Royal Wedding

[Haribo 385]

http://youtu.be/z1088E6E2fY

 

As the time of the wedding neared the whole of the empire was joyful and preparing for celebration. Today was the marriage of the King and his beloved fiancee, Katherine Winter.

 

Shortly after sunset the guests began to arrive, dressed in the colors of the House of Carrion and bearing the banners of their respective families. As the guests approached the Church they pass through many ranks of Holy Knights, decked in gilded helmets and wielding ceremonial swords. Watching the last of the guests enter, the guests rose from there seats at the front of the hall to hear the Imperial Anthem. The choir began to sing the Hymn of St. Thomas.

 

O God, St. Thomas, upon you be peace,

Our ever-proud souls refuse to be seized,

The den of humanity is our sacred home,

And the throne of our suns will never go down.

 

The mountains of Oren are towers in height,

Which talk with the zenith of the highest skies,

A land that is splendid with brilliant sun,

Turning to a sky or almost a sky.

 

The flutter of our hopes and the beats of our hearts,

Depicted on the flag that united our land,

Did we not derive the black from every man's eye,

And from ink of martyr's blood wrote to the tall sky?

 

Spirits defiant and past so glorious,

And the martyrs' souls are our guardians,

St. Thomas protects us with his great shield,

So why won't we prosper and why wouldn't we build?

 

The crowd took their seats as the last notes of the song died down. All eyes fixed upon the groom, Heinrik Carrion I. He entered from the right, wearing a coronet of silver and magnificent purple doublet threaded in gold. He was accompanied by the High Pontiff Lucien II and other senior clergy, all outfitted in equally extravagant robes of crimson and gold. The groomsmen followed diligently, lead by the best man Lorik Edain. The bridesmaids, similarly lead by their Maid of Honor Penelope Vekon, filed in from the left.

 

There was a silent gasp as the bride entered, escorted by Archduke Edward II. Her ladyship Katherine Winter shows so much beauty, the hearts of the onlookers are instantly melted. Her hair sits with neat braiding, curls falling softly to outline her delicate face. Among the braids, stunning scarlet rose buds are placed, which emphasis her beauty and the color of her sapphire eyes.

 

Her curves are accentuated by a tight fitted bodice adorned with lace and trimmed with pearls. Her arms are covered in lace sleeves that stop just before her elbow and the pale ivory of her skirts cascade and pool around her feet in a waterfall of silk. In Katherine’s hands she holds a beautiful bunch of pure white roses. A lace veil covers her eyes and trails down her back.. There was an extended pause before the stunned priest remembered to say “All rise for the Bride” and the orchestra began to play.

 

Her Grace Rose arrived at the altar as the orchestra faded away. Archduke Edward II stepped away respectfully and took his seat by the Imperial Family as High Pontiff Lucien II began the ceremony.

 

We are gathered here in the sight of God and these witnesses to unite King Heinrik and Lady Katherine in holy matrimony. As followers of Holy Light, they know that God ordained marriage as a sacred bond between man and woman, a divine institution of monogamy and holy love.

 

King Heinrik and Lady Katherine, as you prepare to take these vows, give careful thought and prayer, for as you make them you are making an exclusive commitment one to the other for as long as you both shall live. Your love for each other should never be diminished by difficult circumstances, and it is to endure on this mortal world and the divine one beyond. As God's creations, your marriage is strengthened by obedience to your Heavenly Creator and His Word. If you should let God’s will guide your marriage, He will cause your home to be a place of joy and a testimony to the world.

 

He took a moment of silence as to lead the congregation in prayer.

 

 

Our Creator; love has been Your richest and greatest gift to the world. Love between a man and woman which matures into marriage is Your most beautiful earthly love. Today we celebrate that love. May your blessing be upon this wedding. Protect, guide, and bless King Heinrik and Lady Katherine in their marriage. Surround them and us with Your love now and always.

 

The High Pontiff paused to request the congregation be seated, then continued.

 

Doubly blessed is the couple which comes to the marriage altar with the approval and blessings of their families and friends. Who has the honor of presenting this woman to be married to this man?

 

Edward II stood, I do. The High Pontiff nods his head slightly as the Count takes his seat, motioned for the choir to begin a hymn.

 

1. All things bright and beautiful,

All creatures great and small,

All things wise and wonderful,

The One God made them all.

 

2. Each little flower that opens,

Each little bird that sings,

He made their glowing colours,

He made their graceful wings..

 

3. The noble in his castle,

The freeman at his gate,

God made them high and lowly,

And ordered their estate.

