The Wedding of Two Winterains

King Edward of Combination was getting married to Queen Flyangel of White Woods. It's been a year since the war. Just before the annual Inland National Day, the wedding was to be held at The Royal Court. Just a few minutes ride by horse carriage from the castle. It's a surprise indeed. Even for Edward and Flyangel themselves. They had fallen for each other since their adventures started. Everyone was excited. Nobody cares that both of them are somewhat related. Edward's father, King Henry, was the half brother of Flyangel's mother, Lady Matilda. Technically, they're not fully cousins. And there's nothing wrong at all for cousins to get married, unlike siblings. Besides, Edward and Flyangel grew up not knowing each other. Why a year later? Some people asked. Edward and Flyangel wanted the time to get to know each other better. And they wanted to experience ruling solo first. Now they're ready to join their lives together. Before this, White Woods was a part of Combination. After the war last year, it became an independent city. After the wedding, both cities will merge together as one. In some ways, it's the same as being a part of Combination as before.

It has been a little more than two months through winter. Snow was just starting to fall in the northern parts of Southernere. Edward took the opportunity to compliment his bride-to-be.

'Look, even the snow is happy for you' he said. They were already in the carriage, waiting for the coachman.

'Are you teasing me right now? At this very special moment?' Flyangel laughed.

'That was a compliment! And besides, this isn't the special moment yet' Edward grinned.

'Oh shut up. Oh I can't wait to see you in your king robes!'

'Same here angel. Same here' Edward smiled romantically. They had given each other sweet names. Edward calls Flyangel "Angel". Flyangel calls him "Eddie", which actually isn't the first time for someone to call Edward that.

'Good morning your majesties' the coachman said walking past the carriage doors to the front.

'Morning Ackley, good breakfast?' Edward replied in a very friendly tone.

'Yes your majesty, best eggs in the land' Ackley said, getting on the boot. The horses were all ready to move.

'That's good to hear' Edward said.

'Ackley, why don't you share with me next time? I actually haven't had breakfast' Flyangel said, keeping a straight face.

'Oh goodness your majesty!' Ackley said, alarmed and concerned.

'No Ackley, she's just kidding' Edward said. They all started laughing.

'Don't scare me, your majesty, I'm an old man' Ackley laughed.

'I'm sorry Ackley! I thought of joking with you for a while. Didn't think it would be bad'

'No worries your majesty! No problem for me! I appreciate the humor' Ackley laughed. He actually liked Flyangel tricking him. She was only joking. Who wouldn't love a royal who knows how to acknowledge your existence, especially with humor? People generally love Edward being their king. The idea of Flyangel joining the throne thrilled them as well. Those two combined together are a powerful mixture of goodness.

The carriage pulled away, out of the royal grounds and onto King's Road. King's Road is one of the oldest roads in Combination. It stretches all the way from SHAW Academy, turning at the small path to the royal gates, and goes south, ending at South Districts Market. Estimation, that's probably about less than five kilometres. One of the changes Edward had done for city developments were, adding more signboards on the streets, making Combination more systematic. He gave names to every street on the map. Even those small lanes in between buildings.

A few minutes later they stopped at the side of the road. The Royal Court is a magnificent one storey building. It's high ceiling is the reason why the building is taller than any two storey house around the area. The Royal Court is a building with few massive empty halls for multi-purposes. It's a happy place, so it's usually for festivities. It was built in the time of King Harry, Edward's grandfather. Edward took one good look at the building as he stepped out of the carriage. Another one building to be added into his renovation project.

Citizens had gathered around the entrance of the multi-purpose building. Some fanatic ones came up to the carriage.

'Oh your majesty! I'm so happy for you!' an old lady exclaimed happily, bowing repeatedly.

'Thank you ma'am' Edward replied, placing a hand on his chest as a sign of respect. Flyangel stepped out of the carriage. She gave the lady a warm smile.

'Thank you for being here!' Flyangel said sweetly. The lady was now in heaven. She was extremely elated that the king and queen acknowledged her presence.

There were more people who got past the king's guards guarding the area. They waved excitedly at the royals, shouting happily. The double doors into the building were wide open. Barriers had been placed by the side of both doors to prevent the citizens from overcrowding the building. More king's guards were tasked around the area. Inside the building, there were more people waiting for their arrival. Bobby, dressed very smartly in his tuxedo, rushed out of the building towards them.

'Your majesties, five minutes before the official time!' Bobby said in a hurry.

'Oh right' Edward said and he and Flyangel rushed inside with Bobby leading the way. The sound of the excited citizens, screaming and calling their names, became muffled as the doors were closed.

'You look amazing, your majesty' Laura said, helping Flyangel place the finishing touch, the crown on her headscarf. Flyangel was mostly dressed in red. Her queen robes, headscarf, and the gems on the crown.

