Arad stood in front of the priest with Mira and Merida at his sides.
"With the power granted to me," The priest said with a smile, "I declare you wife and husband," He said, standing between Arad and Mira.
He then took a few short steps to the left, standing between Arad and Merida, repeating the same sentence.
BANG! Just as the priest finished, the church burst open, and two nuns rushed in, crying their eyes out. "His face is red!"
"What did I miss?" A large man panted, "Am I late?" Alcott stood there, his eyes scanning through the church.
Just a second later, his eyes stopped at Arad, "Did it end?"
Arad smiled, "Finished Aella's ceremony yesterday,"
"Damn it," Alcott growled.
"Hey, don't curse in the church," A priest stared at him.
"I was walking past the capital yesterday when I heard they are preparing for Princess Isdis's marriage. I instantly knew it had to be you, but they were told you're supposed to be in the elvish capital," Alcott tried to catch his breath, "I was about to run all the way from the capital to the elvish capital but decided to stop here to check, I'm glad I did that,"
"Wait?" Everyone stared at him, "You ran all the way from the capital to here? In one day?"
"Since my health is getting better. I'm slowly regaining my power and endurance." Alcott took a deep breath, "How do you think I catch dragons that run away?"
Arad shook his head, "Not by running after them,"
"We humans are persistent hunters. No matter how long our prey run, the moment they turn around. We're there after them." Alcott walked between the crowd and stood in the front, blocking the view, "I gotta apologize to Aella after this. I missed her wedding."
Alcott turned around, seeing Aella standing in the back. He waved his hand, "Let's talk later!"
Thud! Ginger landed at the door on her broom, "Alcott, you're too loud,"
Alcott stared back at her, "Really?"
Ginger looked toward Arad, "Sorry about him. He always used to be a ball of energy, but being sick in the last years tamed him a bit," She stared at Alcott with a smile, "Now that he's getting better, his energy is slowly returning,"
Arad looked at the priest, "Can we finish?"
As the priest carried on with the ceremony, Alcott blinked, turning aside and looking at the crowd with a sharp glare. Everyone in that direction flinched as the dragon slayer gazes grew sharper.
Thud! Alcott took one step forward, pushing the men until he reached where the women gathered, staring at one of them in the face.
"I feel like I saw you before, didn't I?" He glared at Vasilissa.
^What in the hell are you? A hellhound?^ She turned toward him with a smile, "There are many women with black hair around. Aren't you mistaking me?"
"I don't know," He glared closer at her face, "My guts are telling me I know you, and I trust them more than anyone."
She pushed his face away with her hand, "Can you please not be a creep? Don't get too close."
"It's with my guts that I dodge deadly attacks and counterattacks. I trust them with my life," Alcott pushed back at her hand with his face.
"Ginger," He said, "What is she? A vampire, demon, or a disguised dragon? This feels like the last one."
^You monster, where are those gut feelings coming from? A perfected void dragon polymorph can't be told apart, not even by magic, and you're telling me you can sniff me off.^ Vasilissa growled inside. ^I was right to leave for good and stay away from you. You're a problem.^
"She isn't a vampire or a demon, I'm sure of that," Ginger replied, "But the magic inside her body is a bit weird, nothing abnormal but just strange a bit." She smiled, "I'd say she might have a draconic bloodline, probably related to a dragon you faced before."
"Dragons live for thousands of years," Alcott mumbled, "It won't be strange if their blood got mixed in humans," He backed away, "Sorry for the trouble."
"Ah, I don't mind," Vasilissa replied. ^Just leave me alone! If this conversation kept up, your guts might start ticking again.^
Alcott returned to his place, watching the rest of the ceremony.
Vasilissa stared at him from the sidelines. ^Alcott Demorian, the best man that human blood can offer of this era. It was first Adam, the first human, then his reincarnation, Chad, and now it's this man. I do play a lot of this projection, and I had countless children with it. But, Alcott is the only one I spent a life with using my true body morphed into a human.^
Vasilissa shifted her eyes toward Arad. ^I doubt he knows how insane his father is. That man once died, and his soul punched the goddess of death in the face and ran back to his zombified body, taking back control to kill an elder lich.^
She smiled. ^Chad Lisworth, the previous best had taken the position of a god while being a human, living till this day and dominating the heavens. And that being is the one supporting Alcott.^
Alcott stared back at her, "Still angry for earlier?"
"Worried I'll report you?"
"Nope, I was thinking that if you're that soft, you'll have paled a bit." He stared at her with a smile, and it was just then that she realized what his gaze was.
Vasilissa stared around, seeing the women around her shaking with paled faces. The golden flash in Alcott's eyes, the predatory bloodlust of the werewolves.
^I messed up. I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I didn't notice it.^ She growled, ^One glare and they all started shaking and trembling,^
"I don't care if you're a dragon, a doppelganger, or a devil. As long as you don't cause trouble, I won't bother you again," Alcott approached her again, "But cause one problem, mess one thing, especially in his weddings." He glared down at her, his muscles expanding as his eyes glowed with a golden flame.
"I'll chase you to the end of the earth and cut you apart," Said with an evil smile on his face, golden divine lighting crackling from his hair to his massive neck.
BAM! BAM! BAM! Alcott's heart started beating loudly, almost sounding like a faint hum of drums as the air around him rumbled.
Vasilissa smiled. ^Don't start getting me turned on again. That's why I loved you out of all people. Of all the humans, you're the only one .^
"What are you two doing?" Arad approached them, "You're scaring everyone."
"This man is threatening me," Vasilissa pointed at Alcott with a smile on her face.
"I suspect she's a dragon," Alcott replied, "And I don't trust the ones that don't come clean,"
"You're over-exaggerating," Arad sighed, "Even if she is a dragon, I doubt she'll cause trouble."
"You might be right," Alcott stared back at him, "But that naive thinking lost me several cities that got burned to the ground, thousands over thousands of deaths." He glared at Vasilissa.
"All because I hesitated to gut a dragon I felt was a threat but looked innocent."
Vasilissa smiled at him, "Try me." She giggled inside. ^Probably I should try him again. He's going to be fun.^
"Come here!" Ginger pulled Alcott by the ear, dragging him away.
"Sorry for the trouble. I'll take this muscle brute back home to relax a bit."
Arad stared back standing beside Vasilissa, "Sorry for the trouble,"
"No, I don't mind," She smiled, "In fact, I like men like him."
"You have a child," He stared at her.
At the day's end, Arad was resting in his house with the girls, getting ready to make their trip to the capital the next day when they heard loud knocking on the door.
"Who is it?" Tina called back.
"It's Alcott and Ginger," Arad said, sitting on the couch, "Can you open the door for them?"
"Already working on that," Tina opened the door, "Hey! How are you doing?"
"Sir Alcott, welcome. What brought you so late at night?" Tina replied.
"Ah, look," He pulled a small magic bag from his pocket, "I got gifts for Arad and his wives," He smiled, "Since I heard, I picked some things on my way here,"
"Please come in," She moved out of the way.
"Arad, how are you doing? Happy with your marriage?"
"Still didn't finish," Arad looked back at him.
Alcott walked in and sat facing Arad, "I brought some gifts for everyone," He put the magic bag on the table and turned around, "I brought gifts. Those who want some come here!"
Aella who was in the kitchen looked out at him, "You didn't need to," She walked out, wiping her hands dry.
Alcott pulled a bow from the bag, "Warking bow of magic, it channels the user's mana into elemental energy and enfuse it. With it, you can fire arrows of magic even if you ran out of arrows."