Say No To This

@ katahdin

Nyrel realized immediately he'd stumbled onto a sore subject by the way Elwin responded. "I'm sorry," he said, holding up his hands, "But to be fair, you've never been the biggest fan of your magic. I wasn't sure how much, if anything, you'd been doing with it." And then he stood back, watching as Elwin picked out and multiplied flowers and set them up, so that the chapel was finally starting to look like a wedding was about to take place in it. "She'll love it," Nyrel assured when he asked what Ceren's opinion would be, neglecting to add that he was sure his sister would've loved it even if Elwin had accidentally picked all flowers she hated simply because he'd done it for her. "In that case, I'll see what I can do about dinner." And see what he could do about planning a honeymoon, but Elwin didn't need to know about that yet.

---

Ceren stifled a laugh, though she smiled at Aerith as they began looking. Ceren wasn't even really sure what she was looking for, honestly, or if there was any particular look. She just figured she would eventually stumble onto something she liked. She was just used to picking out clothes for practicality and didn't pay attention to what they looked like as much, and she was having to turn her brain in a different direction now. And even though she didn't care for a lot of the ones Aerith picked out, she was grateful that her friend was here and trying. Lost amongst all the dresses, she almost missed the dress Aerith was holding and her head only came up retroactively. "Wait, Aer, hold it back up." It was plainer than many of the dresses in the shop, but Ceren was drawn to it nonetheless. She looked up at her friend. "What do you think? It's not too... plain? Or ugly?"

@ sun spirit

"My magic is what got my parents killed. Of course I'm not a fan of it." Elwin said quickly, before sighing as he stood back, admiring his work. It was lovely, but part of him worried Ceren wouldn't love it. He nodded when Nyrel said he'd go get things set for dinner, running his fingers through his hair. "Sounds good. Now that this is finished, there isn't much else to do besides set up the dinner and get ready.. I'll leave you to find a room to have dinner in?" He asked, following his brother-in-law out of the chapel, leaving the healers to finish the small details.

---

Aerith was in the middle of putting the dress back on the rack when Ceren asked to see it again, nodding as she held it up. She didn't not like the dress, and it wasn't something that she would wear, but she could tell by the look in Ceren's eyes that she loved it. "Try it on. If you hate it we can always keep looking." She said, passing the dress to her before going to find that red headed elf to help her friend change.

@ katahdin
(Dude, I didn't expect this... I almost was like "yeah, he'll brush it off and keep going" but man, I love Nyrel's depth sometimes)

Nyrel frowned as he looked at Elwin. "You really think that?" Of course he did. He wouldn't have said it if he didn't. "You better start thinking differently than that fast, Elwin. You basically hide your magic. If and when you have children, if you start teaching them to do the same, what do you think happens when people start whispering about the royal family having lost their power? Your parents weren't assassinated because someone was scared of them. Your parents were assassinated because it would weaken the kingdom, not just magically, but morally. You haven't attacked because we don't officially know who did it, even if we have our suspicions, and they haven't attacked because you're the one who lived. You--and your magic--is what's keeping this kingdom safe."

Nyrel wasn't sure how much credence Elwin would even give his words. His reputation wasn't for being the sharpest knife in the set; it was for the way he'd worked his way through Court, and in a world where magic was admired more than wits in those who possessed that rare gift, his paltry affinity for air had usually left him overlooked for his prodigal sister. Whereas Ceren had put so much work into perfecting her magic, though, Nyrel had left his largely untouched branched into other vocations, and one area he'd found he quite excelled in was politics. It just so happened that only half of that skill was largely overshadowed by its more public half.

---

Aerith didn't really answer, which Ceren was sure was a bad sign, but she was being encouraged to try it on anyway, so she took a breath and nodded, holding the dress as she followed Aerith in search of Shanaera. They found her attending to some random task, but she showed them to a changing room, and Aerith waited outside as Ceren changed. It didn't fit quite right, but it wasn't terrible either. It was just seemed to anticipate someone a little taller and with a few more curves. Still, once she had it on, she stepped out to show Aerith. "What do you think?"

