A love to last

Nerves bubbled through Freya's stomach as her hands gently flattened down the skirt of her gown. Never in a million years could she have imagined the emotions she was feeling.

"You look beautiful," her father's voice drifted towards her from the entrance of the room. Freya turned to face him, smiling when she caught sight of his glazed eyes. "Thank you, papa," she grinned, turning back to face her reflection in the floor-length mirror.

Layers of tulle flowed down from her waist, the subtle hint of blush flowing out from underneath the transparent material. White and pink flowers adorned the dress in tasteful groupings and as her eyes travelled down, a sense of giddiness filled her at the sight of her train. She looked like a princess, and a good thing too since Falcon had told her she deserved no less.

She couldn't believe this was finally happening. The day she and Falcon had feared would never come was finally here. She was going to walk down the aisle and, at the end of it, Falcon would be standing there. Waiting to marry her.

It felt like only yesterday she was still seventeen and crazy over a boy she barely knew. Now she had seen every inch of his soul and there was no doubt in her mind that he was the one for her. There was nothing she wanted more than to spend the rest of her life with that man.

Michael walked further into the room, laying his hands on his daughter's shoulders. She smiled at his reflection in the mirror, reaching up a hand to cover his own. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, his mouth twitching as he tried to put his feelings into words. Finally, with a sigh and a small smile, he pressed a careful kiss to the side of her head.

"I could not have given you up, my dear," he spoke softly. "To anyone less worthy."

A moment of silence passed between the two of them before Freya lightly squeezed her father's hand. "Thank you," she whispered.

Michael took in a breath, sniffing slightly as he cleared his throat. "Well," he patted her shoulders before holding out an arm for her. "Shall we?"

Fear and excitement bubbled throughout Freya's body, but a grin won over her face as she nodded. "Let's do this," she shakily took her father's arm, walking out the room trying not to trip over the front of her dress. Princess gowns were beautiful, but boy, were they hard to walk in. They stepped out of the side room together, walking straight into the main lobby of the Chapel that was about to play witness to one of the greatest moments of Freya's life. She felt the need to pinch herself. Had they really finally made it?

Even with the barrier of the wooden doors, she could hear the low muttering of guests and the gentle lilt of strings as they waited for her arrival. She and Falcon hadn't invited many people; only those who they considered family. While that only made for a small audience, it was everything Freya had ever imagined it to be. She didn't need the fuss of bridesmaids and ring bearers. All she needed was Falcon.

Her father stepped forward towards the doors, knocking twice before returning to her side. For a moment, there was complete silence. Then began to gentle, sweeping notes of the cello and Freya's heart jumped in her chest. This was it.

The doors opened to reveal an aisle lined with freshly laid petals, excited faces and streams of sunlight filtering in through the overarching stained-glass windows. With her arm laced with her father's, she took a step forward, and that was when she saw him. A soft, proud smile graced his lips as he took her in, his eyes darting down to the ground as he cleared his throat before quickly darting back to her as if he didn't want to miss a single second.

Freya couldn't help the grin that overtook her face, nor the blush that rose to her cheeks as she ducked her head to hide behind her veil. Tears filled her vision as she looked back at the man she loved, an emotion that was reciprocated by the growing redness around Falcon's own eyes. Without his permission, a tear slipped down his cheek before being hastily wiped away with a small laugh.

Freya couldn't explain the feelings running through her bones in that very moment. Her knees felt as if they would collapse, should her father leave her side, and yet, the elation coursing through her made her feel as if she could fly. She attempted to blink away the tears that were rapidly falling from her eyes, but when she stopped one, two more claimed their place. Falcon faired in a similar manner; nose red and watery eyes. To watch his precious girl walking towards him in a wedding gown was nothing short of a miracle. She was everything good in his life, and he still couldn't believe she had chosen him.

Before Freya had even had a chance to process the entire scene, she could feel her father's arm unlinking from her own as he gave her away to the man who had captured her soul. With one last squeeze to her arm, Michael placed her hand in Falcon's, kissed her cheek and walked towards the pews to take his seat.

A hush fell over the chapel and the couple caught each other's eyes, Falcon's face breaking out into a grin as he brought her hands to his mouth, pressing a kiss to the back of her fingers. "Beautiful," Freya saw him subtly mouth the word to himself. She ducked her head as the heat in her cheeks grew.

He couldn't take his eyes off of her. Tears stung his eyes and he blinked them away, laughing quietly when he caught her grinning at him. Even when the priest beside them began to speak, neither of the two could rip their gazes away from each other.

