Welcome to Gaia! ::

Faolan stopped at a brightly colored tent and poked his head in, knocking on the wooden door frame of it. "Andrais, are you in? Wanna attend a wedding?"

"Do I?" came the answer from inside. A short, portly man soon appeared at the doorway and smiled at the young couple. "Thought it'd be a few months at least, lad. Why the rush?"

"Why wait?" Faolan countered.

"Fair enough." Andrais shrugged and came on out. "You still need one more witness, though. Should try asking Fiona."

Faolan nodded and led Ellandra and Andrais in the direction of Fiona's vardo. So far, so good.

Having gotten Fiona to agree to be a witness, Faolan led Elle and the two performers across the grounds. He stopped a moment and looked down at the youung woman, the other two keeping their distance for the couple to talk.

"I know I wanted to do this without my dad being involved, but if we don't have him do the handfasting, he's going to be rather upset over it. His only kid gets married and he misses it? He'd never forgive me and I can't do that to him. He doesn't have to know the real reason. I'll just tell him he convinced me to prove I'm serious about being with you. He'll buy that," Faolan explained. "I know he's intimidating as hell, but go with me on this, please."

"Elle, above all else, there's only one reason to do this. I want to be with you. Everything else . . . that's just an added bonus," Faolan said softly, the looked at the two performers and nodded to them, letting them know everything was okay. He led them and Ellandra to Keagan's vardo.

Swallowing hard, he stepped up and knocked on the door. "Da? Are you in? We need to talk." He stepped back as the door opened.

Keagan leaned in the doorway, giving him a look. "What now?" He glanced at Elle and the two performers, one eyebrow going up. "What's going on, hellspawn?"

"I told you I was going through with this and I am. I just wanted you to be the one to do it," Faolan said softly.

The old man put a hand on his son's shoulder, then nodded. "Alright, lad. I was sure it'd be awhile yet, but if you want to do it now, we'll do it now. Let's go over to the south field." He stepped down, closing the door.

"Alright, who brought the ribbon for this?" Keagan asked when they got to the field and Adrais handed him a good length of bright red silk ribbon. "Perfect. Okay, you two get over here."

Faolan looked down at Ellandra, giving her a reassuring smile as he led her to stand before Keagan. He set a hand to his chest briefly before letting it rest to his side, trying to will the fluttering to slow down. He hadn't expected to be so nervous.

Keagan, to his credit, relaxed and smiled at them. He was proud of his son, despite his worries and fears of what might come from the union, but if Faolan was serious to see it through, he wouldn't be the one to deny the boy his happiness. He looked past the couple to the two performers. "Who stands to witness this union?"

"We do," Fiona and Andrais said together, coming to stand on either side of the couple.

"Right, then. Hold out your left hand, Faolan," Keagan said and when his son complied, he tied a few loops of ribbon around it. Next he looked at Ellandra. "Hold out your right hand."

Keagan smiled at the girl and tied several loops of the ribbon about her offered wrist as well. "Join hands, my dears." And when they did, he tied the ribbon around both their wrists, tying them together in a physical representation of the way their love tied them together in every other way. He made sure the knot was tight, too. Placing his hands around their joined ones, he looked up at Faolan. "Lad, I've waited a long time for you to get around to this and you couldn't have picked a better woman. Soulmate or not, she's definitely your other half." He sighed softly. "You swear by her and your love to be true, to honor her, and--for god's sake, lad--be faithful?"

Faolan swallowed and nodded. "Aye, Da. I swear. I'll hold her above all else." He looked down at the woman at his side and smiled, expression soft with the love he felt for her. "She was mine before she was born, and I was hers. The moment my eyes met hers, there would be no one else for me. There will never be anyone else but her."

Keagan reached up and patted the young man's cheek. "Good lad." He looked at Elle, putting his hand back on theirs again. "You, lass. Do you swear on your love to hold the boy true to you, to honor him, and be only for him?"

"You two get that?" Keagan asked the two witnesses and they nodded. "Good. Well, then. Laddie, I think you know what to do now."

Faolan looked at his dad and gave one of his usual mad grins, nodding. Then returned his gaze to Elle, grin turning more playful and loving. "Come here, wife." Lifting her up had proved to be a slight challenge with their hands tied together, but he'd managed, cradling her to his chest.

Keagan gave a lopsided grin at the two. "Be off with you. Go enjoy each other more'n you already been doin'." He shooed them off with an affectionate gesture. "Go give me some little 'uns to tell wild stories to."

The half-demon snorted out a laughter and almost, almost told his adopted father then about the baby, but no need to be strangled after he'd just been wed. Instead he nodded to the old man, giving a sly wink, and proceeded to carry his new wife back to their shared home, not minding the flower petals Fiona was tossing at them.

"It'd be helpful, wife. Afterall, I've got my hands full and one of them, dear love, is tied to you," Faolan chuckled, ignoring the hoots and hollers and cheers of the carnival residents as they passed . . . as well as ignoring the confused looks of patrons.