I do not own Soul Eater.

Epilogue: The Wedding

London, England

August 20th, 1801

The wedding was held, by special license issued from the king himself, six months later at the Cathedral of -. Only immediate family and very close friends were allowed - allowance was made for Lord and Lady Ford, after his fiancee's heated petitioning - and even the Bishop of Canterbury, who was officiating the service looked rather puzzled by the whole state of affairs. Yet when two people share the inclination to marry, and possess not only the means but the support of those who love them, it cannot be wondered at that they found the quickest way to the altar.

Soul - who had retaken the name Solomon, but still preferred to be called by his chosen moniker - stood at the left hand of the Bishop, shifting from foot to foot as the organist pounded out the opening bars to the preludial music. He attempted to distract himself by castigating the scant ability of the rather enthusiastic organist, but it was of no use. In less than an hour he would be married to Lady Maka Albarn, who was not only beautiful, intelligent, and wonderful, as well as being quite literally the woman of his dreams.

He had never been so afraid in his life.

Soul's fidgeting caught the attention of his brother, who stood at his side as best man. He laid a hand on his younger brother's shoulder, leaning in slightly so that they might not be overheard by the entirety of the congregation. "Relax, brother. All will be well. You could not have picked a better woman, in terms of her personal virtues, as well as her ability to cope with your talents. And if it is her father you fear, even he could not bar her from her own wedding! Peace, brother." And then, as if it were a talisman to ward off anything that might go wrong, Wesley repeated his earlier sentiment. "All will be well."

Soul momentarily ceased his squirming to give Wesley a thankful, if nervous, smile. That his brother was so selfless as to offer up sincere congratulations and support when only a year ago he had made his own bid for Maka's hand meant more than he could express, and illuminated just how lucky he was to have such a person to care for him. This was alongside Wesley's personal efforts to ease Soul's reintroduction into polite society, especially in the face of their parent's simmering animosity. Although their parents had done all they could to make things impossible for Soul, even going so far as to publicly doubt that he was the true Solomon Evans, Wesley had supported him every step of the way. That their relationship had been renewed was an unexpected benefit to returning to the sunlit side of society, and that pleasure had augmented his obvious joy in taking Maka as his legal wife.

Yet Wesley's mere presence couldn't fully soothe his nerves. Truth be told, his fears had nothing to do with Maka's eligibility, his love for her, nor even her father's unnatural determination to see her remain unwed. It was more so the notion of tying her down to him, and of forcing her to weather the storms of one connected to the world of dark magic. Spirit's guilt at allowing his wife to employ her abilities as an empath was not wholly unfounded. The magical underside of their society hosted many dangers, not the least of which were found in the hearts of mankind. The bravado that had prompted him to slip the Ring of Fidelity onto his own finger had faded away, although even with his fears at their peak he could not regret the impulse. He had not lied when he had told her his actions were in part a matter of selfishness. He longed to be with her, even if he presented a danger to her. And although he felt some guilt for his impetuosity, he could not deny the fact that she was prepared to face those dangers head on. Nothing her father, Stein, or himself had told her in the months following their sudden engagement had changed her mind on marrying him. That, if nothing else should bolster his resolve, and banish his fear. After all, there was power in love just as there was in magic, and of the two, Soul finally understood which was the stronger.

But it was his wedding day, and no darkness should linger on his brow, lest he scare his fair lady when she saw his visage. Hoping to turn his thoughts onto happier topics, Soul scanned the crowds as the organist hacked away, and eventually they fell upon his employer, lounging in an ill-fitting suit up in the balcony. The man had refused to stand up with him, although Soul couldn't be offended when he remembered Stein was here illegally. Still, he had come to see both his assistant and his godchild, and to lend his assistance when the father of the bride inevitably became unreasonable. Yet Soul suspected he was there for another purpose, to make sure they did not use their newfound skill in front of the king of England.

As if the man could read his thoughts, Stein met his gaze and then placed his finger upon his lips, urging Soul to silence. Soul offered up a slow nod, although his body protested at the promise. He and his beloved hadn't resonated in over a week, due to her insistence on keeping with old traditions and her fixation on maintaining the purity required to wear a white dress on her wedding day. While he loved her for her strength of mind - among sundry other reasons, not quite offset by the power and accuracy of her arm - this was one of the few times he regretted her iron will. Their dreams had become progressively indecent as of late, and that she had cut him off without even one final kiss had been hard to deal with. Through romantic gestures, pleas, and his limited range of seductive techniques he had tried to change her mind, but in vain; not even his argument that resonating on their wedding day would honor Ellsbeth's and Rein's memory could sway her.

Soul wondered if the good alchemist could have forseen the longevity and the power of the Flask of Dreams. For the true magic of the Flask was in the lights - when freed from their container, they would connect two beings with a bond that only death could break. If the two connected were to fall in love - as he and Maka had - that connection would grow in strength until it could traverse the boundary of dreams and thusly manifest itself into their waking moments, as well. This allowed for Maka and himself to be as intimately connected as they were in dreams when they clasped hands and intoned the words soul resonance.

