Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was two days before Vax could really consider telling anyone what had happened. It felt too personal, too unexpected to share with his family, as if the moment he verbalised it to anyone other than himself and Gilmore, it would suddenly not be real anymore, and the beautiful jewellery on his arm and the beautiful memory of Gilmore holding his hands and asking Vax to marry him would just vanish. However, as wonderfully blissful as their little bubble outside of reality was, Gilmore had to get back to attending his shop, and Vax supposed he should put in an appearance back at Greyskull Keep before Vex came looking for him again.

Leaving Gilmore in the morning was harder than Vax would like to admit, with Gilmore dressed and radiant, and completely unable to either stop smiling or touching Vax in some small way. The kiss they shared before Vax left was perhaps not entirely suited to public viewing, but Vax enjoyed the way he could make Sherri’s expression turn into a combination of scandalised and deeply happy, and then leave Gilmore to deal with the fallout of it. It never failed to be funny that Gilmore, who had faced down his own fair share of monsters in his day, was terrified of this barely-five-foot human woman.

It was coming up to the end of summer, so when Vax got back to Greyskull Keep, he was unsurprised to find most of Vox Machina outside. Keyleth was on her knees in the dirt, crooning to the flowers she was tending, being ‘helped’ by Vex, who appeared to mostly be sunbathing with Trinket, the expressions on both their faces eerily similar. Scanlan was under a tree with his harmonica, absently making noise, and Grog was up on top of the entrance to the Keep, talking with the guards up there.

Grog was the first to spot Vax and called out. “Hey, Vax, where you been? You said you were coming back to the Keep two days ago!”

Vax saw his sister’s head snap up at the sound of his name, and he barely had time to raise his hand in greeting before she had scrambled to her feet and run full pelt to him, colliding with him with some force as she grabbed his hands and began turn them over, saying. “Where is it? Did you, did he...? Vax, tell me you didn’t...?”

Vax frowned at her, before it clicked and he pulled his hands away. “He told you?”

Vex grinned, though the worry in her eyes still seemed present. “Yeah, he told me a couple of days ago because he was worried I was going to be awkward about it. But what happened, there’s nothing...?”

By this point, Scanlan and Keyleth had made their way over, attracted by the way Vex had run over to her brother, and Scanlan asked. “What are you two talking about? Are you being deliberately vague?”

Vax shook his head as Grog finally joined them, looking confused at the sudden crowding around Vax, and replied. “I’m not being deliberately vague, but I do only want to say this once, so can someone go and find Pike and Percival?”

“I can go and get Percy.” Vex volunteered immediately. “Grog, will you go and get Pike? She’s in the chapel. Meet you in the dining hall?”

That last part of her speech was directed at Vax, who nodded and started to move indoors, feeling the butterflies in his stomach flutter into life again. It didn’t take more than ten minutes for everyone to gather, Percy being dragged out of his workshop still covered in grease and in his protective apron, and Pike coming in last of all, looking faintly concerned at the family gathering.

It was Pike who asked first. “Vax, what’s going on? Are you okay?”

Vax looked around at them all, his sister clinging onto Percy’s arm with what appeared to be a death grip, if the expression on Percy’s face was anything to go by, Keyleth’s and Pike’s matching expressions of faint worry, Grog’s face set into it’s well worn expression of confusion and Scanlan lounging back on a chair, trying to look disinterested and failing miserably. His family. His precious family.

“I’m fine, Pike. More than fine, actually. I have something to tell you all.” Out of the corner of his eye, Vax could see Vex squirming with impatience and grinned to himself. “I know I said I would be back a couple of days ago, but something happened, and you can blame Gilmore for it.”

Vax could feel the helpless smile creep back over his face, the smile that had scarcely left his lips since that wonderful night, and he didn’t care how absolutely besotted he sounded as he said. “He asked me to marry him, and I said yes.”

There was a beat of stunned silence, then all three girls dog-piled Vax, all of them simultaneously laughing and crying, with Vex yelling ‘I knew it, I knew it, I knew it’ over and over again, really close to Vax’s ear. Pike was clinging with a strength that belied her small frame around Vax’s waist, her face pressed into his stomach and he could feel her tears soaking through his clothes. Keyleth had her arms around the three of them and was jumping up and down in place, laughing like she would never stop even as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Vax wasn’t sure how long he was in that bear hug until Grog came over and said. “All right, all right, let him breath,” before he took opportunity of the space created as the girls backed off, all wiping their eyes, to clap Vax on the back, pushing him forward a step with the force of it. Vax grinned, the joy of the room adding to his already giddy emotions. “Thanks, Grog.”

