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The arrangements with Augustus were made, and he agreed to provide all the requested items, on one condition: that he, his wife, and his children could be invited to the wedding. I would have wanted him there, anyway; he had proved a friend, even after our original distrust.
However one broke it down, I was glad Augustus was on our side. Maybe he still wanted to control everything, but in the end, Augustus was Augustus, and the Wasteland would probably be better off in his hands, anyway.
I was in the process of getting ready. There was less than an hour left, and I was getting nervous. Michael had trimmed my hair aboard the Perseus; Anna was getting ready on Orion. Thankfully, Michael left some length so that I wouldn’t be totally unrecognizable.
I looked in the mirror in the lavatory one last time. I was shaven, my hair trimmed, and clean. Even a healthy tan remained from my time in Nova Roma. I had to admit, Michael had made me as handsome as I’d probably ever be. There was a maturity to my face that had been lacking three months ago.
“Not bad,” Michael said. “You clean up good.”
“Thanks.”
I sat on my stool, staring at the brown clumps of hair that had fallen on the deck. Michael began to sweep them up, throwing them in a nearby garbage can. Once he was done, he brushed his hands together.
“Let’s get ready,” he said. “Ceremony’s getting close.”
I went to my cabin, dressing myself in the uniform laid out for me. I had protested at first, because I really wasn’t a soldier, and didn’t feel like I’d earned the right to dress like one. Michael told me that I was more soldier than a lot of soldiers he knew, and that put an end to the argument.
In fact, all my groomsmen – Michael, Samuel, and Julian – were wearing the same uniform as I was: we found the military clothing in the dresser aboard Perseus. Michael was my best man. I would have been happy with any of them, really, but Michael had done so much to help out that he deserved the spot.
The uniforms were dusty and wrinkled from lack of use, but Augustus put some of his party staff on the job, and had them crisp and clean in a matter of minutes. The uniforms were Air Force blue, both the pants and the three-buttoned jacket, and with a matching dark blue tie. Ashton said the Air Force uniforms were fitting, given how much we had flown around, though he also said real airmen wouldn’t have lost over sixty percent of the United States Space Fleet.
Michael and I got dressed, and I felt nothing but uncomfortable in the uniform. I figured, though, if Anna was wearing a dress, I’d look a little off if I didn’t dress up as well. Apparently, Augustus had given her an amazing white dress, so people probably wouldn’t be looking at me much, anyway.
Finally, Michael handed me some shiny, black shoes. I slipped them on.
“Alright, stand up straight,” Michael said.
I stood off my stool. Michael held out a small mirror, where I looked at my reflection again.
“You’ve come a long way, kid.”
I turned to see Char standing in the cabin’s doorway.
“Everyone’s made it?” I asked.
Char nodded. “Yeah. People are getting seated right now. Me...” He smiled. “I get the honor of escorting the bride.”
“Have you seen her?”
Char chuckled. “That’s bad luck, kid. Did no one tell you that?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Think I may have heard that somewhere. What about Samuel? Julian?”
Samuel and Julian appeared behind Char, dressed and looking snazzy.
“So, we ready?” Michael asked.
Samuel and Julian nodded, but they were watching me.
“You have the ring?” I asked.
Michael nodded. “Yeah. Still in my pocket.”
“Let me see it.”
I didn’t know why, but I wanted to make sure it was really there. The ring was also a gift from Augustus, which he got from one of the best jewelers in Nova Roma. Augustus had gone through so much trouble and had given so much that I had no idea how to thank the man.
The ring itself was probably the fanciest and most beautiful piece of jewelry I’d ever seen. It was a product of the Old World. It was hard to imagine anyone having the ability to craft such a magnificent piece, even in the Empire. The band was platinum, twisting and swirling intricately, and the top had a large diamond, which must have cost a fortune. Smaller diamonds were set in the platinum swirls.
“It looks incredible,” Julian said. “So shiny.”
I felt like the wedding expenditures had gotten out of proportion, but it had all been others’ idea. Anna and I loved each other, and that was what mattered. If all of our friends wanted to celebrate in style, who were we to stop them?
