Chapter 17: The Wedding

“Oh, Aeris, you look absolutely beautiful,” Maggie said. Her eyes shone, preluding the start of tears.

Aeris stared at her reflection in the mirror. A thin wedding veil on her head resembled thin white hair cascading down the back of her head and neck. The dress she wore was the same ivory as her belly scales, ending just before reaching her flank with a short train covering her rear. I do look beautiful, she thought. With her celeste scales, she looked like a piece of the sky given form.

Maggie dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief. Her dress long and a lovely pale blue. Maggie was embarrassed because it hugged her slightly wide hips and showed off her curves, but Aeris thought Maggie had a nice figure.

Only a month had passed since Aeris had begun the dragon's reading lessons. A month of wedding planning by day and planning teaching curriculums by night had left her exhausted. Maggie had been designated the maid of honor which helped a lot. Maggie knew about the visits to Aubrey's, but not about teaching over a dozen dragons how to read. Still, the woman's help was invaluable for Aeris maintaining a schedule and getting things done while keeping it a secret from Master Aaron. Aeris couldn't be more grateful for the assistance as she had been feeling unwell for the last two weeks, suddenly overcome with bouts of nausea or sudden fatigue. If possible, Aeris wanted to keep Maggie away from any backlash should things go wrong.

The dragons she had been teaching to read were making slow, but steady progress. They had learned to recognize numbers and letters, but they were still a long way from reading on their own. After every session, Aubrey gave them all a very harsh warning of what should happen should one of them tell anyone what they were doing. But half of those dragons had been invited to the wedding. All it would take was one dragon to make the mistake of letting slip that they knew each other and everything would come undone.

Aeris wished she were back at Aubrey’s right now or that she was trying on a new outfit to attend a party. It still didn’t feel real that she was getting married today. She didn’t feel the material of the fabric on her scales, and the guests talking outside sounded like whispers in the wind.

"It's okay to feel nervous, Aeris," Maggie said. She stroked the side of Aeris' neck as she always did to soothe her. "After all, it's not every day you get married."

Aeris nodded at Maggie’s reflection. “Maggie…what was your marriage like?”

Maggie’s smile faded. “Aeris, you don’t want to hear about my experience. It wasn’t a pleasant one, and I don’t wish to scare you.”

“Is that why you never told me?”

“I…yes. And because it’s still a painful memory. He wasn’t a very nice man. He was very controlling and abusive. My parents made me marry him because we were poor and they wanted me to have a nice life.”

“I’m sorry.”

Maggie hugged her and smiled at their reflection. “Don’t be. If he hadn’t died, I never would’ve gotten a job working for the Strauss family which means I never would’ve met you.”

Aeris knew that statement was meant to make her smile, but she didn’t. “So, how did he die?”

“He was mugged coming home after a night of drinking,” Maggie said stiffly. “Now that’s enough of this talk. It’s not the sort of thing you should be thinking about on your wedding day.”

There came a loud knock on the door. The door opened and Lilith came inside. Like Maggie, she wore a sky-blue dress to match Aeris’ scales. “Is everything ready?” Lilith asked.

“Just about,” Maggie said. She straightened the wedding veil on Aeris’ head. “There, all set.”

“Well, Aeris, are you nervous?” Lilith asked.

“A little,” Aeris said. “I just wish Aubrey could’ve been here.” It bothered her that no one she was truly close to came to the wedding. She couldn’t risk inviting anyone she knew or else she would have to explain how they met. Even the dragons from her reading group she hadn’t had a chance to know personally; she was still memorizing their names.

“I’m sorry, Aeris, but she did say she wasn’t coming,” Maggie said. “And knowing how she feels about domesticates, it’s not surprising.”

“There are still plenty of other dragons here,” Lilith added. “I’m sure you can socialize with one of them.”

The band outside began to play. The two human women turned to the door then back to Aeris.

“I believe it is starting. I have to get in place,” Lilith said. “Good luck.” She hurried out of the room.

"I'm so sorry things haven't worked out the way you wanted them to," Maggie said. "To be honest, I often dreamed you would one day be married." She chuckled a little to herself. "I know it's silly to think about. After all, no dragon has ever been married and here I am thinking you would be the first. Now the day has come, and I wished it were under better circumstances."