Scanlan stepped up to Vax and hugged him, not quite as violently as the girls had, and smiled. “Congratulations, man. That’s great.”

Percy also stepped forward, but didn’t go for a hug, instead extended his hand with a faint smile and no words. Vax could see his sister hovering behind Percy, hands clasped together with a hopeful look on her face, and that, more than anything else, let him reach out with his hand to grip Percy’s. Percy relaxed, and his smile became more pronounced as he said. “Many congratulations, Vax. Are we going to be seeing Gilmore so we can offer our congratulations to him as well?”

“He’s working today, but he was going to stop by for dinner, so you can all see him then.”

“He’s working?” Vex repeated. “You just got engaged!”

“We got engaged two days ago.” Vax rejoined, a small smirk on his face. “And one of us has to make a honest living, sister, and we all know it won’t be me.”

“Two days! You waited two days to tell me!”

Vax’s smirk got wider as he replied. “All things considered, two days was quite quick. We were... busy.”

“Oh!” With a cry of disgust, Vex covered her ears quickly as she sang. “Lala, can’t hear you, definitely don’t need details of exactly how you were busy, can’t hear you, lalalalala, and now I’m leaving.”

Later that night, after dinner, Vax and Gilmore had gone up to Vax’s room in the Keep and had settled down on the bed, not yet ready to go to sleep, but wanting to spend some time together, both of them conveniently forgetting how much time they had already spent together in the past few days. Vax had his head on Gilmore’s stomach, his favourite place to lie because Gilmore would always end up absentmindedly stroking Vax’s hair, which was exactly what was happening.

There was contented silence for a bit, before Vax quietly said. “Sorry about earlier. They were a bit... intense.”

Gilmore chuckled, and Vax felt the vibrations travel through their bodies. “I’m given to understand that that’s the danger of being the first in the family to get married.”

Vax turned his head to look up the length of Gilmore’s body and smiled. “We’re getting married. That’s still so strange to say.”

Gilmore’s hand paused in Vax’s hair as he replied. “It hasn’t been all that long. Though we should start making some decisions. Probably starting with how long an engagement you want?”

Vax sat up, and moved to be sitting next to Gilmore, feeling an arm slip around his waist as he rested his head on Gilmore’s shoulder and pondered out loud. “Before the month is out? Because I want Keyleth there to witness it, and she had to go back to the Ashari.”

Gilmore nodded, and Vax asked. “Do you have a deity you particularly want to overlook the ceremony?”

“No, but I imagine you do.”

Vax sighed. “I feel like I’m deciding all the important things. Isn’t there a deity that’s important to you?”

Vax felt Gilmore shrug under him as he replied. “Not particularly. We could go to the nearest temple tomorrow and sign the paperwork right there and then, and that would be enough for me. The marriage is what’s important to me, my dear.”

Vax raised his eyebrow. “In these clothes?”

“No, don’t be ridiculous!” Gilmore exclaimed immediately, before apparently catching the smirk that had crept across Vax’s face at the predictable response, and pinching him. “That wasn’t funny.”

Vax’s smirk turned into a honest grin. “I’m just pleased that there are a few things you have opinions about. I was never one of those people who dreamed about their future wedding, so I’m relying on you for that.”

Gilmore sighed, his voice going a little distant. “When I was a young man, I had all sort of ideas about who I would marry and how. Pipe dreams, each and every one of them, and every one more extravagant than the last. I find that now I have actually found someone I want to marry, not only was I entirely wrong about what type of person I would want to make that commitment with, but I find myself very relaxed about how it happens.”

“Except about the clothes.”

“Except the clothes,” Gilmore agreed. The conversation trailed away, into comfortable silence, before Gilmore prompted. “So, Sarenrae?”

Vax nodded. “I’d like it to be Sarenrae. That way, Pike could lead the ceremony, and everyone could be involved.”

“You have a small temple to Sarenrae here in the Keep, don’t you? We could hold the wedding here?”

Vax smiled. “That sounds amazing. I can talk to everyone tomorrow, unless you want to be there?”

“I don’t mind you checking with the rest of them whether they mind that we might potentially use the Keep, but I’d like to be there when you talk to Pike about the details. Do you want to do that tomorrow?”

Vax settled himself even nearer, closing his eyes as he replied. “I think so. Now hold still, you’re being my pillow.”

