Briar leaned into Artorias' shoulder as the last of the guests took their turns greeting them, giving them their congratulations, and dropping off their gifts on the table in front of them. She gave a soft, relieved sigh and turned her gaze up toward him with a wide grin. She was so happy to finally be married, to finally see all their hard work and planning that had gone into the event put into action, but mostly she was just happy to finally have a moment alone with him. There were so many guests, as she had expected, but what she hadn't really thought about was having to play host to all of those guests or the fact that so many of them would bring such kind, generous gifts. She was too overwhelmed to make sense of it all yet, but for now she could just savor the fact that they were here and married.

Her paw slipped around his foreleg as she tipped her muzzle up to his, giving him a light kiss. "We're married" she told him with a giggle, her grin widening as she spoke the truth of it out loud as if it had just fully dawned on her. "I'm Briar Carpathius now." Saying her new name out loud was so strange, but also so perfect at the same time. She was officially brought into his family and was given his name and that fact just blew her mind. She had already decided to keep Fatalis as a part of her name just in honor of her family that she held so dear, but for most in her daily life from now on they would know her as Briar Carpathius and even just thinking about it made her so happy and excited to have gotten to his point with him.

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius"

The last of their wedding guests had made their way to greet them and give the happy couple their blessings and well wishes, and now thoroughly inundated with an abundance of generous gifts and a moment to breathe, Artorias breathed a sigh and gazed around at everything happening around them. He drank in this moment, memorizing every perfect little detail, from the sounds of their friends and family’s voices echoing off the stone walls to the smell of the floral centerpieces and the foods from the feast. He savored the moment, wanting to remember this for all his days, to relive it when he was old and gray in the twilight of his life. Ecstatic eyes glimmered while he gazed around, his eyes eventually coming to rest on his beautiful bride seated at his side. Artorias’ smile widened to the point where his cheeks began to hurt. They had finally done it! All the years they’d been together, all the plans they’d made and trials they’d faced, they had finally reached the goal they’d been dreaming of since they were fresh yearlings.

A giddy laugh escaped Artorias to join Briar’s giggle when she declared that they were married, emphasizing the fact as if it had just dawned on her. "We are married!" he said with a happy wiggle beside the new Mrs. Carpathius, his tail wagging so fast it kept accidentally bumping her hip across their chairs like a whip. He returned her kiss with glee, leaning in to gently rest his forehead against hers while being careful to avoid jabbing himself with her antlers. "How’s it feel being Mrs. Briar Carpathius now?" While they hadn’t really needed the whole pomp and ceremony to solidify their relationship, and Artorias had long considered her his mate and a part of his family, this was his way of showing his love and devotion for Briar. Officially giving his name to her and bringing her into his family was the greatest show of adoration he could give her. Briar was worth all of it.

Artorias was so filled with bliss and excited energy that he felt high, riding the euphoric feeling like a wave from the moment he’d seen Briar walking down the aisle towards him on the beach. "You’re so beautiful, Briar. You’re the most beautiful wolf in this world," he spoke softly to her, lifting one of his own large paws to rest over hers on top of his foreleg, reaching in again to plant a gentle kiss to her lips. "Is this everything you ever wanted?" He had spared no expense to make sure she had the day she dreamed of. If anything was missing from it—anything at all—the Aegis would make sure she had it.

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius"

Briar couldn't keep the wide, happy grin off of her lips, giggling softly as Artorias leaned his forehead into hers, her long tail swaying behind her. She couldn't possibly imagine being happier than she was in this moment, but Artorias always found a way to make her even more happy with their life together so she had a feeling that one day he'd find a way to top even this. "It feels amazing," she replied when he asked how it felt to be Mrs. Carpathius now, making her giggle and wiggle excitedly in her chair. In her mind she didn't feel like a wedding and being given his name alone would really make her a Carpathius, but she had already been working incredibly hard to make herself worthy of carrying his family name and she would only continue to do that now that she was properly given his name. She knew Artorias would disagree with her and would insist that she was already worthy and had already been part of his family for ages now, but she never wanted to feel like she didn't earn everything she was given. She wanted to know that she was making him and his family proud.