 

4. The snowy crested mountain,

The river running by,

The sunset and the morning,

That brightens up our sky;−

 

5. The cold wind in the winter,

The pleasant summer sun,

The ripe fruits in the garden,−

He made them every one:

 

6. The tall trees in the forest,

The meadows where we play,

The rushes by the water,

We gather every day;−

 

7. He gave us eyes to see them,

And lips that we might tell,

How great is God Almighty,

Who has made all things well.

 

The Pontiff resumed after the hymn was completed.

 

Permit me to charge you both to remember that your future happiness is to be found in mutual consideration, patience, kindness, confidence, and affection. King Heinrik, it is your duty to love Lady Katherine as yourself, provide leadership, and protect her from danger. Lady Katherine, it is your duty to treat King Heinrik with respect, obey, support him, and make his home a sanctuary of peace. It is the duty of each of you to find the greatest joy in the company of the other; to remember that in both interest and affection, you are to be one and undivided.

 

The Pontiff, in a deep voice which resonated throughout the church, began the pledge.

 

King Heinrik and Lady Katherine, you have made a solemn decision in choosing to marry each other today. You are entering into a sacred covenant as eternal partners before God. The quality of your marriage will reflect what you put into nurturing this relationship. You have the opportunity to go forward from this day to create a faithful, kind, and tender home. We bless you this day. It your charge to keep the blessings of the Creator each and every day of your lives together. We wish for you the wisdom, compassion, and constancy to create a sacred union.

 

King Heinrik, do you understand and accept this responsibility, and do you take it as your duty to create a loving, healthy, and happy marriage?

 

King Heinrik: Yes, we do.

 

Lady Katherine, do you understand and accept this responsibility, and do you take it as your duty to create a loving, healthy, and happy marriage?

 

Lady Katherine: Yes, I do.

 

The Groom and Bride prepared to take their vows, without the faintest tremor of uncertainty.

 

We, Heinrik, take you Katherine, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, 'til death do us part: according to God's holy ordinance, and thereto I pledge you my love and faithfulness.

 

I, Katherine, take you Heinrik, to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, 'til death do us part: according to God's holy ordinance, and thereto I pledge you my love and faithfulness.

 

High Pontiff: May I have the rings. Let us pray. Bless, O Lord, the giving and receiving of these rings. May King Heinrik and Lady Katherine abide in Thy peace and grow in their knowledge of Your presence through their loving union. May the seamless circle of these rings become the symbol of their endless love and serve to remind them of the holy covenant they have entered into today to be faithful, loving, and kind to each other. Dear God, may they live in Your grace and be forever true to this union. Amen.

 

King Heinrik: Katherine, I give you this ring as a symbol of our vows, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you. In the name of the Creator, and of the Divine, and of the Holy Light. With this ring, I thee wed.

 

Lady Katherine: King Heinrik, I give you this ring as a symbol of our vows, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you. In the name of the Creator, and of the Divine, and of the Holy Light. With this ring, I thee wed.

 

With the completion of the vows, the two took from the altar small candles of beeswax. They nurtured them carefully as they approached a single, larger candle near the end of the platform. They tipped them gently against the unlit wick of the large candle as one would a pitcher of wine, lighting it and bathing their faces in a warm glow.

 

As the candles united the High Pontiff spoke.

 

Your two respective candles were lit to represent both your lives in this moment. They were two distinct lights, each capable of separate action. As you join now in marriage, there is a merging of these two lights into one light. This is what the Lord meant when He said, "On this account a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall be one flesh." From now on your thoughts shall be for each other rather than your individual selves. Your plans shall be mutual, your joys and sorrows shall be shared alike. As you each take a candle and together light the center one, you will extinguish your own candles, thus letting the center candle represent the union of your lives into one flesh. As this one light cannot be divided, neither shall your lives be divided but a united testimony in a blessed home. May the radiance of this one light be a testimony of your unity in the Creator's eyes.

 

There was a brief pause as King Heinrik and Lady Katherine snuffed out their small candles, leaving only the large one to illuminate them standing together.

 

For as much as King Heinrik and Lady Katherine have consented together in holy wedlock, and have witnessed the same before God and these witnesses, and there to have pledged their faithfulness each to the other, and have pledged the same by the giving and receiving each of a ring, by the authority vested in me as High Pontiff of the Faith according to the laws of the Holy Oren Empire, I pronounce that they are husband and wife together, in the name of the Creator, and of the Divine, and of the Holy Light. Those that Creator has joined together, let no man put asunder.

 

The Pontiff went to his knees to recite the closing prayer.

 

Be who God meant you to be and you will illuminate the world. Marriage is intended to be a holy vehicle by which man and woman unite to become what God intended each to be, their deepest and truest selves.

Some are full of fear for the future of the prospects of our world but the message of the celebrations in this country and far beyond its borders is the right one – this is a joyful day! It is good that people in every land are able to share in these celebrations because this is, as every wedding day should be, a day of hope.