It was late afternoon the next day when Vax caught up with Pike, sparring with Grog in the gardens outside of Sarenrae’s temple. Well, it was some version of sparring that seemed to involve little Pike swinging her mace that was easily half as high as she was at a laughing Grog who only seemed to laugh harder when he got hit. The dynamic would confuse Vax if he hadn’t lived with it for five years, and even then, he still winced a little bit as Grog thoughtlessly swung an arm out and Pike had to move quickly to avoid it.

Grog saw Vax approaching them first, and straightened up out his defensive crouch, and immediately regretted it as Pike had already swung and couldn’t manage to stop her weapon before it went into Grog’s gut with a rather sickening thud. Grog doubled over instinctively and Pike dropped her mace, moving to his side as she said. “Oh, Grog, are you okay? Did I hurt you?”

Grog wheezed a bit as he replied. “I’m fine, Pikey.” He glanced up at Vax, who had also moved over to check Grog was okay and said threateningly. “Don’t you laugh.”

“Now why would I do that? You taking a mace to the stomach wielding by a gnome who’s easily five foot shorter than you isn’t funny at all.” Vax paused, and then added. “That’s sarcasm by the way, Grog.”

Grog scowled and reached out with one large hand, but before Vax could dance back out of the way, Pike got in the way and pushed the hand back down. “Come on, you two, you could at least try to not make me feel like I’m the mother of five year olds. Did you want something, Vax?”

“Yes, actually, I’d like to talk to you about something.”

Pike grinned suddenly. “Something wedding related? Please say yes.”

Vax smiled back in the face of her effervescent joy. “Yes, something wedding related. Can we go to your temple? That’s where I told Shaun we’d be.”

They settled in the temple, Vax sitting on one of the seats and Pike up at the front, tidying the altar, cleaning and setting everything to rights as she asked. “So, am I right in guessing that this discussion has something to with using this temple for your ceremony?”

“Something like that, yeah, but I promised Shaun we’d talk to you together.”

“And in a stunning moment of timing and brilliance, here I am!” The booming voice projected from the back of the temple was Gilmore’s very best showmanship, and Vax couldn’t help smiling a little at the sheer theatricality of his husband-to-be as he got up to greet him.

Gilmore’s smile softened as Vax approached, going from his public look-at-me-aren't-I-glorious smile to his private one. Vax loved both, but the fact that Gilmore offered him that small private smile regardless of where they were perhaps made it just a bit more special. They kissed hello, Vax’s hands automatically framing Gilmore’s face as they did, before Vax murmured. “How was your day?”

“Nothing special. According to Sherri I kept getting distracted. I can’t think why.”

“Anyone would think something important had happened in the past few days.”

Gilmore’s smile somehow became even more tender as he replied. “They would think correctly then,” and leant back in for another kiss, this one longer and slower and filled with love. Vax happily let himself be lost in the kiss, and thus completely forgot about their audience until there was a pointed cough from behind him and Vax turned to see Pike, standing with her hands on her hips, looking all-at-once amused, fond, and faintly exasperated.

“Did you two seriously forget I was still here?”

Vax really hoped he wasn’t as red as he thought he might be as he replied. “A little bit, yeah.”

Pike was still smiling, even as she sighed and said. “Sit down, you two. Let’s have this talk.”

Settling himself back onto the bench, and feeling Gilmore sit down next to him, a line of heat all along the right side of his body, Vax listened as Pike picked up where they had left off when Gilmore had arrived. “So, using this temple for your ceremony?”

Vax nodded. “Yes, we decided that we’d like to be married under Sarenrae, but there was actually something slightly more specific we wanted to ask you.”

Pike furrowed her brow, clearly trying to think about what it possibly could be, but Gilmore didn’t leave her waiting for very long, smoothly picking up from the end of Vax’s sentence as he said. “Pike, we hoped that you would agree to marry us.”

Pike’s mouth dropped open and her eyes went wide as she repeated in a high-pitched voice. “Me?”

Vax leaned forward, putting a hand on her arm. “Yes, you. You’re family, Pike, and we both want this wedding to be made up of family. I don’t want a stranger to marry me, not when it would mean so much more to have you do it.”

Pike’s eyes darted between them, the shock on her face quickly turning into overwhelming emotion as tears filled her eyes and she nodded, her voice wobbling as she said. “Okay. Okay. I’ll do it.”

Vax hugged her then, whispering. “Thank you.”

