught up in the wave, happily letting it push him forward to his destiny.
Five years ago, two years ago, even one year ago - he had not been ready. He had dug his heels in and thrown his head like a stubborn mule, refusing to accept the possibility that it was fate that had brought him here, and now fate that had thrown them into a land rich with magic and history. The time they had spent apart had been the worst thing since meeting Eros - it felt as if he had only just accepted that he was loved and that he loved another, that he had found someone he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. And like a cruel joke the world had ripped that away from him, with a downpour of rain and a spark of lightning. It was as if his life had lost color and meaning at that point.
Even his newfound magic and the revival of his wings had paled in comparison to the day he had finally seen his beloved’s face again. It was a day he wouldn’t forget, a day immortalized forever by their love for one another. Although he was not convinced that he owed that day to fate, or to gods, or to any other power in Novus - still they had made their home here, and their new home had traditions. So onto Veneror they went, and he couldn’t help but press their shoulders together as they walked, letting his wing drape over Eros’ back as they climbed the mountain.
The air was cleaner up here, crisp and pure and lovely. The world felt like a distant thing below them, smiling up at them as they finally reached the peak. Their hooves echoed in tandem as they entered the clearing, coming to stop beside Oriens’ broken statue. The sunlight catches in his feathers, illuminating them in a soft and warm glow as he drapes one wing about Eros’ back.
Aion tilts his head, blowing the dust and rubble away from the altar. Then he looks back at Eros, with both a smile and a shyness hiding in his eyes. “Ready?” his voice is a whisper, nearly lost in the birdsong drifting amongst the shrines.
This was a holy place - the hushed atmosphere, the peaceful lull despite the shattered statues attested to that fact. Aion was not sure yet he believed in their gods, yet even he could not deny the sanctity of their dwelling place. So he bows his head respectfully, then steps back to join Eros in front of the tabernacle.
Holding his breath subconsciously, he carefully places two golden rings upon the marble altar, Eros’ overlaying his. They sparkle in the sunlight, a matching pair that catch and reflect each other’s light. There’s a notch in one of them, into which the diamond studded into the other would fit perfectly when overlaid. They were made for each other; just as the equines to which they belong were.
Below them he places his offering, with as much care as if he were handling a newborn foal. A bouquet of tulip buds, tied together with a thin strip of ribbon. Pale pink flowers, one for each year the pair have been together, are surrounded by a sea of white petals. For a moment he fidgets, making sure he’s placed the posy just perfectly, before he steps back at last, and takes his place beside Eros once more.
“Oriens?” he pauses to clear his throat, unsure of the proper way to address their patron god.
But he has only to turn and face Eros for a smile to light up the edges of his face, and for the words to begin to flow.
“I’ve come here today to marry my best friend, and the love of my life. I choose you. I choose to love you and only you from this day forward. Everything I possess in this world, I give to you. I promise to make a family and a home with you, to care for you, stand beside you, and share my life with you - as long as I shall live. I ask you to bless our union to one another.”
And then he waits, without knowing exactly what it is he’s waiting for.
But as long as Eros was with him, it would be worth it.
@eros @Random Events
walk. "talk."
this is subject to be proofread and edited still
thread 1 | thread 2 | thread 3
