It was Tamsin's understanding that noble weddings were usually massive social occasions, although growing up in isolated Gwedric she had never had an opportunity to attend one. Still, even the peasant weddings she'd seen from afar had been bright, rambunctious occasions, starting with a procession through town around mid-day and ending with a party that could last well into the night (and occasionally into the next day; it had taken over a week to clean up the town square after the blacksmith's wedding.)

With all that in mind, it felt a bit odd to be standing in a mostly empty hallway, long after dark, waiting for her own wedding to begin.

After several long minutes of tapping his foot, Hugo sighed impatiently and muttered something under his breath about being the only person in the Jordaine Duchy with any sense of efficiency.

Tamsin decided to take advantage of the downtime by having a look around.

They were standing outside of the Ashen Chapel, which was located rather out of the way and down a flight of stairs, like a root cellar for storing religion away. The chapel was closed and locked, so Tamsin couldn't yet see what it looked like inside, but the doors were made of a dark gray stone inlaid with patterns of a pitch-black gem stone, the same stone that had been inlaid in the Duchess's throne.

"What is this?" Tamsin asked, running her finger along the stone. "I've never seen a gem like it."

Hugo smiled wryly. "I guarantee you've seen it often, but probably not quite so well-polished. It's coal. One of the many legacies of Jordaine's dried-up industry."

"Oh," said Tamsin, feeling a little embarrassed that she hadn't known. Then she remembered something Frieg had told her on their way into the city. "I've heard some people say the Duchess's heart is made of coal."

Hugo laughed, briefly but sharply. "Oh yes, we've all heard that one. Probably of the unpolished variety, if you ask me."

Frieg was the next to arrive, looking a little frantic and out of breath. He wore his dress uniform, which was mostly the same as his standard guard uniform, but with a nicer cap and a half-cape bearing the Gwedric crest—a silver stag jumping over a silver oak tree, all on a field of dark green.

"I came as quickly as I could," said Frieg. "Is it all settled then?"

Tamsin nodded. "Duchess Jordaine has agreed to the marriage."

Frieg let out a huge sigh of relief. "Thank the gods. I've been pacing my room, wondering what we were going to do if the Duchess refused you."

"I would like you to stand as my witness for the wedding."

"Of course, my lady," said Frieg. "It would be a genuine honor."

Following shortly after Frieg was an older man who Tamsin recognized from the Duchy Council. He was the one who had recited Judith's Catechism: 'The word is the law, and the law is the word.' It was hard to tell from that if he was actually on Tamsin's side, but at the very least he had seemed less actively hostile than the other members of the council. He was now wearing priest's vestments over top of the clothes he had been wearing earlier.

"This is Viscount Anthelm Wescotte," said Hugo.

"So pleased to officially meet you, my lord." Wescotte winked and held out his hand for Tamsin to shake.

According to the rules of etiquette, noblemen were only ever supposed to shake hands with other noblemen. When a nobleman met a noblewoman for the first time, he was supposed to kiss her hand.

So either Wescotte was fully acknowledging and supporting her claim to be acting on behalf of her brother, or he was mocking her...

Tamsin smiled and shook his hand, determined to take the gesture kindly. "So you're the local priest, then?" asked Tamsin.

"Amongst other things," said Wescotte, lightly. "The people of Jordaine aren't especially pious, so I fill a variety of roles around the Duchy to keep myself busy. People keep telling me I ought to retire, but I think I would be terribly bored to just sit around doing nothing. Wouldn't you agree?"

This last comment was directed towards Captain Frieg, who looked taken aback. "Who, me? But I am—I am retired. Sort of."

"And yet here you are in the uniform of a Guard Captain," said Wescotte, with a gentle smile. "I can already tell you are a man after my own heart."

Hugo was still glancing around impatiently, but there was so far no sign of the Duchess.

"I have no idea what could be taking her so long..." he grumbled. "Viscount, if you would please lead us into the chapel we might as well get set up so that the ceremony can begin the moment Duchess Jordaine arrives. We can't afford to waste time."

"Of course," said Wescotte, pulling out a large ring of keys which he used to unlock the doors of the chapel.

"Lady Gwedric, you just stay near the entrance for now," said Hugo. "You and the Duchess will need to walk down the aisle together anyway, according to tradition. The three of us will get set up by the altar."

Tamsin nodded and watched as the three men disappeared into the darkness of the chapel.

Standing by the doors, Tamsin couldn't see much. She could only hear the echoing of footsteps on stone in the distance. It was hard to tell for sure in the darkness, but for a largely neglected chapel in a far corner of a fortress, the room before her seemed huge and intimidating.

Or maybe it was just the prospect of her impending marriage that was making her feel that way. Tamsin had already traveled far from her sheltered upbringing, and done all sorts of new things, but up until this point she'd at least had some sort of idea of what awaited her. But stepping into this marriage felt like stepping into a huge, dark room, where she truly had no idea what to expect.

"Have I kept you waiting?"

Tamsin spun around to see Duchess Jordaine standing in the doorway, lit from behind. Tamsin was shocked to see her wearing a long velvet gown of a deep maroon color, with golden trim. On her head she wore a matching velvet headdress held on with a golden circlet, completely covering her wild hair. She almost looked like a different person entirely, except that her smirk was unmistakable.

"If we're going to go through with this play-acting, I thought I should at least look my part," the Duchess explained.

"You look beautiful," said Tamsin, truly meaning it. "Not that you don't look nice in your usual clothes, I mean—"

"Thank you." Duchess Jordaine looked Tamsin up and down, so thoroughly that it made Tamsin blush.

"I see Hugo has you all pinned up," said the Duchess.

"Yes, well—"

"It suits you."

