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A soft breeze blew through the leaves of the trees in the grove. The birds were singing particularly sweetly and the scent of wildflowers and honeysuckle was in the air. Flower petals from the flowering fruit trees flew through the breeze like snowflakes in springtime. Bordering the edges of the grove were ferns of the deepest green and in the grove itself was a moss that covered the ground like a lush carpet. Standing amidst all this splendor of Nature was a woman, human and with the wisdom of a few years in her eyes. She finished attaching the last of the ivy to her robes and looked herself over smiling. She had always dreamed of a day like this, but now it was truly happening and her heart and stomach were aflutter.

A large raccoon walked up to her with seeming ceremony and dropped a rose at her feet. She smiled warmly at the animal. "Thank you Sithe." The woman picked up the rose and tucked it into her firey red hair which fell around her shoulders in waves and ringlets. The rose seemed to shift in color until it perfectly matched the ivory gown she wore. The gown stretched down to graze the top of her feet upon which were simple sandals with flowers tucked into the weaves of the leather. Her robes covering all but the very front of her gown, were of a deep forest green which succeeded in making her red hair even more vibrant. Attached to the robe were trails of ivy and honeysuckle vines and blossoms of wild flowers. These plants seemed to be clinging to her robes from sheer willingness to be part of her.

The birds of the grove started twittering wildly and a shadow passed overhead. The woman smiled broadly as the fluttering in her stomach increased tenfold. She watched from the cover of the swaying trees as the immense silver dragon circled overhead and landed perfectly in the clearing near the grove. After tucking his wings back he swiveled his long neck around peering into the woods and smiled a toothy draconic smile.

The dragon then sat up on his haunches. His form shifted and moved until it was much smaller and now in the shape of a humanoid. As he quickly recovered from the change and started walking toward the trees, the woman saw that he now looked like a half elf. He had silver hair that was as neatly trimmed as his matching beard and moustache. He was dressed in bright, shining silver platemail which seemed to move fluidly as he did, unlike the bulky armor of other knights she had seen. His amber eyes shone with affection and adoration as he neared her.

"Emileeza, my love," said the half-elf in a deep, resonant, melodic voice as he dropped to one knee and kissed her hand in greeting. Emileeza blushed as she always did when he lavished such affections upon her. Would she ever get used to that?

"Good day, my dearest Turac." She watched him gracefully stand once more and met his gaze with her bright blue eyes. She melted every time he looked at her like that. She wondered how she could feel like such a flustered young girl when she had seen more summers than most humans could ever hope to see.

Turac felt as if his heart would burst as he gazed upon his betrothed. He thought she had never looked so beautiful as she did on this glorious day. She was positively glowing. He had noted that the glow seemed to deepen each time he called her "love" or kissed her hand. That had always been one of the things that endeared her to him; she had never been able to hide how she truly felt about him.

Just then the birds began twittering again, and the raccoon scurried from the forest. Turac and Emileeza looked back up along his path and saw a strange-looking creature approaching. From the waist up, it appeared to be a tall man with smooth, unblemished skin the color of aged parchment and black hair adorned with feathers. His dark, almond-shaped eyes glowed with kindness as he gazed upon the loving couple. Emerging fully from the forest, his snake-like body came into view.

Turac bowed low before him. The naga smiled warmly and said, "I received your message, noble Turac."

The half-elf nodded and replied, "I am glad to see Murh is good for something."

"Is he the son of Aeros?" asked the snake creature.

"Aye, though not a true blood," replied Turac. "He is adopted." The naga nodded and turned toward Emileeza.

Emileeza stepped forward and embraced the naga in a warm hug. "It is so good to see you again, Quazi," she whispered. The naga squirmed free from the embrace and tried not to look too uncomfortable.

"Humans and their physical shows of affection! I will never understand them." Emileeza simply smiled at her friend and led the way to the grove. Quazi looked around the grove, a slight smile playing across his features as he drank in the peacefulness and serenity. It quickly vanished; his typical solemn face reappeared.

At that moment, there was a cacophonous uproar among the forest denizens. The three friends hurried to the edge of the grove to investigate the disturbance. There, landing in the clearing were two more dragons, each slightly smaller than Turac, and each a different color. The bronze and the copper looked skyward, indicating more guests were on the way. Coming in quickly and landing a bit less delicately than his uncles was a smaller brass dragon. Turac waved and motioned for the trio to enter the grove.