In his professional opinion, Stein suspected the lights were created for a way for Rein and Ellsbeth to be together during Rein's long journeys through the continent, yet whether it was the intention or no, the lights eventually helped Rein in his quest to find his wife. For that had been the focus of the other dreams that he and Maka had not witnessed, and now never could. Yet from his research, Stein had come to several conclusions, although he had refused to share them in their entirety when they could not be definitively proven. What he did admit was this: one, that Rein had travelled the length of the world to find his wife, whom he had suspected to be touched by magic enough to have survived - if wholly changed - the burning. And two, that whether he found her or not, that their ending was not one of sorrows, nor of flame. Yet he would say no more than this, and Soul did not press him further. Some mysteries were better left unsolved. Yet Soul ventured to believe in an inevitable happy ending, as Rein and Ellsbeth were like-minded beings, and flame tended to flame, as he well knew…

Yet now the organist was proceeding to butcher the opening lines of the bridal theme, and all thoughts of anyone other than his beloved were lost. At the end of the aisle, back beyond the final row of pews the double doors opened, and as one, the entirety of the congregation turned and rose to honor the bride. After a moment of sincere trepidation, his bride-to-be walked through the doors, resplendent even with her weeping father at her side. Soul's heart threatened to stop in his chest. His love strode resolutely down the walkway, with her father - making no attempt to hide or slow the flow of his tears - hindering her progress at every step. Whether she was as nervous as he was Soul could not say, as her expression was hidden by the long, lacy veil that stretched down to the bouquet of white roses she carried. He blinked rapidly to clear the stars from his eyes, yet the vision did not change. She was dressed in what was surely the most beautiful dress he had ever seen in his life, yet she could have been dressed in a burlap sack for all he noticed, and would still have been the most perfect being he had ever beheld. Perhaps there were sleeves, or a lace-bedecked neckline, or perhaps it was a simple white sheath, but later, Soul couldn't remember anything save the rapid beat of his heart and the slow, inexorable swell of joy that infused his being.

Yet none of that mattered, no matter how she would tease him for his inattention to detail afterwards - all that mattered in this moment was that she was making her way to him, and that in just a few, short minutes, he could undo the glamour hiding the ring already on his finger, and slip a ring of his own onto hers.

The music swelled climactically as Maka reached the bottom of the stairs, and after a minute long tussle with her father who embraced her and simply would not let go, Maka deftly chopped him in the solar plexus, leaving him to wince his way back down the aisle. Soul smiled proudly as she demurely walked up the steps, not only for visiting bodily harm upon her father's person, but also to express his joy that the ceremony was finally to begin. Gone was his fear from earlier, replaced with the most profound excitement. It was a sentiment that his betrothed shared, he could see, from the coy smile and the impish look in her eye that he could just distinguish from behind her veil. That, and the way her lips moved as she took his hand in hers, shaping the words soul resonance.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…"

The Bishop began the ceremony, but Soul's awareness of the world had narrowed to encompass only Maka and his shared consciousness; the rest of world was perceived as if looking through a dark mirror. Yet his senses within their shadow world were heightened: as surely as he could feel his own heart he felt hers, thudding alongside his in perfect rhythm. The weight of her hand within his brought to mind hundreds of somatic memories of their time resonating together: kisses, embraces, and the few caresses she had allowed him while under the influence of their shared passion. Yet it was the incandescent joy she felt at standing next to him that buried all else. Here was the perfect proof of their love, and Soul was humbled by the thought that she could feel this emanating from him every time she turned her skills as an empath onto him.

"Surrounded by their family and friends, these two people make a divine commitment to each other…"

In the few months that they had known each other, Maka had given him so much. Her friendship, her trust, her faith, her future...and not the least of it was her love in return. That she would break her self-imposed restriction on their use of soul resonance at precisely the moment they were to be wed made him want to procure the worth of the world and lay it at her feet. Yet while he could not go so far, there was perhaps something else he could do…

"In perfect faith, hope, and harmony…"

Soul dragged his mind away from hers, just enough to see if his beloved's guardian angel had moved from the last time he had glanced in her direction. Satisfied that she had not, Soul tugged on Maka's consciousness until her gaze aligned with his. It was thankful that their physical reactions were masked when they were mentally connected, otherwise Maka would have interrupted the ceremony with her expression of amazement and quiet gasp of, "Mother?"

The spirit, which was easily likened to an angel with its heavenly aura and serene countenance, smiled gently back at her, bringing her hands to her lips in a show of blowing her daughter a kiss. Maka's lips parted in shock and wonder, and her eyes brimmed with unshed tears. Through their link, Soul could feel an echo of what her mother had imparted to her with her gesture, and even he was nearly overcome with the display of parental love and pride. Yet he was also feeding his own ability to see the ghosts of those that lingered through their connection, so he was unable to attend to the nuances of her experience.

Speaking mind to mind so that they would not interrupt the ceremony, Maka's felicity ran like fire through both their veins. "Soul - she's here! Is it because of us? Our wedding?"