“Alright,” I said, handing the ring back to Michael. “I’m ready.”
***
I WAITED ON THE CONSTRUCTED wooden stage. Behind me, the waves crashed against the shoreline. We were set up in the exact location where we had rested all those months ago. Down the beach, at water’s edge, a huge cliff rose, against which waves crashed. Two sections of seating faced toward me, a lane of sand running in-between them. Ashton and I were the only ones standing here above. He would be conducting the ceremony, since he was the closest thing we had to a preacher. Which was a scary thought, if you thought about it.
Familiar faces filled the crowd: there were Marcus, Grudge, and several other Raiders and Exiles I recognized. Augustus was sitting up front, as we had promised, along with his wife, the Empress, and his youngest son, who was probably ten years old. The Empress was a beautiful woman, tall, regal, with long, dark hair, and dressed in a flowing, green gown.
The fact that such a diversity of people had gathered was a symbol: we were no longer divided. We were all on the same side, and we were going to celebrate together, fight together, and even die together.
The sky was a perfect blue, like out of a storybook, and puffs of white clouds trailed above. The air was slightly cool, but perfect. I wasn’t too hot in my uniform, which had been my fear.
My heart began to race when, at long last, a stream of people exited a large pavilion set up on the green hill rising above the beach. That line flowed downward, including all my friends. First came Callie, with a basket of flowers, followed by the groomsmen and bridesmaids, set in two lines, after which came a beautiful girl in a white dress that dazzled in the sunlight, still too distant to make out the details. Next to Anna walked a man who must have been Char, also in an airman’s uniform.
The line advanced slowly toward the seating. My eyes kept trying to find Anna, but she was mostly hidden behind the others. Julian was escorting Makara, Samuel was escorting Ruth, while Michael escorted Lauren. Makara, of course, was Anna’s maid-of-honor. Their first encounter, three months ago, had consisted of Anna’s placing a blade at Makara’s throat. It was funny how things had worked out.
Standing in front of everyone, with a basket filled with white and yellow rosebuds, was Callie. When the two guitar players from New America began to play, one strumming and one picking, she walked forward, flowers streaming and falling in the wind. When she reached the end of the lane, she was grabbed by Ada before she could cause any trouble, as six-year-olds were wont to do. Ada pulled Callie close, sitting next to Deborah and some of the other former Community women.
As the music continued, Julian and Makara walked forward, arm-in-arm. Makara wore a light blue dress that shimmered like deep sapphire. Augustus had taken pains to provide all the women in the wedding these beautiful blue dresses, chosen to reflect the color of the Pacific Ocean. Makara was striking in her dress, and until this day, I could have never imagined her wearing one. She looked radiant.
As Makara and Julian fanned out, each taking their place on either side of the stage, Samuel and Ruth walked up next. Samuel looked strong and handsome in his uniform. Ruth, also, was striking in her blue dress, and her wavy blonde hair tumbled downward and her blue eyes shone brightly.
Last of all came Michael, escorting Lauren. They both smiled up at me. As they parted, Michael winked before taking his place beside me.
Everyone in the wedding party now stood on the stage – everyone but Anna. With Michael and Lauren now on stage, Anna was revealed. She was so beautiful that my heart nearly stopped. Her dress shimmered, almost silvery in the sunlight. Everyone drew their breath at how lovely she was. The dress itself was bedecked with colorful sequins that gave contrast to the brilliant white. Augustus, clearly, had spared no expense, and this wedding dress would have been fitting for an Empress.
But the true beauty was Anna herself, and everyone knew it. Her green eyes found mine, and she gave a small smile. There was nothing in the world but that face, those eyes looking into mine.
The guitar players transitioned into a new song – one which I could not name, but was instantly familiar to me. I’d heard it in movies I’d watched back in Bunker 108. I only knew it was the wedding song.
As the music started, Anna strode forward. My eyes were so focused on her that I didn’t even notice Char escorting her. His blue eyes dazzled as I shifted my focus to him. As with Michael, he gave a sly wink.
Before he let Anna go, he said something to her. She nodded before he helped her up the steps.