@ sun spirit

Elwin was shocked by what Nyrel had to say, not that he hadn't heard something similar before from the Council. But most of the time it was accompanied by them encouraging him to go to war against those who they believed to have killed his parents. But to hear it come from Nyrel.. It wasn't something he would have expected, and not certainly anything he could respond to right away. So he simply nodded before heading off to his room, leaving Nyrel to finish his preparations for the wedding.

---

Aerith waited patiently while Ceren changed, her eyes lighting up when she came out to show her the dress. "It's beautiful, Cer. Do you like it? It looks a little big, but I'm sure that once it's tailored properly it'll be perfect!" Aerith said excitedly before hurrying off through the store to find her a veil and some other accessories before returning with them, holding them out to Ceren to pick out the ones she liked.

@ katahdin

As Elwin left without saying a word, Nyrel couldn't help but feel like he'd said the entirely wrong thing. He let it go for the moment though, figuring he'd done enough, and instead set out to do what he'd been asked to, arranging for a small room to be set up near the chapel as well as a dinner for about four or five people. He deviated here slightly from what Elwin had said, asking the cook to prepare a mixture of a couple of dishes that he'd noticed the King requested more often as well as a couple of Ceren's preferred dishes.

With some time left yet before the wedding, Nyrel went about his "secret mission". It was short notice, but... He tracked down a noble who owed him a favor, someone who just so happened to own a small vacation home near the mountains, which he knew neither Elwin nor Ceren had yet visited. As he understood it, there were hiking trails, a pond that the family skated on when it froze over, and other things, including snow--which rarely made it this far south. More importantly, it was currently empty. After some persuading, the noble agreed that Elwin and Ceren could use the home for a week or two and passed a set of keys to Nyrel. With that taken care of, Nyrel arranged transportation, and with the majority of the healers running around preparing for the wedding, managed to swipe what he was pretty sure was Maid's Bane as well as some other essentials and traveling food for the carriage ride, which he packed up and stowed away temporarily in his and Aerith's room. All that was left was to pack up Elwin and Ceren without them knowing, then get them on the carriage. With that in mind, he went to find Elwin to report that he'd finished with his part of things and to enquire if there anything more he could do, ending up at the young King's door.

---

Though Aerith hadn't seemed too fond of the dress at first, Ceren smiled at her friend's reaction when she came out of the changing room. "Thank you. I think I do! Like you said, it's a little big, but that can be fixed." When Aerith came back with an armful of veils and other things, like shoes, she laughed, helping her friend set them down, and they sorted through them to see what they liked, and what would match the dress. Soon, they had it sorted out, though Ceren felt a bit unsteady in the heels, not used to wearing shoes like them.

Still wearing the dress, the seamstress used her magic to alter the dress, pulling it in so that it conformed to Ceren's body. Only then was Ceren allowed to change back into her clothes, and after discussing payment--the bill would be sent to the Council--Ceren and Aerith left with the shop with two bags that held their purchases and made their way back to the castle. "I should see if there's anything left that they need my help with," Ceren said as they reentered the castle, already aiming her steps for the infirmary, where planning had been taking place earlier.

@ sun spirit

While Nyrel was preparing things for the wedding and the surprise honeymoon, Elwin had returned to the infirmary to check in with Taleisin before heading to his room to bathe and pick out the outfit he wanted to wear. There was only a few hours before sunset at this point, and while Ceren was getting ready he'd have to make sure the Council was behaving themselves and not trying to cause trouble. When Nyrel arrived he had put on his trousers and shirt but was still trying to pick out a jacket, and he used his magic to open the door for his brother-in-law to come in.

"Is everything going well? Or has something happened?" He asked as he noticed it was him, pausing digging through his closet to look over at him worriedly.

