Chapter 8

Chapter 8

If it weren’t for a fair amount of only slightly resentful (They did take ALL the lube) thoughtfulness on Paul’s part, the wedding would have involved a fairly sleepy pair of grooms and a lot of tittering from the witnesses, as well as a large amount of snarling from Master Gryth who spent all night conjuring first flowers, then all the other things that Paul and Ra’Cha decided would be necessary to see MIchael married properly.

When Paul had gone past Randall’s cabin a little before 5, though, he’d realized (being that he has ears) that neither Michael nor Randall had really had any sleep, and had gone to speak to Ra’Cha to see if maybe they could get a day’s delay. Michael and Randall would have been more immediately grateful had they not been first, otherwise occupied, then sound asleep.  

When they did finally all gather on the command deck of the ship, it was a very different place to stand. Michael and Brent entered the room in contrasting formal kilts, Michael in a gleaming white and Randall in a deep and glossy black.  Michael’s hair had been brushed and washed and the normal wild tangle of it lay in beautiful curls just down to his shoulders, having been subjected just that morning to the none-too-tender mercies of Paul’s scissors. His beard, grown so recently, and allowed to reach ridiculous proportions while floating in space, was now neatly trimmed. It was imperfect in the way young men’s beards tend to be, small patches on either side of his jaw showing sparse hair, but overall it was full and, for today at least, neatly trimmed.

Randall was sleek and clean cut in his formalwear. His clean-shaven face shone with contentment. His jet black hair was tight to his head, and neatly cut and groomed. A single jet earring protruded from his right earlobe as his sole adornment. Brent stopped them just inside the door and gave them both boutonnieres. A small lily edged in green was attached to Michael’s lapel, and a perfect, tiny white rose was attached to Randall’s. Michael quirked an eyebrow at Brent who whispered in his ear. “Gryth is imprinting the whole thing on a vision crystal for Ryan. Because he hates getting eviscerated by 8 year olds. If I were you, though, I’d be prepared to do this again sometime soon. Ryan’s going to have WORDS to say about not letting him in on the fun.”

Michael looked crestfallen. How could he have forgotten? How could he get married without Ryan? He started to bolt from the room, but was stopped at the door by a wall of music. He listened for a moment, and returned to Randall’s side, where he whispered an apology and then took Randall’s hand. Brent looked at him quizzically.  Randall smiled. “Jo’s taking care of it, sort of.  I imagine if we really all counted on our fingers, we’d find out this is the date when Ryan suddenly decided he didn’t hate me.”  

Michael looked startled, paused for a moment, then nodded. His eyes grew wide. Ryan’s ephemeral form walked across the room toward Michael, uncertain, then as Ryan was sure he recognized Michael and this was a TRUE dream, gathered speed until he launched himself into Michael’s arms at a dead run. Holding Ryan, Michael could hear the hundreds of songs Jo had lent of herself so his family could be present. He hummed a small melody along, a brief thank you for a favor unasked.

Ryan unlatched himself from Michael and looked up at him gravely. “Do you have ANY idea how hard it’s going to be to keep THOSE a secret?  And this?” Michael opened his mouth to answer, and Ryan laughed. “It’s ok. I’d rather keep the secret than have to kill you all for not telling me about the wedding.”  He looked at Michael seriously. “You really love him? You’re sure?”

Michael nodded. Ryan looked at Randall, his face serious. In his hand, a large trident appeared. “I was going to threaten you with all the places I could stick this if you did him wrong. But he’s a big boy. And honestly, Gryth will disembowel you long before I can get to you. Put your hand on it.”

Randall reached out hesitantly, and Ryan slapped the haft of the trident into his hand. “Tell me you love him.”

Randall nodded. “I love him more than you can know. We’ve danced among the stars together, and he stole my heart and gave me wings in return. I want him to be happy even more than you, little king and I hope someday you can like me as much as I like you.”

The air between them shimmered with the ringing of a clear crystalline bell, and the trident beamed light throughout the room.

Ryan nodded caught between jealousy and happiness. He let the trident go and it faded into the air. “The seas bless your love. The reef will always welcome you, so long as your heart stays true. My people will honor you as our own, and you will always have a place at my table. I call you brother.  And I swear by the lady, if you hurt him, I will pin you to the bottom of the deepest trench in the deepest ocean in the world by my spear through your gut.”  

Ryan smiled. “Now, go get married. I’ve got things to do. And this is harder than it seems.”

Last word given, he hugged Michael one more time, nodded gravely at Randall and faded into the light.

Michael murmured a soft thank you which was answered by a happy pealing of tiny bells.

Paul shook his head and Brent vibrated with suppressed laughter.  Gryth sighed. “One day boy, you’ll do something normal, and I’ll die of heart failure. Come here, you too, and let’s all get scolded by my wife, so you can go play in your room with purpose this time.