Char retreated to his chair, sitting next to Augustus on the front row.
Anna stood facing me. Looking at her face, I could almost forget how nervous I was. We held hands and looked into each other’s eyes.
Ashton stepped forward to begin the proceedings. I had no idea what he had prepared.
“Dearly beloved,” he said, loud enough to be heard by everyone, “we’re gathered here today to see two young people join together in matrimony, and...” He paused a moment, shaking his head. “I feel like these things are in danger of going on too long, especially when there’s food to eat and booze to drink. But more importantly than that, there’s love to celebrate.”
Ashton motioned to Michael. Michael moved forward, handing me the ring. I held the ring, turning to face Anna.
“In accordance with the happy couple’s wishes, I’m going to keep this short. So, Alex...repeat after me.”
He said the words, which I repeated: “I, Alexander Lorin Keener, take you, Anna Bliss, to be my wife, to love and to cherish, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, in life and in death, from this day forward. I give to you this ring, as a symbol of my constancy and devotion, from now until the end of my days. With this ring, I thee wed.”
I slipped the ring on her left ring finger.
“And you, Anna,” Ashton said, voice thick. “Repeat after me.”
Anna said the same words, and as she did so, a tear came down her face. I knew what she was thinking. We would only have a few days to enjoy this. But at least the world would know that we had loved each other.
Anna slipped my ring on: a thick gold band that was unadorned, but classic. We continued holding hands as Ashton continued.
“You have said your vows. You have exchanged your rings. There is nothing left to separate you from becoming man and wife.”
Ashton turned to me. “Alex. Do you take Anna to be your wife, to hold and to cherish, to love and to protect, for the rest of your days?”
“I do.”
Ashton waited a moment before turning to Anna.
“Anna...do you take Alex to be your husband, to love and protect, to hold and cherish, for the rest of your days?”
She smiled. “I do.”
Ashton waited a moment, before breaking into a smile. “That’s it. You’re husband and wife. Alex, you may kiss the bride.”
I smiled, lifting Anna’s veil. She smiled as I leaned forward to kiss her.
The crowd applauded, and I probably kissed her a little longer than I was supposed to, but as far as mistakes go, I guessed that one was okay to make.
I held out my arm, which she took, and escorted her down the lane toward the green hill.
We waited at the base of the hill, where all of our friends came to congratulate us.
I looked at Anna.
“Well. We’re married.”
“Yeah,” she said. “It’s weird, huh?”
“I guess so.”
From the sea, thunder boomed. I turned to see dark gray clouds on the horizon.
“That’s not a good sign,” I said.
“Quit being superstitious,” Anna said.
“We should get to the pavilion,” I said. “They’ll have the food ready soon.”
Anna smiled. “Always thinking about food.”
“I know you are, too,” I said. “Don’t lie.”
“Come on,” Michael said. “Let’s get up there before we get drenched!”
The storm was fast advancing, and already, a few fat drops were falling and the wind had picked up. We vacated the beach, where the waves had increased in size, and made our way up the hill.
Hopefully, during the meal, the pavilion would stay standing.
***
BY THE TIME THE STORM came, everyone had gathered inside the pavilion. The wind and rain buffeted against its westward side, but not so hard that the pavilion was in any danger of collapsing. In fact, the pavilion’s interior was cozy, filled with a rosy, red light from hanging lamps. The food had been cooked and prepared beforehand, overseen by none other than Mayor Herbert Shaw of New America. He and several of his residents had roasted pork and vegetables, as well as baked some flatbread. From the farms of Skyhome had come fruits and salads, and from the Empire itself Augustus had a cake prepared, which I was now seeing for the first time. It was three-tiered and covered with thick, white frosting.
The cake, along with the food, was set on a long banquet table in the center of the pavilion. Tables and chairs were set up around various tables inside the tent. No less than two vats of wine had been brought along with the cake, from Augustus’s own cellar. With the rings, the dresses, the food, and the wine, there was no way we could ever repay him. Still, I knew all this stuff had barely made a dent in his vast wealth.
