In the darkness, Vivian tightly gripped the arm of her escort. She could tell they were still moving by the gentle breeze pressing the veil to her face. A thin, vertical light appeared in the distance in front of her, followed by a low, rumbling crack as enormous doors opened to a gigantic gothic cathedral.
Vivian had seen the design in virtual reality, but it simply couldn't compare to the real thing. The cathedral was the largest that had ever been built, possible only through the advent of Plasteel, the only material known to humanity that was capable of supporting such a large structure.
The small circular platform beneath Vivian continued silently moving into the yawning chamber. Dozens of meters below her was the immense, dark red walkway with kilometers of ground on either side that would be perfectly flat were the space not large enough to see the gentle curve of the planet. The stark-white walls became a faint pale blue that grew darker the further they drew up into the atmosphere to a point that the vaulted ceiling was nearly indistinguishable from the open sky.
The only thing that filled the massive space was an ethereal drone that was the slow-crawling Bridal Chorus echoing off the distant walls. The platform moved at a steady pace through the open space as it approached the alcove at the other side. The interior of the cathedral contained no artificial lighting along its walls. The space was lit only by the system's singular dim, pale-white star, guided through the clerestory and onto the raised dais covered in what appeared at a distance to be carpet.
As they drifted closer, the rough surface was revealed to be hundreds of acres of a dark red, almost black forest. The Crimson King Maples stretched over the dais in a vast monoculture currently lit by the dim sun. A light mist blew gently through the forest, disturbed only by the platform as it followed above the trampled path toward the clearing in the forest's center.
As they moved, Vivian and her bridal escort were surrounded by a constellation of dozens of small lights observing her from every angle. On approach to a much smaller, human-sized dais, the points of light joined the hundreds of others tactfully swarming the area. The platform came to a stop as it sank into a designated spot, becoming flush with a short walkway. Vivian and her escort stepped off the platform and walked forward to a short flight of stairs leading up to the dais where her betrothed Delano waited for her.
His face was so often stoic, his expression barely lifting even in Vivian's presence, though it always did so. However, the moment that Vivian became visible over the stairs for the first time on this day, a smile grew across Del's face that was perhaps the most genuine one that she had ever seen.
White was the color that Vivian wore most frequently, preferring the way it complimented her hair, but the way the pale sun reflected off the fabric that poured over her form provided an ethereal glow like nothing Del had ever seen before, and in such a way that only Del's biological eyes could perceive. It gave him a unique perspective that none of the hundreds of cameras, nor the millions of viewers through them could descry.
The halter of her dress was cinched just over her sternum with a clip featuring an oval aquamarine gem. The bright blue provided the only color to her gown and was a perfect match to her eyes. The dress left her back and shoulders open, and together with the top of her detached sleeves, her bare collarbones were gracefully framed. Her veil was a loose rope-knotted lace net that met with her skirt and added just enough brilliance to the train for spectators across the galaxy to see.
The smile on Del's face was impossible to suppress. It wasn't one of those polite and professional smiles he put on for his employees and business partners. It was a smile of pure joy, and it remained as long as his eyes were on her. His expression matched the knot in her stomach precisely, and as she left the faceless escort and took her place across from her betrothed, she considered how incredibly lucky she was to be in her current position. Her own smile cracked when she remembered that luck had little to do with it.
They stood for a moment, staring into each other's eyes until the otherworldly drone of the Bridal Chorus came to an end and they were in total silence. Vivian put her hands out into the center of the space between them, palms down, and Delano promptly reached the short distance to envelop her palms into his.
Just past the couple on the altar, the officiant appeared with a soft internal light separating its neutral form and color from the dimly lit background. In the same style of design as Vivian's escort, the expressionless officiant was a slender humanoid robot with a matte porcelain finish that produced a clean silhouette free of ornament. It stepped into place, bringing only as much attention to it as was necessary.
"Cherished observers," the officiant said with an androgynous voice, "we are gathered across space and time to bear witness unto the legal union of the estates, lives, and futures of the present Delano and Vivian.
"Marriage is a covenant entered through trust, mutual respect, and in this rare occasion, that deepest affection which two persons may bear for one another. It is not merely the joining of estates, nor the recognition of two names beneath a single accord, but a promise freely made: to stand beside one another through joy and hardship, certainty and doubt, prosperity and want."
The officiant unfolded its crossed arms and extended a featureless hands toward the couple.
"Vivian and Delano, thou hast chosen to make this commitment before countless witnesses scattered amongst the stars, those who behold thee presently, and those who may yet behold this moment in ages hence. Therefore, before thy vows are given, I ask thee plainly: dost thou enter into this union of thine own free will?"
The officiant favored Vivian first with a subtle turn and an open palm. Vivian looked back to Del, falling into his deep brown eyes and coming face to face with her own reflection.
"I do," she said.
The officiant nodded and gestured toward Del, who responded with determination, and without hesitation.
"I do."
"Then let thy intentions be made known." The officiant said before turning back to the bride. "Vivian, wilt thou take Delano as thy husband and recognized partner? Wilt thou grant unto him thy trust, council, and companionship? Wilt thou share with him thy fortune and hardship, defend his dignity as thy own, and remain beside him so long as both parties carry life?"
"I will."
"Delano, wilt thou take Vivian as thy wife and recognized partner? Wilt thou grant unto her thy trust, council, and companionship? Wilt thou share with her thy fortune and hardship, defend her dignity as your own, and remain beside her so long as both parties carry life?"
"I will," Delano said, holding Vivian's aquamarine gaze. The officiant brought its hands back together.
"Then let thy vows be stated here before all witnesses and the end of time."
As deep as Vivian was looking into her betrothed's eyes, she could see no digital flicker. The man wasn't reading a prepared script, but she remembered a week of turmoil over writing one. In the moment, she couldn't tell whether Del had learned his vows by heart, or that he was letting his heart speak for itself.
"I do not promise perfection, for I do not possess it. Instead, I promise honesty, patience, protection when you need it, and freedom when you want it. I promise a place beside me whenever you choose to occupy it. What is mine is yours, not for any law, but because it is my wish to no longer distinguish my life from your own."
Del completed his vows, and Vivian swallowed before providing hers in return.
