“Breathe girl, just breathe...no one wants to see you go face first into the ground on your wedding day.” She'd been using these words as a mantra to get her through the last few hours, her dress was ready, the food was packed in hampers, the people who knew what was going on had been sworn to secrecy. Everything was ready, except her. Nerves had taken hold of her heart, she hadn't seen Logan now for nearly five months, she'd read notes left for her and handed to her by Katherine over the last few days. But seeing the man she was about to marry...not a hide or hair, that day they'd gone to check on the bower, she had looked for him. Jubes had to drag her out of the forest when the dark began to come down, she spent at least half a day looking out of the windows hoping to catch a glimpse of him but to no avail.
So here she was about to get married in secret on the grounds of the mansion under the disguise of a picnic, it would have been funny if it hadn't have been so easy to convince everyone of. Jean was back in Washington, Scott was busy with the Blackbird, Hank was doing research, Ororo was the only member of the Alpha team who'd been invited. Everyone else had something to do, or papers to research or cars to tweak, life was busy enough without her dropping the bombshell of a wedding on them all. She'd thought she'd never get away with it, that someone would blab, usually secrets that were meant to be secrets made it out and were news within an hour. But she'd not thought about the power of the 'little kitchen', the place everyone went to when they were feeling a little 'out of sorts' or down. Katherine's kitchen was a haven, even from the rest of the mansion, and the loss of the privileges of the little kitchen were a serious threat. So when people were told of the wedding, they were also told the consequences of revealing said wedding to everyone else and it had worked.
Marie looked at the simple dress that was laid out on her single bed, tonight when they got back, all her things would be moved out of here and into a new room in the west wing. The married quarters for all the staff and teachers. Her fingers traced the beautiful silk dress, it's patterns a mixture of east and west, a cascade of Cherry blossom ran down one shoulder and arm, ranging in pinks, from the near blood red to the palest of petals. The dove grey it rested on darkened as the dress flowed down to her feet, the sleeves were skinny but enough to frame her form. Cinched at the waist and flared at the hips, the spinning pale petals forming a spiral that wound around her body, each flower hand stitched to the silk. Underneath it she wore only a flesh coloured body stocking, anything else would spoil the look of the dress and she'd tried everything she'd owned. No this dress was to be worn next to the skin and Logan had given it to Katherine to give to her and as she finally picked it up to wear for the last time as a single woman Marie wondered just what Logan would be wearing to their wedding.
“Come on Jubes, leave Pete alone, he can carry the hamper on his own if he wants to,” Katherine's voice was light and filled with laughter as they wound their way across the grounds. Several people had waved as they'd passed them by, the hamper in Pete's hands being recognised as Katherine's. The act of picnicking wasn't unusual, Katherine did it often in the summer, using the time away to help those who were afraid of ears listening at doorways. So seeing another one wasn't unusual, but this time not all the picnickers would be back at the same time. Marie held her head high, she wanted this, hell she'd had enough time to tell him otherwise, so why was she doubting herself now? Her hand went to her head, trying to make the tresses she'd put it in better, Jubes grabbed her gloved hand and squeezed it tightly, smiling from her entire being at her. “Hey, he'll love it, don't worry, you're allowed to be nervous.” Marie let herself laugh away the tension with her best friend, she was right, she knew Logan loved her, wanted her, cherished her. He'd have married her in a paper sack if he had to, all that mattered was that she loved him as much as he did her. So lifting up her dress under her large duffel she let her boots lead her to the glade where she knew her future was waiting for her, probably as nervous as she was.
The Farrier had the anvil in place, they'd carried it up there the night before, rested it on an old oak stump. He was currently smoking an old pipe resting on the large flat surface, while Logan was listening to the voices that were getting closer and closer. His own clothes were simple, a pair of black jeans, a silk shirt, dark indigo blue that faded to white, the cranes that flew across his back linked with golden thread. The few cherry petals that covered the front of his shirt a copy of the ones that covered Marie's dress, his nerves were there but the feeling of 'rightness' held him still. She was coming to him, she'd accepted everything he'd given to her, understanding what he'd been asking her to do and she still came. He could see them now and he swallowed nervously and turned his back to the people who were walking toward him, he wanted the first person he saw to be Marie. He nodded to the Farrier who knocked out his pipe and stood up, behind the anvil and just out of sight was the Hunter, brushed until his coat had shone like the midnight sun on obsidian. The large horse nodding at the group that had now filled the space behind him, smiling Logan closed his eyes and turned to the now quiet group.