"We are gathered here today in the sight of God and these witnesses to join together Freya Ann Karol and Falcon Ezra Anders in holy matrimony."

Freya bit her lip to keep in the giggles that threatened to escape as she looked up at the man in front of her. He had a goofy grin spread across his face, something just shy of pure ecstasy shining in his eyes as he stared down at her.

"On behalf of Freya and Falcon, I would like to thank you all for being here this afternoon. For taking the time and making the journey, and for all the effort that it takes - not only to be a part of this day but to be a part of each other's lives."

In the audience, the couple could see Jaxon grinning up towards them, Glenn seated next to him with a small, smug smile, as if to say "I told you it would work out." Freya's father was sitting out the front, his eyes wrinkling at the corners as he tried to keep his tears in. Her stepmother was next to him, and though Freya felt as if she barely knew the woman, she offered a smile and felt her heart warm when the gesture was returned. She had grown up in the past few years, mostly thanks to Falcon's influence. She knew when it was time to take the higher road and just forgive and forget. She knew her mother could never be replaced, but she wanted her father to be happy. If her stepmother did that, then so be it.

"Whenever we attend a wedding, we are given the opportunity to reflect on our own relationships. We might look at the couple before us and be tempted to compare their love to the quality of our own relationships. The truth is that every relationship is as unique as the individuals in it, but one thing holds true: for love to exist between two people, each person must allow the vulnerability of giving his or her love to the other, and each must be open to receiving the other's love in turn. Therefore each of us is a powerful creator of love. Each of us, every moment of every day, has the choice to dedicate ourselves to one another or to withhold our love and caring."

A squeeze to her hands brought Freya's attention back to the man who would soon be her husband. Her life partner. She couldn't imagine spending the rest of eternity with anyone else. "If you ask couples who have a strong and abiding love what they like most about their partners, many will say when they are with that person they don't have to pretend to be anything other than what they are. They are able to express themselves without fear of being judged or rejected. There is room in the relationship for both of them to be unique individuals. They are free to surrender to the vulnerability of true intimacy - to be known and loved unconditionally." She could barely register the words of the priest as he continued, simply grinning as a tear fell down her cheek.

"A reading from the Apostle Paul, the first letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 13, verses 4 through 7: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Let us pray for this man and woman as they make their marriage vows. Father, as Freya and Falcon pledge themselves to each other, help them and bless them that their love may be pure, and their vows may be true. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen."

The resounding murmurs of agreement spread throughout the hall before going quiet once

again.

"The symbolic vows that you are about to make are a way of saying one another, 'You know all those things we've promised and hoped and dreamed? Well, I meant it all, every word."" Freya laughed quietly as Falcon nodded, eyes sparkling.

"Look at one another and remember this moment in time. Before this moment you have been many things to one another - a peer, friend, fiancé, but now you shall say a few words that take you across a threshold of life, and things will never quite be the same between you. For after these vows, you shall say to the world, this is my husband; this is my wife."

Freya's heart stuttered. She was first. Falcon squeezed her hands in reassurance, giving her a soft smile. She shook her head, chuckling; she had felt so sappy writing these words, but it was from the heart. That was all that mattered.

"I want so badly to be able to explain all the love I have for you," she could already feel the tears threatening to spill over. "Not the love of butterflies and stomach knots - but more the blurring of self and the entanglement with another soul. Love is a word that is much too soft and used far too often to ever describe the fierce, infinite and blazing passion that I have in my heart for you." The words felt silly coming from her mouth, but one look at the expression of awe on Falcon's face and her confidence returned. "You are a million dreams and a million prayers of a little girl come true," the tears began to escape down her cheeks as choked on her words. "You are kind. You are silly. You are intelligent. Your laugh is contagious and you can put away an entire Baskin Robbins ice cream cake in one sitting like nobody else can."

She laughed through the tears, Falcon's chuckle joining her own before she continued. "You acknowledge my strengths and accept my faults. You make me want to be a better person every day. I take you as you are now, tomorrow and for eternity to come, to be my husband. Even when the day comes that we're old and gray, I promise to always see you with the same eyes and the same heart that I see you with at this exact moment."

Her tears calmed as perfect content filled her heart. "So today, I vow to honour you and respect you, support you and encourage you. I promise to dream with you, celebrate with you, and walk beside you through whatever life brings.

