[Character Development] With this ring.... (Odyleon, please)

Robyn Meiers · October 2, 2007, 05:06 PM

Timestamp: Melora, Brightening 25, Spring Era XIVpf

They had left quietly, travelling out in order to ensure that no one knew where they had gone. Robyn had told the manager of the Angel that she was unwell, and Odyleon had made sure that this brightening wasn't one where he was needed for any reason. Angel was at home with the nanny and so the two of them were free.

And so they had left Taralon and arrived here. The village, if it could really even be called that, was small. A collection of houses and not much else. But there was, of course, one other thing here, and it was to this that Robyn and Odyleon travelled. A shrine to Diana. And a kindly old priest to boot.

And this kindly priest had agreed to marry the two young'uns in front of her. They were obviously in love and the young woman had very clear ideas of needing to be married by a priest of Diana, so she was more than happy to oblige.

But Robyn had, of course, brought the dress with her, so this moment in time, this snapshot of their lives saw Odyleon standing there, waiting for his bride-to-be to emerge, standing before a shring to Diana as an elderly woman looked at him kindly and said "Do you have the rings?"

Odyleon · October 3, 2007, 09:48 AM

It was a good brightening, and thankfully it looked like that whoever controlled the weather wished for the ceremony to be successful. Granted, it had changed a lot from Robyn's original plans, but they were both incredibly happy about it. There was a strange feeling of... anticipation in the air as they left the gates of Taralon, only to return as a married couple. Ody wasn't sure whether this would deal with all the paperwork that the law always demanded of people whenever they decided to sneeze, but he did not really care, either. Marrying his love was the only thing that counted right now.

Dressed in his best silken robes, quite obviously the garments of a Mage and the only ones he would feel comfortable in, he stood by Robyn's side throughout the walk to this small village in the Sherian countryside. They had picked a quiet rural village of simple folks who would not ask them a lot of questions - it was good to be among people who did not even know who they were. Ideally they should have used a disguise for this, but not today, not on their wedding brightening.

And Ody had brought sweets along, of course, insisting that Robyn have some every now and then so she would have the energies required for the ride. The air was fresh, the suns were shining, the clouds were pretty, no-one around them was killed as they went, and all in all everything was just perfect. He nodded respectfully at the priest, for she was not just any priest but their priest. How long had it been since he'd last visited a temple? A very long time indeed.

He smiled at the question and rummaged in the pockets of his robes, producing a small wooden box which, when opened, revealed two rings ready for use. "Are these acceptable?" he asked, wondering if there were special requirements for rings that he did not know about. It was unlikely that the old woman had seen such expensive rings many times before - if she had always lived here, it might well be her first time, but Ody was rather paranoid as he held the items in question, vaguely wondering what he was supposed to do with them. These ceremonies were rather alien to him, and he couldn't remember ever attending a marriage except that time in Port Alyxandrya, but that didn't even count because Robyn and himself had legged it well before the ceremony.

Robyn Meiers · October 8, 2007, 05:13 PM

It was time, and Robyn felt her stomach churning. She turned to the women who had helped her put on the dress, people that she had never met but folks who visited the Temple here, and that was enough for her. So she stood and waited as one of the women, a kindly older woman who was here with her daughter, went to check that Odyleon was ready. When she came back and nodded, Robyn smiled and lowered the veil over her face. and then picked up the small bouquet of deep red roses that she had procured.

And then, she walked slowly around until she in sight of Odyleon, should he turn to look. She wore the dress that she had bought, made of deep crimson silk, tight and figure-hugging until it got to her hips where it flared out gently. The dress was sleeveless and low cut, and clung to every inch of her upper body.

She wore a white veil that glittered with small rubies and white lace gloves, also shot through with crimson lace and with a scattering of rubies. She looked nervously at Odyleon and smiled, hoping that he liked the dress. It was perfect and exactly what she had wanted, and her smile widened as she caught sight of her love.

The Priestess looked at them both as Robyn arrived next to Odyleon and she smiled "May Diana's blessings shine on us this brightening. It's my pleasure to perform the ceremony that will bind you two in ties that last a lifetime, the ties of marriage. You both stand before me and tell me that you are ready for these ties and that you seek them out. In order to show me, and the Goddess Herself this readiness and purity of heart, you must give each other a ring and exchange vows. Traditionally, this starts with the man" she said, looking at Odyleon with a smile "Put the ring on her finger and make your vows to her, if you please?" she said, and Robyn looked at him, emerald green eyes shining from behind her veil, holding her shaking hand out to him.

