Chương 399: Alfonzo and Elicia's Wedding; Part 2
Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.
September 17, x785.
About an hour and a half after Coco brought Elicia, Cana, Evergreen, Laki, Marin, and Sun to the new mansion, the girls were finished with their preparations, all the guests were seated, the priest had taken his place at the temporary altar, and all the groomsmen had returned to the mansion, as well.
Then, once everyone was in position, the priest began his address to the gathered crowd.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered to witness the joining of Alfonzo Marcus and Elicia Taylor in holy matrimony." The priest, an elderly man with ahead full of white hair, dark blue eyes, and a shaved face, said with a kind smile. "Now, before we get the ceremony started properly. Let's welcome the groom, Alfonzo Marcus."
With that, the doors leading to the hall used for the ceremony opened. And through those doors, Alfonzo, with his dreads pulled back into a low ponytail and wearing a pure white tuxedo with a royal blue vest, a black tie with a royal blue Fairy Tail emblem embroidered on it, a white dress shirt, and a pair of black leather shoes walked through it with confident steps and a bright smile on his face.
With Alfonzo's entrance, the audience stood to their feet as he walked down the aisle towards the altar.
"He really cleans up nice, huh?" Anko asked, to no one in particular while licking her lips.
In response, the younger members of Mermaid Heel nodded in agreement while Ritsu smiled gently. Meanwhile, Tsunade snorted, still upset about all the money she owed after he left Mermaid Heel back in June. Though, it seemed that she had completely forgotten that she was the reason for her debt in the first place.
Meanwhile, Bob had clamped his hand over Ichiya's mouth, stopping him from saying anything about how manly Alfonzo looked by his own standards, while Sorano and Karen were doing the same to the Trimens.
Though, Karen did not mind Alfonzo's entrance being disturbed, she knew Elicia would be upset if it happened, so she helped keep the idiots from her guild in check.
At the same time, the wizards of Fairy Tail, Lamia Scale, and Quatro Cerberus, along with the other guests, such as Nell Goldstein, the girl Nell adopted a few years ago, Nico, Darkness, Moka, Bobo, Adramelech, Simon, Shô, Wally, Pinako, Winry, Edward, Alphonse, Coco, Rebecca Landon and the residents of the orphanage in Hargeon, applauded politely.
Eventually, Alfonzo reached the altar. Then, the priest continued his address.
"Next, let us welcome the people closest to the bride and groom who they've chosen to share today's happiness with." The priest said, maintaining his smile as he did so.
Following the priest's words, the entire bridal party, separated into pairs, entered the hall through the same door Alfonzo used. First were Evergreen and Elfman walking together with their arms linked.
Following Evergreen and Elfman were Laxus and Sun, Mystogan and Marin, Gray and Laki, and finally, Alzack and Cana.
At this point, although all those in attendance had seen the men in their tuxedos, and they all found the fact that Mystogan was wearing a mask and a bandana a little strange, they did not react much. However, when they saw the matching, strapless, backless, calf-length, baby blue dresses with royal blue sashes and matching high heels all the bridesmaids wore, the audience gasped in awe.
Meanwhile, Erza, who had already wanted one of those dresses in her collection, had her eyes blazing with desire.
Eventually, the first pair, Elfman and Evergreen, reached the front of the altar. As they did, they released each other's arms. Then, while Evergreen turned to the left, Elfman turned to the right and they both made space for the pairs behind them to do the same.
By the end, the entire bridal party had lined up on either side of the altar with the Maid of Honor and Best Man standing closest to the bride and groom's positions.
"And lastly," the priest continued once the bridal party was in place, "Let us welcome the bride, Elicia Taylor, accompanied by Gildarts Clive, the best friend of our couple's deceased parents."
With that, the sound of a pipe organ playing the Bridal March could be heard. The strange thing about that, however, was the fact that there was no pipe organ, or instrument of any kind, in the hall. However, considering the fact that Alfonzo was a magic item crafter, everyone just chalked it up to something Alfonzo created for today.