"I vow to laugh with you and comfort you during times of joy and times of sorrow. I promise to always pursue you, to fight for you, and love you unconditionally and wholeheartedly for the rest

of my life. You are my best friend and I am the luckiest person on Earth to call you mine." She carefully wiped away a few stray tears as Falcon whispered to her. "I love you."

He dramatically cleared his throat, sniffing slightly as he tried to return to a state in which he could talk without breaking down. "Since the day I met you, I knew you were a special woman," he grinned. "And even though school sucks, it will now forever be my favourite place on Earth. From that day forward I became a true believer that you do not find true love, but true love finds you."

He sniffed again, shaking his body slightly as if to shake out the nerves. "You, more than anyone else, know my insecurities and weaknesses and still have never made me feel inadequate. You have always loved me without reservations. You praise me in a way I never thought was possible and because of you, I am the best man I can be.

"I cannot promise I will always be the perfect husband, but I promise to love you through the good times and bad. To choose our love every single day. I promise to always fight with you and for you, never against you. I promise to always be your biggest fan, confidant and protector. I promise to remember we are not perfect - only perfect for each other. I promise to love you without hesitation or boundaries from this day forward, for the rest of my life."

He took a moment to breathe, trying to relax his erratic heartbeat as Freya grinned up at him. "Thank you for being the woman of my dreams. Thank you for being the roots my rebel soul has always needed," he gave a short laugh. "Everything in me recognizes your heart as my home and your arms, my shelter. You are my better half and very best friend. I will love you, honour you, respect and cherish you in sickness and health, through sorrows and success, for all the days of my life. I am forever yours."

A single clap rose from the audience, and the couple turned to find Jaxon standing and applauding. With a single, hard tug, Glenn pulled him back in his seat, whacking the back of Jaxon's head. Falcon shook his head with a smile before turning his attention back to the priest and his girl.

"Nothing is easier than standing here and saying these words, and nothing is more difficult than living them day to day," the priest continued the ceremony. "When you love someone, you do not love them all the time in exactly the same way. That is impossible. Yet that is what most of us expect. We forget the ebb and flow of life and of love and of relationships. We insist on permanence, on duration, on continuity. But in love, as in life, the only stability is in change, in growth, and in freedom. Therefore what you promise today must be renewed and reaffirmed tomorrow and all the tomorrows to come."

There was a shuffle amongst the audience as Jaxon and Glenn realised this was their cue to get the rings ready. The priest turned slightly to face Falcon. "Will you, Falcon Ezra Anders, take this woman to be your wife, to live together in holy marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honour, and keep her in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?"

With the first serious look Freya had seen on his face the entire day, Falcon answered. "I will." The priest then turned to Freya, smiling. "Will you, Freya Ann Karol, take this man to be your husband, to live together in holy marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honour, and keep him in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?"

She looked back at Falcon as she spoke. "I will."

The priest smiled at them both before continuing. "Please take hands," he asked the couple, and they did so before he continued. "This is the point in the ceremony when people usually talk about the wedding bands being a perfect circle, having no beginning and no end. But we all know that these rings have a beginning. Rock is dug up from the earth. Metals are liquefied in a furnace at a thousand degrees. The hot metal is forged, cooled, and then painstakingly polished. Something beautiful is made from raw elements. Love is like that. It comes from humble beginnings, made by imperfect beings. It is the process of making something beautiful where there was once nothing at all."

The priest gestured for Glenn to make his way up with the rings. "Falcon, please place this ring on Freya's finger and repeat after me: with this ring, I thee wed."

Falcon picked up the small golden band from Glenn's palm, sliding it onto Freya's left ring finger as he repeated the words. "With this ring, I thee wed."

"Freya, please place this ring on Falcon's finger and repeat after me: with this ring, I thee wed." Freya echoed the same actions as her partner. "With this ring, I thee wed." Glenn made his way back to his seat and the priest gently took hold of the couple's hands, joining them together. "Those whom God has joined together, let no man put asunder. In so much as Freya and Falcon have consented together in holy wedlock, and have witnessed the same before God and this company, having given and pledged their faith, each to the other, and having declared same by the giving and receiving of rings, I pronounce that you are husband and wife. I ask you now to seal the promises you have made with each other this day with a kiss." Falcon grinned, wasting no time pulling Freya closer and pressing his lips to hers. It was, perhaps, the most gentle kiss he had ever graced her with. One filled with hope and promise and most of all, love. So much love.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. Anders!"