The Academy - Side B

Ceremony

Yon hated suits. He felt like a stuffed chicken in them, and could count the number of times he'd worn them with one hand.

Still, it was a special day for his beloved sister, so he decided to keep the blazer on for the ceremony, at least. He'd made a deal with his mother that he could remove it for the dinner.

A deep red cloth sheltered the occupants of the lawn from the faint winter sun. The rest of the decor, however, was white and gold: traditional colours for most marriages in the Mini-Lands. Yon had been able to recite their purpose from the age of seven, when their first Cultures and Traditions class had taken place at school. 

"Red is for love, gold is for celebration, and white is for purity of heart," he muttered, almost as though he was a child again, running home to tell Mama and Papa about what he'd learnt that day, saying it again and again in his mind so that he wouldn't forget. He'd only just recovered from an illness, and had been feeling very lonely, as Eri had left for school only a few days ago. His books and toy sword has been his comforts at the time.

Not knowing where the years had gone, Yon took his seat at the very front of the lawn, closest to the specially carpeted and screened area where Kazu and Eri would soon recite their vows. A podium had been placed there for the individual who would officiate the wedding - in this case, it was Lord Brickman, Yon's maternal grandfather. There was an exam held by the government of each country to determine who could officiate weddings, and anyone of age could take this exam. However, they could only officiate in the country they'd obtained the licence in, and Lord Brickman had been so bored one year that he'd taken the exam in the Forest...twenty years after he'd taken the exam in the Far North.

Yon, being a food-lover himself, could sense about twenty hungry youths hiding in various places across the lawn. He suspected this was the following Kazu had at the military academy, and they were the lucky ones invited to the dinner later on. 

Marcus, who was waiting with Kazu in a small room near the hall, could sense them as well. Those who love food are comrades, and they can sense when one of their own is nearby, waiting for a chance to grab a bite of the delicious food that is nearly always served at weddings, or other such events. Thus, they support each other, no matter who they are or where they come from, for they are united by a noble cause - the pursuit of a tasty meal or two. Or four.

*  *  *  *

"Eri, I'll be fine," Lila insisted. "I'm not that far along, and even if I was, I'd be able to take care of myself quite well." Yet, she smiled, and placed a hand on her slightly protruding belly.

"Are you sure five and a half months isn't that far along?" Eri asked, adjusting her locket. "It's more than halfway in..."

"Yes, yes, it's perfectly alright." Lila waved her friend's concerns away. "Anyway, today's not about me. It's about you." She stood up and adjusted Eri's headpiece - white flowers and gold beads scattered all over, matching the dress. "Ready to go?" 

"I think so," Eri breathed, looking at herself one last time in the mirror. "Let's go."

*  *  *  *

Since Eri and Kazu had also found the idea of Companions to their liking, they worked out (along with their two best friends) that Lila would be Eri's Companion, and Marcus would be Kazu's. Both would also be escorted by their parents to the silver privacy screens. The Far North believed that the moment of reciting one's vows was a very personal moment, and that couples should also be given some degree of privacy. Kazu and Eri both wished to respect that tradition (and Kazu liked the idea a lot anyway; he wasn't too keen on everyone seeing him kiss Eri).