I had the opportunity to meet Augustus’ wife, the Empress of Nova Roma, along with the Royal Heir, whose name was Hadrian. She congratulated me on my wedding and said that she and her husband had been looking forward to it.
When everyone was seated, Ashton stood and whistled, getting everyone’s attention.
“We’ll go by table, starting with the bride and groom, and work our way around,” he said. “Let’s eat!”
There was general cheering and applause. We filled our plates with food and our cups with wine, and dug into our meal. The food was delicious. Even as it rained and thundered outside, we laughed and celebrated for what seemed the first time in my life. I was so happy, maybe aided a bit by the wine (which Anna made me stop drinking by my second cup). There wasn’t enough happiness in the world, and it was great that there was at least this one day to celebrate it.
The pavilion was filled with a lively hum as everyone ate. At our large table sat all of our closest friends – most of the inner crew, along with Marcus, Augustus, and his wife and son. From time to time, I would catch glimpses of other people I had met throughout my journey. Jonas Sparks sat a few tables away, talking intently to Deborah – who seemed to be vaguely interested in what he had to say – while Marcus sat on Deborah’s other side, staring daggers at Sparks. Mayor Shaw sat with Julian’s mother and sister the next table over. Julian was among them, laughing – and standing next to Julian, holding his hand, was none other than Makara herself.
Grudge sat quietly with some of his Suns in a corner, sipping a cup of wine – the gang was no more, but the friendship among their members had continued. Meanwhile, the guitarists from New America began to play music, and from time to time, Julian’s sister would get up to sing. I never really knew the songs. There hadn’t been much time for music in my life. Still, it was lively, and seemed good to dance to.
“Come on,” Anna said, grabbing me by the hand.
Some space had been cleared in one of the pavilion’s corners, near where the band was set up. I noticed that Anna and I were the only ones dancing.
“I never really learned how to dance,” I said.
Anna smiled. “Me neither. Now’s a good time to learn then, huh?”
I didn’t feel too nervous about it. I was only happy, and happiness made it easy to dance.
“Just do this,” Anna said, placing my right hand in the small of her back. “And hold my left hand, over here...”
She moved her feet, slowly to the tempo of the music. Everyone quieted as all eyes turned on us. I felt a bit self-conscious. I just tried to time my steps with Anna, which was harder than it seemed. After a moment, though, I got the hang of it. We danced and turned with ease, almost becoming one.
“Not bad,” Anna said.
“You’re really graceful,” I said.
Her face reddened a bit. “Well...I kind of lied. I had a bit of practice. My dad, when he was alive...he showed me how to dance when I was little.”
I nodded. That must have been a long time ago.
We continued dancing until the song was over. Anna suddenly stopped, but I didn’t want her to. But everyone around us was clapping, and the band struck up another tune, with a faster beat.
I then realized that we weren’t done dancing, only that everyone else was coming to dance with us.
An hour went by in what seemed minutes. We were only stopped when Ashton interrupted us, pointing to the cake.
“Not to stop the party,” Ashton said, “but we non-dancers are getting a bit impatient staring at that cake.”
“Then have some!” I said.
Ashton laughed, and shook his head. “Bride and groom get the first bite. And make sure you feed her the first bite.”
“Why?” I asked.
“It’s just a thing,” he said. “Trust me.”
We stood around the cake. Ashton did the honors of cutting a rather large piece. We didn’t have cake in Bunker 108. I’d heard about it, seen it in movies, but no one ever actually made it. Most of the desserts we had were fruit-based, and were actually pretty good. But the way this cake even smelled was heavenly; the frosting was wavy and looked sticky. I noticed the cake itself was brown.
“It’s chocolate,” Anna said, with wonder.
I’d never eaten chocolate before – it wasn’t really native to the Wasteland, but apparently, they grew it in the Empire. Ashton put the cake on my plate, looking almost sad to let it go.
“I haven’t eaten chocolate in almost twenty years,” he said. “This alone is almost enough for me to forgive the old bastard.”
I took the cake and a fork. I partitioned off a small piece, and lifted it to Anna’s mouth. She took a bite that was both eager and delicate at the same time. I didn’t see how she managed that.
