Emmelyn didn't remember all the beautiful words that Athos uttered. She only knew that those words were meaningful and full of wisdom about marriage life. However, her mind was in a mess, and couldn't really process what she heard.
Emmelyn was overwhelmed by the euphoria of finally tying the knot with the man that she loved. Someone whom she wanted to kill as of last year, but now was the most important man in her life.
Life was surely funny.
Ahh... who would have thought that she would fall in love with that man and now was carrying his child, and soon they were about to get married?
This felt so surreal.
On the other hand, Mars could hear everything properly as he took word by word to heart.
He squeezed Emmelyn's hand gently as he locked eyes with her, smiling from ear to ear.
Now, there was no turning back. This wonderful woman would become his wife.
Nothing could come between them. From now on, they would be together, in sickness and in health. In good and bad.
He couldn't wait for a new adventure they would have ahead of them.
Athos finally finished his words of wisdom. As the highest leader in Southberry, and a happily married man, he could really put on words full of wisdom about marriage to the soon-to-be-wed couple.
He knew marriage was not all rainbows and butterflies and there might come a time when husband and wife would want to call it quits but shouldn't.
Athos paused for a moment, then he looked at Mars and Emmelyn alternately, with a big smile on his face. Then, he said, "Groom, please repeat after me."
Mars nodded and turned to face Emmelyn. He took both Emmelyn's hands and held them close to his heart.
This was it! The time had finally come...
He almost held his breath when he repeated after Athos. His voice was soft but firm as he said his wedding vow. It was very pleasant to her ears.
"I, Mars Strongmoor, take you Emmelyn Rosehill, to be my wedded wife
I give to you in the presence of these witnesses
My promise to stay by your side,
In sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow,
As well as through the good times and the bad.
I promise to love you without reservation,
Comfort you in times of distress
Encourage you to achieve all of your goals,
Laugh with you and cry with you,
Grow with you in mind and spirit
Always be open and honest with you,
And cherish you for as long as we both shall live"
Emmelyn bit her lip and nodded. Tears started dripping down her cheeks, but she didn't make any efforts to wipe them as she didn't want to take her hands from his.
Athos and Lily exchanged glances. They both looked happy and relieved. This was going well, they both think in unison.
At this point, they only wanted to see Mars happy, so he experienced what they had right now. Athos liked his cousin a lot and he was glad that Mars finally met the love of his life and would soon build a family with her.
He now turned to Emmelyn. "Bride, please repeat after me"
Emmelyn nodded. Now, she took Mars' hands to her heart as she repeated after Athos.
"I, Emmelyn Rosehill, take you Mars Strongmoor, to be my wedded husband
I give to you in the presence of these witnesses
My promise to stay by your side,
In sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow,
As well as through the good times and the bad.
I promise to love you without reservation,
Comfort you in times of distress
Encourage you to achieve all of your goals,
Laugh with you and cry with you,
Grow with you in mind and spirit
Always be open and honest with you,
And cherish you for as long as we both shall live."
The simple ceremony was so beautiful that even Gewen felt moved when he witnessed it.
As a good friend, he could only hope that this marriage would last and the couple would be blessed with long life to celebrate their love together.
"Mars and Emmelyn will now exchange rings as a symbol of love and commitment to each other. Rings are a precious metal; they are also made precious by you wearing them. Your wedding rings are special; they enhance who you are. They mark the beginning of your long journey together. Your wedding ring is a circle—a symbol of love never-ending. It is the seal of the vows you have just taken to love each other without end."
Lily smiled and took a small box from the flower basket that her son was carrying. She gave it to her husband.
Athos took out two simple rings from the box and gave one to Mars as he said, "Please place the ring on Emmelyn's left hand and repeat after me."
Mars received the ring and pulled Emmelyn's left hand closer. He repeated after Athos as he slipped that white small ring to her left ring finger.
"As a sign of my love
That I have chosen you
Above all else
With this ring, I thee wed."