“No, Maggie, it’s not strange.” Aeris had felt the same way. After reading so many books describing human weddings, it all sounded so wonderful. But now, she wished she were doing anything else.

“Now, it’s almost time. Are you ready?”

Aeris dug her claws into the dirt. Her stomach was in such a knot, it was hard to breathe. “I’m scared. I don’t want to leave.”

Maggie pulled her close and held Aeris’ head against her breast. “Aeris, I already discussed it with Lord Strauss, and he assures me you aren’t going anywhere. And Reks is going to live right here with us. And I’ll always be right here with you.”

The sound of Maggie’s heartbeat calmed Aeris down. The music changed again, signifying it was time for Aeris to come out.

“It’s time,” Maggie said.

The yard looked nothing like before. Rows of chairs lined one side filled with humans dressed in formal attire. On the other side were dragons, each one wearing a fancy vest. At the end of the aisle was a tall arbor archway laced with white flowers. Standing beneath the arch was Reks, wearing a black vest embroidered with a stunning silver design. Beside him stood Master Aaron and Reks’ master, Zachery Bachmann. Both wore formal black suits. On the other side of Reks stood Maggie and Lilith. Standing closest to Reks was a man Aeris had never seen before, wearing long colorful robes. She assumed he was the minister who was going to marry them.

All eyes were on her as she walked down the aisle. Aeris kept her eyes on Reks as she walked, her heart hammering against her ribs. Every part of her wanted to run. To spread her wings and fly as far and as fast as possible. It’s okay. I’m doing this for him. She thought. Even as the thought crossed her mind, she hated it. She wanted Windor to be the one standing at the end of the aisle. He was supposed to be the one waiting for her.

Aeris stopped walking. She pushed the thought out of her mind and continued. Why now? I thought I was doing this for Reks’ sake. Why am I having second thoughts now? She asked herself.

She stopped and stood in front of the man in the robes. The music stopped and oppressive silence fell over the group. The man began speaking, but Aeris didn't hear a word he said. She fidgeted and couldn't hold her tail still. All she could think about was Maggie's dream for her to get married and how much it meant to the woman. Aeris felt she was squandering it by marrying someone she didn't want to marry.

Aeris snapped out of her thoughts when someone nudged her. “Huh? I—What?”

“Aeris, you have to answer,” Reks whispered.

“Oh, sorry. What was the question?”

The minister smiled and said: “I said: Do you take Reks to be your husband?”

Aeris turned to Reks, then to Master Aaron, and finally to Maggie, scanning each of their faces for a sign of what she should say, hoping one of them would tell her to say no. Her stomach had tightened to the point she wanted to vomit. I have to do this for Reks and Master Aaron, she thought. She tried to answer, but no sound would come out.

“Aeris, you okay?” Reks asked.

Her tail wrapped around her legs. Unable to look anywhere else, she turned back to the minister. “I—”

A hollow popping sound stopped Aeris short just as her face was drenched by something warm and wet. It was quickly followed by a distant rumble like the sound of thunder. The minister stared back at her, mouth open in horror, his face and robe speckled with drops of red. She turned to Reks and found him lying on the ground, half of his face missing, and a growing pool of blood surrounding what remained of his head. Aeris stood rooted to the spot, staring at Reks’ lifeless body.

Her mind felt numb. The screams of the guests seemed as distant as the boom of the rifle that killed her husband to be. Staring at Reks’ brain through the hole in his skull made her want to vomit, but she couldn’t look away.

A pair of hands grabbed her and pushed her away. She didn’t struggle, and her legs moved on their own, allowing her body to be steered wherever the hands wished. All around her people shoved one another, tripped over fallen bodies, and screamed in terror. Their movements were blurred and in slow-motion like when she imagined a scene while reading a story.

The hands pushed harder on her body, and her legs did as the hands wanted and moved faster. People bumped into her, rebounded off her, but she hardly felt them and continued walking unhindered.

She was steered into her room. Maggie appeared before her and began checking every inch of her body. Aeris barely felt her touch. Once the inspection was over, Maggie leaned against the wall with a relieved sigh. “Oh, thank goodness you’re not hurt.”

The door burst open, making Maggie jump, but Aeris slowly turned to the interloper. Master Aaron rushed into the room, his face full of fear and his clothes disheveled and splattered with blood. He took one look at Aeris and his face paled.

“It’s okay, she’s not hurt,” Maggie said quickly.