The three dragons shifted form as Turac had done and walked toward their friend. The two taller ones appeared to be half-elves, but the smaller and apparently younger brass now looked quite like a halfling. "Quazi, may I present my Brothers in Io’s service, SkadUalin and AlaeUraka." Turac motioned to the two older ones. They bowed deeply to the naga, their own suits of armor gleaming in the colors of their true forms’ scales. Then Turac patted the little one on the head. "You have already met MurhEndor I believe." The youngster looked up at Turac and grinned.

"Uncle Turac, I delivered the message just like you told me, and I didn’t even stop to scare any livestock. Honest!" Murh looked at Turac with a proud smile that made Turac chuckle.

"I know Murh. Good job! Quazi here told me he got my message. Thank you my boy." Turac smiled at the boy warmly and then turned to Emileeza. "Do you have anyone coming, my dear?"

Emileeza nodded. "Aye, my love, my sister should be attending today. I am so glad you’ll finally get to meet her."

"As am I, my dearest." Turac put an arm around her and they all walked back into the main grove. Emileeza called the animals over to serve her guests. There were honeyed herb teas, candied flower petals and several different types of fresh fruits. As everyone was talking and laughing, enjoying themselves, Sithe the raccoon came up to Emileeza’s gown and tugged slightly. Emil looked down and nodded, smiling. She excused herself from the men’s discussion and walked toward the clearing once more. The birds had silenced, but the men had not noticed due to their conversations.

Emileeza stood completely motionless and seemed to blend into the surrounding trees and vines. She watched silently for what she knew was there. Then, suddenly and for but a split second, there was a glint of something shiny. Emileeza chuckled and walked right over to where she had seen it. "Good try sister," she said, "but you cannot hide from me in my own grove."

There was a muttering in a thick elven tongue and then out of the shadows stepped a beautiful woman. She had hair the color of snow and skin as dark as the depths of Turac’s cave. Her eyes were a deep dark purple and the lack of pupils made them even more eerie to behold. She was dressed in a sleek set of black armor that was polished to a high shine; probably it had been what had glinted in the scant sunlight streaming through the trees. To each side of her belt were fastened black scabbards with ornate silver hilts visible. Emileeza wasted no time in embracing the woman in a hug like she had given Quazi. The woman returned the embrace, but extricated herself quickly. "Tis good to see thee, sister."

"Aye, I was beginning to think you wouldn’t make it," smiled Emil as she watched the dark elf call her steed from the shadows. The sleek black stallion neighed when he saw Emil and nuzzled her. "Hello Sgàth," Emil rubbed the horse’s nose and stroked his neck, "You are looking as beautiful as ever!"

"Ach! I swear he loves ye more than he does me," muttered the elf, "Besides ye be the one who looks beautiful!"

"Thank you, Amelia. That means a great deal coming from you." Emileeza helped tether Sgàth to the trees near the clearing where he could graze. "Are ye ready to meet them?" Emil asked as she looked up at Amelia’s chiseled face.

Amelia chuckled, "Ye are starting to slip back into thy accent, my dear Emileeza. And, yes I am ready to meet them. I have looked forward to meeting Turac since the first message ye sent to me of him. Emileeza smiled and led the tall dark woman into the grove where the gentlemen awaited their arrival. She introduced them all and watched the men lavish their attentions on Amelia. Turac waited til his brothers had greeted Amelia before approaching her. He bowed to her gracefully and said, "Your Highness, do my eyes deceive me? Is this a goddess I see before me in mortal form?"

Emileeza smiled as Amelia looked from Turac to Emil as if to say, "Where did you find him?" Amelia smiled and bowed in return to Turac and replied,"Milord, to be sure, tis my honor to meet thee. Ye are most certainly not only silver of skin, but also of tongue." She grinned to both Turac and Emil. Amelia's face then seemed a bit more solemn, "Milord, please accept the family's blessings upon thy union to my sister. Blood may not bind us, but the bonds of family are strong, and we of the House Ulandra are honored to call ye family." She bowed once more and turned to give Emileeza a hug. "I am truly happy for thee, dear sister." They all smiled and chatted as Emil showed Amelia to the refreshments. She also noted more than one of the other dragons seemed quite taken with her sister, and she chuckled quietly.

"Is anyone else due to arrive?" asked Quazi.

