Imperial Wedding.

[Sultan 3953]

As the time of the wedding neared the whole of the empire was joyful and preparing for celebration. Today was the marriage of the heir-apparent Prince Horen IV and his beloved fiancee Lady Ari Hightower.

Shortly after sunset the guests began to arrive, dressed in the colors of the Divine House of Horen and bearing the banners of their respective families. As the guests approached the Church they pass through many ranks of Imperial Knights, decked in gilded helmets and wielding ceremonial swords. Watching the last of the guests enter, the Emperor rose from his pew at the front of the hall to hear the Imperial Anthem, followed directly after by his vassals. The choir began to sing.

God save our Emperor!

Long live His Majesty!

God save Godfrey!

Send him victorious,

Happy and glorious,

Long to reign over us:

God save Oren!

O Lord our God arise,

Scatter our enemies,

And make them fall:

Confound their politics,

Frustrate their foreign tricks,

On You our hopes we fix:

God save us all.

Thy blessed gifts in store,

On him be pleased to pour;

Long may he reign:

May he defend our walls,

And ever give us cause

To sing with heart and voice

God save Godfrey!

The crowd took their seats as the last notes of the song died down, with the Emperor sitting last. All eyes fixed upon the groom, Crown Prince Horen IV. He entered from the right, wearing a coronet of silver and magnificent purple doublet threaded in gold. He was accompanied by the Pontiff Boeindl Silverblade and other senior clergy, all outfitted in equally extravagant robes of crimson and gold. The groomsmen followed diligently, lead by the best man Count Georges Seigneur de Lorraine-Lillebonne. The bridesmaids, similarly lead by their Maid of Honor the Imperial Princess Anne, filed in from the left.

There was a silent gasp as the bride entered, escorted by her Uncle King James Hightower. She was a vision of perfect beauty. Her hair, braided with an array of wildflowers and held below a net studded with amethyst evoked the glories of pastoral Oren. Her dress was of gilded samite and woven with such a quantity of silver that it shone with every step. Her countenance, which was shaded by a veil of silk and topaz, glowed in the sunlight entering through the roof. There was an extended pause before the stunned priest remembered to say “All rise for the Bride” and the orchestra began to play.

Lady Hightower arrived at the altar as the orchestra faded away. King James stepped away respectfully and took his seat by the Emperor and the Princes as Pontiff Boeindl began the ceremony.

We are gathered here in the sight of God and these witnesses to unite Prince Horen and Lady Ari 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.

Prince Horen and Lady Ari, 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 Prince Horen and Lady Ari in their marriage. Surround them and us with Your love now and always.

The 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?

King James stood, We do. The Pontiff bowing his head slightly as the King 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. Prince Horen, it is your duty to love Lady Ari as yourself, provide leadership, and protect her from danger. Lady Ari , it is your duty to treat Prince Horen 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.

Prince Horen and Lady Ari, 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.

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

Prince Horen: Yes, I do.

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

Lady Ari: Yes, I do.

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

I, Horen, take you Ari, 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, Ari, take you Prince Horen, 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 Prince Horen and Lady Ari 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.

Prince Horen: Ari, 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 Ari: Prince Horen, 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 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 Prince Horen and Lady Horen snuffed out their small candles, leaving only the large one to illuminate them standing together.

For as much as Prince and Lady Ari 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 a Pontiff of the Faithm 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.

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

Pontiff: Prince Horen, you may now kiss your Bride.

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

Pontiff: It is now my privilege to introduce to you for the first time as one flesh, Prince Horen IV and Princess Ari.

[Sultan 3953]

(Nobles can post there thoughts and feelings about the wedding in rp)

[mylimo7 409]

"This wedding was quite delightful and... boring.. but I will surely rustle Prince Horen's jimmies when I finish his manor in Salvus.."

rubs his hands and evil laughs

[Mizu/Uzim 694]

*Sniffles since crying is for little girls*

[Old Man Boiendl 1454]

Prince Henry sits quietly next to William, his brother. He looks at his brother Horen, and his sister in law Ari. He wonders to himself when he is going to get a wife, he says quietly to himself "Surely my father wants me to get one... unless I'm like Uncle Richard.."