'Thank you Laura' Flyangel said.

Laura had moved to White Woods to serve Flyangel permanently. She became the head of the maid and servants in White Woods Castle.

There was a knock on the door. Master Mousy entered the dressing room.

'Look how beautiful you are!' Mousy complimented.

'Thank you Master Mousy. Where's Master Lillain?'

'Oh she's already in the hall. Preparing for her moment. You know, she practiced a lot!' Mousy said. Lillain was now the royal master of Combination. It's one of her responsibilities to marry off people, especially royals.

Annie and Dewi entered the room both with a vase in hands, each full of flowers.

'Oh you look very beautiful your majesty!' Annie exclaimed excitedly. They placed the vases on any empty tables in the dressing room.

'I'm so happy for you!' Dewi said, her fingers intertwined with Flyangel's.

'Thank you, both of you!'

There was a knock on the door. And King Nathan and Prince Jake entered.

'Boys are not allowed!' Mousy said sternly, but she wasn't entirely being serious. Both of them laughed.

'We are her brothers' Jake said, giving an expression like "duh!".

'It's alright Mousy' Flyangel laughed. 'Thank you guys for coming, although we can see each other later'

'We came to congratulate you. Come on, you're our sister. We're technically VIPs to this room' Jake laughed.

'And we're so happy for you Flyra… I mean Flyangel' Nathan said.

'Still not used to the name aren't you' Flyangel smiled.

'I called you Flyra for twenty years!' Nathan laughed.

'It's no big deal. Thank you Nathan. Thank you Jake' Flyangel said. She gave a very heartwarming smile.

'Alright, see you later. Dazzle the crowd Flyangel' Jake said. And they left.

'Is it going to start soon?' Flyangel asked, starting to feel butterflies in her stomach.

'We'll have to wait for Bobby' Annie said.

Edward was in the room opposite Flyangel's. A male dressing room. A squire was helping him, adjusting and perfecting everything that could be done to his appearance. Bobby was also there to supervise. Queen Darleen of Barenge entered the room.

'There's my royal nephew, soon to be a husband!' Darleen said excitedly. She gave him a hug.

'Aunt Darleen. It's good to see you again' Edward replied. 'How is Barenge?'

'It's a small travellers town but it's growing. The city of musketeers will be one of the prides of Inland once again, just wait' Darleen said with full of hope.

'I know you'll do your best, your majesty' Edward said.

'Now don't waste time and hurry up and get married!' Darleen laughed. She left the room.

'Are you ready sire?' Bobby asked. Edward took one glance at the squire who nodded as a reply that he's all set to go.

'Yes I'm ready' Edward said.

'Happy wedding day, your majesty' Bobby said happily. 'You can come out five seconds after I leave'

He left the room.

'Five seconds?' Edward laughed, thinking how funny it was to have been given a time limit to leave a room. 'Thank you Oscar, for everything'

'It's an honour my king' the squire bowed. 'Five seconds have passed, your majesty'

'Oh right! Wish me the best' Edward winked and left the room. The door of the female dressing room was opened and Laura exited with Flyangel right behind. Both Edward and Flyangel were astonished by each other's appearance. Edward's red king robes and Flyangel's queen dress were a combination of richness, grand, and royalty.

Down the hallway where they will walk later on, down the aisle between round tables filled with guests, awaiting their arrival, and awaiting their time to venture the food served on the buffet tables, an announcement was heard. It was Bobby's voice. He was obviously very excited that he got out of the male dressing room, informed Annie and Laura that they were ready, and walked to the hall to make the announcement, all very quickly.

'Kings, queens, royals, masters, ladies and gentlemen, please rise for the arrival of the groom and bride, King Edward and Queen Flyangel' Bobby spoke from all the way at the front, where Edward and Flyangel will be walking towards. The Royal Court was built in a way that allows voice to be projected very easily. Edward and Flyangel could hear Bobby's voice very clearly.

'This is it!' Flyangel said softly, full of excitement.

Edward smiled and opened up a space between his right arm and his body. Flyangel placed her left arm through the space. They locked their arms together.

'Walk with me' Edward said. Flyangel gave him a sweet smile. They started walking down the hallway through an opening into the main hall, the biggest room in The Royal Court. Every guest watched in awe at the two beautiful people with their magnificent clothings as they made their way towards the end of the hall. Lillain was standing in a gorgeous white dress and a green headscarf, waiting at the end. Bobby was standing close by. Edward and Flyangel looked around at the different faces that were very excited to see them. All the SHAW masters were there. Every royal from all the cities were there, Queen Lady Lith, King David, and King Harold. Captain, Bale, and Oliver were standing in one corner, beaming. Every other person that has always been by their side was present to witness their special moment. Not far from where Lillain was, a group of five children dressed very smartly were standing close together. They all seemed very bright and happy to see them. But Edward and Flyangel have no idea who they are.

