Once he looked the way his bride was coming, Gray's eyes opened wide as he looked at her. He knew that blue hair with those crazy curls, the deep blue eyes, and the whiteness of her skin... He froze in his spot when he fully realized exactly where he remembered seeing the woman walking towards him from. It was the girl! The girl he talked to the night before! The girl he wasn't supposed to meet until that moment.

Oh. Shit.

If he said something, then the marriage would fall into pieces and he couldn't do that. He had the honor of the Ice Lands to protect. And it wasn't like they knew who they were talking to. It was a coincidence, right? Right? Did she want to meet him before the wedding and set that meeting up somehow?

No. When his eyes met hers, Gray could see the surprise written in them. She knew that he was the Duke as much as he knew that she was the Marchioness. It was a coincidence. He sighed in relief. At least his future wife didn't have some kind of agenda.

The blue haired woman had a frown in her face as well. Jose Porla stepped beside her and was leading her towards where Gray, the priest and the judge were waiting.

Once they stepped closer, Jose offered the hand of the blue haired woman to the Duke, who took it and leaned to kiss it.

"Duke Fullbuster, this is Juvia Lockser, Marchioness of Rain." Jose said.

The Marchioness was about to say something, but Gray couldn't let her ruin the marriage by saying that they met before. It was a tradition they couldn't break, so, he did what any other person would've: he lied.

"It's nice to meet you for the first time, Marchioness." He hoped that she was smart enough to understand what he was saying. She also knew that they shouldn't have met, even if it was by accident; it could ruin not only the marriage, but also the relationship between the two lands and neither could afford that; the Ice Lands needed the blue diamonds as much as the March of Rain needed to sell them.

The Duke kissed her hand, like any other lord would do, staring at her eyes pointedly. Luckily, she got his message.

"Y-yes, Duke Fullbuster-sama." Juvia said, nervous and bowed to him. "L-likewise."

She was so surprised to learn that the man she met on the balcony was the man she was going to marry!

Was that... Fate?

Maybe that's why they met the night before? Maybe it was the universe's way to tell her that she had to marry him. Maybe...

Master Jose interrupted her thoughts when he spoke with a silky voice.

"Shall we sign the papers?" He said, making both the Duke and the Marchioness look away from each other.

"Yes, we shall." Gray nodded and offered his arm to the blue haired woman. She took it, shaking a bit as he noticed. Well, it was a bit crazy but he felt better knowing that she was as nervous as him. At least he wasn't alone in this. He looked to the Judge, an old man. "We will sign the papers now. No need to say anything fancy, save it for the Outside Wedding." The older man nodded and reached for the papers.

Once he found them, he put it on the table in front of the couple and Jose Porla, who didn't move away.

The Judge offered a quill to Gray. The Duke let go off Juvia's arm and bended a little so he could sign his name. He didn't hesitate.

Gray Fullbuster gave his word that he was going to marry that woman, and the gods help him, because he was doing it.

#

Juvia took the quill her husband-to-be offered her, trembling; after she signed her name in those papers, she would be married. She, a married woman! Even without the second part of the ceremony (which was just a big flashy wedding for the people; the real wedding was happening at that moment) she was going to be married to a man she just met.

Well, okay, it wasn't entirely true. The night before she did talk to him and Juvia was convinced that he wasn't a bad person by the way they talked. At least that was a good thing, right?

And the fact that he wasn't bad to look at didn't hurt at all. Duke Fullbuster was indeed a very attractive man. He was tall, not as tall as Gajeel though. His black hair was combed, but it was too rebel to stay in the way it was put. And, somehow, she could tell that the fancy clothes he was wearing weren't of his liking at all. The dark coat with some blue patterns didn't fit the guy Juvia talked the night before.

She took the quill and bended over the table so she could write her name.

Juvia tried as hard as she could to stop trembling so people could actually read her name.

Once she finished and raised her head, she saw that the man she assumed was the priest because of his ridiculous clothes, a dark brown gown with a big and long white hat, just like the ones the priests back in her March wore, came closer to her and the Duke.

He took one of Juvia's hands and placed above Gray's, and then he took another to place above the Duke's and they did the same with Gray's.

She wrinkled her nose to the old costume. Their hands, one above the other was to mean that they had to have each other in anytime and in any situation, in any way. The sentiment was nice, but the way of doing it was silly; people could just say it. The priest then, surrounded their hands in a white cloth with many religious symbols. He then, spoke in a clear voice.

