(Arata)
He held both my hands with such gentle affection. His eyes mirrored his smile, making them crinkle at the sides.
"You are here. Did you like the dress?" He softly asked, not caring that hundreds of people were watching us.
I gave his hard hands a squeeze. "I love it." Leaning in, I whispered. "Will show my appreciation, later."
His smile widened further at my mischievous words and the Cleric had to clear his throat to get our attention.
"Shall we advance with the ceremony?" He respectfully asked.
"Yes! Let's begin,"Karsten announced, his eyes remaining fixated on me.
Music stopped and silence fell over. Only the howling of the wind through the trees could be heard.
A red silken cloth with golden borders was brought on a velvet pillow by one of the staff.
I could only imagine that this was related to some special tradition.