Edward stopped in front of Lillain on her right. Flyangel stood beside him, on Lillain's left.

'Please be seated' Bobby said. 'You can proceed' he whispered to Lillain. Lillain nervously flipped through a booklet, a wedding script for the person marrying someone off.

'You can do this Lillain' Edward said softly. Lillain felt a sudden rush of confidence.

'Combi Nation, we're gathered here today to witness two beautiful Winterains tying the knot. Marriage is one of the milestones of someone's life. This is when your hearts beat as one. When one of you gets something bad, the other will feel it. When one gets something good, the other will feel it. Flyangel, daughter of Adam, do you accept Edward, son of Henry, to be your husband?' Lillain said with confidence. She referred to the booklet only a few times.

'I do' Flyangel said confidently, very genuine with her decision.

'Edward, son of Henry, I marry you off with Flyangel, daughter of Adam, with a gold ring as a dowry for the bride' Lillain said, making eye contact with Edward. Bobby came close to her carrying a gold tray covered in red cloth with a gold ring on it.

'I accept the marriage of Edward, son of Henry, to Flyangel, daughter of Adam, with a gold ring as a dowry for the bride' Edward said.

'Then I pronounce you husband and wife' Lillain said happily. She took the ring from the tray and placed it on Edward's palm. Edward and Flyangel turned to face each other. Both smiling very widely. Edward slipped the ring on her right ring finger and kissed her forehead. Everyone clapped.

'Royals, masters, ladies and gentlemen, you are invited to dine now. The buffet tables serve many kinds of food. Enjoy!' Bobby announced. Those very close to the newlyweds cheered even from far. Those who were nearer went to meet them. There were many who congratulated the newlyweds. Queen Lady Lith and her daughter, Princess Nathaliya, talked to them for quite some time. King David was being overly friendly. King Harold seemed to be kind of envious, but he was mostly happy for them. Lillain was the last in the queue. There were a lot more people who wanted to meet them, but Bobby set a limit so that Edward and Flyangel could enjoy the food as well. Lillain came up to them with the group of five children they noticed earlier. Their expressions were speechless. Everyone could tell that they are huge fans of the king and queen.

'Your majesties, I want to introduce you to representatives from each class of rank five' Lillain said, referring to the children.

'Oh, they're your students?' Edward asked in amusement.

'It's nice to meet all of you' Flyangel said, always maintaining her heartwarming smile.

'It's an honour your majesty' a handsome blonde boy spoke for the rest.

'That's Cardinal, head of Class A' Lillain said. 'Introduce yourselves'

'Yes, I'm Cardinal sir' Cardinal bowed.

'Nice to meet you Cardinal' Edward said, nodding his head once in response to the bow.

'I'm Baron your majesty, it's an honour' a black haired boy spoke next. He was handsome in a mysterious way. He was wearing mostly dark colours.

'I'm Eva'

'I'm Evius'

A copper red haired girl and boy spoke at the same time.

'Sorry about that. I'm Eva' the girl said.

'I'm Evius' the boy said. He wore a pair of circular glasses. So he looks like someone who is very smart.

'We're twins!' Eva said.

'And I'm Izalora' the fifth student, a girl with a headscarf said shyly. Edward could tell just from Izalora's face that she's a brunette.

'Nice to meet all of you' Edward said.

'They've been looking forward to this all week. I would like to discuss some arrangements with you later for a study session at the castle, if that's alright with you Edward?' Lillain said.

'Sure! Lillain, no problem, I'll inform you soon when I'm free' Edward replied.

'Thank you very much Edward' Lillain said gratefully. The students exchanged excited looks among themselves. It made Flyangel laugh a little at how cute they are. She and Edward made their way to the buffet tables.

'Rank five, how old are they?' Flyangel asked.

'Twelve years old' Edward replied.

'Your majesty! Congratulations on your marriage!' a random citizen exclaimed, probably a businessman, seeing how wealthy his outfit was.

'Thank you mister…'

'Donald!'

'Mister Donald' Edward finished.

More people meet the king and queen while they're taking food, eating, and even conversing with friends and family members.

The rest of the ceremony ended very smoothly with people going about the buffet tables, eating more than three servings, communicating among each other, and then leaving with a full happy stomach.

That night, Flyangel was back to living in Combination Castle. White Woods and Combination joined as two forever united cities. Edward and Flyangel spent the remaining time they had that night romantically. Both of them went to sleep feeling very happy. Tomorrow's a new day. There will be more work to do since two cities are under them. But none of them are leading alone anymore. They have each other to work as a team. As king and queen, as husband and wife.