Hello, everyone! Sorry for the delay, but I've been lazy recently and I had to drag myself to my computer.
Oscar: You know you had to do it eventually.
FireEdge: Blllleeh. Anyway, I decided to try something new with this chapter. So, I hope that you will all like it!
Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem.
With A Bit Of Magic
Epilogue
Calill's lips parted as she carefully painted it with a practised hand. Slightly powdering her face, she proceeded to brushing on a light layer of blush. Finishing up her eye shadow, the sage fell into a very pleasant mood.
It was a little over two years ago that the great war against Daein had ended. Since then her life had become very prosperous. Alongside Largo, she had opened up a small gift shop. A year ago, they finally achieved their dream of building an inn. True to her words, it was dubbed: "General Ike's Inn".
Business boomed because of the name, even if some were dubious. Once, Calill had even managed to convince Ike to stay there for a night. No one doubted the name afterwards. Their inn was also popular with many of the Crimean soldiers when they were looking for an alternative to a tavern. There was never a shortage of customers, and now the two owners were fairly rich.
Her life was, simply put, superb. Today, another marvellous event would take place: the wedding of two of her closest friends. It didn't really involve the woman specifically, but seeing the fruit of her devious intervention would be very satisfying.
Patting her lustrous blonde hair as she inserted the last pin, she stepped back from her vanity and admired her reflection in the mirror. Inspecting every inch of her thin frame, Calill meticulously smoothed out a wrinkle in her dress. Pleased with what she saw, the sage picked up her purse ands started for the wedding grounds.
"Oh NO!" wailed a blond young man. "Not another one!"
"What are you moaning about now, Les!" demanded Tonnie, looking up from polishing her silver flute.
"My stupid reed broke! I just replaced it last week!"
"Well, that's your own fault! Stop bellyaching and hurry up! We have to set up, tune up and change our clothes," Caj retorted with a long sigh. The wedding was less than four hours away, and the tension in the air crackled.
"I still can't believe that Sir Geoffrey asked us to play at his wedding! You'd think that there'd be a professional ensemble for the marriage of one of the Queen's retainers!" Lenne said, stars in her green-grey eyes.
"Pfft, who says we aren't professionals?" Tonnie added with snicker.
"I heard that Lady Lucia had argued with Sir Geoffrey about who would play. In the end, Count Bastian intervened and declared that having us play would be more 'romantic'," Leslie commented as he eyed his selection of reeds. "Well, that's what I heard. Pretty ridiculous, what the Count said, if you ask me."
"Hmph, you'd be the first to know all about true love, Leslie!" rebutted Tonnie with a roll of her eyes.
"Let's not argue. We should be honoured that we received this opportunity. We'll play with all our hearts and then no one will have second thoughts about choosing us," Caj interrupted.
"Wasn't that a little… cheesy, Caj?" Lenne inquired. Of course, she did not receive a reply. "All right, then… So are we ready to set up the stage?"
"Might as well," Leslie shrugged, taking his reed out of his mouth. Lenne set her violin down and the four musicians filed out of the room.
Reaching the castle's back gates, they passed through and looked around. Their eyes fell upon a large decorated clearing a hundred, or so, feet away. Even from where they stood they could see that it would be a fairly large wedding.
As the quartet approached, they eyed the work of the royal servants. They had set up tall wooden stakes on the extremities of the area. Long, silk ribbons stretched between the tops of each post and fluttered in the gentle breeze. Spread out in neat rows on the manicured grass sat long wooden benches. They resembled those found in the local churches. Huge white bows were tied to their sides, making them seem as if they were gift-wrapped. There were even bits of confetti scattered here and there, sometimes mixed in with tiny flower petals.
At the front, a big, wooden pedestal—also wrapped in a ribbon—stood for the priest. Above this towered a large arc; painted white and intertwined with lengths of pale satin. Off to the side of the pedestal rested a low flat stage.
"Ugh, even this is decorated with ribbons!" Leslie commented with a grimace and a slightly disgusted look.
"Yeah, even I have to agree that it's just a bit overdone," added Tonnie.
"Let's hope that whoever made these designs didn't hear that," Caj remarked, throwing a quick glace over his shoulder.
"What are you wary for? We don't even know which one of these guys is in charge!" Lenne signed. "Well, let's get started…"
Joining Lenne on the stage, they rearranged their stands and sorted out their various pieces of sheet music. Lastly, they lined up four chairs near the back of the platform for when they weren't needed.