“Of course.” Pike sniffed, and rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands to dash the tears away. “It’ll make you both happy?”

“Very happy.” Gilmore reassured her, his eyes looking suspiciously bright as well.

Pike grinned then, even with tears still falling down her cheeks. “Then I’ll be the best damn leader of the ceremony ever!”

This time Gilmore leaned in to hug her and Vax leaned against him, sort of making it a three way hug, and they stayed like for a few minutes before Pike pulled back and said cheerily. “So, there isn’t much that’s specific to having a ceremony under Sarenrae, but there is one thing that I think I should mention straight away.”

Vax and Gilmore looked at each other, various stages of wariness on their faces, and then looked back at Pike, waiting for her to elaborate. She laughed at the expression on their faces and explained. “Nothing so bad to warrant those looks! Be grateful you didn’t choose Avandra to be married under. But marriage is a powerful commitment and Sarenrae values honesty about this commitment. Essentially, it boils down to: now you’ve announced your intention to be married, Sarenrae requires that you take some time to think about the commitment you are about to make.”

Vax frowned. “How long?”

Pike looked a little sheepish. “Minimum of three weeks. Normally that’s not a problem for most weddings, because they take some time to set up, but I’m guessing you two would get married tomorrow if you could.”

“Not quite tomorrow, but certainly soon.” Gilmore admitted. He placed a hand over Vax’s and asked. “Does that complicate things with Keyleth?”

Vax narrowed his eyes in thought, and Pike copied him, both of them muttering to themselves and Vax counting on his fingers, mouthing the numbers as he did so. Eventually, Vax stopped and took Gilmore’s hand again as he replied. “It cuts it close, but she should still be here.”

Gilmore smiled. “So, we’re getting married in three weeks?”

Vax smiled back helplessly, leaning his forehead against Gilmore’s and agreed. “We’re getting married in three weeks.”

Chapter Text

It was perhaps the longest Vox Machina had spent in Emon for a long time. They didn’t tend to spend longer than a week at Greyskull Keep before they either found a new job, or got a new lead for a current job. There were still jobs being done, but Scanlan had joked that the bad guys clearly had a soft spot for weddings, because any jobs they were being offered were either all local, or didn’t require the whole group and were done in a couple of days.

The days were going fast, and everything was being organised. Neither Gilmore nor Vax wanted a lot of fuss, just their friends and their family there to witness for them. Pike had taken charge of decorating the chapel, getting it set up ready for the ceremony, and had made Grog help her with anything that needed to be lifted up high. She was also discussing something with Percival, but both of them were being very secretive about it.

Keyleth was helping Gilmore and Vax get the formal clothes together. There was nothing specific they had to wear, but the colours were important. Vax knew that they were both going to be in white, with red and gold woven into it somehow, and he also knew that Gilmore would be in wizard's robes, but beyond that he had no idea what Gilmore was going to look like. His own clothes were simple, and pure white with red sections.

Vex had taken charge of getting the invitations to everyone outside of their immediate group that Vax and Gilmore had wanted to witness their ceremony. There wasn’t too many of them. Allura and Kima had been given a joint invitation, so even though Kima was currently in Vasselheim, Allura could pass it on. Two other invitations had also been sent to Vasselheim, for Kashaw and Zahra, and after Percy had finally managed to get out a request for his sister to attend, an invitation had been sent to Whitestone. They had also sent one to Draconia. Tiberius was constantly busy, but Vax wanted him to know that he had been thought of.

The only people that Vex hadn’t been asked to take care of were Gilmore’s parents. Gilmore had gone himself, using his teleportation spell to speak to them in person for what Vax understood was the first time in a very long time. It was nice that at least one of them had a set of supportive parents, and whilst Vax didn’t go with Gilmore, it was also nice to be swept into Gilmore’s arms upon his return and hear that his husband-to-be’s parents approved of them.

“It’s a little late for them to disapprove,” Gilmore had said. “But it made me feel better, hearing that they liked you.”

Vax had hummed his agreement, still stuck on the frankly hilarious idea of introducing Gilmore to his father. His mother would have been completely baffled by ninety percent of what Gilmore talked about, but she would have loved him regardless. His father, on the other hand… well, Vax wasn’t quite sure if he would have liked Gilmore for the obvious power he wielded, or looked down on him simply because Vax loved him.