"Nay, AerosAtar unfortunately had to stay with the nest, so he will be unable to attend. He does send his blessings though." said AlaeUraka.

"I am expecting no more either. Amelia is the last of my family." replied Emileeza.

"Then shall we begin?" asked Quazi as he looked to the loving couple.

Turac and Emil nodded and Turac turned to his bride. "Where do ye with the ceremony to take place, Love?"

"Here in the glade, in the sunlight," replied Emil.

Emil gazed into Turac's brilliant eyes as she felt the butterflies returning. She felt a warm sensation spread over her and a feeling that all would be fine. She smiled as she knew Turac had felt her nervousness and done what he could to reassure her. Their bond had been very strong since the day they had met; today it felt stronger than ever.

Quazi smiled at the couple as they all moved into position. He then removed his satchel and layed it upon the ground, opening it. He removed a few strands of kelp from within the pack and layed them on the ground. He then took out a pearl and layed it upon the kelp, wrapping the strands around the pearl concealing it inside. He then took his crystal knife out of the pack and turned to face the bride and groom. Meanwhile, Sithe, the racoon had come and taken Quazi's staff and leaned it againt the large tree in the center of the grove. Emil nodded reassurance to Quazi that it was safe.

"I must warn you, this is a mixture of a fertility rite of my people and the marriages I have learned amongst the humans... I have been told it is rather... potent, my dear friends." said Quazi in his serpentine accent.

Turac and Emil smiled at each other and then to Quazi. "Well perhaps it will be again," said Turac and Emil felt her cheeks redden.

"Turac, will you please remove your right gauntlet?" asked Quazi.

Turac nodded and removed his gauntlet. It was of shining platinum decorated in gold relief designs. Quazi then handed the crystal knife to Turac.

"Take the knife and slice open your palm, please," said Quazi in a solemn voice.

Turac accepted the knife and did as he was asked. He stared at the fresh wound on his hand, and it began to close almost immediately. He closed his eyes and seemed to be concentrating. He reopened his eyes and looked at his palm. It had stopped healing. He turned his eyes back to Quazi

Quazi then took the knife from Turac and turned to Emileeza. He handed the knife to her and asked her to do likewise. Emil accepted the knife and sliced her palm, concentrating on not flinching. Then she sighed and handed the knife back to Quazi, glancing at Turac who smiled reassuringly at her. "Now please clasp hands and allow the blood to blend and look into one another's eyes. No matter what happens, do not allow your eyes to stray from one another's. Do you understand?" instructed Quazi. They both nodded, keeping their eyes locked.

Quazi then placed the dagger in the earth, underneath their clasped hands. He took the kelp from around the pearl and wrapped it around his friends' clasped hands, weaving the two pieces of seaweed intricately. "What was once two is now one, what was once separate is now whole. Blood and flesh intertwined, One flesh, two hearts, two souls." he chanted. Quazi then turned to Turac.

There was a little rustling in the group standing by watching the ceremony as Murh tried to get a better look. However he was quickly and gently pulled back into place by Alae. Amelia smiled at the young halfling and turned her eyes back to the shaman.

"Turac Endeem, noble Dragon of Silver, friend and ally of all that are good. Do you swear to love this woman, to cherish her, to honor her, to hold no secrets from her, forever and ever, and all eternity?" asked Quazi.

"Aye, I do..." replied Turac as his heart leaped.

Quazi turned to Emileeza. She smiled and held her gaze into Turac's amber eyes. "Emileeza Ulandra, noble Druid, protector of Nature and all her children. Do you swear to love this man, to cherish him, to honor him, to hold no secrets from him, forever and ever, and all eternity?"

"I do," she answered with a smile upon her lips.

The naga then layed both his hands upon the interwoven kelp strands twining their hands and said, "Then by your oaths, you are bound. You are bound to each other, through eternity, by bonds unbreakable. With words and oaths, two have become one. One flesh, one heart, two souls."

He then removed his hands from theirs and picked up the large pearl. He crushed the pearl in his strong hands and sprinkled the dust over their hands. The couple could both feel the strengthening of the bond -- the mingling of souls. Quazi's eyes began to glow.

"With the power of the Bright Eye, two souls become one. A blessing of Amaterasu, the mother of creation, upon you, my friends. And with that blessing, two souls become one. One flesh. One heart. One soul. Forever." intoned Quazi.