Odyleon · October 11, 2007, 05:34 PM

Apparently the rings were acceptable, as the elderly woman chose not to comment on them. Well, they were round and wide enough for their fingers and not wide enough that they would slip out... so they were probably perfect. He simply stood there, looking around as he waited for Robyn to get ready. He vagely knew she had bought a dress for the wedding, but she had been incredibly secretive about it, to the point that not even a Mystical scan of the house would give it away easily - not that Ody would try. He could wait... for certain things.

When Robyn came into view, no matter how little he had believed in these ceremonies up until now, his heart skipped a beat. Did he really deserve this woman who was so much better than he could ever be? The Mage smiled both inside and out. The bride was a feast for the eyes, the dress very seductive by wedding standards, but then again this was exactly Robyn. One of her many talents was about her being able to wear any kind of clothes with taste and elegance. Other women flaunted their exposed skin and only managed to look vulgar, whereas Robyn knew exactly how to concile her sensual side and her innate grace.

And choosing the red dress had been inspired to say the least. Her red dress had always been Ody's favorite, and this looked a bit like a refined version of that famous dress. The veil gave her a look of innocent purity that combined with the revealing nature of the dress to form the very image of perfection in his mind. To say he was speechless would be a misunderstanding.

Practically unable to take his eyes off of his love, he only snapped back to reality when the priest addressed him and mentioned giving Robyn her ring and make his vows to her. Ody blinked once. Vows? He had to make vows? Wasn't it a standard formula that could be read from a piece of parchment? Whatever the case, no-one had taken the time to inform him! Still, he smiled and decided he would improvise something. He picked one of the rings, took Robyn's shaking hand gently (and truth be told, his own hand wasn't so firm, either), and slipped it about her fourth finger.

"Robyn, with this ring I marry you, with all that I have and all that I am. I give it to you as a token of my love, now and forever." There, short and sweet - though he could not help but wonder if he had messed up badly somewhere and thus if the whole ceremony would be invalidated.

Robyn Meiers · October 13, 2007, 04:18 PM

His face was so happy, so very happy and Robyn felt tears prickle her eyes as she stood, next to him. As his hand reached forward and slipped the ring onto her finger Robyn's eyes did not leave him. Her love... her husband. The man with whom she would spend the rest of her life, and all the lifetimes thereafter, she knew that.

And the red dress? As soon as she saw his face, she knew that the red dress was a sucess and Robyn smiled gently. This was a good thing. This was important. Odyleon was looking at her knowing, in the way that no other person knew, that she was pregnant, and so more than ever she wanted to look desirable for him. For after all, she was worried that he would think her fat and unattractive in the months to come.

So she stood and listened to his words and she gasped as the ring slipped gently on to her finger and tears trickled down her face, hidden though it was behind the veil, it was still able to be seen enough that the tears of joy could be seen. The priestess turned to Robyn then and nodded "Now you" she said, and Robyn took his ring with hands whose shaking had not abated.

"Odyleon... I stand here today and know that this ceremony is nothing more than words to each other. I know that because I could not love you more, could not want or need you more. We are husband and wife in our hearts and I am so proud that this day, these words make us that in the eyes of the Church and the law. I love you today and I will love you tomorrow. I am yours... you are mine and that is now and always."

As she spoke her eyes trickled tears and she held on to his hand. The priestess nodded and continued to speak "You have exchanged vows and rings, you have spoken together of your love and your lives and your future together. You stand before the Goddess Herself and you make these vows ~ breaking them is a very serious thing. In the eyes of the Goddess Diana and the eyes of the Church, I am happy to pronounce you to be a couple joined, married and together from now until death calls for you. If you wish it, sir, you can kiss her" she said, and Robyn stood there, shaking and smiling and laughing and crying and watching him.

And in that moment all she saw and heard and smelt and tasted and felt was him. He was, as always, her world. All that was left was for him to lift the veil that covered her face and kiss his wife.

Odyleon · October 15, 2007, 02:04 PM

He could see her tears even through the veil that covered her face, perfectly aware that those were tears of joy, the only kind he would ever allow her to cry if he had a say in it. Robyn was perfection to him in every possible way, and the driving force behind most of what Ody did. To separate them would be the death of them both, now and always. He felt an immense amount of happiness as his ring slipped into place, firmly on her finger where it was supposed to be and stay.

His own hands were different, and scarred on the palms with strange magical runes that allowed Ody to call upon his Staff. The feeling was exactly the same, however, and as he stood still with baited breath and listened to the vows that Robyn recited in front of him, he felt, for the very first time perhaps, that he could understand someone's tears. Even he who had never shed one for as long as he could remember (not even as a child!) felt a strange knot in his throat as Robyn promised him eternal love, even though it was something he already believed in - firmly.