After she took her bite, she did the same for me. When the cake entered my mouth, an explosion of rich sweetness radiated from my taste buds. Words could not describe how good it tasted. If it weren’t for all the people there, I probably would have started stuffing my face at that moment.
Now that we had our cake, everyone else started to get theirs. The dancing was suspended for the moment while everyone devoured the sweet dessert.
We ate and danced late into the night. By the time people filtered out of the pavilion, the rain had ceased. It was a strange thing, having a wedding all the way out here. For the first time, I realized that there was nowhere for people to sleep. That was when I realized that people would be sleeping aboard both of the spaceships.
The air was warm, even after the rain. I followed the procession of people into the night.
“What now?” Anna asked.
“I don’t know,” I said. “I’m really tired.”
“You’re not sleeping, yet!” Michael said, stepping outside the pavilion. “There’s still the honeymoon.”
“And where will this honeymoon take place?” Anna asked. “Everyone is sleeping on the spaceships!”
“We have something set up for you guys on the beach,” Michael said, giving a wink. “Come on.”
Michael turned to the crowd, telling them that we were going away for a while. Everyone laughed and cheered; Augustus and Ashton raised their cups in tandem. Alcohol, it seemed, had made them forget their differences for the moment.
Michael led us down the hill and away from the crowd streaming in to the two spaceships for the night. They waved as we walked away from them. We arrived at the ocean, and Michael led us across the sand.
“Where are you taking us?” I asked.
“Almost there,” he said. “Just another minute.”
We rounded the promontory that jutted out into the sea – the rock formation arched over the sand, leading to a beach on the other side. Set up under a stand of palm trees was another pavilion – smaller than the one we had used.
“This is it,” Michael said. “It’s all yours. You have all day tomorrow to enjoy it.”
“All day?” I said. “What will we do?”
Michael chuckled. “You’re about to find out.”
My cheeks burned as he turned and jogged away.
“Not much for subtlety, that one,” Anna said, kicking off her shoes and leaving them on the sand.
“Well...” I said. “Yeah.”
Anna smiled, facing the sea. She still wore her white dress, of course, but the veil had been lost somewhere on the way.
“They didn’t really plan this well,” she said. “Having me wear this beautiful dress on this beach.” She pulled up the train, to show me how the sand had worked its way between the fine fabric and sequins. “See?”
“I see that.”
We both turned to watch the waves, calmer now that the storm was over. The stars had come out in full, painting the sky with crystalline light.
“I’m going to change out of this,” she said. “Let’s sit by the water for a bit.”
She went into the pavilion. I kicked off my shoes and socks – the shoes were practically ruined from walking over the wet grass and sand. I took off my jacket and white dress shirt, following Anna into the pavilion.
The inside of the pavilion was covered thickly with fine carpets. A full-size bed filled with plush pillows and soft, luxurious covers dominated the space, all lit by an overhanging lamp.
“Where’d you find your clothes?” I asked.
“They left our stuff in here,” she said, pointing to a duffel bag filled with her clothes. “Yours is on the other side.”
I dug out a more comfortable pair of pants, and changed, leaving my dress clothes behind.
Anna looked at me before heading back outside. I followed her to the shoreline, to the edge of where the surf stopped and retreated to the vast sea.
We sat there, Anna sitting in front and leaning into me, our legs outstretched. The surf touched our feet, cold and dark.
We’d been sitting in silence for ten minutes, when she spoke.
“What do you think about, looking at those waves?”
I took a moment to think of an answer.
“I’m...just at peace, right now. I’m not really thinking of anything.” I squeezed her arm. “What about you?”
“I don’t know. It’s amazing, though. The sea. Each wave is like a generation. The ones that come after build on the ones that came before. Even as the greatest wave recedes, another rises to take its place.”
We sat there a while longer, watching the moon make its ascent. With it the tides rose, forcing us to get up and move. I took Anna’s hand, making her face me.
We kissed under the stars and high moon, as the waves passed up the shoreline. When we broke, we walked back to the pavilion.
We undressed and lay on the bed together, and looked into each other’s eyes. I held her in embrace. I kissed her again, and we became one.