Master Aaron looked around as if expecting someone else. “Is Lilith not with you?”

Maggie shook her head. “I lost sight of her while I was getting Aeris to safety.”

Master Aaron turned away, wiping the sweat from his brow. He turned back to them and said, “Listen, it’s chaos out there. I have to find Lilith and get things under control. Lock the door behind me and do not open it until I say so.” He rushed outside and Maggie quickly followed and locked the door behind him.

She approached Aeris and began wiping her face with her dress. “This won’t get all of it, but I just can’t leave you like this.”

“Reks…Reks is dead,” Aeris said. The words sounded foreign as if someone else was saying them.

Maggie stopped wiping Aeris's neck. "What did you say, Aeris?"

“He’s dead,” Aeris repeated. “And it’s all my fault. I killed him.”

Maggie took a firm hold of Aeris' face. "Listen to me, that was not your fault. You didn't do anything—"

“But Aubrey told me something like this would happen!” the words just blurted out of her. She didn’t want anyone—especially Maggie—to know the role she played in today’s events, but she couldn’t stop herself. “Everyone warned me, but I didn’t listen because I wanted to help the dragons! I didn’t mean for Reks to die, Maggie! I’m sorry! I’m so—”

Maggie pulled Aeris’ head to her breast and tenderly stroked her neck. “Shh. It’s all right. I know you didn’t mean it. I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s still not your fault. There was a long line of self-righteous fools who would’ve done anything to stop it.”

Maggie’s words didn’t bring Aeris much comfort, but she decided not to take that away. Maggie held her until there came another knock at the door followed by Lilith’s voice. “Margret it’s me! Open the door!”

Maggie quickly hurried to the door and let Lilith in then closed and locked it behind her. Lilith leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. Her hair was a mess and there was a large tear in her dress. “It’s absolute chaos out there,” Lilith said. “Everyone is scattering to the winds trampling over each other. I’ve never—” She froze at the sight of Aeris.

“She’s okay,” Maggie said quickly. “The blood is not…it’s not hers.”

“Reks?”

Maggie slowly nodded.

“My goodness,” Lilith said, her voice cracking. “Aeris, I’m so sorry.”

Aeris didn’t respond. Maggie sat with Aeris on the mattress and pulled her into another hug. Aeris buried her face in Maggie’s chest and closed her eyes. Images of Reks’ face exploding, showering her in a mess of blood, bone, and scales filled her vision, playing over and over. She kept her eyes closed and said nothing. Maggie stroked the side of her neck, but she found little comfort in it. She could only think of how unfair she was to Reks. How she stood there and in her indecisiveness, made him an easier target.

They sat in silence until the sounds of chaos outside subsided and still refused to move. By the time the sunset, there was a knock at the door.

Master Aaron’s voice came from the other side, “Margaret, it’s me. It’s safe to come out.”

Maggie moved to go to the door. Aeris was surprised when she grabbed the hem of Maggie’s sleeve. Her body moved seemingly on its own. “Please don’t leave me.”

Maggie nodded and sat down. Lilith got up instead and went to the door. She then poked her head out and said, “Aaron, neither Maggie nor Aeris is going to be leaving the room for the rest of the day. I’ll be staying with them as well. Is everyone else all right?”

“More or less. Several people were hurt when everyone started trampling each other. One of the dragons broke a leg, and a man lost an eye. We’re still sorting through it all, but it looks like Reks was the only casualty.”

“Did anyone see the shooter?”

"I'm afraid not. By the time I realized what was happening, it was already complete chaos." There came a dull thud, likely from Master Aaron striking the door. "Damn! I knew some people didn't like the idea of a dragon wedding, but this was too much!"

“I know. Aaron, could you have someone bring a small basin filled with water, a washcloth, and a change of clothes for Margret and myself?”

“I’ll have Charles bring you the things you need. And I’ll also have pillows and blankets sent to you as well. Be sure to lock the door when I leave, and I’ll have someone posted outside the door for the night.”

Lilith nodded and closed the door. She then joined Maggie and Aeris on the mattress. “I hate to be selfish, but I’m afraid to be alone tonight.”

“You aren’t the only one,” Maggie said. “I’m just glad Aeris wasn’t hurt as well.”

Aeris said nothing. She knew the shooter had more than enough time to kill her too if they wanted. That she was still alive brought her no comfort.