With the rings exchanged and the vows recited, the priestess' words recalled him to reality, having spent some time lost in his wife's veiled form, as if mesmerized before some vision not from this world. His expression was unusually deferential to the old woman for someone who normally thought little of religious matters, and he merely nodded ever so slightly. It was a kiss, something they had shared countless times before, yes it was also something more.

There was something solemn to his gestures as Ody brought his arms up and slowly lifted the veil to reveal Robyn's crying smile. He smiled in turn, black eyes filled with nothing but love. He leaned toward her, placed his hands on her shoulders, and gave her the kiss that sealed their union, now and always. For a brief moment it was visible to Robyn, before their lips met, that he was giving her the only tear he would ever cry. A quick motion of his hand would wipe it into oblivion... later, after the kiss. Much later. For now, there was only her and the world revolved around her, as it always should.

Robyn Meiers · October 15, 2007, 02:19 PM

His hands, so scarred and so beautiful to her, held hers in them. Like his heart, she considered. His heart was so scarred and so beautiful and it held her firmly in it. If only the rest of the world could see the beauty that was his heart then no one would ever try to hurt him. But then, she liked that he showed his secret self only to her ~ it was special and just theirs.

Her hands lay in his, just as their child lay nestled in her stomach, still untold to any save themselves. She stood there as the priestess told them that they were wed and she felt a wave of warmth and love sweeping over her. They were to fake their own deaths before running to hide their identity from people who would kill Odyleon and their unborn babe, but Robyn knew without a shadow of a doubt that it would be alright.

Because her hands were in his hands, her heart was in his heart.

She looked down at their hands together, entwined as the priestess spoke to them again, telling them that they were married, and Robyn considered that in a very real sense their souls were intertwined. She could not live without Odyleon, she knew that. Just as he could not live without her. That certainty was something that was rare indeed and she held on to it as firmly as she ever held on to anything. That certainty in her Odyleon, an unwavering faith that he was there with her.

And then the priestess told him that he could kiss her. Robyn watched as his hands moved, slowly oh so slowly towards her, lifting the veil from her face and she considered that she was always crying around him. But as he moved in to kiss her she saw that one tear of his and she knew what it was, knew what it meant. She wrapped her arms around him and lost herself in his lips as they exchanged their first kiss as husband and wife.

The tear that he shed meant more to her than she could say, so as their lips parted, she simply whispered one word to him, knowing without a doubt that it was enough.
"Forever" she whispered, eyes on his.

The priestess stepped back and allowed the newlyweds to kiss or talk or do what they would. She had no more to do here and she smiled gently as she saw them lose themselves completely in each other. That was how it should be, she thought to herself, and sent a silent prayer that it would remain that way for all of their brightenings still to come.

Odyleon · October 17, 2007, 05:46 PM

It had been a simple ceremony, just like he had wished it would be. There was great irony in the world and its inner workings; all the plans they had made (well, especially Robyn, but Ody had nodded every now and then) had been cast away by the winds of change in a rather dramatic way, and yet the Mage could not help but feel like there was some greater meaning to all of this, and it was all for the best. Truth, he had always known, was cruel but fair. No matter who their enemies were or why they wanted him, the newlyweds would not stop being happy because of them.

He pulled back from the kiss, slowly, reluctantly. Had the priestess not been there, and had the ceremony taken place somewhere more private, he would have made it quite a bit longer without a doubt. As it was, he smiled at his wife and then at the ring he now wore on his hand. "I love you," was the obligatory first line that he whispered, taking her hand in his. He wondered if she was still feeling as tense and shaky as she had been during the ceremony itself. "And I don't think anyone around here has ever seen such a beautiful bride since this place was founded." It was an entirely sincere remark; he himself had been left breathless at the mere sight of her despite the fact that he looked at her all brightening long.

Ody stepped behind the bride in red and whispered conspiratorially. "I've done my homework this time, love. I know we are supposed to have a feast or something at this point... aren't we? Can't have you skip a meal, or the little one will complain." It was obvious that his overprotective streak would extend, from now on, to their unborn child, and before Robyn could say anything she would find a chocolate held in front of her mouth, ready for hand-feeding. "I'm afraid we didn't really make plans for the rest of the brightening, so... would you like to stay here a while, see the countryside, find an inn perhaps, or shall we return to Taralon and celebrate there?"