They walked together to where Ra’Cha stood, dressed in a formal robe much like Gryth’s. A spray of wild roses wrapped her collar, and hung from her neck was a Grandmaster’s pendant hung with many of the same symbols as his own and Gryth’s, and one he’d never seen. “It’s a pilot’s glyph. We’ll have to get you one. And one for navigating, although Tribunal knows when you’ll be able to let someone see.”

A soft whisper rattled through the room on the breath of a flute. “Soon.”

Ra’Cha visibly gathered herself and looked them each in the eye, before standing at her full height.

“When the people of the moon first came to the lady, they were wild and ran through the night doing as they may. Their hands were not clever, nor their tongues. But in the ages that past, we became a new thing. We were touched inside by the light of our own creation, and our tongues, our hands, our minds, and our hearts all grew. So it is that as we are long of tooth and sharp of claw, we are bold of thought and strong of heart. And we ceased to rut as the animals do. But there was jealousy among us. While we had been less, our instincts had kept us one to one for life. But now our clever minds did what our hearts bade us not to do, and wanted for more. And the eldest among us, who had been mated so many years before, went to the lady and begged of her that we might be made dumb that our love would survive.”

“The lady was wroth with us. Our minds, like our hearts, were gifts from her father, and sacred, and she would not see them changed. But they would not be moved. The breaking of love was unnatural to them and they would rather die. In our distress, the father heard our howl, and moved to make right this battle between our minds and our hearts. And he gave to us this gift, that when we are joined by light of moon. When we are gathered with witnesses, bright of claw, when our hearts are full, and we stand together and pledge those hearts to each other, our howls are heard. Our hearts, in that moment, and for every moment that follows, are made one where there were two, and that one heart, joined in love, is stronger than any clever mind could ever be.”

“Michael and Randall, you stand before the moons. My husband and I stand here with our claws bright. Paul and Brent stand with us, magics sharp. We will howl for you. Will you give your hearts? Will you come together as one thing, larger than either, joined in your love so that your hearts may be stronger than your grasping minds?”

Michael and Randall smiled at each other before looking at Ra’Cha, then answered confidently, “we will.”

Ra’ Cha had said howl, but when she turned, holding Gryth’s hand in her own, to face the window full of stars and yes, so many moons, she began to sing. The song had no words. Michael wondered for a moment if it ever had. But the thought was taken from him when Gryth began to sing as well. Light bloomed around them softly, and began to spread. As the light expanded, Paul and Brent were both caught up, too and began to raise their voices. Minutes passed before Michael and Randall joined them as well, light tenor and soft bass contrasting, intertwining, and holding onto the soft light. When the song was nearly done, Ra’Cha and Gryth becoming quiet, as the light began to fade, a faint, soft tune could be heard, and it burst into glorious swells throughout the room. An intricate melody wove its way around Michael and Randall and through their wrapped hands. Michael and Brent turned to face each other and kissed softly.

“Michael? Will you take the star of my heart, the song that gives me life, and hold it with your own until both of our songs are done, keeping my heart with yours as my love is already yours?”

Michael nodded, tears rolling down his face, overwhelmed with love for the man before him. Paul sniffled softly, thinking the words beautiful, then nearly fainted as Randall, singing softly, reached with one star-soaked wing to pull forth a blaze of light from his chest. If floated between them.

Michael spoke.  “In all my life, there has been no more precious gift than this. The light that shines between us is half our love, and as half of us, we are not at all. Randall, will you hold the star of my heart, the song that gives me life, and hold it with your own until both our songs are done, keeping my heart with yours as my love is already yours?”

Randall nodded. Michael, too, extended his wing and somehow pulled forth from his chest a blaze of light. Together, they grasped the light in their hands, and moved them toward each other.  The lights wrapped around each other, through and beneath and above in a mad and beautiful gyration. The room rang with the voices of their hearts before slowly, each pushed their light into the other’s chest. Their songs softened, the light dimmed and they began to turn before a new song appeared. An intricate melody wrapped around them.

“I bless you together. Know that your love is sacred to my father, and to me. None save you may sunder it. No force is greater than it, even unto yourselves. Go forth with your hearts bonded, married as the first of my children, with my love and his, and the love you give each other, and know that of all of these, your love is the greatest for it is the love of equal hearts.”

Jo’s voice ended as beautifully, delicately as it had begun. The light began to fade from the room.  Ra’Cha walked to them on quiet feet. “Congratulations boys. I now pronounce you married by the power of the ancient compact, as the captain of this ship.”  She smiled mischievously. “Not that, you know, having a god’s blessing wasn’t a great thing.” She laughed.

“Jo told you what to do now?”

Brent snickered. Paul smacked him lightly.

Michael and Randall nodded, then smiled at each other and, holding hands, walked out of the room, a faint trace of song left in their wake.  

Brent looked at Paul. “You think the music thing is permanent?”

“I think it’s for special occasions.”

“Thank the Tribunal.”

“Please no. Him forbid he hear us and decide to say ‘You’re welcome’.”

Brent laughed all the way back to dining cabin.