Gilmore raised the topic again, a few nights later. They were curled up together in bed, back at Gilmore’s place mostly because they were far less likely to be interrupted, given that Vax lived with six other people, when Gilmore propped his head up on one hand and said, his tone somewhere between amused and questioning. “There’s still time to invite your father, you know.”

Vax frowned up at him. “I don’t want him there, and he certainly wouldn't deign to be there, so why would I waste an invitation on him?”

Gilmore smiled sadly, the hand he wasn’t leaning his head against resting on Vax’s arm, over the silver armband, and replied. “Because when I got back from visiting my parents, you were more distant than you’ve been in a long time. I thought that perhaps that might be because you have family that can’t come, and family you think won’t come. ‘Can’t’, there’s nothing that can be done, but ‘won’t’? ‘Won’t’ might change.”

“It’s a nice thought,” Vax whispered, and then smiled a little. “It’s a lovely thought, thank you, but everyone I want there will be there, bar Velora, and even if my father condescended to be there, there’s no way he would let Velora attend.”

Vax paused, and he knew that Gilmore could sense that he had more to say, because all Gilmore did was kiss Vax on the forehead, a dry, soft brush of lips, before he settled back down in his original position and waited.

“I was thinking, back then, how strange it was to feel accepted by your parents, even though I hadn’t met them. It’s not a feeling I’m familiar with. And I was thinking how strange it would feel to introduce you to my father. You were so confident….” Vax laughed quietly to himself. “So confident that your parents would love me, just because you did and they love you. Right now I have the best relationship I have ever had with my father, and I have no idea how he would react to you.”

Gilmore’s hand tightened briefly on Vax’s arm, understanding exactly Vax’s implication in that sentence. Vax hadn’t seen his father for years. They had no relationship.

“I think that, despite having built one for myself, family is always going to be something I struggle with.” Vax said, more thinking out loud than actually carrying a conversation. “Your parents just accepted you; your life and your choices. More than that, they’re proud of you. You know how foreign that is to me. I think it’s just going to keep throwing me, until one day it doesn’t.”

Gilmore leaned in and kissed Vax again, this time against his mouth, gentle and quick, saying without words everything Vax needed to hear in that moment, before shifting back to lying down fully, letting Vax shift closer to his warmth again. They ended up in Vax’s second favourite position, his head tucked under Gilmore’s chin, with Gilmore’s lips resting against his forehead. It was a position that allowed conversations to be felt more than heard, and it had always felt so intimate to Vax, even back when they were still working their relationship out.

After a few beats of silence, Gilmore said quietly. “Not to abruptly change the subject, especially given I was the one to bring it up in the first place, but there was something I wanted to ask you.”

“What?” Vax asked, not moving from his very comfortable position.

“What did you want me to give you to wear? I was thinking about maybe a matching armband to the one you’ve got?”

Vax didn’t hesitate in his reply. “Whatever it is, I want it to match what you have.”

He felt Gilmore go still underneath him, and his voice was uncharacteristically tentative as he said. “You said that very quickly.”

Vax shrugged, and said lightly. “I’d actually thought about it this time.”

“And you really don’t mind what it is?”

Vax shook his head as much as he was able to without lifting his head. “I want people to look at us, and know that I’m yours and you’re mine. That’s all.”

The tension left Gilmore’s body with a sigh and Vax felt a hard kiss pressed into his hair, before Gilmore murmured. “I love you so much.”

“Love you more.”

It was a week before the wedding when something went wrong. Vax had been waiting for something to happen, as there was no way that it would all come off smoothly, and one day, it finally happened. He and Vex and Percy had been attending a council meeting. Percy always went, he thought that it was important that he did so, and Vax had been attending more often than not now that he considered Emon to be his permanent home, but all the others sort of rotated in and out according to their whims. The only real rule was that Scanlan and Grog were not allowed to go together unless all of them were there, otherwise nothing got done.

When the three of them got back to the Keep, they had literally just stepped inside when Keyleth came flying down the stairs and flung herself into Vax’s arms. Vax caught and steadied her, and even if he hadn’t caught a glimpse of her tear-stained face, he would have known she was crying as she sobbed. “I’m sorry, Vax, I’m so sorry.”

“Hey,” Vax started, moving back a little so he could look at her properly. “Hey, Kiki, what’s wrong? What happened?”

Keyleth wiped her face with the back of her hands as she stuttered out. “I… I got a message from m...my father this m...morning. I have to g...go earlier than I expected.”

“That’s okay.” Percy interrupted. “Keyleth, that’s okay. We’ll miss you, but we knew you were going soon….”