A moment later, instead of the older Elicia, the little Elicia, Maes and Gracia's daughter, wearing a frilly pink dress with a flower crown on her head, walked into the hall, with a bright smile on her face, and approached the altar. And as she walked, she created flower pedals with her magic, [Arc of Embodiment], and let them fall onto the red carpet leading to the altar.
"Look at my little Elicia!" Maes said, sounding as if he were trying to shout while whispering at the same time. "She's so adorable."
"Maes, Darling..." Gracia said while whispering in an ominous tone. "Be quiet!"
"Yes, Ma'am." Maes replied quickly before shutting his mouth.
Once little Elicia reached halfway down the aisle, Elicia, with Gildarts escorting her, stepped into the hall, drawing every eye in the room.
With her face covered by a sheer veil and a bouquet of white roses in her left hand, Elicia wore a backless, sleeveless, pure white wedding dress that reached to the floor with a strap that wrapped around the back of her neck, a baby pink sash tied around her waist, white high heels, and a train that flowed behind her.
Meanwhile, Gildarts wore a tuxedo identical in design to the groomsmen. And to the surprise of everyone who knew him, Gildarts' hair was slicked back and shiny while his beard was neatly trimmed for today.
"Holy shit..." Ur muttered in a tone filled with disbelief. "Gildarts doesn't look like a hobo... Is the guild in some kind of danger?"
Naturally, all the Fairy Tail wizards in the hall had to stifle their laughter because of Ur's question. Meanwhile, the smile on Gildarts' face cramped as he thought about the best way to get Ur back.
A moment later, Wendy and Carla, wearing dresses similar to the bridesmaids but less revealing and carrying Elicia's train, also entered the hall, as well.
Eventually, little Elicia reached the end of the aisle. Then, after releasing a large number of flower pedals into the air, she scurried off to sit with her parents.
Shortly afterwards, Elicia and Gildarts reached the altar, as well. And when they did, they both turned to face Alfonzo. Then, with Elicia's right hand in his left, Gildarts extended his left hand towards Alfonzo.
"From now on, she's yours in the truest sense." Gildarts said in a solemn tone. "And should you do anything to break her heart, I'll kick your ass in Orlando's place."
"I Understand." Alfonzo replied in an equally solemn tone as he accepted Elicia's hand.
Nodding in response, Gildarts then turned to Elicia.
"And if you ever do anything else to hurt him, Lici..." Gildarts said, this time only loud enough for Alfonzo and Elicia to hear. "I'll make sure you get another frozen spanking from Ur."
"I promise, nothing like that will ever happen again." Elicia replied just as solemnly.
On top of that, to those who were paying close enough attention, they would be able to see Elicia shiver minutely after Gildarts made his threat.
With that, Gildarts nodded in satisfaction. Then, like Wendy and Carla had done after Elicia reached the altar, he joined the rest of the audience to watch the rest of the ceremony.
Once everyone was in position, the priest spoke once again, leading the congregation in a prayer. A few moments later, he made eye contact with the bride and groom before once again addressing the crowd.
"Now, let us witness the exchange of vows." The priest said. "As they have opted to write their own vows, the floor is theirs. Alfonzo, if you would?"
At that point, there was pin drop silence in the hall, which was broken when Alfonzo took a deep breath to calm his nerves.
"Elicia... For as long as I can remember, you've always been by my side." Alfonzo said in a solemn tone filled with love and affection. "When I was at my lowest, you were there, supporting me through it. And when I reached heights that I never could have imagined, you were there to share in the happiness. You've always been what kept me anchored to the ground, despite the fact that I could have lost myself in success. And for that I am truly grateful. And because of all you've done, all the love you've given me, and all the wonderful moments we've shared, the words I love you could never describe how I feel about you. Therefore, I promise, from this day forward, I will spend the rest of my life trying to give you even a fraction of the happiness your presence has brought into my life."
By the time Alfonzo finished, his voice was shaking, and he was doing all that he could to hold back the tears he felt welling up in his eyes. Elicia, on the other hand, had no issue letting her tears flow freely.
Seeing Elicia's tears, Alfonzo raised his left hand, intending to wipe her tears. Before he could, however, he stopped, afraid to ruin Elicia's make-up. The confused and concerned expression on his face, gaining a light chuckle from most of the onlookers.