When they finished and were about to return inside, they spotted someone familiar admiring the decorations.
"Miss Calill!" Tonnie exclaimed, walking over to greet her. The others followed on her heels. As they approached, the sage turned to meet them.
"Why, look at you two!" Calill remarked, examining Tonnie and Lenne. "You've both grown since I saw you last year!"
"Um, thank you?"
"In fact, soon, I think that the two of you will have suitors of your own! You're nearly the right age; I think you're fifteen or sixteen now? Perhaps they'll be just as gorgeous as Geoffrey. Who knows, maybe they'll be nobles—" As Calill continued on and on, the two girls flushed in dismay while the other two stared in horror at what they saw to be the twisted reincarnation of cupid.
"M-Miss Calill! Shouldn't you be with Neph? I-I mean, wouldn't she need you right now?" stammered Lenne frantically.
"Oh, that's right! The poor lass must be terribly flustered!" Calill gasped, fingertips pressed lightly to her mouth. Then she gave her usual impish smile. "I suppose I'll take my leave now! Best of luck with your performance later! Ta-ta!" With a wave of her fingers, the sage walked off in the direction of the castle.
"Wow, she's scary," Caj stated, hazel eyes wide.
"If I didn't know better, I'd think that she had frightened Neph and Sir Geoffrey into loving each other…" Tonnie replied, watching Calill's colourful form retreating.
"I can't believe you said that with a straight face," Leslie remarked wryly as he jumped off the stage. It wasn't long before the other three followed suit and they ran to the castle, shaking Calill out of their heads, and began to prepare for their biggest performance yet.
Calill had to nearly control her laughter as she stepped into the room. The bride-to-be sat on a stool in the middle of the room with half a dozen ladies-in-waiting surrounding her. The young woman was half dressed and seemed to be in shock; her eyes wide and staring into nothing.
Reducing her amusement to a smile, Calill brushed past the confused women and placed a gloved hand on Nephenee's shoulder.
"Tsk, look at you missy! You look like you just crawled out of bed! You're not even close to being ready!" At the feel of Calill's hand, Nephenee's head swivelled on her shoulders. Seeing her friend, a grin spread on her lips.
"Calill! You don't know how glad I am to see you!" she exclaimed. "All these people have been all over me for hours! I don't even know what's going on anymore!"
"Not to worry! I'll have you all dolled up in a jiffy," the sage replied. Clapping her hands together twice, she addressed the crowd in the room. "Ladies, if you would do as I say?"
Without even waiting for an answer, Calill began to order the lot of women around. Realizing that resistance was futile, they fetched what the sage asked for and helped her as she began to prepare the bride.
After a mere ten minutes, Nephenee's face emanated horror as Calill altered her appearance. Perhaps the sage wasn't quite the saviour she had expected.
"Ah! Geoffrey! It is time!" sang Bastian, flourishing his cape as he bowed the aqua-haired paladin to the door. "Once you step o'er these doors, your azure orbs shall marvel at the site where you shall intertwine your heart, soul and mind with the maiden of your dreams!"
"Enough, Bastian," Geoffrey sighed. "I'm nervous enough without you spewing all this drabble."
"It is certainly not drabble, dear Geoff! 'Tis poetry," the sage retorted. "Ah, but I should not expect the mind of a knight to understand the complexity of such a matter."
"Er, right."
"I must say, though you say you are uneasy, you hold yourself very calmly," Bastian noted. He swept his eyes over the form of the paladin. The blue-haired man looked very dashing in his white and gold attire. "I'm also very pleased with how this outfit turned out! Of course, I predicted as much since I did take the time to assure that your measurements were correct. You do know that those materials were handpicked?"
"Yes, yes Bastian. You've told me before. Now, shouldn't we be going?" the groom asked. If Bastian hadn't known better, he'd think there was exasperation in his tone.
My, he must be anxious! He thought to himself as he opened the wooden gate. "Now, Geoffrey, we go!"
The air was filled with whispers and murmurs of anticipation. All the rows of benches were filled with both nobles and country folk. The first two rows were filled with the closest friends and family of the bride and groom.
The weather was warm and the sun shone through grey clouds. Perhaps it wasn't the best weather, but at least it wasn't raining.