Her turquoise gaze found his again as his forehead left hers, beaming happily as his paw settled over her own and her ears flicking with her natural demure shyness at his compliments about her beauty. "And you're the most handsome wolf in the world, she replied with a giggle, returning his kiss and lifting her other paw to gently straighten the pale orange and white sash around his neck. She was throughly impressed with how both of their outfits had come out and she made a little mental note to send some kind of thank you gift to Ashen and Plague for making them for them. When he asked if this was everything she had wanted it was easy for her to smile and reply, "It's so much more than I could have ever hoped for. Everything is perfect." This was even more extravagant than she could have ever imagined for herself and at some points through the process she worried that they were doing too much, that they were spending too many of the pack's resources on this one event, but she worked very hard to make sure that none of this impacted the pack's daily resources and that there was still going to be more than enough food and supplies left when all of this was over so that helped ease her worries. Now that everyone was here, enjoying the party and having a good time, it all felt worth it and she felt like the luckiest wolf in the world.

A little grin tugged at her lips as she lifted the paw that was straightening his sash to his cheek, guiding his muzzle to hers to give him a more firm, tender kiss. She knew for a fact that there was going to be more kisses than she could possibly count by the time this evening was over, but that certainly didn't mean that they couldn't get a head start on things. When her lips parted from hers and her gaze found his rich amber gaze once more she grinned and told him softly, "Te iubesc atat de mult." The lessons in the Carpathian language that she had originally planned on doing with Bowen never came to fruition for some obvious and understandable reasons and they had been too busy with all the preparations for Artorias to teach her much himself, but that just opened up a opportunity for her to surprise him a little bit. She managed to find some time to learn from Gwynevere and even though she only knew a few phrases so far she wanted to at least be able to say that she loved him on their wedding day and that at least had been accomplished.

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius"

Artorias gazed at his new wife with nothing short of pure unequivocal love and adoration, fiery amber eyes shining with the love he felt deep within his heart and soul for her. Briar truly was the half that made him whole, the better side of him, his balance and peace. She inspired him, motivated him, grounded him and made him feel alive. The Aegis knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he never would have gotten this far if it wasn't for having Briar in his life and by his side. Though they'd spent most of their lives together already, he truly felt that today marked the start of the rest of forever for them. Briar continued to prove just how considerately she was looking out for him when her free paw came up to begin straightening and smoothing his orange-white sash which had fallen out of place somewhere during the course of the day. He smiled bashfully, letting her straighten him up and fix his outfit, as she was so detail-oriented to do. Plague had done tremendous work on their outfits; both his and Briar's had turned out flawless—although he was a bit biased to think that she helped make the outfit look even more radiant with it on her. He made a mental note to send a special token of their appreciation to the Ashen wolf, fair compensation for adding a crucial element to their perfect day.

As Briar finished fixing him up, Artorias noticed the eager little grin tugging at Briar's lips. A curious brow raised, but he never got to ask her what was in her mind that was so delighting, as the tawny fae lifted that same paw to caress his cheek and guide his muzzle to meet hers. A low hum of delight vibrated in the male as he kissed his mate back with the same firm insistence, yet tender emotion. Artorias' heart thrummed and skipped in his chest as their lips pressed together. It didn't matter whether it was their first kiss or thousandth, every one he shared with Briar made fireworks explode in his head and behind his eyes. He knew they'd be sharing many, many more kisses before the night was done, and he was looking forward to each and every single one of them. When their muzzles parted after a few long, blissful moments, Artorias slowly blinked his fiery eyes open to gaze into Briar's cool turquoise pools once more, a content and stupidly happy grin on his face. She was so perfect... this whole day was perfect, and Artorias had never been happier in his entire life.