---

Aerith clapper excitedly when the dress was fitted and she had all of the accessories, hugging her friend tightly. "So pretty, Ceren! Elwin will love it!' she promised, helping Ceren negotiate everything the seamstress before packing the shopping bags onto her horse and heading back to the castle with her friend. When Ceren started to head toward the infirmary she promptly grabbed her arm and began to lead her back to her room.

"No no no, we're going to get you ready for the wedding! The sun is going to set in a few hours, and you have to get changed and do your hair and do whatever else!" She insisted. She also knew she had to get Ceren all packed for her surprise honeymoon. She was sure that Nyrel had almost finished getting Elwin packed, and she didn't want to let her husband down when he'd trusted her with this task for helping his sister.

@ katahdin

Nyrel blinked as the door opened, but no one stood at it to have answered it themselves. Elwin had used his magic twice in a day? He stepped in, assuming he was welcome, and found his brother-in-law standing in front of his closet, not entirely dressed and looking as if he'd been searching for clothes. "As far as I know, everything's fine," he quickly reassured Elwin, noticing a trace of panic. "I was just checking in, since I finished arranging things for dinner. It'll be in a small room across from the chapel, so no one has to go too far. Food is being prepared now, and the healers seem to have a handle on most everything else." He inclined his head towards the closet. "Looking for something in particular, or just panicking slightly because you're about to get married, and you can't believe it's actually happening?" He smiled sympathetically.

---

Ceren tried to protest as Aerith pulled her in the opposite direction of the infirmary. "That's still a few hours though. I don't need that long to get dressed, and Elwin said I could help if there was enough time. They might need me for something." Aerith seemed determined though, not letting up, and Ceren was finally forced to relent. "Okay, okay, Aer." As they approached her room, she looked down the hall to Elwin's room, but though she saw the door was ajar, she didn't catch a glimpse of him, and she'd yet to hear a word on how things were going or what was even being done. "Wait, Elwin's door is open. It's only a couple of steps down the hall. We can just go let him know that we're back." It was actually several doors away, but that was close in the castle. "Maybe Nyrel's with him."

@ sun spirit

Elwin's shoulders slumped a little in relief as he heard the good news about everything being on track, feeling better about not having to worry that everything was going to get done on time. He looked back at Nyrel when he asked about what he was looking for in his closet, offering his brother-in-law a nervous smile. "Probably a little of both.. I don't know what Ceren's dress looks like, so I can't choose anything based on that. And I'm sure Aerith won't let me see it beforehand." He chuckled a little, running his fingers through his still damp hair with a sigh. "Were you this nervous before marrying Aerith?"

---

"Elwin doesn't want you to help, Cer. He wants you to relax. He only said that you could help if there was still stuff left to do so you wouldn't pitch a fit." Aerith pointed out as she led her friend back to her room. She paused at Ceren's door when Ceren pointed out that Elwin's door was open and suggested that they go tell him that they were back. After considering it for a moment, Aerith passed the bags that contained Ceren's gown and accessories in it to her before opening her door and pointing her inside. "I'll go tell Elwin that we're back. You are going to go inside and take a bath." She stated. "You're not supposed to see Elwin before your wedding day, and I know you've already seen him naked, but we're pretending that that hasn't happened, so we're sticking to the rules." She stated before ushering Ceren inside. "If you're not in the bath by the time I get back I will be very upset!" She stated before shutting the door and hurrying off down to Elwin's room, knocking lightly at the door before peeking in, eyes lighting up a bit when she saw that Nyrel was there too. "Hello. We're back, just so you know."

@ katahdin

Nyrel nodded knowingly. "Well, chances are, it's probably white, so you should be good as long as you pick something dark. Anything too light would just look bad next to white, and bright might be okay, but if she chose something with a little more color, there's more chance for the colors looking bad with each other. Black, dark brown, navy, maybe a deep red if you're feeling brave. That's what I would go with," he offered, not even sure if he was being helpful at all since it was probably something Elwin had already thought of. When he was asked about marrying Aerith, he chuckled and nodded. "Definitely. Mostly afraid that she'd come to her senses about marrying me at any moment and jump ship and that I wasn't worthy of her, but nervous all the same," he said, ending right as there was a knock on the slightly ajar door.

