Chapter 40

Part 5

“Shhh.” Talia gently soothed as she caressed his cheek. “I’m so sorry Mark. I know it’s hard. Thank you so much for telling me that. And I know I can’t replace your whole family, but my family is here for you, and with the new friends you’ve made, and a new life here with me, we will find happiness again. I know we will.”

“I know Talia. I’m so glad and thankful to have you.”

He took two steps over to the nearest dressing table and sat on the top of it, and they simply sat and cuddled, until Nemia came over.

“Things will be beginning soon. And we all must have our minds and thoughts in place for it.” she brightly advised.

“You’re right. Thank you Mother.” Talia nodded, and smiled at Mark. “We are soon to be married! Just the thought of it sets my heart aflutter!”

“I know.” He nodded, and gave her a bit of a smile as he wiped his eyes. “We should spend the remaining time mentally rehearsing what we will do, and say, and when. I’d hate to do it wrong, that’s for sure!”

“Good thinking.” Talia smiled.

They spent five minutes doing that, then Dilimon and Alilia returned.

“It’s incredible out there!” Alilia told them all. “It’s like a pilgrimage! Almost every elf alive is here, over three and a half millions of them! They fill the whole floor of the valley!”

“We’ve got everyone settled into a place, and made sure everyone has Tongues for Trade Common, and that everyone will receive a Reading from someone near the podium.” Dilimon related. “And the bridesmaids and groomsmen have been chosen, and are in place. None refused the honor, and a more powerful group has never been assembled! Some of the Princes and Princesses made the grade, and some did not, so in order to avoid any ruffled feathers, we gave them all an equal place of honor. When the ceremony starts, they will array themselves around the fourth tier of the podium, one step below the bridesmaids and groomsmen. They seemed to think that was just fine.”

“Yes. And the feast for the first ten thousand is coming along nicely, and will be ready when the ceremony finishes.” Alilia added. “The rest have agreed to stay out of the chapel proper. Most of them have brought their own provisions, and the shortsighted who did not can do without! And Theramin, I was told that all other preparations are complete.”

“Good. We’ve got about two minutes.” Theramin nodded.

“Then I have time for one more cup of tea.” Mark smiled as he held his cup out for Hilsith to refill. “They’re really not very big.” he added, a bit sheepishly.

“Don’t be bashful about your appetites, dear boy.” Yazadril chuckled. “For I’m sure they’re quite natural.”

“Yes, well…” Mark began, then took a drink of tea while he ordered his thoughts. “Thank you. Thank you all, so much, for everything.”

“On that note, I must hurry to join the other bridesmaids.” Hilsith smiled. She set the teapot down on the nearest end table, and ran lightly out the door.

“You’re most welcome, Mark.” Nemia smiled. “We have much to thank you for, as well. You were thrust into difficult and strange events, and have met the challenge with decency, kindness, and honor.”

“You’re very welcome.” he nodded. “Alilia, I don’t want there to be anything but friendship between us. I don’t think I’ve told you this already, but I want you to know that I do forgive you for the curse. I’ve no hard feelings toward you, and I don’t feel that you owe me anything. Because of what you did, Talia is going to be my bride, and that balances everything.”

“Thank you.” Alilia nodded, and swallowed hard. “But you’re wrong about my owing you. You’ll see that, later.”

“Well if I do, I suppose I could have you come over and wash my dishes. I’ve always hated doing that.” Mark told her with a grin.

“What? You want me to wash your dishes? By hand, like a human drudge?” Despite her best intentions, Alilia was almost sputtering with indignation.

“Of course, it’s a moot point, since you don’t owe me a thing!” he laughed. “And it’s just as well, don’t you agree?”

She paused in surprise, then could not help but laugh with him, and shake her head at his blatant attempt to maneuver her. “No. Nicely attempted, but no. If you ask me to wash dishes, I will do so, and no doubt you would find a way to make me laugh about it.”

“You know, Alilia, I do believe that having him around will be good for your disposition!” Yazadril chuckled.

At that moment the chandelier’s crystals chimed in a wave from the centermost crystal outward to the perimeter, producing a shimmering descending arpeggio. Through the doors to the deck an orchestra was heard to begin playing at a medium tempo. Their music was so beautiful that for a moment it captured Mark’s entire attention.

Then the enormous crowd was heard to gasp collectively, and some politely clapped their hands in applause.

“Here we go.” Theramin said as Yzell tucked her hand under his arm, and they stepped to the door leading downstairs. “First us, then the groom’s party, Mark first, Dilimon being behind him and to his left. Then the bride’s party, Talia first, then Yazadril and Nemia, then Alilia behind them.”

They lined up behind him and Yzell as he’d described. He took a deep breath and let it out, then opened the door. “All right. We go forth with dignity.” he said, and led the way down the stairs.

As they followed the stairs down and to the left, Mark quietly asked Dilimon over his shoulder; “What were they oohing and aahing and clapping about out there?”

“Until that moment, all the decorations were invisible, and they were revealed as the ceremony began.” Dilimon discretely answered.

The stairs emerged at ground level within a great hall, and they made their way across it until Theramin and Yzell stood before a great double doorway, the doors opened wide. The rest lined up behind them, keeping their formation.

The doorway faced straight down the aisle, which was marked off by white ribbons hanging in gentle curves between gold stands. Adorning the stands were bouquets of white-petaled flowers with gold centers and leaves. To either side of the aisle stood the thousands of attendees, wearing an eye-dazzling array of colorful finery. The mighty trees around them were decorated on the lower twenty meters of their trunks with white and gold flowers, and ribbons placed in fanciful designs, about four white ribbons to every gold one. In the air above a similar collection of long, flowing ribbons danced to the music as if they had life of their own, most of them concentrated over the podium, forming three-dimensional drawings of flowers and butterflies, fawns and unicorns, and other pretty things, each picture dissolving after a moment to soon form another.

The aisle was a hundred meters long, and at the end of it was the podium, in the center of the clearing. The podium was like seven great disks of gold-veined white marble stacked atop one another, each thirty centimeters thick. The top one was two and a half meters wide, the second was five meters wide, the third seven and a half meters wide, and so on, forming steps with risers thirty centimeters high and treads a meter and a quarter deep. The orchestra was arrayed in a circle on the lowest tier of the podium, which was seventeen and a half meters wide, the aisle passing between them marked by bouquet stands without ribbon between.

They could see the bridesmaids and groomsmen slowly making their way in couples up the aisle to the third highest tier, where groomsmen went left and bridesmaids went right, until they stood in an even circle.

Next, the assembled leaders of the elven nations, with their spouses or escorts, moved with stately pace into the aisle from either side at the base of the podium, then up to the fourth highest tier, until they stood in couples in a circle on it.

All eyes then turned to the doorway.