Himura Estate, Shinden, Allied Clan Worlds, 237/3/6.
It had taken a little persuasion on Naomi’s part as well as an intervention by Misaki to get Kyle and Courtney to use what the Himuras called their ‘guest mansion’ for their wedding. They did not want the fuss, but they also had to admit that they could not really afford a proper wedding without help from their friends. It was not like the Martell family were going to assist in a marriage they considered beneath them, and the Maynard family were a long way away and not that rich. At least a few of the Maynards had managed to make the trip from Beherbergen to Shinden. There was not a single Martell in attendance.
It had taken some persuasion on Courtney’s part to get Nava to be a bridesmaid. Mitsuko was the maid of honour – just as Naomi was taking the role of best man – and Melissa had agreed to be a bridesmaid as soon as she was asked. Nava had asked whether a solemn, apparently emotionless, bridesmaid was really fitting for a joyous occasion. Courtney had said it did not matter; she wanted her friend up there for the ceremony. Not to mention the girls’ night out before that. It had eventually taken Mitsuko adding her voice to the argument to settle the matter, so Nava was up at the front of the room they were using for the ceremony, dressed in a short, pinkish-red dress with a low-cut front. The dress looked better on Melissa.
According to Melissa, marriage had been a religious thing back in the ancient times before more rational heads had prevailed. These days, it was a civil contract, and its primary purpose was to ensure the security of any resulting children. Kyle and Courtney had already gone through the necessary genetic screening – no one had really expected any problems with that given the difference in their clan status – so all that was left was for an official from the Clan Worlds bureaucracy to perform a small ritual and sign off on the marriage. Of course, most marriages were not officiated by the Secretary General of the Clan Worlds, but Misaki had played her ‘Do you know how often I get to do something nice in this job?’ card and made it sound like the confused couple were doing her a favour. From another viewpoint, having Misaki perform the marriage ceremony kind of made it hard for the Garavain clan to show too much hostility.
‘As with so much bureaucracy in the Clan Worlds,’ Misaki said in a clear voice obviously used to making public speeches, ‘you have to jump through many legal hoops to get married, and then the actual ceremony is rather anticlimactic.’
There was a rumble of laughter from the audience. Since there were no members of the Martell family in attendance, the seating had been arranged with the Maynards and the ASF attendees on one side, and guests from the school on the other. It was not a huge turnout, but everyone there was family or a friend. It seemed more intimate than a larger wedding because of the small guest list.
‘Without further ado then,’ Misaki went on, ‘do you, Kyle Maynard House, agree to accept Courtney Martell Garavain as your legal partner?’
‘I do,’ Kyle replied.
‘Do you, Courtney Martell Garavain, agree to accept Kyle Maynard House as your legal partner?’
‘I do,’ Courtney said, ‘and in so doing, I accept the Maynard family as my own.’ The last little bit was a formality required to allow Courtney to take Kyle’s family and clan names. Technically, Kyle could have accepted the Martell Garavain name, but it was more usual for the female partner to change her name, and everyone knew the Martells would never have accepted Kyle.
‘As a duly appointed member of the Clan Worlds Administration, I, Misaki Himura Sonkei, acknowledge the partnership of Kyle and Courtney Maynard House. On behalf of the Allied Clan Worlds, I wish you all the best for your joint futures.’
~~~
‘Well, it finally happened,’ Mitsuko said. ‘You’re married. Congratulations.’
‘Thanks,’ Courtney replied. ‘There were times when I thought it wouldn’t, I have to admit.’
‘Beherbergen?’
‘Oddly, no. Okay, so I was worried. My fiancé was captured by terrorists, and I didn’t really think there was anything I could do about it. But that lasted about five minutes. Once Nava got serious… And then we were flying out on a Greyling transport ship with you and Nava and Melissa and Rochester, and I was still worried, but deep down I knew it was going to be okay.’
‘I wish I’d known you were coming,’ Kyle said. ‘I think I’d have felt a lot better about it if I had.’
‘You expected us to sit still and do nothing?’ Nava asked.
Kyle looked at her for a second. ‘Well… I was being tortured. I wasn’t thinking straight.’
Nava nodded. ‘So, it’s a week of sun, sea, and sand in the Ishikawa islands, and then Courtney starts officer training, right?’
‘Officer training,’ Courtney said, ‘and then police training. I won’t be doing any real work until October.’
‘But before all that,’ Kyle said, ‘we get the sun, sea, and sand.’
‘Assuming you get out of bed,’ Mitsuko said.
Courtney giggled. It was a very un-Courtney sort of thing to do, but it seemed to fit on her wedding day. ‘We can always do what we’d be doing in bed on the beach.’
‘That sounds uncomfortable,’ Nava said. ‘Sand everywhere. Think of us slaving away in class while you’re indulging your baser natures.’
‘I won’t. Not once.’
‘That… seems reasonable.’
‘I will after. I’ve missed being at school. I’ve missed hanging out with all of you. I don’t suppose I’ll be involved with any of your adventures after this. Which has its good and bad points.’
Nava gave a slight shrug. ‘The only person I know who could predict the future is probably dead. When I leave SAS-squared, I’ll be joining the Intelligence Response Directorate, and they have their fingers in everything. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but don’t discount the possibility that I will drag you into some sort of dangerous situation in the future.’
‘Oh. Yes. You’re probably right.’ Pause. ‘Well, that’s something to look forward to, isn’t it?’
###