Aerith appeared moments later, and he grinned at the sight of his wife. "Speak of the goddess." He walked over and dropped a kiss on her lips. "For Elwin's sanity, please tell us that everything went well. Oh, and if you can reveal a dress color, that'll help tremendously too. We're worried about matching."

---

Ceren frowned. "But he promised," she said, and though it sounded like a childish argument, she'd always been able to hold Elwin to his promises. When Aerith paused, especially when she mentioned the possibility of seeing Nyrel, Ceren thought she'd won a minor victory, but suddenly she found herself being pushed into her room instead without the chance to argue--even that she'd already seen Elwin just a couple of hours ago. "Tell him I love him," she managed to call before Aerith left, leaving Ceren in the room, and sighed softly as she laid her dress out along the bed and set the veil and shoes nearby. She was really getting married. Today. In a couple of hours. Trying to shake her thoughts, she decided not to tempt Aerith's wrath and moved to draw a bath.

@ sun spirit

Elwin chuckled a little as Nyrel listed off the various colors he could choose to wear, offering him a little smile. "Thanks, Nyrel.. I've already thought through most of that, but it's nice to hear someone else say it. Remind me I'm not crazy." He laughed, smiling as he talked about how worried he'd been before marrying Aerith. "She'd never think that.. She very clearly loves you, and I regret sending you away from her, and putting you both through such a horrible year." He looked up when Aerith came in right as they were speaking about her, happy to see how happy they both made each other. "Hi, Aerith. I'm glad you've made it back."

Aerith smiled brightly at Nyrel as he kissed her, cheeks flushing red as he called her a goddess. She got a bit distracted by his kiss, and it was only when he brought up Elwin that she looked over at her brother, remembering that he was there. "Oh, yeah. Um.. it's got flowers on it, and isn't white.. more like.. blush?" She scrunched up her nose, shrugging a little. "It's really pretty though, you'll love it!" She beamed, pressing a kiss to Nyrel's cheek. "Ceren's busy taking a bath, and she's a little mad I wouldn't let her help set up, but I figured you'd be happy about it.."

@ katahdin

Before Nyrel could say anything to Elwin on the subject of sending him away--which he knew he'd certainly deserved--Aerith showed up and he went to greet her, glad to see her back. When he pulled back, he held her hand, staying close as they talked, chuckling a bit as she tried to describe the dress. "Okay, thank you," he said, pressing a kiss against the top of her head. "We guessed Elwin shouldn't wear anything light colored, but at least now we know for sure." He turned to his brother-in-law. "Seems like you can relax now too. Everything's going fine."

@ sun spirit

Aerith squeezed her husband's hand as she spoke, her other hand moving to adjust the buttons on his shirt and smooth out a few wrinkles. "I'm sorry for not giving a better explanation, but if I describe it too much then it won't be a surprise." She smiled at her brother as Nyrel kissed her forehead.

Elwin chuckled as she apologized a d Nyrel told him that he could relax, shaking his head a little. "I'm not entirely sure how relaxed I can get, but not worrying about this is a step in the right direction.. I suppose all I have to do is finish dressing then go make sure everything is in place for the ceremonies. And to make sure the Council isn't going to pitch a fit."

Aerith scrunched up her nose at the mention of the Council, her grip on her husband's hand tightening. "They won't be mean, will they? You're supposed to be happy on your wedding day, they shouldn't be allowed to come if they're just going to harass you and Cer."

