I Followed Fires

LXII. Bash

His eyes watched as her hands shook with every step she took.

But Bash was too busy being utterly enthralled by her appearance, as she paced closer and closer towards him. Donning a simple dress made of fine white silks and lace sleeves, a shy smile appeared on Adèle's lips. Bash's eyes trailed down to the small bouquet of light pink roses she held in her hands. The church that they have selected for their small wedding was set in a small, quaint town, not too far from her château. The walls rose high, and it had gleaming glass windows where streams of the afternoon sunlight entered the room.

The witnesses of the wedding ceremony were comprised mainly of Adèle's parents, along with her little brothers as well. Bash's mother had not responded to his invitation, due to their troubled relationship, which Adèle did not want to discuss of with Bash, for he did not want to as well. Mary made a short appearance before the wedding ceremony, wishing them luck for their marriage. She expressed her deep regrets that she could not see them exchanging wedding vows herself, but reassured Adèle that once they visited her and Francis again in the castle, she promised them she would host one of the grandest celebratory parties of the year.

But even with the absence of Mary and Francis, and a number of Adèle and Bash's friends that they had hoped to attend their wedding ceremony, everything felt.. perfect. They were to be reunited for life, and nothing was going to stop them now, for their love felt much stronger than it was ever before.

Once Adèle had reached the altar, she whispered to Bash, "I'm nervous," in which Bash replied, "Me as well."

Bash's turned his head to the small amount of people who had attended their wedding. Adèle's mother and father both had small tears gleaming in the edges of their eyes as they gazed intently at them, waiting for the exchange of the vows to commence. Theo and Cyril looked positively bored, but their eyes did not dart away from the sight of Bash and Adèle. Jean-Michel and Marie sat near Theo and Cyril, and Bash smiled as he saw the sleeping infant that Marie was carrying in her arms.

When he had averted his eyes back to Adèle, Bash felt a rush of emotions surge over him in the blink of an eye. Two gems tinted with light blue were all that he needed to make his heart beat at a very fast rate. Adèle's long dark brown locks fell down almost to her chest, looking as perfect as it had always been. A flash of memories he spent with her began playing in his mind. From the very beginning, when they first met and when Henry first introduced him to her, to the time where she gave herself up to Kenna, until the bloody battle against the Darkness in which they fought alongside one another, where she proved that she was a woman of true bravery and courage. At this very moment, Bash felt as if he was going to sink down to his knees, prepared to give up anything and everything for her. 

But there was no need for that, for Adèle was finally his, and he still could not bring himself to believe it. He was sure that he wanted nothing more to be by her side until the Bash's final days.

The priest had begun speaking, meaning that they were going to exchange their vows any time soon. Bash felt his hands grow sweaty with anxiety, and yet there was a sense of excitement to it. When they were finished exchanging their vows, two golden rings were set out for them. 

As he slipped the golden ring on to Adèle's finger, he looked up at her. 

"Bash, you're crying," She murmured, trying to hold back her own tears.

"We did it, my lionheart."