Chapter 33: Wedding
Eric woke up to kisses on his neck. He smiled as he held the culprit, wrapping his arms around her with a gleeful chuckle. He opened his eyes to the sun shining on Mia’s smile. Words would never be enough to capture the beauty behind her eyes. "Today’s the day." Eric said, placing one hand on her chin, while the other traced through her hair. "It is... So get up lazy bones." She said while giggling. "Will do!" He yelled with a grin, standing up while carrying her like a princess. "Put me down, you big brute!" Mia responded, playfully hitting his chest. "Oh, am I carrying something?" He was doing bicep curls with her in his arms, smirking as she collapsed against his chest. The couple was all smiles as they walked towards the kitchen.
"Are you guys done?" A disheveled Ayeolla complained while sipping coffee. "It’s bad enough that you keep people up all night, but do you have to wake them up early in the morning too?!" She groaned, dark circles appearing under her eyes. "Am I hearing complaints from the person wanting to ’check up on the LT’? You should have just stayed with him." Eric teased, handing Mia her own coffee. Ayeolla grumbled while heading to the washroom. "I hope you stub your toe on every corner." She said while sticking her tongue out at him.
After breakfast, Ayeolla led Mia away after the two shared a kiss. "I will see you soon, husband." Mia said, cupping his cheek. "Yes, my wife." Eric said, grinning from ear to ear. He watched her leave, standing in the doorway long after she had disappeared into Samara’s house. "Move it boy!" A gruff voice called to his left. Eric shook his head, then looked up. "Nice to see you too, Kamer." He said dryly. "It better be." The man responded. "I am wedding you today." He growled. He lightened up while patting Eric on the back. "You’re a good man, Eric. The king and I both couldn’t be happier that she chose you."
Eric stood still as he turned back to Kamer. "Who are you, old man?" He said, his puzzled expression making Kamer laugh. "You got a wedding to worry about lad. Go on and get ready for that. It is not wise to keep a lady waiting, after all."
Eric sighed as he began getting ready for the wedding. There was shouting, bumps, and scrapes as he put everything together. Milano and Hammond stood outside the door, laughing at each curse word. "ten bucks says he puts the rack on upside down." Milano said after another "You gotta be fucking kidding me!" from Eric. "I’ll take that bet." Hammond said, laughing as they heard another loud crash. Finally, Eric walked out to the living room. Milano and Hammond sighed in unison as they looked at the state of Eric’s uniform. "You’re missing the MI lapel. Are you marrying a stripper?" Hammond growled. "And seriously, are you a private? How do you put your rack on upside down?" Milano said, sighing in exasperation. "Go! Fix it." As Eric began to fix the discrepancies, he muttered to himself, "What is this, the goddamn board?" Hammond laughed as he yelled out "I heard that!" Eric froze, grumbling about old men and hearing aids. Finally, he was ready.
Early in the afternoon, a small gathering sat around a fountain in the middle of the village. A large gazebo stood in front of it, overlooking the forest, with the snow capped mountains in the backdrop. Eric stood there, his palms sweating as he trembled slightly. He readjusted the ribbons on his uniform for the fifteenth time in the last hour, while Hammond and Milano stood behind him chuckling. "You would think this is his first time." Hammond said with a suppressed chuckle. "Technically, it is." Milano countered. "Would you two dinosaurs shut up." Eric growled under his breath, loosening his shoulders and checking his long dead watch.
Music started playing, but Eric couldn’t hear it. His entire world stopped when he saw her. In that moment, they were the only people in the universe. Mia stepped up to the podium as Eric came to his senses. "You’re drooling, Love." She said, happy tears running down her face as she wiped his spittle away with a handkerchief. He looked down at her as they joined hands. For a moment, he forgot how to breathe. Her dress hugged her body, the white glowing in comparison to her pale skin. Subtle makeup had been applied to accentuate her green eyes, and her hair had been straightened. Then, Eric finally noticed Kamer. Kamer gave Eric a knowing smirk before nodding to Samara. Samara smiled while bringing the rings.
Kamer gave a short speech, but Eric heard none of it. In this moment, his entire universe was Mia. As Kamer stepped aside, that was his cue to put the ring on Mia’s finger. He smiled while taking her hand, losing himself in her eyes. "You stood by my side when the world tried to break us." He began, remembering the moment she had almost died, and the relief at seeing her breathing in the tent. "Today, I choose you, because wherever you are, that is where my home is." Even when they had traveled to Riemskin, Eric had felt assured knowing that she was by his side. He squeezed her hand, finishing the vow: "As long as I draw breath, you will not be alone."
Mia smiled up at Eric as he finished, tears flowed freely from her eyes as she met his gaze. "You have carried the weight of two worlds while walking alone. Allow me to share the burden. Let us share this time of peace together, walking through life hand in hand."
The wind blew as the couple stared into each other’s eyes. "You may kiss the bride." Kamer said quietly. Before Eric could say anything, Mia threw herself into Eric’s arms. She kissed him deeply, her arms draped over his neck. "Let’s get out of here and ’celebrate’." She said with a smirk, her voice whispering in his ear.