Nyx (Complete✅)

Chapter 72

   As the week went on, Beth became reacquainted with the colony that was once again her home. Liam took her on pleasant walks every day, sometimes in the bright warmth of early morning, and sometimes in the dusky cool of the evening.

   What Kelbar had said was beyond true. Everything, down to the very last buds on the grass, was in full bloom. The sun shone pleasantly every day, warming the colonists and ripening the first few fruits from the gardens. The year's second harvest of the native heart-limes brought huge gatherings together, where one or two knowledgeable humans would teach the rest of them how to make something or other. Jams and Jellies, juices, dyes, and even a mild liquor.

   Through everything, Beth and Liam continued to plan their wedding.

   Amazingly enough, they would still make it in time to be the very first couple officially married on Viscordian soil. Apparently, even though things had mellowed out a bit more since Beth had returned, people had been so busy with progressing the colony so far, so fast, that no one had had the time to think of such matters.

   Now, however, that was changing.

   Kelbar helped them with everything, by their side with each step. He helped them incorporate Viscordian wedding traditions into the plans, as well as small details that neither Beth nor Liam ever would have thought of without his help.

   The word of it spread like wildfire throughout the colony, and by the time the day finally came around, Beth was sure that every single person would be showing up. The place was abuzz with the news, and everyone was probably just as excited as the couple themselves.

   Standing in front of a mirror, Beth watched herself slowly transform into a bride; something straight out of her wildest, most pleasant dreams.

   She was getting married! And not only that, the person whom she was marrying was practically perfect. She couldn't have asked for anything, or anyone better.

   Her hair was put up in a twisting, fan-like braid that framed her head in an oddly beautiful way. It was a traditional hairstyle, though she suspected it had been tweaked for her vastly different hair-type.

   Her dress had been woven by the Viscordians, and it was, by far, the best wedding gift she could have hoped to receive. She had no idea how they'd done it, but the cloth was so fine that it felt silky to the touch. And though they'd taken her request into consideration and made it white, the cut of the fabric was also from Viscordian custom. It was more of a jumpsuit, in all honesty, with twisting drapes of fine cloth running down the back in an almost train-like fashion. A thinly-braided crown of teal grass wrapped around the fan-braid.

   Her makeup was perhaps the most in-line with the traditions of the planet's inhabitants. It was strikingly akin to the now-gone tribal marking from back on earth, delicate yet bold, and all in an almost transparent teal. A single tulip-shaped mark that she wasn't sure the meaning of sat in the center of her forehead, the only thing that wasn't blue-green. Instead, it was a gleaming gold.

   It was strange, seeing herself as a bride of both Earth and Viscordia; a bittersweet feeling on longing and pride. She almost wished for a normal wedding, in a chapel or on a beach, back on earth. But at the same time, she couldn't fight the swell of satisfaction that she would be the first proverbial bridge.

   In essence, she was also marrying the humans to Viscordia, officially, by agreeing to its customs and solidifying the peace between the two species.

    But underlying every other thing she felt was a twisting, acidic feeling of nervousness.

   There was the overflowing, overpowering joy. The pride, the sorrow, everything mixed into one. But still, that uncertainty remained.

   It was a ceaseless voice, telling her that she wasn't good enough. He was just marrying her out of pity. He would regret it after no more than a week. Things wouldn't work out...

   No matter how hard she tried to tame the queasy feeling, it festered there like an untreated wound, ignored but not gone.

   With Liam, looking into his eyes and seeing his bright smile, it was easy to forget every doubt and care that she ever had and ever would, but now that she saw only her own violet eyes staring back at her through the cold glass of the mirror, it suddenly seemed all too real. The possibility that something could go wrong at some point in the future loomed like a storm cloud.

   But today, she wouldn't let that storm cloud pour down on her. Today, she was going to marry the love of her life. Today, she would be the happiest human alive.

   She felt tears already forming in the back of her eyes at the thought. She was getting married... she couldn't believe it was really true.

   She would be a wreck when it really started. She would probably cry like a baby in front of the whole colony... but she didn't care. She had a right, didn't she? She loved him all the way back to the earth's moon and home again.

   Crying seemed to almost be an underreaction.

    She smiled and turned to thank the two Viscordian girls that had helped her get ready, only to find that the pair had left sometime during her reverie.

   A quick glance at the clock informed her that she would have to thank them after the service, as she would be running late if she dallied any longer.

   She gathered up the flowing sashes of her dress and hurried out into the open sunshine. The grass tickled at the bottom of her bare feet, the sun smiled down on her, and the breeze kissed her cheeks as if wishing her good luck and congratulations.

   It truly, truly was a perfect day. The sun-warmed red soil of the path quickly turned into the equally red brick as she made her way closer to the park where the wedding was waiting for her—where Liam was waiting at the end of the aisle.

   She arrived ever-so-slightly out of breath, standing at the edge of the wide expanse of grass.

  She could see it there, in the distance. The shimmering walls of fabric that had been hung from the trees swayed like phantoms in the light wind. Not only were they beautiful, but they also served as a block between her and the hundreds of people that had shown up. Another useful Viscordian idea.

   She found Kelbar near the fountain.

  Captain West had been her first choice to walk her down the aisle, but he was the one that would be marrying them, so Kelbar had been the very next person she thought of.

   His face broke into a wide smile when he saw her, and the two of them linked arms.

   As they began walking, Kelbar noticed her agitation and gave her a look of reassurance, hoping to calm her. She smiled in response, loosening her grip. 

   Her heart thundered in her chest as they approached the altar.

   Kelbar walked with her, down to the very last step. They passed through the first wall of floating cloth and suddenly came within sight of the crowd.

   If Beth hadn't known any better, she would have been sure that it was millions of eyes that turned to her, rather than the much more modest thousands that actually did. So many people had come to see this wedding...

   But her eyes drifted down the long, long line. Up there, close enough to just make out his shining expression, was Liam. The choked feeling of tears clogged her throat when she saw that the markings of his face were almost identical to hers.

   On his forehead, however, was an upside-down tulip shape. Had the markings from his head been drawn atop the one on her own, the two would fit together perfectly.