"You know... I could even cook for you." Now that was an unwittingly scary prospect. Given that he tended to see the preparation of food as an act of Alchemy, so did the results of his cooking generally feel as hard as gold ingots and smell like some strange elixir. His arms wrapped around Robyn's slender form as he indulged in more informal kisses, it did not look like he was going to move from there anytime soon, though.

Robyn Meiers · October 18, 2007, 06:02 AM

Robyn allowed herself to lose her sense of self in the moment that she was in. She returned his kiss and simply lost all sense of everything except his lips on hers, his arms around hers and his eyes. Gods, how she loved his eyes, those dark black pools that were so enigmatic and yet that she knew and read so well.

She grinned at him when he commented on how she looked "Well, I thought that a red dress was the only way to go, love" she chuckled and leant forwards kissing his nose "And I love you too, my love" she said and then glanced back at him as he stepped in behind her. His conspiratorial whisper caused her to chuckle once again, but as he spoke she hid her look of almost-terror.

"I want to go home" she said, simply, turning around to him and nestling herself into his arms "There we go. That's what I wanted. To be home, here in your arms. Other than that I'm not really particularly bothered although I think maybe going back home would be a good move, I think we should share the brightening with Angel. But why don't we have a leisurely meal here first, maybe in the Inn? I'd be equally happy to stay here tonight, also, it might be nice and romantic being Mr and Mrs Leon together alone" she grinned wickedly at him, her emerald eyes twinkling with delight.

There was no way she was ending her wedding brightening with food poisoning, Robyn decided, so she was not letting him cook for her. She could persuade him easily enough, though and she smiled softly at his worry for their unborn babe. All was going to be fine, she decided, she knew in her heart. As long as she and Odyleon and Angel were together, there was nothing that they could not achieve.

Except him cooking a decent meal.

Odyleon · October 21, 2007, 09:56 AM

And so it was that they lost in the kiss, the strange mage moving the veil down and past his head as he did, as if separating them from the outside world. If this was what marriage felt like, they sure could have married a long time ago. Holding his love gently, he listened to her voice, its sound first and the words later, accepting the kiss on his nose with the solemn expression of someone waiting for a rightful tribute. Good girl.

"No cooking for you then?" He tilted his head, wondering why. When Ody cooked, he rarely ate the results himself (it was, he would say, biased of him as he had made it and hence was unreliable as a taster), so he did not really know the peculiar Ardentium-like qualities of his food. "Maybe we could have a good meal at the Inn, a good dessert maybe. I've left Angel with Nell-nanny," he mentioned, recalling the automaton-like figure of the artificial Nell he had left in the room with Angel. The Animation, powered by a Nous, had been instructed to tend to Angel's every need. It was sad when you published a job offer on the Herald and nobody showed up.

"I've been told most Inns let you rent rooms for the darkening," he pointed out with uncommon acumen. "and just in case they did not provide something like this," he spread his arms a little and a small door sign appeared reading "Do not Disturb" in bright blue letters with an eye in the middle of the 'o' that seemed to look at the watcher. "I think this would do quite nicely, wouldn't it?"

He grinned innocently and planted a kiss on the exposed part of Robyn's neck. "Are you hungry, Mrs. Leon? Because I am," He nodded, and the eye on the plaque blinked and rolled up. This was what living with Mr. Leon was like, after all. A few birds chirped their approval and the brightening looked like it would end just as sweetly and warmly as it had begun.

Robyn Meiers · October 27, 2007, 07:40 AM

When he pulled the veil down over his own head, Robyn's nose crinkled in pleasure and delight at his actions. He was her husband, her lover and her life and the two of them hidden away in her veil was very symbolic to the young half-elf. She winked most solemly at him as he accepted her kiss on his nose. He'd known that was coming, she was quite sure, by the look on his face. So she winked at him and smiled, glad that they had managed to avoid the fate of some Odyleon-cooking for this brightening.

"Well, since Angel's with Nell-nanny why not do just that then? Lets go and have something to eat, then lets rent a room and... well, lets make sure no one disturbs us?" she said, looking at his sign with a chuckle. "Odyleon... I think that everything will do quite nicely. I do believe that we are.... oh, Ody, I think I might be the luckiest woman alive...." she whispered and then as he kissed her neck a small moan of pleasure escaped her mouth.

"Hungry?.. I.. oh gods.... I.. no. Not for food, anyway" she said, looking at him with pure desire burning in her eyes. "Why not have room service? Do they deliver do you think? If they do, maybe we can order four desserts each and just take it from there?"

Truly, this man drove her mad with passion, desire and longing. She loved him more than she had words for and Mrs Rosa Leon was, Robyn considered, a very lucky woman indeed.