[Kickstarted and Running 965]

Patrick claps after the ceremony, and after they leave the chapel, he goes to his uncle Horen IV

"Dearest uncle, congratulations on the wedding. I hope you both live a lifetime of happiness. M father, your brother, would have loved to see this day"

He seems to force a simle as he says this, but his eyes show pain as he mentions his father

"If you ever need anything uncle, I can make sure it gets done" He smiles at his uncle and gives him a knowing look

Patrick goes and stands by Patrick Denims, discussing jimmies and the burrow, taking up his father's work on the subject and having been taught all there is to know by his father of the matter

[Goldd 126]

*Erisa is in tears as she watches the wedding*

*She was appointed to take care of the flowers by Ari ((IG))*

*The room is decorated with the most wonderful of flowers*

*Erisa holds out the best bouquet waiting to give it to Ari later*

[ACanadianCraft (Nate) 682]

*Simply stares upon the festivities, an expression of bitterness and distaste playing around his handsome features*

"I hope they're happy nevertheless."

[Scipp3r 451]

Patrick forces a smile out watching Horen IV actually finding love.

[aokavery 21]

Elena sits next to William enjoying the wedding, wondering if hers would be so grand.

[TeaLulu 1783]

The night before her long awaited wedding, Ari Hightower had managed little sleep. Keeping her mind racing over all of the preparation undergone and all that she must do during the ceremony was all she could do to keep from falling onto more negative thoughts; Remembrance of the nightmarish horrors she had undergone when she was previously engaged.

Now, however, her dedication and unbridled love to the Empire and Emperor had finally come full circle. When she had first laid eyes upon the Imperial Crown Prince, her future husband, she knew she would not live a happy life unless it was he she lived it with. When he had chosen her as his bride, she could scarcely believe it. Never had she been more happy when she and Horen had gone to Emperor Godfrey for his approval of their marriage; Why the Emperor would need even ask if Horen had forced her into the engagement was beyond her, and she had long since put it out of her mind.

As she dressed in her gown the morning of her wedding, she constantly went through the steps of the ceremony in her head, so as to ensure her actions would be perfect, flawless, elegant, graceful; That she would be the wife that Horen deserved.

Throughout the ceremony, it took all of her might to maintain her composure, to insure she did not burst out in tears of unfettered joy, though the sight of her Fiance in his finest attire nearly caused her to break down, as she walked towards him and their future together, down the aisle. She was overtaken by a euphoric nirvana as she gazed into his eyes at the altar, all of her nervous tension and paranoia washing away merely at his touch. To her, all else in the world washed away; It was merely her, and Horen, standing together, and to her, he was all that mattered now.

[Chaqery 427]

Lord Inquisitor Toov couldn't help but smile at the wedding. The decadence was tangible. It turned the very air a light, pungent, sweet taste. Everything was a blur of colors. Nobility of every level had made an appearance. This was their chance to make their names known in the upper circle of Oren's social scene.

This was, of course, keenly observed from the midst of the crowd. The Lord Inquisitor had removed his usual garb, instead dressing for the occasion. The only symbol of his office was the purple and black "I" broach pinned to his outfit. The searching gaze had been replaced with a twinkle, and his mouth creased in the gesture of a smile. This was an important day for the Imperial family, and his Divinity Emperor Godfrey had given Toov very specific instructions as to the presence of the Inquisition. They were to watch and protect from within the crowd. Leave the Red Dragon to their armor and ceremonial weapons.

And so Toov sat, listening, watching. Here was a room full of some of Oren's most powerful figures. They must be protected, but similarly watched for any suspicion in the rare event of a plot against the Imperial family. A very difficult position.

Throughout the crowd gathered Toov caught glimpses of fellow Inquisitors. They were all similarly disguised in elegant attire, and did their best to blend in with the rest of the crowd.

All in all, it was a magnificent wedding... but had anyone expected any less? This was the marriage of the Crown Prince of Oren. At the eventuality of Godfrey's death (Which, let it be said, is hopefully a long ways off yet), he would become the Emperor. The Inquisition was fully aware of this, and so their responsibilities were shifted in order to protect him as well... in a manner he would not object to. And so their first move was to watch over his wedding.

Ever vigilant.

The agents of the Emperor remained anonymous in the crowd. Such was the will of Godfrey.