"Gray Fullbuster, 31st Duke of Winter; do you accept this woman to be your wife in holy matrimony, to be your companion in life and your helper during your ruling over this Duchy and the March of Rain until death do you apart?"

The Duke didn't hesitate in answer the question. Juvia was impressed of how serious and decisive about the wedding he was.

"I do."

The priest nodded and looked to the blue haired woman.

"Juvia Lockser, 29th Marchioness of Rain; do you accept this man to be your husband in holy matrimony, to be your companion in life and your helper during your ruling over this Duchy and the March of Rain until death do you apart?"

The Marchioness took a deep breath and with a boost of courage she said strongly, surprising even herself: "I do."

"Before the gods," The Priest said. "You vowed to be together and your bond will never be broken or fade away. You will be forever united in marriage. You are now husband and wife." The old man put another cloth over the white one, but it was red this time. "You may kiss the bride."

Juvia's heart began to beat faster as Gray leaned towards her.

That was it!

She was going to be kissed by him. It was the rule, right? All she could hear was her heartbeat and all she could see was his face getting closer and closer to her own.

Oh, she wasn't supposed to have her eyes open, was she? Juvia closed her eyes and put her lips together, expecting his own on hers...

...when she felt his cold lips on her forehead.

She opened her eyes, more disappointed that she should have been. Since she was a little girl and she was taught the ritual of marriage, Juvia dreamt about having a romantic kiss at that day, given by the man she was in love with.

But not a thing about this wedding screamed 'romance'; so a kiss on the forehead was good enough. She sighed.

"The goddess of fertility will not be happy with this, Duke." The old priest gave him a dirty look. "She's the one who decides about how many children you will have, sir."

Gray smirked and shrugged. "You said 'Kiss the bride' and I did; you never said where I was supposed to kiss her." Juvia couldn't help but thinking it was funny the way he talked to the old man. Back in her homeland, people feared the priests and there the Duke was, bending the rules and pissing the man off.

"Fine. It still counts." The priest sighed and didn't even try to talk to the Duke. He probably knew the Duke was a lost cause. "I introduce you to Gray Fullbuster and Juvia Lockser, Duke and Duchess of Winter, Marquess and Marchioness of Rain; united by holy matrimony."

Gray grabbed Juvia's hand, startling her a little bit and they turned around, to look to the witness, who were now bowing towards them.

Suddenly, Juvia felt her face get warmer but she raised her chin in pride. She was no longer just a Marchioness, she was also a Duchess, and she was going to live up to the expectations.

#

Okay, so maybe she was scared to death about the consummation of marriage and maybe couldn't live up to the expectations.

Juvia was walking barefoot from one side to another only wearing her night gown, her hair loose, in the room that she was now to share with her husband. Yes, they would share one.

Usually, the castles had joint rooms for the couples; she should have her room and he would have his. And whenever he wanted to try and have babies with her, he would open the door that joint the rooms, make the baby and go away. At least that's what Marge told her. But of course, the Ice Lands had to be different in that aspect, as if she wasn't scared enough with the changes.

Another thing the old lady told her was about what exactly happened in the bedroom after the marriage.

"Just lie on the bed, dear." She was never that nice with Juvia before. "Men like to have you quiet and still. When it happens, it'll be very painful and not pleasant, but you must endure it and be quiet, otherwise he might get angry. After a while it will become less painful and after a few years, you'll have the descendants the noble men want so much and then he'll stop coming to you."

"It's gonna hurt?" Juvia was surprised. No one ever told her that.

"Yes. A lot, actually." Marge nodded and Juvia's eyes had the size of the moon. Marge had explained to her years ago of how babies were made, but she left out the part where it hurt very badly! She was combing the younger woman's hair, since the Marchioness already had a bath to wait for her new husband. Her hair was loose, without the curls and reached almost her waist. "But you are a strong child. And that Duke... he is a handsome one. You got lucky. My husband was an ogre." The old woman said with bitterness. "The only good thing he ever did was give me my children. You'll have your own children to love as well. Keep that in mind and you'll get through is."

Juvia nodded and looked at herself in the mirror, while Marge still combed her hair.

'What am I getting myself into?' She asked herself quietly.

And ten minutes before, Marge had stepped away from the room, leaving Juvia alone with her own thoughts.

When the door opened, probably revealing the Duke, since she knew that no one else would enter his room without knocking, she sighed and before turning to look to her husband, she said to herself.

'Juvia is strong. She can do this.' The blue haired woman turned to look to the person standing by the door. She was strong enough to do what it took.