New Name, Same Love

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"