There was a slight chittering in the forest and the guests noticed that animals of all sorts had come to watch. They were apparently led by a large white stag who snorted at the noisy squirrels, making them quiet down immediately. The dragon knights and Amelia all turned back to watch the ceremony, eager to see what happened next.

Quazi moved to pick up the crystal knife once more and cut the kelp. "The binds are no longer needed. You are now One, forever." He clasped his friends' arms. "Congratulations my dear friends, you are now husband and wife."

Emileeza leaned into Turac with a big smile on her face and turned her face up to his as he leaned down to kiss her. Quazi rolled his eyes, never understanding the mammalian rite of kissing and asked, "Was there more to the ceremony you wished to add?"

Turac nodded, "Noble friend, will ye please witness one more thing? This I must do for my people, not for my family, but for those of my race who do not believe that our union, the union of dragon and non-dragon, can work..."

"I will of course, my friend." replied Quazi.

Turac turned back to Emil, "Emileeza, my love... I speaketh this for thee. I, TuracEndeem, with Lord Io the Ninefold as my witness, do hereby swear to take thee, Emileeza, as lifemate, To love and protect, to cherish and revere, 'til the end of my days. May Io's blessing be upon us and prove this joining of two into, One Flesh, One Breath, One Life, to be a long and prosperous one." He then removed a small solid platinum ring from a pouch and gently slipped it onto her left ring finger.

Emileeza could no longer hold back the tears welling in her eyes as he slipped the ring onto her finger. Beside her she could hear, "I, the Quazi, formerly the Ashlim, servant of Amaterasu, the Bright Eye, hereby second this noble Dragon, my dear friend, and bear witness to his oath." TuracEndeem kissed Emileeza deeply, his oath now spoken for none to dispute. Emil returned the kiss, but felt a tugging on her gown at her feet. She reluctantly broke the kiss and looked down.

The raccoon that had taken Quazi's staff earlier had brought something over to Emil and placed it in her hand. "Thank you dear one. You did a good job. You did not lose it," she smiled. Emileeza took Turac's hand and placed a jade band on his left ring finger. "Turac, my love,..this is a symbol of my neverending love for thee. 'Tis enchanted to grow when you change so that you may always wear it."

Turac looked down at the ring and moved to kiss her once more, tears filling his own eyes. Quazi then said in a louder voice, "Let it hereby go forth this day. Turac Endeem and Emileeza Ulandra are husband and wife, and lifemates. Let all who deny or object seek me out to silence their false claims. This I do swear."

"Aye and I will silence any objections as well," stated Amelia

Turac's family nodded and slowly walked into the clearing, embracing their brother and new sister-in-law on their way. Murh looked questioningly at Skad and Alae. The other two simply gave each other knowing looks, as they changed to draconic form and flew away, their wings stirring the leaves of the trees as they disappeared over the nearby mountains.

Amelia gave her sister a hug and bowed to Turac and Quazi. "Turac you are now one of us, -- Brother." She smiled, mounted Sgath, and rode away, also disappearing into the wilderness.

"I will give you your privacy now my friends. I am needed back in the Emporium. It has been my honor to be here this day." said Quazi as he gathered his things to go.

"Thank ye noble Quazi, ye have done us both a service I will never be able to repay," replied Turac.

Quazi looked up at the sunlight streaming into the grove and smiled, "Indeed, Amaterasu herself gives her approval of the wedding"

Emileeza smiled and walked to Quazi, "Yes dear Quazi,..thank you for performing our ceremony,..you made it even more special than I imagined.

"It is not me you have to repay. Just live long and happily, that is payment enough," answered the naga. Emileeza gave him a big hug. "Farewell my friends," he said as he slithered into the forest toward the portal to Juxta.

"Io and Obad-Hai were watching as well," said Emil when they were alone.

Turac nodded, "I saw the stag and the nine-pointed star as well. We are truly blessed, as is our union, my -- wife."

Emil smiled, "Aye my husband." Turac then scooped her up into his arms and kissed her deeply. She returned the kiss eagerly. After a moment, he broke the kiss and looked into her ocean-blue eyes.

"Are ye ready to see our new home, my love?" asked Turac

Emil just nodded and kissed him again as his wings burst from his back and wrapped around them like a liquid silver. Then they disappeared together in a blast of snow and ice, headed for their cabin in the mountains.


FFRP Wedding Log
Emileeza's Story
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