Taken by Darkness

“Dear friends, we are gathered here today before God to celebrate the holy union of this man and this lady, which is entrusted to be honorable among all men because marriage is one of His most sacred wishes.”

Ashley squeezed the hands of his betrothed nervously, his heart pounding against his ribs, as the priest began his opening speech.

“Today is a new beginning and a continuation of their growth, With mutual care, respect, responsibility, and knowledge comes the affirmation of one’s own life happiness and growth. With respect for individual boundaries comes the freedom to love unconditionally. With care and responsibility toward self and one another comes the potential for full and happy lives,” the priest droned on in his monotone.

Gently squeezing his hands, the Prince looked up at him with those piercing cerulean eyes as he took a deep breath. “What have I to give you, Lady Ashley?” he asked, a small smile beginning to curve his plump lips. “The promise to take you as my only love from this day forth, the promise to be the shoulder you lean on, the rock on which you rest, your companion for life.

“Time will pass. Fortune will smile upon us. Trials may befall us. But no matter what lies ahead, I vow here that your love will be my only love,” Andy continued, his smile growing with every word he said. “My sweet songbird…I love you, and could not live without you any easier than I could live without breathing because you mean the world to me.”

Sniffling softly as he reached up to brush away a tear, the Princess-to-be couldn’t help but smile. “Today, Sir Andrew, our lives become one. I join you as not only your wife, but as your friend, your lover, your confidant,” Ashley swore, somehow managing not to stumble over wife and lover, although he could’ve blamed it on being so choked up as he fought back tears of happiness. “I promise to support you, to listen when you speak, to console you in times of sorrow, to laugh when you laugh. Wherever you go, I will follow.

“You are my destiny, and together, we shall walk the path set before us. With a free and unconstrained soul, I give to you all that I am and all that I am to become. And hereto, I pledge my faithfulness only unto you,” the adolescent concluded, struggling even harder not to cry.

“Sir Andrew, do you, here in the presence of these witnesses, declare your commitment to Lady Ashley and choose her as the one with whom you wish to spend the rest of your earthly life?” the priest asked seriously. “Do you pledge to endure all of the difficulties which Life may offer, even as you look forth to sharing the joys to be experienced together?”

“I do,” the Prince answered with a nod, his tone as solemn as his expression.

Turning slightly, the priest posed the same questions to the bride.

“I do,” Ashley answered just as solemnly as his groom.

“What tokens of commitment do you offer? Would you place the rings in my hand?” The elderly man waited patiently as the King himself placed two silver bands in his hand. “May these rings be blessed as the symbol of this affectionate union. Let us pray.

“Oh, Father, these two lives are now joined in one unbroken circle. Wherever they go, may they always return to one another. May they find in each other the love for which all men and women yearn. May they grow in understanding and compassion. May the home and Kingdom, which they establish together, be such a place that many will find there a friend, and may these rings upon their fingers symbolize the touch of the spirit of love in their hearts. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we pray. Amen.”

Turning to Andy, the priest placed the smaller of the rings in his palm. “Sir Andrew, in placing this ring on Lady Ashley’s finger, you are now consecrated as man and wife from this day forth. What vow have you for her?”

“Take this ring and with it, my promise of faith, patience, and love for the rest of my life,” the Prince said, voice booming through the chapel as he began sliding it onto his bride’s finger. “I have chosen you to be my wife, to have and to hold, from this day forth. For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to have and to cherish, as long as we both shall live.”

“Lady Ashley, in placing this ring on Sir Andrew’s finger, you are now consecrated as man and wife from this day forth. What vow have you for him?”

“Take this ring and with it, my promise of faith, patience, and love for the rest of my life,” he told his groom, pausing to clear his throat as he slid the silver band onto his finger. “I have chosen you to be my husband, to have and to hold, from this day forth. For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to have and to cherish, as long as we both shall live.” By the time he finished, Ashley was unable to hold back his tears any longer.

“Jesus said from the beginning of Creation, God made them male and female. For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one.” The elderly priest’s voice rang out loud and true for all to hear as he began to closing rites. “They are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God hath joined together, let no one separate. And so, by the power vested in me by almighty God and the Kingdom of Silverstone, I now pronounce you man and wife. Sir Andrew, you may kiss your bride.”

That last sentence sent the crowd of nobles into a joyous uproar as Andy tossed the veil over his bride’s head. He gently brushed away Ashley’s tears with his thumbs as he leaned down, gently joining their lips in the only passionate, love-filled kiss they’d ever shared. Only after they separated and grabbed each other’s hands, and the crowd fell silent, did the priest speak again.

“Now you will feel no pain, for each of you will be shelter to the other. Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other. Now there is no loneliness, for each of you will be companion to the other. Now you are two persons, but there is one life before you,” he said, a smile finally creeping across his face and lighting his eyes.

“Go now to your dwelling place and enter into the days of your togetherness. And may your days be good and long upon this earth. Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you, Sir and Lady Biersack, Prince and Princess of Silverstone?”

Eager to get through the ensuing reception so they could rest and relax, Andy and Ashley were already running down the aisle hand-in-hand before the priest ever finished.

Notes