As her tears streaming down harder, Emmelyn could no longer hold back. She started sobbing as the ring slipped through her finger. When he saw her looking so emotional, Mars hugged her to his chest and patted her back.
He wanted to cry too, but he knew at this moment he should be the strong one. Emmelyn's tears were justified because she was pregnant and her hormones were all over the place.
He, on the other hand, was a man, and not pregnant. So, he thought he should hold back better than her. Otherwise, this simple ceremony might not go smoothly.
"I'm sorry," Emmelyn whispered. "I am so happy but I don't know why I'm crying..."
"It's okay... it's fine," Mars said over and over again. "You can cry. We can wait."
"No.. don't wait. I want us to go through this quickly," Emmelyn stepped back and wiped her tears. She suddenly remembered her bad dream last night.
What if it was a bad premonition? She didn't want to let anything happen and stop them from getting married.
"I am ready," she said with a hoarse voice after she steeled her heart. Emmelyn turned to Athos and gave out her hand to ask for the other ring.
"Are you sure?" Athos asked with a smile. "As your husband said, we can wait."
"No.." Emmelyn shook her head vigorously. "I want to get married now."
"Okay," Athos glanced at his wife again and they both exchanged knowing smiles. Somehow, after being married for seven years, it was easy for them to read each other's minds.
When they witness the wedding between Mars and Emmelyn, they were both reminded of their own wedding seven years ago.
This moment brought back their own sweet memories. That's why Athos and Lily felt especially happy today.
"Now, Emmelyn, please place the ring on Mars' left hand and repeat after me," Athos continued the ceremony.
Emmelyn nodded. She took the ring from Athos with a trembling hand. She looked at Mars a tense smile and repeated after Athos, as she slipped the ring to Mars' left ring finger.
"As a sign of my love
That I have chosen you
Above all else
With this ring, I thee wed."
Now that they both had said their wedding vows and the rings had been exchanged, Mars and Emmelyn felt their chests pounding.
This was it!!
They both turned to Athos in unison and waited for the man to pronounce them husband and wife.
The governor cleared his throat and nodded. "With the power bestowed upon me as the regent of this land, I now pronounce you, husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."
Everyone present let out a relieved sigh. It was done.
The happy couple was now formally married.
Mars was beaming when he pulled Emmelyn closer and claimed her lips passionately.
Gewen stared at the public display of affection with a gaping mouth, while Edgar chuckled and looked the other way.
Lily started clapping, followed by her older sons and finally the men. They celebrated the union that they had just witnessed.
"I love you," Mars whispered when he let go of her lips and stared at her face lovingly. "You make me the happiest man in the world right now."
"I love you too..." Emmelyn whispered back.
They kissed again, this time longer but more gently.
Then they hugged.
The sun was finally setting and the whole garden was basking under golden sun rays. It looked magical, and it felt magical.
"Everyone, please welcome Prince Mars Strongmoor and his wife, Princess Emmelyn Rosehill Strongmoor." Athos words were welcomed with a cheer by everyone present.
"Let's celebrate the wedding with a feast," Athos said with a cheerful voice. He reached out his hand to congratulate his cousin.
Mars accepted his hand and hugged the man. "Thank you so much for everything."
Lily gave Emmelyn a silk handkerchief to wipe her tears and hugged her. "Congratulations, Princess Emmelyn Rosehill Strongmoor."
"Oh... thank you so much, Lady Greenan," said Emmelyn with teary eyes.
"You may call me Lily," Lily patted Emmelyn's back warmly. "Let's not stand on ceremony after this since we are now family."
"Ahh.. that would be lovely," Emmelyn smiled broadly. "Please call me Em."
As the ladies were hugging and talking, Gewen and Edgar took turns to congratulate their best friend.
"I am so happy for you," Edgar said as he hugged Mars and patted his back. "Thank you for having us here during this very important moment in your life."
"Thank you, Edgar. Your presence here means a lot," Mars replied.
"I am happy for you too," Gewen said after Edgar let go of his hug from Mars. Gewen hit the prince's shoulder and chuckled. "Congratulations! So, you finally take one for the team.. heheheh."