The rest of the day following the coronation and its interruption was spent cleaning up the city. The wounded were healed, panicked animals were calmed, and damaged property was swiftly repaired.
The next day, a second celebration was held for Queen Aurelia's coronation. The sparse crowd from the previous day, dispersed by the poison incident, was now replaced by throngs of people lining the streets. At dawn, Aurelia was paraded through the city, greeted by cheers and praise.
Their enthusiasm wasn't surprising. Rumors had already begun to spread that the new monarch had personally saved the city from the remnants of the demon worshippers, those same fanatics who had recently caused so much destruction.
As for the news of the Demon Lord's defeat, credit was also given to Aurelia. It was a deliberate move, meant to solidify her popularity and ensure a smooth transition of power.
Bastion, Seraphina, and the others didn't object. In fact, they preferred it that way, especially since they were keen on keeping their identities out of the spotlight. Well, as much as a duke and his future bride possibly could.
By noon, the nobles had gathered once again in the throne room, this time not for a coronation, but for a royal double wedding.
Aurelia had insisted that she and Seraphina be wed together in a joint ceremony. Seraphina, who shared Bastion's distaste for grand celebrations, agreed without much thought just to get it over with. She wasn't particularly excited to make their marriage official, having never been the type to care about weddings in the first place.
Bastion, for his part, was just as indifferent. This would be his second wedding, and the first, lackluster as it was, had already been more than enough to last him two lifetimes.
The couple had originally planned to hold a small, private wedding at Diamondhart Castle with only their close companions. But now that they had been coaxed into holding it sooner and on a grander scale, they saw it as something to simply get over with.
The ceremony began with Bastion and Seraphina's wedding. Neither wore anything elaborate, choosing instead to appear in the same clothes they had worn the day before.
In Gaia, weddings carried a more solemn tone than a celebratory one. They were less about love or relationships and more about a shared commitment to their god and procreation. Marriage was viewed as a sacred vow to the gods, a promise to bear children in their name and with their blessing, rather than a romantic declaration between two people.
Because of this, and her personal interest, Aurelia, as the Saintess, was the one to officiate the union.
Aurelia stood at the center of the dais, robed in white and gold, the crystal sigil of the Goddess of Brilliance resting against her chest. Bastion and Seraphina stood in front of her, casual enough to show they weren't nervous, formal enough to show they knew this mattered.
Aurelia raised her voice, calm and resolute.
"You have come before the Goddess of Brilliance to declare your vow of matrimony. Do you do so freely, with full knowledge of its weight, and with the intention to uphold it in the light of her gaze?"
"I do," Bastion said.
"I do," Seraphina followed.
"Then you may present your vows," Aurelia said, stepping back slightly as the hall waited.
Both Bastion and Seraphina turned their gaze upward toward the pale moonstone statue that towered behind the thrones. It was a depiction of the goddess crowned in crystal, arms outstretched.
Together, they spoke.
"I stand before you, O Goddess of Brilliance,
Not for desire, but in fulfillment of duty.
I offer this union as a vessel for your will,
That through it, life may be given,
And through it, light may be carried forward.
I vow to uphold this bond with integrity,
To protect what is born of it,
And to walk without shame beneath your gaze."
Aurelia stepped forward once more. "Then let this vow be witnessed by the divine, and by all present. Let the bond be recognized as a covenant of purpose. So it is spoken. So it is sealed."
A low chime resonated from her staff as it struck the marble floor.
"It is done."
A wave of respectful applause and scattered cheers rose from the nobles, a gesture of decorum rather than celebration.
Bastion and Seraphina stepped down from the dais in silence. His hand brushed lightly against hers, and she took it without a word. Their expressions remained composed, but in that small gesture, there was an unspoken acknowledgment of what they had just committed to.
As they made way, Aurelia reached up and unfastened the clasp of her ceremonial robe. The white and gold fabric slid from her shoulders, caught quickly by one of the attendants. Beneath it, she wore a deep silver gown adorned with subtle filigree and a soft shimmer that caught the light.
The crowd quieted again.
Aurelia stepped to the center, no longer the officiant but the bride. Tobin, dressed in a formal black and green suit, joined her, his expression composed as he took his place beside her.
The hall fell into silence once more as the High Priest stepped forward, adorned in layered robes of white and silver, his staff gleaming with inlaid crystal. He looked over the assembly, then turned to the bride and groom standing before him, Aurelia, sovereign and Saintess, and Tobin, the chosen consort and newly anointed king.