She could see him, well the back of him anyway, he was just stood there, as if it was just another day, but the set up of the glade was different. There were torches in the corners, a small table had been set up and behind the anvil she could just see a large horse nodding, when Marie turned her attention back to Logan she watched him turn around. He looked calmer, more settled than she'd ever seen him, as if he'd been washed of several years, he held out his gloved hands eyes closed. Marie smiled as she took hold of his strong fingers and saw the smile on his face deepen as he opened his eyes, the warmth of his eyes almost made her cry. The tears formed but held still as the voice of the Farrier wound out across the glade, “My eyes see only you, my heart beats only for you, my hands only reach for you, my voice only speaks for your ears. These are the gifts I give you, for I have nothing but myself to give to you, do you accept me? As a man, as a beast, as an animal who knows no better than his own heart tells him? Do you accept me? Will you have me in your bed, in your home, in your life until you yourself tell me to leave and never to return? Do you accept me and all that I can be with you by my side?”
Marie could see his words, he'd written them for the Farrier to speak, his vows to her, his promises to her, from the night he'd fought for her life all those years ago to this place and this moment. He'd waited for her, made her comfortable in her own skin first, made sure he was the one she wanted by letting her think it over in the months he was away. And it came down to this, would she accept him as he was, Logan and Wolverine?
“Yes.”
It was as if she'd put bonfires in his eyes, his hands tightened on hers but he didn't hurt her, the smile lines deepened around his eyes and a tear crept out of his left eye to run down into his cheek. Marie had given her vows to Jubilee to be read by Katherine, the things she wanted Logan to know before he took her on, before he let her into his heart completely. Logan quickly looked over her shoulder to take in the faces of those behind Marie before coming back to her eyes. Whatever he'd seen there hadn't taken the smile from his face in fact it seemed to polish it further. Katherine's voice rose through the glade, “Will you understand my moods, will you hold me when the thunder threatens to take my voice, will you love me even when age rears its head in my hair? Will you give me patience when I don't understand you, will you meet me halfway when I need your guidance? I have no other but you in my heart and will not put others above our needs for each other, even though I will love others differently, I will always put you first. Could you accept my skin, that I can kill with a touch and that I fear I will kill you one day or harm you by accident and for you to forgive me if it ever happens? Will you keep me in your bed until I can no longer love you? Will you put me first above all others, from your past or those we shall meet in the future? Can you accept me as I am, skin and all, faults and all, love and all?”
Time seemed to stop as Katherine's last words echoed through the glade, it seemed to be hours before Logan spoke, his hands tightened again on hers and he pulled her close to his body, his lips whispering his answer to her first. “Yes, as long as I have blood in my body and breath in my lungs.” Logan then lifted his head and spoke to everyone else, “Yes. I accept you.”
The Farrier took their hands to the anvil, hefting his hammer he struck the anvil three times, once on the left, once on the right and once above their hands. They both felt the reverberation of the blows go through the iron and into their bodies, his voice raising as the final blow fell, “What I have made may no god tear apart, what I have crafted let no soul ruin, what I have made may all see with truth's eye.” He then took the rings from Logan and put them on the hands of each of them, “With these rings are their promises made, you have witnessed this sacred promise and union, you have to keep their promise as they shall themselves.”
Pete handed the bottle of mead around the group, making sure everyone drank and when they had he took a good draught himself after which he raised it to the trees and his rich voice rang clear across the woodland. “To the fathers who watch from afar and the mothers close at hand, watch over their love, make it grow, bless it well as we have been blessed.” He raised the mead to Kitty who blushed beautifully, before pouring the rest of the mead onto the floor of the grove around the now married couple.
The Farrier put his hands on their shoulders and led them out of the grove, Marie leaving her flowers with Jubes and the food being opened now in the laughing smiling group. Logan took hold of Marie and lifted her onto the back of the huge black hunter, there was no saddle to speak of so she held on best she could. Logan clasped the hand of the Farrier who smiled at them both and nodded as Logan climbed up behind Marie. “You've got an hour before they'll come looking for you.” He winked at them both and slapped the hunter on the rump, he whickered and set off at a trot into the warm forest.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Here's where they get hitched,not traditional but a joining all the same...
Chapter End Notes:
We get to find out what they did with that hour next....