Finally Getting Married

Writers: AL, Jane, Kaysea, Vix
Date Posted: 27th November 2008

Characters: Fog, Lineal, Rahona, Eliste, Tahna, Linli, Vaheri
Description: Fog and Eliste are finally getting married.
Location: Elsewhere on Pern
Date: month 13, day 11 of Turn 4

Fog paced the upper deck of the boat, the last day or so he had felt his nerves tightening deep in his belly. Organising the wedding had taken all of his powers of persuasion - family ashore, as well as onboard, had all been roped in to help. And now, in less than a candlemark, they would be married - providing Eliste didn't have second thoughts. He could hear excited voices on the deck below, and knew his daughters were getting ready with Eliste in their cabin - less than a candlemark and he would have a complete family again.

"If you wear a hole in the deck I'll make you repair it before you can get married," Lineal threatened his cousin as the other man walked back the other way along the balcony.

"What? Oh, its you." Fog laughed nervously. "It's almost time..."

"So, why all the nervous pacing? In a candlemark it'll be all over and this worry will've been for nothing."

Fog shook his head, "I think I'm more nervous this time," he admitted, "I keep thinking she'll come to her senses and realise I'm too old for her."

"Rahona thought I was too young for her, for a while," Lineal mused with a smile for the memories.

"Were you worried she wouldn't show up?" Fog asked.

Lineal realised that he had never told his family about his family life before returning to the Sungazer. "Rahona and I were weyrmates - and there's no ceremony for that - for Turns before we got married. When we did marry, so that we could come here, she was a bit reluctant but it wasn't anything special. We just went in to see the Weyrharper and he witnessed our promises. All over and done in a moment."

"You mean, you lived together - had children together? You only married just before you came back?" he shook his head in surprise, he knew things worked differently for dragonriders, and in the Weyr, but his own cousin? Though Rahona's family were mostly 'riders so it wasn't anything out of the ordinary for them.

"That's how they did things, there."

"It's a lot different here, as you know. We had to be so careful while at the waypoint." he shook his head, "and now...every day I wonder if she will come to her senses, about me."

"Perhaps it's time you came to your senses about yourself." The words were uttered by Vaheri as she approached, straightening a bench here, eyeing the polish of a rail there, and ending to look up at him. "You're really not as bad a catch as you seem to think."

"You have to say that." Fog laughed, "You're family."

"Which means we _really_ know you," Lineal pointed out with a smile for his cousin.

Vaheri stopped next to the soon-to-be-wedded man and studied him for a moment before brushing a small piece of lint from his shoulder. "She'll find no fault in you when she sees you."

"Not after Aunt Vaheri has checked you," Linial muttered with a grin for his aunt.

~ ~ ~

Eliste sat silently and as patiently as she could while Rahona fussed with her hair. Her eyes darted over to Tahna who cradled Follen while she was being worked upon. He had recently demanded food, hence her preparation taking longer than originally intended. To be honest, she was rather embarrassed over the fuss being made. Her handfasting to Helvar hadn't been a big deal. They had gone to the harper, she had said some vows that she had never really felt, and that was that. She had thought that something similar would have transpired between her and Fog - only that time she would mean what she said. She supposed it was a big deal to the family, however, so she said nothing.

"You look lovely." Tahna said, smiling across at the woman who would soon be her step mother. The time she had spent with Eliste since the woman had boarded the boat, had been wonderful - being able to spend time with someone who shared similar interests. It had also helped that Eliste and Marilea appeared cordial to each other. Tahna had felt comfortable it the presence of both women - and it pleased her to see how happy her father was, now.

"Hey! Everyone is ready." Linli popped her head back around the doorway. She had been out to watch the family gathering for the ceremony, and in the process become more excited by the moment, "Oops! Sorry... I didn't wake him, did I?" she asked, looking across at her older sister.

"There. Linli? Have you still got the mirror?" Rahona asked. "Let Eliste see how she looks."

"I'll get it." she said a little more quietly, reaching out for the mirror and passing it quickly to her aunt.

"There. Are you happy with that? Because we can make Fog wait if we have to," Rahona said, with a grin, thinking it strange that she was as excited as the little girls about the wedding when for most of her life she had lived in an environment where weddings were almost unknown.

Eliste blinked at her image in the mirror and smiled softly. She almost didn't recognised herself. She looked so...so...formal, but not in a bad way. No, the twists that Rahona had fashioned complimented the shape of her face. "It's lovely." She stated after a moment, though even if she hadn't liked it she wouldn't have hurt Rahona's feelings by saying so.

"You look lovely." Tahna said, standing up and walking towards the two women. Follen stirred for a moment in her arms, but drifted off again.

"Can we go yet?" Linli asked plaintively.

Eliste laughed softly and glanced up at Rahona. "I don't know. Can we?"

"We can go," Rahona assured everybody. "I'm sure the men have been ready for ages."

Eliste stood, hands smoothing out the skirt to the dress she wore. It wasn't hers, but was loaned to her from Rahona. It was a lovely gather dress of green, something to bring out Rahona's eyes but it also complimented Eliste's colouring as well. It had been too long, but a bit of basting temporarily took care of that - long enough for the wedding anyway. "I don't want to make them wait." She hoped they hadn't been waiting too long as it was.

"Open the door, then, Linli," Rahona instructed. "Tahna?" She looked at the girl. "Are you carrying Follen? Because I will if you like ..."

"I've got him." she smiled indulgently down at the sleeping baby, and followed them all out of the cabin.

Linli all but skipped ahead of them, she was so excited.

Eliste followed after them, much more subdued, but her heart joyful. They were about to become a family. A happy, _loving_ family.

He could hear noises of approval behind him and turned to see Eliste, flanked by his daughters and their son, approaching. His heart skipped a beat as he realised she hadn't come to her senses and run. A smile creased his face as he felt tears of joy well in his eyes. She looked beautiful – more beautiful, even, than she had on the day she had given birth to Follen. With a light heart, he turned back to Lineal, the smile not leaving his face.

"Told you she'd be here," the riverboat captain whispered.

"You couldn't wait to say that, could you?" Fog half laughed at the smug look on Lineal's face.

"Happy to be able to," Lineal corrected his cousin.

The murmuring behind them began to settle down and from the corner of Fog's eye, he could see Eliste arrive at his elbow. He turned to face her and felt a wetness to his eyes. "You look beautiful..." he whispered.

Eliste smiled, her entire face, her entire being lighting up. She took her place beside her beloved and turned her eyes to Lineal who would be performing the official ceremony. She was there, finally, about to take vows that she could say with her whole heart. Helvar was gone, a memory that she would be glad to leave behind. He was her past, the man beside her was her future. And oh...what a bright future it was!

Last updated on the November 28th 2008

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Finally Getting Married