A/N: As usual, I would recommend putting the video on loop.

Waking up to the usual sound of running water, (f/n) sat up on her bed and glanced over shyly towards the bathtub. She breathed a sigh of relief when she didn't find Tarhuinn there. When she peered down to his bed, he wasn't there either; however, she did discover a note in his place. Once in her hands, she read over it.

I've placed some breakfast for you on top of your dresser, and I'll be waiting for you in the garden.

A small smile touched her lips. He had granted her wish of not seeing her the morning of their wedding. Placing the note down, she got off of the bed and proceeded to eat her breakfast. After finishing, she completed her morning routine and changed into some new undergarments along with the purple dress.

She tied up the corseted bodice in the front before she buttoned the two buttons by the neck. The collar and long sleeves covered her undershirt, but, between the high collar and straight neckline was a gap, which exposed some of her skin. From the bodice, the dress flared out and went down to her midcalves. Its dark purple hue really was identical to the purple dying berries that Tarhuinn had shown her a little over a week ago.

With the dress on, she brushed her hair once more and pushed some of the loose strands behind her ears. Hopefully, she looked suitable enough. Taking a deep breath and exhaling, she made her way out of the room with her dishes in hand. Her free hand clenched around the skirt of her dress, and she walked slowly on the stone path. Once or twice, her eyes darted to the entrance doors when she passed them. It would be a waste of effort to try and open the doors. Besides, she had promised Tarhuinn that she would marry him, and because of it, she would get to exit through those doors tomorrow.

Forcing herself past the hall with the doors, she made her way to the garden after she had dropped off the dishes in the kitchen basin. As she neared, it felt like her heart might beat out of her chest or come up her throat. Somehow, her steps became even slower. When she entered the garden, though, she paused for a moment.

Directing her gaze over to Tarhuinn, she saw that he wore a long sleeved purple shirt and black pants. She had seen him wear the outfit before, but the significance of the event before her caused heat to rise to her cheeks. To avoid tripping or some other embarrassing mistake, she focused her attention on the officiant. It was her first time seeing another kelremm, though; this male was quite shorter than Tarhuinn, but he looked close in age. His hair was much shorter as well, only reaching his jaw line, while his facial structure gave him more of childish look.

Upon reaching the two of them, she stood across from Tarhuinn and looked up to him. Her head only came up to just below his shoulders after all. She folded her hands in front of her and gripped her fingers as the vows were read; however, her hands were soon taken up by Tarhuinn's. (F/n) knew that they were trembling in his. Embarrassed, she glanced away, and she heard him say, "I do."

On her turn, she was silent for a moment before she stuttered the words out, "I-I d-do." After her words, Tarhuinn pulled two rings out of his right pants' pocket. He slipped the silver ring onto her left ring finger, and she noted that it had plant-like designs worked into the metal. She took his ring and slipped it onto his left ring finger as well.

The officiant proceeded to announce that the groom could kiss the bride. She felt his hands move from hers as his right arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her close. Her hands ended up pressed to his chest as his lips met hers. His left fingers glided under her chin, and he deepened the kiss. By now, her cheeks were quite heated, and it was even more embarrassing that another person was watching them.

A few minutes seemed to pass before he pulled away and left her breathless. Out of the corners of her eyes, she saw the officiant bow and close the book in his hands. Still holding onto her, Tarhuinn mentioned, "I'll show you out. Thank you for coming."

"Of course, I'm happy to be of service," the male spoke as Tarhuinn finally released her.

"(F/n), stay here while I lead him out. I'll be back in a few minutes." She merely nodded her head and tried to get her pounding heart to calm down. They walked away and left the area, leaving her to grasp the reality of her situation.

Peering down at the ring on her finger, she traced over the design. She had figured this to be the reason why Tarhuinn had asked her ring size back when they were taking her measurements for clothes. It was still strange to see a ring there. Now, she couldn't go back, and, after their search, she would have a child with him. The implication of that made her cheeks burn. Her hands rose to her cheeks.

Pressing against her warm skin was the cool metal of the ring. It only further reminded her of her bond to Tarhuinn. To cool herself off, she walked over to the window and opened it. A cool mountain breeze blew through while rain descended from the sky. The heat in her cheeks started to dissipate, but her left fingers came up to touch her lips. She couldn't deny that she had enjoyed the kiss.

Splashes of water sounded behind her. Soon enough, hands wrapped around her waist, and he rested his chin on top of her head. "The dress does look stunning on you, (f/n). I'm glad that you suggested that I wait to see you in it, but I was wondering if you would like a dance. The rain can be our music."

Turning around in his arms, she nodded lightly. A gentle smile overtook his lips as he stepped back some. Each of them placed their hands in the proper positions before he led her in a slow dance. The rain gave the two of them a gentle and peaceful background noise while the cool breeze now made her move closer to Tarhuinn.

"What time will we be leaving tomorrow?" she asked quietly, glancing up to him a little.

"The usual time since that's when my friend will arrive," he responded, spinning her before bringing her back in softly. "I'll show her what needs to be done each morning, but it won't take long since she takes care of crops of her own. We'll head out to the market afterwards and trade for some traveling foods while asking around for information on the five authors. Just be aware that we'll receive some rather odd stares."

"Stares aren't going to stop me from finding answers. My life is more important than the judgment of others. You shouldn't be pressured by them either."

Smiling softly, he leaned closer to her. "I suppose that's true. Your life is more important, and I'll protect you to the best of my ability when we leave." He placed his lips on hers once more and moved them away shortly after. "If someone insults you or makes you uncomfortable, let me know, and I'll deal with them."

(F/n) gave him a simple nod, but she detected a tinge of madness in his voice in his second statement. She didn't know how he would deal with them, but she thought that it would be best not to find out. "Shall we start preparing our dinner for later? It will take awhile to make after all," she voiced, finding that it would do well to switch topics.

"Yes, that sounds like a good idea." He drew his hands back from her and closed the window. The sound of rain quieted down, and he wrapped his right arm around her waist. This made her walk down the water path with him, but she figured that it would be fine. It was their wedding day after all.

Entering the kitchen, both of them went to work on preparing the grand meal for later. She was set to plucking the feathers from a chicken that Tarhuinn had selected that morning while he went to work on cutting the vegetables and herbs. During the process, she would occasionally glance over to see how he handled a knife. Every time she watched him, he worked the blade expertly.

His skill didn't develop from just working in the kitchen, though. No, he handled the blade as though he had been in combat multiple times before or at least trained to be in combat. It was reassuring to know that he could probably defend against an attack if they were to meet some threat during their search. She wished that she knew how to fight with a blade, though, since it would be better if they could both defend themselves. Right now, she wouldn't bring up the request as it might anger him, and she didn't want to get in an argument with him today.

So, she held off and finished with her work. From there, she was tasked with filling a pot full of water and starting the fire. Once the fire was ready, she hooked the pot over the flames. Tarhuinn went to work on cutting up the chicken before adding the meat, vegetables and herbs to the water. She tossed in some salt to the mixture as well.

With it now cooking, she went to work on washing the dishes from the morning and the new ones. While Tarhuinn helped her, she paused for a moment. "What name did I take up?" she asked, realizing that his last name had never been given.

Laughing somewhat, he looked to her. "I forgot to tell you. How silly of me. Our last name is Marredon."