 

In a sense every wedding is a royal wedding with the bride and the groom as king and queen of creation, making a new life together so that life can flow through them into the future.

King Heinrik and Lady Katherine, you have chosen to be married in the sight of a generous God who so loved the world. And in the Spirit of this generous God, husband and wife are to give themselves to each another.

 

A spiritual life grows as love finds its centre beyond ourselves. Faithful and committed relationships offer a door into the mystery of spiritual life in which we discover this; the more we give of self, the richer we become in soul; the more we go beyond ourselves in love, the more we become our true selves and our spiritual beauty is more fully revealed. In marriage we are seeking to bring one another into fuller life.

It is of course very hard to wean ourselves away from self-centredness. And people can dream of doing such a thing but the hope should be fulfilled it is necessary a solemn decision that, whatever the difficulties, we are committed to the way of generous love.

 

You have both made your decision today – “I do” – and by making this new relationship, you have aligned yourselves with what we know is the way in which life is spiritually evolving, and which will lead to a creative future for the human race.

We stand looking forward to a century which is full of promise and full of peril. Human beings are confronting the question of how to use wisely a power that has been given to us through by the Creator. We shall not be converted to the promise of the future by more knowledge, but rather by an increase of loving wisdom and reverence, for life, for the land and for one another.

 

Marriage should transform, as husband and wife make one another their work of art. It is possible to transform as long as we do not harbour ambitions to reform our partner. There must be no coercion if the Spirit is to flow; each must give the other space and freedom. this poem, sums it up in a pithy phrase:

 

“Whan maistrie [mastery] comth, the God of Love anon,

Beteth his wynges, and farewell, he is gon.”

 

There has been a corresponding inflation of expectations that personal relations alone will supply meaning and happiness in life. This is to load our partner with too great a burden. We are all incomplete: we all need the love which is secure, rather than oppressive, we need mutual forgiveness, to thrive.

 

As we move towards our partner in love, following the example of the Divine. This leads to a family life which offers the best conditions in which the next generation can practise and exchange those gifts which can overcome fear and division and incubate the coming world of the Spirit, whose fruits are love and joy and peace.

 

I pray that all of us present and the many millions sharing in your joy today, will do everything in our power to support and uphold you in your new life. And I pray that God will bless you in the way of life that you have chosen, that way which is expressed in the prayer that you have composed together in preparation for this day:

 

Our Creator, we thank you for our families; for the love that we share and for the joy of our marriage. In the busyness of each day keep our eyes fixed on what is real and important in life and help us to be generous with our time and love and energy.

Strengthened by our union help us to serve and comfort those who suffer. We ask this in the light of the Divine. So say we all.

 

As the High Pontiff took a moment of silence, bowing his head and making the holy symbol before raising his head to the couple.

High Pontiff Lucien II: King Heinrik, you may now kiss your Bride.

The King leaned in and plants a small kiss on her lips.

High Pontiff: It is now my privilege to introduce to you for the first time as one flesh, His Majesty King Heinrik I and And her Majesty Katherine, the Queen Consort.

[Haribo 385]

((Credits to Bishop John of Darfey.

 

+1 this.))

[Lark 2227]

Lark wipes a manly tear away from his eye as he watches the procession, "These things always make me tear up." 

[comanderbly^ 499]

Roderick Krawfyod bows down to the king and queen "Hail the Carrion Vochna!"

 

[Aetosion 2062]

Edward has no manly tears because he's a man, but is happy for his little cousin.

[Galendar 631]

Alexander smiles forward at the king, nodding his head, he hands him a key.

"You'll need this."

[SirSnowMan 318]

*Ailred Ruthern later gets very intoxicated, a traditional custom of course*

[Drazker 307]

The Duke of Northal rises, applauding as he smiles on to his previous ward, smiling from ear to ear in pride at her wedding to the Kingd of Oren.

[KoTo 610]

Malric wonders how his distant male relative could be the maid of honor.

[Will (TauFirewarrior) 2466]

William smiles and claps but now thinks to himself 

 

"Bugger all, now I have to get married..."

[YouKnowItsJuno 269]

Duchess Penelope Vekon stands next to her husband and claps for the happy couple. To herself, she thinks:

 

'Who the heck is Katherine?'

[Archbishop John 85]

Bishop John, give a sly smile as the High Pontiff did not notice in the papers he had given him that he had written, and by the laws of the Holy Oren Empire, I pronounce you husband and wife. Which John wrote instead of the Kingdom of Oren. Images and fond memory of the empire return to him, and for once in a long time he looks happy and in peace but then reality comes back, and he returns to his old paranoid grumpy old self. 

[lιoɴ 248]

Moved to the Great Library. It shall be sorted into appropriate category shortly.