"You stand now beneath the gaze of the Goddess of Brilliance," the priest began, voice deep and commanding. "Not as individuals, but as rulers, bound by divine covenant. Do you come of your own will, prepared to take this vow, and to bear the weight it carries for the good of the realm?"
"I do," Tobin replied, his tone clear and unwavering.
"I do," Aurelia said, her expression calm, almost solemn.
"Then before the eyes of the goddess, you may declare your vow."
They turned to face the great statue at the head of the hall, and together they spoke.
"I stand before you, O Goddess of Brilliance,
As your servant, and as sovereign of this land.
Not for comfort, nor for favor, but in acceptance of duty.
Through this union, I pledge to preserve your light,
To protect the realm entrusted to us,
And to guide its people with wisdom and strength.
As king and queen, we vow to reign in your name,
To uphold justice, ensure legacy,
And to carry the burden of rule without falter,
So long as your gaze is upon us."
The High Priest raised his staff. A single chime rang out, resonating through the chamber like a quiet commandment.
"Then let the goddess bear witness to your vow. Let the bond be sealed by purpose. Let your reign begin, consecrated in light."
A second chime rang through the chamber.
"It is done."
The throne room erupted into thunderous applause. Nobles rose to their feet, voices raised in cheers. Some called Aurelia's name. Others chanted long-lived blessings for the new king and queen. Flowers, previously tucked away for formality, were tossed gently from the crowd, drifting down like blessings on the wind.
The mood was no longer subdued. It was triumphant.
Aurelia and Tobin stepped forward together, facing the crowd hand in hand, their expressions composed yet regal. They did not smile broadly, but there was weight in their presence, two figures bound not just by vow, but by the shared future of a kingdom.
Behind them, the great statue of the Goddess of Brilliance caught the midday light, casting a soft glow across the hall.
A new era had begun.
-----
"That wasn't so bad," Bastion commented at the banquet held in honor of both weddings. "Better than my last marriage."
"At least it was fast," Seraphina said. "In Japan it can take up to half an hour."
They sat at a long table near the edge of the grand hall, far enough from the raised dais to avoid the attention of the nobles but close enough to enjoy the food. Musicians played softly in the background, and servants moved between tables carrying trays of roasted game, wine, and fruit carved into the shapes of regional crests.
Across the room, Aurelia and Tobin were surrounded by lords, envoys, and priests all trying to speak to them at once. Aurelia smiled through it with practiced ease. Tobin looked like he was deciding which exit was the closest.
"I'd say they're handling it well," Bastion said, nudging a piece of pheasant across his plate.
"Barely. He keeps glancing toward the exits."
"I don't blame him," Bastion murmured. "I'd be exactly the same."
"So would I."
They shared a laugh before Bastion leaned back in his chair and glanced toward the balcony, where the night air drifted in, cool and heavy with the scent of summer blooms.
"Come on," he said, rising from his chair. "Before the next toast chains us to this table."
Seraphina arched an eyebrow. "You're not going to ask?"
"No. I'm going to assume."
She stood, quietly amused, and let him lead her through the parted curtains and into the night.
The din of the banquet faded behind them. Out on the balcony, under the warm glow of lanternlight and a pale sliver of moon, Bastion offered his hand.
"Would you honor me with this dance, my wife?" he asked.
"Of course, my husband."
She took his hand and stepped into him, fitting easily into his arms like she had always belonged there.
"With how anxious I used to be, I never imagined I'd be dancing with my husband in another world," Seraphina said softly. "Let alone the fact that he's Bastion Diamondhart."
Bastion smiled, guiding her through the slow rhythm. "You make it sound like I'm some distant legend. I'm just a man who's trying to live a relaxing life."
"I know, and it's cute. It makes me feel special knowing things about you your other fans would never know."
"I'm very glad I don't live in your world then," Bastion said, causing Seraphina to suddenly stop.
"What do you mean, your world?"
"Well, we can't assume we came from the same Earth, right? We also can't assume they are different. To make it easier to digest, we can assume we come from different Earths and move forward from there."
"How is the fact that there is a world for each hero in the history of Gaia easy to digest?"
"At the very least, we can't make assumptions based on our knowledge. We need to meet each hero with the understanding that we might have come from different worlds."
Seraphina thought about it deeper and agreed, but doubted whether it was actually possible for so many iterations of the same Earth to exist.
"Tell me about your Earth."
-----
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