@ katahdin

Nyrel smiled a bit as Aerith fussed with his shirt, which wasn't in a bad state, but it was a nice gesture all the same, which he returned by squeezing her hand. It wasn't as if he'd really know what to do even if her armor needed adjusting anyway. For a moment, he frowned at Elwin, sharing Aerith's concerns about the presence of the Council before understanding dawned. "They have to be there." He added, for Aerith's benefit, "Even if they weren't present for the wedding, there are enough witnesses to prove he and Ceren are husband and wife, but Elwin's decided to combine wedding with crowning ceremony and make Ceren Queen tonight. For that to be legitimized, the Council has to be in attendance." Nyrel squeezed Aerith's hand. "If Aer doesn't mind handling things on this end, I can get dressed and come help with the Council. I know most of them, and even if they hate me now, I can at least get the attention off you and Ceren."

@ sun spirit

Aerith's eyes widened a bit in surprise and understanding as Nyrel explained, Elwin giving a little nod to confirm that he was right. "There are twenty Council members, I need at least fifteen to be here to witness the ceremony for it to be legitimate. I'm worried that they'll either not show up or leave when it's time for that part of the ceremony just to make a political statement." He sighed, grabbing the [url=https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-VC44j73/0/X3/i-VC44j73-X3.jpg]coat and cape he'd decided on, before heading back to the closet to grab his crown, which he rarely wore and kept haphazardly at the bottom of the wardrobe. "I'd appreciate any help you could give, Nyrel. But I also don't want to keep you from Aer if she's needing your attention." He offered his sister a smile as he headed over to them, pressing a kiss to her cheek as he moved to exit his room. "I can go greet them, and make sure they're not ordering anyone to take down the decorations. I'll see you there soon?"

Aerith smiled up at her brother when he kissed her cheeks, nodding at his suggestion. "Of course, El. Don't worry, I'll beat them all up if you want me to." She grinned, her brother chuckling as he disappeared.

@ katahdin

Though he'd forgotten the exact numbers, Nyrel had memorized enough inane laws under his father's tutelage to know a majority of the Council had to be present. Yet, while 15 of 20 was more lenient than he'd suspected, Elwin gave voice to a legitimate concern. "We can always bar the doors," he suggested with a shrug as Elwin finished dressing and gathering what he needed. "I'll see what I can do," he conceded, turning to Aerith after Elwin had left.

"I'm sorry we aren't getting much time with each other today," he apologized first, kissing her. I've arranged everything for their honeymoon except getting them packed though. There's even a bag of general supplies I've stashed in our rooms. If you can't find a moment with Ceren before the wedding, I can leave dinner early and take care of it, so don't stress that part." He pressed a kiss to her forehead and sighed. "I should go ahead and pack things for Elwin, then go try to help with the Council. He's got enough to worry about with their openly opposing his marriage or trying to stop the festivities tonight entirely."

@ sun spirit

Aerith happily kissed her husband back, squeezing his hands in hers. "It's alright, Nyrel, you don't have to apologize. They helped us with our wedding, so it only seems fair that we return the favor." She smiled, pressing a little kiss to the tip of his nose before stopping to listen to him explain what he'd gotten done as far as preparations for the honeymoon, nodding a little. "Ceren's in the bath at the moment, and I should be able to pack her bag without her paying too much attention while she's in there. I can bring it to our room when I go back to change before the ceremony, and I can meet you there in an hour or so?" She asked hopefully, squeezing his hands as she gazed up at him lovingly. "Don't let the Council bully you, please.. I'll be sad if they hurt your feelings." She said as she released his hands, stepping toward the door so she could get back to Ceren. Although, halfway out she paused, turning around to press a loving kiss to his lips before hurrying off down the hall, a big smile on her face.

"Ceren?" Aerith called once she was back in her friend's room, and, not immediately seeing the healer, grabbed a bag from her closet and began to pack a weeks worth of clothes into it quickly, although she did take care to try to make everything somewhat neat, so that Ceren wouldn't be mad at her for wrinkling a dress. Once that was done she tucked the bag out of the way, hoping that Ceren wouldn't notice it while she was getting dressed. "Ceren, do you need help in the bathroom, or are you all done?"