“You don’t understand!” Keyleth exclaimed. “I h...have to go as soon as p...possible.”

“Oh no,” Vex started, clearly having got to the conclusion a few seconds before Keyleth said. “I’m going to miss your wedding, Vax.”

There was a beat of silence before Keyleth burst into tears all over again and Vax moved forward to hug her close again, feeling Vex join him to turn it into a three way hug whilst Percy looked on a little awkwardly before being dragged in by Vex. In his head, Vax was frantically trying to think of a way to keep her here, but even as Keyleth’s tears slowed and turned into great hiccupping breaths, he was coming up blank and it was making his heart heavy.

Dammit, he needed her there. She was as much his family as any of the members of Vox Machina, and more than any of them apart from Vex, she deserved to be there. She was the person who had encouraged him to take the first step with Gilmore, had practically forced him through the door of his shop that first time and waited outside until he had come back out flushed and smiling harder than he thought he had ever done before in his life. She had cried and hugged him and then insisted on going back inside the shop to hug Gilmore.

As the hug broke, Keyleth sighed, and murmured. “I should start putting my things together. I’m sorry for….” She waved her hands around a little. “Crying all over you all.”

“I’ll come with you and help.” Vax volunteered. Keyleth looked surprised, but nodded her head and led the way to her room. Keyleth’s room was the same size as the rest of theirs, but it was always filled with flowers and smelt amazing. Keyleth pulled out her travelling bag and began to pull stuff out of drawers, self-consciously starting to pack. Vax just watched her, letting the silence extend, before he broke it.

“I’m going to miss you so much, Kiki.”

She nodded, frowning fiercely, which Vax knew was what she did when she was desperately trying not to cry. “I wanted to be there so much. I wanted to see what you looked like in your fine clothes and I wanted to see what you thought of the decorations in the chapel, and I wanted to see your face when Pike and Percy showed you their surprise. I wanted to see all of it.”

“I know,” replied Vax, trying to sound reassuring as he said. “But we’ll tell you all about it, and you know you won’t be getting rid of us for long, we’ll all come and visit.”

“It won’t be the same.” The tears welled up in Keyleth’s eyes and she quickly dashed them away. “I missed the Ashari, I did, and I’m glad I’ve done what I set out to do, but you’re all my people too.”

Vax came around the side of the bed and hugged her again, asking. “When are you going?”

“Probably tomorrow morning. Will you say goodbye to people for me?”

“I’ll say goodbye to the council for you, but you have to go yourself for Allura and Shaun. Allura will send Kima after you if you don’t.”

Keyleth laughed, a wet little sound. “Who will Gilmore send after me?”

There was a pause before they both laughed, still a little sad, but with much more joy as Keyleth gasped. “You. He would totally send you.”

“He would.” Vax agreed. “Hey, I was going to see him later on this afternoon. Do you want to come with me, or would you rather go on your own?”

She drew back a bit, looking worried. “Oh no, I don’t want to interrupt your date, it’s fine.”

Vax took her hand and said with an amused tone. “Kiki, we’re getting married. I think I can handle a whole two hours without having him to myself.”

Vax and Keyleth walked into Gilmore’s Glorious Goods just as it was starting to close for the day, and they heard Sherri yell. “No new customers please!” before she realised who it was that had walked in and instead waved them behind the counter and through the beaded curtain. Vax was used to this by now, but Keyleth had that wide-eyed curiosity as she looked around.

Vax, on the other, beelined straight for the figure that was just turning around from the bookshelves at the back of the room at the sound of people coming through the curtain. Vax got his arms around Gilmore’s neck and kissed his surprised expression before grinning and saying. “Hi, Shaun.”

Gilmore’s arms had automatically wound around Vax’s waist to hold him, even as he looked over at the both of them and said. “Keyleth, what a lovely surprise! We weren’t… we weren’t expecting you, were we?”

Keyleth laughed. “No, you didn’t forget something, don’t worry. I’ve actually… come to say goodbye.”

“Goodbye?” Gilmore repeated, looking between Vax and Keyleth as if he was expecting one of them to break and smile and explain it was a prank, and when they didn’t, he gestured to a bunch of nearby chairs and said. “You’d better sit down and catch me up on what I’ve apparently missed.”

They sat down and Keyleth repeated the bare essentials of what she’d already told Vax and the rest of Vox Machina; that she had to leave, and as soon as possible. Once she had finished speaking, a rather sombre silence fell on the three of them.