The expression on Alfonzo's face was enough to stop Elicia's tears, as well, causing her to smile brightly despite the tears still present on her cheeks. Then, without wiping away the tears, Elicia, like Alfonzo had done moments before, took a deep breath to calm her emotions.
"Fonzie... For all my life, I've been more than a little impulsive" Elicia said, beginning to make her vows. "More than a few times, I've done or said something without thinking it through or considering the consequences..."
Reaching this point, Elicia's tears began dripping from her eyes once again.
"Despite all my short comings, you've been by my side." Elicia continued. "Even when my impulsiveness hurt you, you found it in your heart to forgive me. And for that, I could never thank you enough. Fonzie, I love you more than life itself. And because of that, I promise to continue loving you with all that I am. Not only in this life, but in every life to come afterwards as well."
Most of the crowd, after hearing Elicia's declaration of loving Alfonzo in the next life considered it a figure of speech. However, since he had experienced Elicia's love spanning over two lifetimes, Alfonzo believed her with all his heart. As a result, his left hand, still holding Elicia's right, tightened subconsciously while the tears threatened to flow from his eyes once again.
At the same time, some of the more emotional people in the crowd had to dab the tears away from their eyes.
"With the vows made," the priest said after giving everyone a moment to digest Alfonzo and Elicia's vows, "I believe it is time to present the rings."
With that, both Cana and Alzack stepped forward, each with a ring case in hand. At the same time, Alfonzo and Elicia released each other's hands. Then, they turned towards their Best Man and Maid of Honor, respectively, and accepted the ring cases, while Elicia handed Cana her bouquet, as well.
Once both Alfonzo and Elicia had the ring cases in hand, they opened them simultaneously.
In the case Alfonzo held, there was a band with the name Elicia Marcus Taylor engraved on it, that perfectly matched her engagement ring.
Meanwhile, the ring in Elicia's case had an orichalcum band with a pink diamond set in one of the eight fittings visible on the ring. Judging by the ring in the case, it was clear that Alfonzo expected several more weddings in the future.
A moment later, each with a ring in hand, Alfonzo and Elicia gazed into each other's eyes tenderly.
"Alfonzo Marcus." The priest said.
"Yes." Alfonzo replied.
"Do you solemnly swear to take Elicia Taylor as your lawfully wedded wife from this day forward? To have and to hold, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until you are parted by death?" The priest asked in a solemn tone.
"I do." Alfonzo replied in a strong, resolute tone.
Then, as soon as he gave his response, Alfonzo slipped the wedding band onto Elicia's left ring finger alongside her engagement ring.
"And Elicia Taylor." The priest continued, maintaining his solemn tone.
"Yes." Elicia said, her eyes welling up with tears again.
"Do you solemnly swear to take Alfonzo Marcus as your lawfully wedded husband from this day forward? To have and to hold, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until you are parted by death?" The priest asked, still in that same solemn tone.
"I... do..." Elicia said, her voice shaking excitedly.
Like Alfonzo, as she gave her reply, Elicia slipped the ring in her hand onto Alfonzo's left ring finger.
"Then, by the power vested in me, by the Kingdom of Fiore, I now pronounce you husband and wife." The priest said, his tone turning much more jovial. "You may..."
Before the priest could even finish, Elicia flung herself forward, wrapped her arms around Alfonzo's neck, and kissed him passionately.
"... kiss the bride!" the priest continued before smiling wryly.
A moment later, the entire crowd broke into loud, uproarious applause.
"Congratulations!" The crowd shouted excitedly.
On top of the cheering and applause, Natsu, who was standing with the rest of the Fairy Tail wizards released a stream of fire into the air in excitement.
*Bang!*
Before Natsu could spew his flames for too long, however, he was hit in the middle of his forehead by a metal ball moving at high speed and sent flying from where he stood.
That was enough to cause all the cheering and applause to come to an abrupt stop. Then, after tracing the trajectory of the projectile, they noticed Alfonzo, while still kissing Elicia, had raised his left hand in Natsu's direction. Then, everyone remembered that this hall was part of Alfonzo's new home. And all the Fairy Tail wizards vowed to do their best to stay in control of their more destructive impulses during the reception.
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