---

Meanwhile, Elwin had made it back to the chapel to oversee the last of the decorations being put up, trusting the healer's attention to small detail. As he was finishing his discussions the first few Council members began to arrive, looking less than happy about being summoned for an impromptu wedding and crowning ceremony.

@ katahdin

"An hour," Nyrel agreed, chuckling as she mentioned the Council hurting his feelings. He didn't think it likely, but he promised nonetheless and returned her kiss before she headed back Ceren's way. He searched until he found a bag and then started stuffing clothes into it, warm things mostly, making sure Elwin had everything he might reasonably need before closing the bag. Nyrel headed to his and Aerith's rooms then, and dropped that bag off with the first before he started towards the chapel, finding Elwin conversing with a couple of unhappy-looking Council members there. "My lords, you're a little early for the ceremonies. Here, why don't we find you a seat where you'll have a good view of everything? No need to harass the groom. He's stressed enough as it is."

Refusing to let himself be herded like cattle, Deldrach Norren stood his ground as he eyed the elf in front of him, his face reddening as he spoke, "Nyrel! This is entirely your doing. We would have been perfectly content for the king to marry your sister if not for your marriage to the princess. Move and let us talk to the king; he simply cannot marry and crown someone without our compliance! We forbid this wedding; the kingdom needs a political match."

"No, the kingdom needs a king." If Elwin was still standing by listening, Nyrel hoped he had the sense to stay quiet or else agree with him. "One with Elwin's magic, and because it's so hard for those with magic to have children, he's your only option. Do you know what will happen if you don't submit to today's ceremonies? Elwin will abdicate, he'll marry Ceren anyway, only this way, you lose a king. And in his place--please, do correct me if I'm wrong--Princess Aerith becomes ruler. Not only does she not have the magic that protects this kingdom, she also just so happens to be married to yours truly. Given a choice between we Stonewaters, ask yourselves this: would you rather the shy, caring healer, or the one who was exiled because of the things he did to get his way?"

---

"I'm in the bath," Ceren assured Aerith when she heard her friend return and call her name. It had taken a little time for the tub to fill with water, and having already finished washing her hair, she now moved onto her body. When she finished, she set the tub to drain, hearing Aerith call through the door just as she moved to pick up a towel. "I'm done," she called. "Just let me get a robe on." She dried quickly before doing just that, then opened the door to step out into her chambers. "Elwin's okay? And everything else?" she asked her friend, needing to be sure. Acting on habit, she pulled her fingers through her hair and started to shape her hair into its usual braid.

@ sun spirit

The only other time Elwin had felt this relieved was when Ceren had agreed to marry him again the day before, so to say he was grateful to see Nyrel arrive was an understatement. Deldrach had been in the middle of informing him that the Council had compiled a list of suitable ladies and princesses for him to consider instead of Ceren (which included his own daughters near the top of the list) when Nyrel butted in, Elwin standing a little straighter as his brother-in-law spoke to the Councilman. He'd had all the same tutoring that Nyrel had, probably more, in order to prepare him to become King, but everyone had assumed that that that day would come later in life when Elwin was at least thirty, not when he was barely seventeen. So, for for the past five or so years the Council had gotten away with pushing him around, claiming that their orders were because he was not yet of age. But now he was practically twenty-two, and he'd had enough of listening to them.

He remained silent as he listened to Nyrel speak, forcing himself not to smile at the idea of Aerith as Queen. Oh, how they'd do anything to avoid that. Given the choice between Nyrel and Ceren, he was sure he knew who they'd pick, and based on the looks the other Council members were giving each other, they knew who they'd pick too. Stepping forward, Elwin cleared his throat. "I'm sure you'll agree that Nyrel makes some excellent points. Now, please allow him to escort you all to your seats while I finish discussing things with the healers and the bishop. Oh, and if any of you have any questions or concerns about the ceremony, feel free to ask the Baron here. As my new personal advisor, he'll happily listen to any and all complaints you may have, and then bring me his recommendations on whose titles, positions and lands to strips." Elwin said, offering them all a curt smile before he turned and headed up to the altar to discuss things with the bishop, leaving Nyrel to deal with them.