Soul knew only a few facts of Kami's continued existence on earth, but as a soul eater and Spirit's partner on three uncomfortable missions, he could attest to some things. "Her time here is of longer duration than that - she chose to remain here to protect you, your father...and something that ensures that safety of the nation. I cannot say more on the subject than that, but rest assured that she has always watched over you...and as a pure spirit unable to be tarnished, her time here is never spent alone, or in fear. She is at peace, even as she lingers."

"To have and to hold in sickness, and in health…"

Although her face remained impassive on the outside, her expression in their private plane was that of a woman undergoing an epiphany. "Hers was the voice I heard in father's study- that must have been what he meant six months ago, when he refused to give her up while she still lingered…"

"I believe it is why he carries on his flirtations as well. According to Stein, she appears more often when he carries out his dalliances - although as to why I can only venture a guess: that either her ire spurs her ability to manifest, or that he is somehow using the women he flirts with to empower her to do so. But perhaps now is not the time, dearest - I believe she has something she wishes to pass along to you."

"And to love one another to the end of their days."

Kami materialized in front of her daughter, phasing through the corpulent Bishop as she did so. There was no terror attached to such an unconventional action, and Maka's eyes glittered with unshed tears as she gazed up at the spectral form of her mother. With a radiance reminiscent of the Virgin Mother, the spirit brought her pale hands to cup her daughter's face, gazing lovingly into her eyes all the while. Overcome with emotion, Maka momentarily closed her eyes and it was then that Kami leaned in to place a kiss upon her daughter's lips;giving her blessing along with the Bishop's sacred benediction.

Soul and Maka shared a ragged inhalation of breath as Kami's love and support for them flooded their link. For many years, neither had known the grace of a mother's love, and Soul was nearly as overcome as Maka. For from begrudging his beloved a moment with her mother on their wedding day, he was only thankful that through their bond he was able to experience even the slightest facet of it.

"My blessing…" Kami's words were faint, and her form was fading quickly. Yet the meaning of her whisper reached them, and both knew that she would always look over her daughter and her family; loving them always and keeping the shadow of darkness away when she could. To Soul's surprise, Maka let her mother go peacefully, merely whispering her own promise of love in return.

"Now, to place a ring upon the finger of your beloved, to seal your promise of love and fidelity for all eternity…"

Together, they called upon their return to the world of understandable matter and form, where the completion of their ceremony awaited them. Suddenly bereft of her proximity in the way that only those who have shared their souls could understand, he tightened his grip on her hand, needing to anchor himself to her. Wesley leaned up against his side, and sparing a glance from his beloved, he looked down to procure the ring.

"Do you, Soloman Evans, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

Surely it could not have been his voice that responded, so full and confidently? "I do."

"And do you, Maka Albarn, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

Her cheeks were wet with tears from the recent encounter with her mother, but her smile was radiant. "I do."

Such was the strength of his nerves that he nearly dropped the ring. After a small moment of panic, however, Soul gently slid it along her finger, pausing to pass his thumb over her knuckle before he let go of her hand. Maka made a much more graceful show of returning the favor, and Soul ended the glamour at precisely the right moment, so that even the Bishop did not know the groom came to the altar with a ring finger already adorned.

"Then by the power vested in me by the one, true god, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

And without further ado, Soul did. It was a most profound endeavor, thorough and heartfelt, perfect in every way. So much so that until they day they died, old and unafraid, they would never kiss each other precisely as they did on the first kiss of their married lives. When it finally ended many joyous heartbeat later, they pulled apart from each other and Soul knew: that no matter what came before or whatever might follow after, this was a moment of perfection that was even stronger than the power of Tovenaar's lights. He looked to the laughing woman at his side and knew this as well: that theirs would be, come what may, the only existence he would ever desire.

…

…

…

…

...

Long after the celebrations wound down, the toasts performed, the dinner devoured and the dancing done, two men stood at the balcony gazing up into the night sky as if they might find meaning there. The one who had wept so hard as to render his eyes swollen and red spoke first. "Do you think we should have told them? About your suspicions, I mean."

His friend had incongruous patches not only along his suit, but more that marred his otherwise handsome face, as well. "Ahh, about their 15th century counterparts? I would say not. Reincarnation is nothing to trifle with, even if they are surely slated for a happier existence this time around."

"You do not think either will suspect? Both are quite practical, and will eventually question how quickly they fell in love, if not their peculiar connection to Tovenaar's dreams."

Stein took a puff on his cigar, the only vice he still allowed himself besides the occasional autopsy or two. "Their connections to their previous selves are easily enough explained away through their current abilities - and they never need know that their experience with the lights was unique, and their answer the only correct one among the hundreds of others who have accessed the lights. No, we must leave it be, old friend. Let them earn their happiness. This time, I have no doubt of their being able to do so."

Spirit smiled for the first time in three days. Deftly removing the cigar from his friend's lips, he took a long draw from it before answering Stein's sentiment and frown of disapproval. "I should hope so, Franken. After all, this time they have us on their side."

…

…

…

…

...

And that is that. It took me two years, but Stein's Shoppe of Curios is finally complete! A huge thank you to all who read/reviewed/lurked/what have you. I hope you all enjoyed reading is as much as I did writing it :)

(Did anyone see reincarnation coming? Be honest now...)