Geoffrey stood underneath the arc; back straight, face impassive, his eyes staring ahead with an unwavering gaze. He looked very serious for someone who was about to be married. Despite his sombre visage, his eyes twinkled with an immeasurable energy.
A few minutes later, the four musicians stood up and gathered their various instruments. The crowd turned to look at the band as Lenne set her violin under her chin and the other three brought their mouthpieces to their lips. Then, as the first note of the Crimean wedding song flowed forth, the guests shifted their gaze to perceive the white-clad bride.
Nephenee made her way down between the rows of seats. She was followed by Calill and the eldest of her younger sisters, Sarah. When they reached the arc Calill and Sarah stepped off to the side to stand opposite of Bastian.
Once Nephenee arrived at the altar and settled next to Geoffrey, the musicians stopped their song. Soundlessly, they turned the pages of their music and sat down once more.
As the priest spoke, Tonnie glanced up at the sky. The clouds were much darker now and more gathered around the area above them. Maybe rain would be coming after all. Hopefully, it would fall after the wedding.
Nudging her cousin, the brown-haired girl followed Tonnie's gaze. Seeing the clouds, she inconspicuously nudged her violin case open. If it did pour, she'd need to put her instrument away quickly.
Returning their attention to the altar, they watched as the blushing pair exchanged vows and wedding bands. As soon as they kissed, the quartet jumped up and began playing once more.
Now, the servants were rushing in, ushering guests off the benches and pushing the benches out of the way. Food soon filled the empty tables they brought in, and in a mere twenty minutes, everything was ready to continue.
Just as the band had started to play their second dance piece, a strong gust of wind blew through the clearing. One fat raindrop fell, followed by another and another. Having already predicted the rain, the four musicians tossed their instruments into their cases and quickly gathered their music.
The guests, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind the rain for some reason (though a few ladies did complain about their hair). Since the band had stopped playing, the wedding-goers weren't very pleased. Of more importance, the newlyweds seemed distraught. Their reason, however, was quite different. It was obvious—to those who knew them well—that they wanted to be alone rather than being bombarded with people's questions, comments and congratulations.
From her own spot in the clearing, Calill watched the whole scene curiously. It had only taken her one glace at the young couple to know that this wasn't what they wanted. It was clear that they wanted to be by themselves, celebrating on their own. Anyway, why were these people so intent on staying out in the rain? If this shower turned into a storm, it could be dangerous.
Then, it struck her. These people needed a little help from Mother Nature to jumpstart their brains. Smiling, she extracted a book from her purse—which was surprisingly big enough—and flipped it open. The yellow tome shone briefly and she focused on a spot behind a mass of trees in the near distance.
BOOM! Thunder roared and a blinding flash of lighting lit up the sky. The earth beneath them shook slightly from the nearby impact. Even from here, they could smell the scent of burning.
"Great! Lighting! It hit close, too," Caj grumbled.
"I don't care what these guys want to do! Rain is bad enough, I don't want to get struck by lighting!" added Leslie. He took a look around the clearing; all the guests finally looked flustered and some were murmuring about going indoors. They were thinking about leaving, so it was a good enough excuse for them to go. "All right, guys, let's get out of here!"
The four youths grabbed their things and dashed for the castle. It wasn't too long before many of the other more intelligent people followed as well. Eventually, the whole clearing became deserted. Only a handful of servants laboured to bring in what was valuable.
Calill glanced back at the wedding grounds and smiled. No one was left; including the newlyweds. She didn't even need to hear the exclamations coming from the other guests to know that the two were nowhere to be found.
Looking around, she found a chair and sat down, watching the aftermath of what had just happened. Glancing around the room they were all gathered in, she spotted the four young instrumentalists. They were glancing around the room, probably also searching for the missing couple. Then she saw their eyes fall on her.
Calill smiled cunningly and winked. The quartet gaped at her, eyes slightly wide. It seemed that they suspected her of what had just happened. The sage laughed; once again, her plans had succeeded without a hitch. Magic truly was a wonderful thing.
There we go! I know that this chapter didn't focus at all on the romance between Geoffrey and Nephenee, but this idea just popped into by head and I had to write it. Personally, I'm pleased with how it went. I'm very happy with this chapter, and it was fun to write from Calill's POV. I also thought that it was a very appropriate ending to this story.
Oscar: So, we hope that you enjoyed it, too! Please review and tell FireEdge what you thought!
FireEdge: Until next time!
--FireEdge--