---

Aerith had taken a seat in a chair over by the fire, smiling over at Ceren when she came out. "Did you have a good bath? You look very clean." She said as she stood, patting her arm gently. "Yes, Elwin's fine. He's very nervous, but also excited. He dressed in his fancy cape." Aerith giggled, swatting at Ceren's hands when she started to braid her hair as usual. "Hey! No, no. You need to do something fancy for your hair, especially since it's your wedding and your coronation day!" She beamed, ushering her friend over to her vanity. "I don't know how to help you with your hair, but I can tell you if I think it's ugly or not."

@ katahdin

Apparently Nyrel needn't have been concerned about Elwin being cooperative in the claims he was making, despite the fact that they'd never had any prior discussion of abdication, and was relieved when he even went along with it, apparently having recovered from the small panic he'd obviously been experiencing earlier. While Aerith had warned him about being reinstated as Baron though, Nyrel had a hard time hiding his surprise and disbelief at the words 'personal advisor'. Elwin didn't offer any further explanation than that before taking his leave though, so Nyrel just offered a smile as he motioned to the pews. "Sounds like you'll be wanting seats then. As more of the Council arrives, I'll make sure they make it over here, and you can fill them in on what's going on. I trust you'll make the right decisions regarding the ceremonies today given your options, and as long as you play nice, I'll only make good reports to the King." Whether or not this was actually happening, he might as well embrace it as if it was for now and hope they were feeling cautious given the thinly veiled threats going around.

---

Ceren smiled, relaxing a bit as she heard that Elwin was fine and nothing was going wrong. She knew the Council didn't want them married, and some part of her was still afraid that they were going to manage to keep it from happening somehow, and it was hard to help when she was being kept out of the loop. "The blue one that drags the floor?" Ceren asked with a laugh, knowing just the cape Aerith was talking about. "I'm glad he's fine though. I'm a little nervous too, even though I'm mostly excited," she admitted, and though she'd started to play with her hair, she dropped it when Aerith swatted at her, eyes widening and face paling a little as Aerith sat her down at the vanity. "Coronation?" she repeated, turning to meet her friend's eyes. "No it isn't. That's not until--until later. There's a whole separate ceremony that takes place." Hair was the last thing on her mind suddenly.

@ sun spirit

Elwin finished up with the bishop after about thirty minutes, going over both the marriage ceremony and the coronation ceremony, and he decided to check in with Nyrel, who didn't seem too busy. Most of the Council members had arrived and were sitting in their seats, even if they looked grumpy about it, and he figured he owed his brother in law an apology for surprising him and putting him on the spot like that. "Everything alright?" He asked as he stepped toward him, offering him a little smile. "I hope they weren't too upset with you... Also, I'm sorry I put you on the spot like that, you don't have to take the position if you don't want it. I just.. I trust your judgement, and you're a lot better at negotiating and talking politics than I am." He laughed a bit. "And for the record, I think you'd make an excellent King."

---

"It's similar to that one. It's shorter, stops after his waist and has the fancy gold braiding." Aerith grinned, giving her friend a hug as she said she was nervous. "Don't be. Everything is going to be perfect, just you wait and see." She frowned though when Ceren paled and tried to deny the coronation happening, shaking her head a little. "Um, no. Elwin and Nyrel said that it's happening today. The Council is here to witness it and everything." She gave her friend an odd look, finding it odd that she'd forget such an important detail, before her eyes went wide in realization. "Elwin didn't tell you that part, did he? Oh, I ruined the surprise! Please don't tell Elwin I told you, he'll be mad at me. And there's nothing to worry about, you just kneel down, and Elwin says the words and puts the crown on your head, and then you say a few words and then you're Queen. It's really not that hard."