And then Briar upped the ante once more when she softly spoke to him in his family's tongue, the Carpathian language flowing as smoothly as tranquil stream water, as if she'd been speaking it her entire life. Artorias' eyes widened, his expression visibly brightening and ears standing alert as they picked up the words she spoke, taken by such surprise he didn't know how to respond at first. His tail wagged a mile a minute with excited fervor, beaming at his bride in shock and delight as the smile on his face gradually grew wider and wider. "Briar...!" he gasped in astonishment. Had she learned from Bowen, or from Gwyn? In the end, it didn't matter. Briar had shown nothing but dedication and commitment to becoming a part of his family in every way she could, and now she'd taken something so deeply personal to him and used it to show her love and faith for him.

It took all of his self control to keep from scooping her up in a tight embrace there and then in front of everyone, instead taking her paws in his own while he leaned in and kissed her again, and again, and again, his lips only ever separating from hers for a second to catch a breath. "Te iubesc la fel de mult. My Briar. My wonderful, beautiful, perfect Briar." Artorias giggled, then giggled again, just so overwhelmed with giddy joy that he couldn't help himself. A large azure paw lifted from hers to stroke over her cheek, cradling her head while he lost himself in her eyes. "What did I ever do to deserve you as my mate?"

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius"

Artorias' reaction to hearing her speak his family's language for the first time was everything she had hoped for and more. Seeing the way his expression lit up, the huge smile across his face, the genuine surprise on his face... This was her little wedding gift to him and it had paid off beautifully. Family meant more than anything to both of them and she took becoming part of his family very seriously, but in that seriousness there could be moments of silly joy from doing something as small as learning how to say 'I love you' in his family's language for him. Now that she had started these lessons she was eager to keep going and learn it all once she had the time to do so, but at least for now she knew enough to get this wonderful reaction from her new husband. Her grin matched his from his infectious energy and she couldn't help her giddy giggles as he claimed her lips in kiss after kiss, returning all of them happily while she held his paws, giving him a squeeze as he finally parted long enough to repeat the phrase back to her and shower her in sweet compliments.

Briar leaned happily into his paw as it cupped her cheek, looking at him with such happiness and love that she thought she might just burst from it. "You were just yourself," she assured him when he questioned how he could deserve her as his mate, lifting her paw to rest over his on her cheek. "You were just your wonderful, thoughtful, handsome self." She felt like she should be the one asking him that question considering everything he had done for her, helping her build her self image and giving her this life she had wanted for so long, but it was no secret to either of them how grateful they were for each other. She gave his paw a little squeeze and lifted her head from it, tipping her muzzle to give his paw pads a little kiss before she released his paw and instead reached for the goblet of wine in front of her. "To finally being Mr. and Mrs. Carpathius, iubirea mea, she said as she held the goblet up to him, waiting for him to cheers with her before she look a long drink and started out their wedding celebration in earnest.

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius"

Briar was absolutely incredible to him. She treated him far better than he deserved and he loved her so profoundly that it hurt sometimes. The look of sheer joy on her face from his reactions to her surprise made his heart bounce about in his chest, doing somersaults and feeling lighter than air. She was perfect. Everything about her was absolutely perfect and nothing could ever convince him to the contrary. As if to emphasize that, Briar responded so sweetly, claiming he had done nothing but be himself to be deserving of her love. Each compliment she showered him with turned his cheeks hotter and hotter, his ears slicked back to his head in bashful reverence. That same dopey, happy smile that had been on his face since their vows only grew while they held each other's paws against her cheek, savoring the warmth of her skin and the softness of her fur. Truly no wolf more perfect had ever lived nor would ever exist. Briar was his alpha and his omega, his first and his last, everything he had ever needed and ever would need. It almost had the young Carpathian brute tearing up again from the surge of emotion.

His smile widened with an airy laugh when Briar squeezed his paw and kissed his paw pads. He loved all the little gestures of love and affection she gave him, each one so quintessentially Briar. She released his paw then to lift her goblet of wine, holding it up in a toast to them finally getting married. Artorias' eyes lit up with a loving fire as he reached for his own goblet, lifting it to clink against the edge of hers and complete the toast. "And to the rest of our lives as Mr. and Mrs. Carpathius, sufletul meu pereche," he toasted back, holding her loving and dazzling gaze while he drank deep from the rich red wine, more than ready to enjoy the rest of their wedding night with his beautiful bride, the prelude to the rest of forever.

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius"