It was noon on the last day of March, and the sun was blazing.
Miss Lottie, dressed in a gold-embroidered long gown, a pearl-encrusted belt, and a veil of light gauze, slowly walked out of the Lord's Mansion arm-in-arm with Baron Galvin. Ron's sister, Camille, and Lynn's son, as flower children, followed closely behind the bride, Lottie, holding bouquets of flowers.
At the church entrance, guests, led by Baron Antayas and several Internal Affairs Knights representing the nobility, surrounded the groom, Art, and entered the small chapel first. The groom, Art, and the best man, Ron, accompanied by Father Hamish, came before the altar in the sanctuary.
As the choir's sacred hymns began, the bride, Lottie, was led into the church by a child holding a candle at the church entrance, accompanied by Baron Galvin. When they reached the altar, Art stepped forward and gently took Lottie's delicate hand from Baron Galvin's hand with his left hand. The two of them slowly walked to the foot of the altar.
Inside the small chapel, the noble gentry and their families, as well as representatives of the Wood Fort's military and civilian affairs, who were present as observers and witnesses, took their seats.
Father Hamish, seeing that everything was ready, raised his hand to signal the choir to stop singing, then cleared his throat and said, "Beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord, today we gather here, before God and all witnesses, to witness Sir Art Wood Wells and Miss Lottie Hugues enter into a holy covenant before God. This covenant is blessed by our Lord Jesus Christ, governed by God's commandments, and is the most sacred covenant among mankind. Therefore, this covenant cannot be entered into carelessly or lightly; it should be done with a holy, cautious, and God-fearing heart."
Hamish then looked up at the guests observing the ceremony and asked, "Dear relatives, friends, and believers, today we gather here before God, His angels, and saints, to witness the union of two souls. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, I ask you, if any of you know of any reason that would prevent these two souls from lawfully uniting, please state it now."
Everyone in the church remained silent, indicating no objections.
Hamish then turned to Art and Lottie at the foot of the altar and asked, "Sir Art and Miss Lottie, you have expressed your desire to enter into this holy covenant together, and no one has proven you unworthy of entering this holy covenant. If you know of any factors between you that would hinder your entry into this covenant, we hope you will boldly state them before God and everyone present."
"In the name of God, the covenant between us is as pure as the holy water in the Garden of Eden," Art and Lottie replied in unison.
"Since all witnesses and the two newlyweds have no objections to this covenant, let us begin the wedding ceremony."
"Sir Art, do you take Lottie to be your wife, to live with her according to the teachings of the Bible, to be united with her before God, to love her, comfort her, respect her, and protect her? Will you remain faithful to her, whether in sickness or in health, in wealth or in poverty, until she leaves this world?"
"In the name of God, I do!" Art's voice was slightly emotional.
"Miss Lottie, do you take Sir Art to be your husband, to live with him according to the teachings of the Bible, to be united with him before God, to love him, comfort him, respect him, and protect him, as you love yourself? Will you remain faithful to him, whether in sickness or in health, in wealth or in poverty, until he leaves this world?"
"In the name of God and the Holy Mother Mary, I do!"
Hamish nodded and continued, "Please, the two newlyweds, present your rings to receive God's blessing."
Art and Lottie each turned and received two gold rings from Ron and Camille's hands, placing them on the Bible held by Father Hamish.
Hamish held up the two gold rings and recited, "Let us pray together, Creator of mankind, Giver of spirit, Bestower of eternal salvation, Lord God, bless these two rings, that the newlyweds who wear them may receive the Lord's protection, Amen!"
After blessing the rings, Hamish said to the two newlyweds, "Now exchange rings, as a token of your marriage. The rings are gold, signifying that you are to give your most precious love, like the most precious gift, to each other. Gold never rusts, never fades, representing that your love will last forever. The ring is round, representing unreservedness, no beginning or end, and never breaking."
Then Father Hamish picked up a small ring and handed it to Art. Art held the ring in his right hand, took the bride Lottie's right hand in his left, and said, "With this ring, I take you as my wife. I give you my gold and silver, and I will love and protect you for my entire life." As he spoke, he gently placed the ring on Lottie's ring finger.
Lottie was so moved that tears welled up in her eyes. She also took the ring handed to her by Father Hamish and, choking up, repeated the words she had just heard.
After completing the ring exchange ceremony, Father Hamish gestured for the two newlyweds to place their hands on the Bible in his hand and said, "Let us bow our heads and pray. Almighty and eternal God, we ask You to grant us a clean heart and an upright spirit, so that lust may not hinder us from knowing Your will, nor weakness hinder us from obeying Your will. Thus, we will be able to see light in Your light through Jesus Christ and gain true freedom before You. We ask You to be with us, from this time forth and forevermore. Amen."
After the prayer, Father Hamish loudly declared to everyone in the church, "By the authority granted to us by God, I declare Sir Art Wood Wells and Miss Lottie Hugues officially husband and wife. What God has joined together, let no one separate."
Art gently lifted Lottie's veil, revealing her delicate face, already tear-streaked from emotion.
A joyous chorus of congratulations erupted in the church. The two newlyweds shared the same consecrated communion bread and drank from the same consecrated wine in the church.
Next came the banquet and festivities.
At the banquet, relatives and friends attending the wedding scattered handfuls of flower petals and grains over the young couple, while saying, "Be fruitful, be fruitful."
Of course, wine and a feast outside the church had long been prepared. Barons, knights, and noble gentry attending the wedding banquet raised their glasses to celebrate with Art, the groom. Of course, Baron Galvin and Antaias were also the focus of the banquet, especially Baron Galvin. Although his reputation was not good, as a member of the Hugues Family, his status was higher than anyone else present, and he was also so wealthy.
As the drinking intensified, the entire Wood Fort was filled with joyous songs and laughter, and people danced and sang, a lively scene.
As night fell, a slightly tipsy Father Hamish, accompanied by altar boys, blessed Art and Lottie's wedding bed on the second floor of the Lord's Mansion with holy water and frankincense.
After those who came to bless the wedding bed left, Art, who had been busy all day, finally got to spend an unforgettable wedding night with his bride, Lottie, with his post-drinking energy.