Eventually, Gilmore spoke. “Keyleth, as I’m sure you’ve already been told, I’ll miss you, but of course I understand you have to be with your people. That’s your heritage, your right, and you fought hard for it. Our wedding is small in comparison.”

“But you’re my family!” Keyleth responded. “I want to be there, I just… can’t.”

Gilmore tilted his head to one side, his brain clearly working very fast on an idea as he slowly said. “What if there was a way you could be at our wedding?”

Keyleth shook her head, looking at her hands. “No, there’s no way. I’m not Pike; I can’t astral-project.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Gilmore replied gently. “It’s your culture, so correct me if I get something wrong, but you’re going back to be their leader, yes?”

“Yes.”

“Well then, if you can’t leave, because I assume you have rituals in order to pass the leadership on, and then less symbolic and far more real - for lack of a better word - paperwork, which is you taking all the responsibility I guess comes with all this, why can’t we come to you?”

Keyleth frowned. “I mean, there’s no reason why you can’t, the Ashari are quite friendly to outsiders, but why would you want to? You’re meant to be getting married here.”

Gilmore nodded. “And we will, but provided it’s okay with Vax, there’s no reason why we can’t have two ceremonies.” Vax finally got what Gilmore was driving at as he continued. “You’re the leader of your people, Keyleth. In amongst all those brand new responsibilities of yours, I’m pretty sure you should have the authority to marry people, if they wanted you to.”

Keyleth stared and then repeated quietly. “You want me to marry you?”

“You can’t be at the ceremony here, and for that I’m sorry, because you’ve helped out so much.” Gilmore started, not really answering the question. “But again, provided it’s okay with your people, you could lead a druidic ceremony, and that way, you will get to be at our wedding.”

“I mean, it’s fine; there’s no laws against, but….” Keyleth looked over at Vax and asked. “Vax?”

Vax had been smiling more and more as Gilmore had explained his idea and when Keyleth asked him, he just shrugged and said. “Kiki, say yes. It’s the perfect idea.”

“Okay.” Keyleth nodded, her own face starting to light up as she started to think about it. “Yeah, that would be amazing. Oh, Gilmore, thank you!”

She hugged Gilmore, and then Vax, and then Gilmore again one more time, before bouncing out of the back room, muttering excitedly to herself as she left. Vax leaned over and kissed Gilmore, whispering as he pulled away. “I knew I was marrying a genius.”

Gilmore smiled, and returned the kiss. “Ready to marry me twice then?”

“See you at the chapel.”

The morning of the wedding dawned bright and clear, and Vax woke along with it, stretching his limbs in his bed and just lying there for a bit. He had been expecting nerves, his long held problems with emotions and expressing them reasserting themselves, but there was nothing. He was calm, and clear-headed. It was remarkably simple. He loved Gilmore. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with him. So, this morning, he was going to marry him.

There was a knock on his door some undetermined time later, and Vex popped her head around, asking. “Brother, are you awake?”

“Yes.” Vax sat up. “Yeah, I’m awake.”

“Well then, get up! You need to eat, and then I need to somehow get you pretty.”

Vax obeyed, climbing out of bed and following his sister down to where there was some food laid out ready. He could hear Laina already moving around in the kitchen, making distressed noises. She had wanted to cook the food for the reception afterwards and Vax hadn’t wanted to say no, but he really hoped she wasn’t stressing out so badly that she wasn’t going to enjoy the day. He ate under Vex’s watchful eye, and about halfway through their meal, he heard something strange. Two voices, two male voices lifted in song, sounding eerily and utterly beautiful. He turned to ask Vex what she thought that was, but she had left her chair like a shot and got to the door, shouting, “He’s awake you idiots, cut it out!”

The door slammed behind her and she flopped back down, glaring at Vax until he closed his mouth and didn’t ask what exactly was going on, seeing as she clearly knew. Once they had both eaten, Vex left him alone to bathe whilst she laid out his clothes for the ceremony. When he came out, wrapped in several towels, she pointed him onto the bed and said. “Sit still. You have almost as much hair as I do, so we’re going to be here for a while.”

Vex began to comb his hair out, taking her time with the tangles, working over and over with the length and weight of it, until it lay smooth and damp down Vax’s back. Vex’s hair was still loose around her face, and looking in the handheld mirror, Vax was taken aback at how identical they looked. The knowledge that they were twins was something so intrinsic to his sense of self, and he joked about them looking similar, but suddenly facing it made him realise how different they were now.