"Thank you," said Tamsin, looking down at her feet.

Torches around the room lit up all at once, revealing a chapel built entirely of gray stone, including the pews. Other than this difference in material (Gwedric's chapel was primarily wooden), the chapel was about what Tamsin would expect from any omnic chapel—two sections of pews with a long aisle between them leading to the raised altar where the priest conducted various ceremonies. There was nothing all that strange or intimidating about the place after all.

Except for the priest and two witnesses lined up behind the altar, waiting to perform the wedding ceremony...

Tamsin was startled when the Duchess suddenly slipped her arm through Tamsin's, easily taking on the ceremonial 'woman's' role and leaving Tamsin in the 'man's' role.

"Shall we go?" said the Duchess, leaning down to whisper to Tamsin.

Tamsin swallowed and nodded.

They walked up the aisle together, each echoing step seeming to make Tamsin's heart skip another beat. After what felt like a small eternity, they reached the front of the chapel and knelt down in front of the altar together.

As Viscount Wescotte began reciting the words of the ceremony, Tamsin glanced over at Duchess Jordaine.

With her hair out of the way, it became really obvious what strikingly beautiful features Duchess Jordaine had. They were strong and well-defined, like a master sculptor had carved them out of stone. Which was fitting with her stony-gray eyes, and the stone-gray Duchy she ruled over.

And the gown... Tamsin was far too flat-chested to have ever made any of her gowns look particularly good, but the Duchess really seemed to do justice to her finery. The doublets Tamsin had seen her in before hid a lot, apparently.

Suddenly realizing she was staring, Tamsin looked away, blushing.

Finishing his opening speech, Viscount Wescotte cleared his throat. "Before the vows, which god would you like to dedicate your union to? Inera, the Golden Goddess of Life is a popular one, if you have no preference. Or, given your particular circumstances, Oda might be a good option."

Tamsin didn't know what Wescotte meant by that. As far as Tamsin knew, Oda was a fairly minor deity only really worshiped in the small North-Aldwian nation of Augr. She wasn't even the goddess of anything relevant. She was just the goddess of one specific mountain.

It didn't really matter. Tamsin could look into it further later, but for now she wracked her brain to try to think of a suitable god to dedicate the marriage to. Absolutely not the Goddess of War or the Goddess of Death.

"Is there a God of Law?" ventured Tamsin. She couldn't think of one, but although she had a pretty wide knowledge of Omnic deities, she was certain she didn't have them all memorized.

Wescotte raised a hand to his chin thoughtfully. "Interesting thought. Inera is said to preside over the heavenly courts, but she's not in charge of law per say. She just decides disputes between other deities. Lino is a popular Tezzani God of Judgment, but judgment isn't exactly the same thing as law, either. And of course Judith I is revered as the founder of the empire and the author of our laws, but she's never been deified. There are many adjacent deities, but I'm not sure there's a straightforward God of Law, as such."

"Alright," said Tamsin, trying desperately to think of another option. "Then maybe we could dedicate the marriage to..."

"Emperor Heinrich I," said Duchess Jordaine. Everyone looked at her with shocked expressions, but her tone invited no argument. Her gray eyes glistened with an inner fire.

Wescotte nodded. "Understood," he said. "Then please, hold hands."

Tamsin felt Duchess Jordaine's hand clasp hers, firmly but gently.

"Duchess Alesia Jordaine, do you accept this man to be your husband, with all that entails, before the sacred laws laid down for us by the great Empress Judith, and in the watchful care of the God Emperor Heinrich the First?"

"I do," said Duchess Jordaine, without any sense of doubt or hesitation in her voice.

"And do you, Viscount Roger Gwedric, accept this woman to be your wife, with all that entails, before the sacred laws laid down for us by the great Empress Judith, and in the watchful care of the God Emperor Heinrich the First?"

Tamsin felt her stomach churn when she heard her brother's name, like she wanted to throw up.

That's right, she told herself, you're not marrying the Duchess. You're only a stand-in for your brother. What have you been getting all emotional over? You're nothing more than a prop.

"I do," said Tamsin, feeling bile rise in the back of her throat as she said it.

Not you, she thought again. Your brother. Your brother does.

Viscount Wescotte clapped his hands once. "Great!" he said, pulling out a piece of paper which he laid out on the altar next to a pen and an inkwell. "Then please just sign your names here and you will legally be married."

The Duchess quickly signed her name. Tamsin hesitated for just a moment before writing 'Roger Gwedric' on the line marked 'Groom.'

Each of the witnesses also signed in turn and it was all over.

"Congratulations," said Frieg, shaking Tamsin's hand. "I'm sorry you were forced into this situation, but through your own strength and ingenuity you have ensured the safety of the people of Gwedric, and we all owe you our gratitude and admiration. You should be proud of what you've accomplished today."

"Thank you," said Tamsin, with a fond smile. "But I'm afraid things might only become more difficult from here. Would you stay with me? It would be reassuring to know I had an ally in this place."

Frieg stood at attention, tall and proud. "I would be honored to continue to serve you, Duke Jordaine."

Tamsin felt a hand on her shoulder and looked back to see the Duchess just behind her. "Pardon my intrusion, but it's long-past time for my new husband and I to head for our bedchamber."

"Of course, your grace," said Captain Frieg, with a deferential bow.

They were already halfway down the hallway before Tamsin really understood what had just been said.

"Our  bedchamber?" said Tamsin.

"Of course," said Duchess Jordaine, with a smirk. "A noble marriage isn't considered truly legally binding until a couple has spent their first night together. As you must know."

Alesia and Tamsin in their wedding attire by Têlania Albuquerque, creator of Soft here on Tapas.