“Vex’ahlia….”

She shook her head. “I know you’re going to get sentimental; I can tell from the look on your face. Not now. Let me finish, and then we can have the heart-to-heart you’re so desperate to have.”

She turned her back so he could get dressed. The clothes were as simple as Vax had hoped they would be, though he was a little worried at the colour. He couldn’t remember the last time he wore anything lighter than a very dark blue. White was something he was very unused to, even if it was tempered by red. The cuffs on his shirt were red, and there was a line of red down the side of his trousers. His boots were the same ones he always wore, but polished and buffed to within an inch of their life.

Vex looked at him and smiled. “You look good, Brother. Although I still think you should have let them give you a cloak.”

“No way.”

He sat back down on the bed and let Vex back at his hair. She began to braid it back, leaving a good portion of it loose, and twisting a red ribbon into the waterfall braid. When she was done, she let him have another look and Vax barely recognised himself. It was the most put together he had been in a long time. He looked over at Vex, who was smiling at him in an absent, proud sort of a way, almost how a mother might look at him.

His heart clenched a little, and so he did what he was used to doing. He pushed it away and said. “Come here, your hair’s a mess.”

Vex rolled her eyes and plopped herself down in front of him. “Go on then.”

As he began to comb out her hair, considerably more gently than she had done to him, Vex whispered. “Are you scared?”

Vax shook his head. “No, it's more like… do you remember us deciding we were going to leave Syngorn?”

Vex nodded, and then winced as the movement pulled her hair.

“It's like that.” Vax clarified. “We were stupid kids making a massive decision and that should have terrified us, but it didn't, because we knew it was the right one.”

There was silence as Vax finished her hair. Vex twisted around a bit, inspecting herself, before turning and hugging him really hard. “If it really feels like that, I’m pleased. I’m going to miss you. I’m going to miss you being all mine, but I’m glad you found him.”

Vax hugged her back, his heart feeling so full it could burst. “I’ll always be yours, Vex. You know that. No matter where we end up, we’ll always be each others.”

The contact lasted for a few more minutes until Vex drew back, wiped her eyes subtly and said. “Right, enough of a heart-to-heart for you? Because you might be all pretty now, but I still have to get my dress on and go and supervise Grog whilst Pike’s busy.”

Vax smiled, his eyes damp as well. “Yeah, go on, go. I dread to think what Grog will manage to do left to himself.”

Vex smiled back and left the room. Vax sat still for a bit, but couldn’t manage it for long and stood up, obsessively smoothing over his clothes again and again as he went over to his bedroom window and looked out over the courtyard. While it was never exactly quiet, with fourteen people living here, it was busier than Vax had seen it in a little while, with people moving back and forth at a pace. He could see some of their guards carrying things back and forth. He could see Jarett and Shayne appeared to be coordinating things.

He stepped away from the window and found himself pacing back and forth, trying to give the energy, the anticipation building up inside him somewhere to go. He knew that somewhere in the Keep, right now, Gilmore was getting dressed in his finery, probably being helped by his parents. His hands were probably shaking as he neatened his clothes, just like Vax’s. And he was probably just as nervous and excited as Vax was.

It was maybe a hour later when Vax heard a knock on his door and in stepped Vex again, this time dressed in a beautiful golden dress, full length with a extra piece of material draped over one shoulder. She looked elegant and composed, but was absolutely vibrating with energy as she said. “We’re ready. It’s time.”

Vax took a deep breath, stood, and hooked his arm through Vex’s, allowing her to escort him down from his room, through the Keep, and left him just outside the main doors with a kiss on his cheek and a whisper. “I’ll see you inside. I love you.”

One of the best things about having a ceremony under Sarenrae was how much it was down to the couple getting married. It was more like a service that just happened to include a wedding. There were very simple vows, and then it pretty much devolved into a religious party, as worshippers of Sarenrae used a lot of music and dancing.

Vax had been there for less than a minute, even as it had felt like hours, before he heard a gentle cough, and looked up to see Gilmore standing a few steps away from him, watching him with a tender look on his face. As Vax made eye contact, he felt all his breath leave his body. Gilmore looked stunning. Like Vax, he was in mostly white, although his were wizard robes. The white against his skin made Gilmore look like he was practically glowing, and the red sash around his waist just brought the outfit together. Like Vax, his hair was tied back using a red ribbon, and his customary gold jewellery somehow seemed to shine even brighter.

They must have spent a good few minutes staring at each other before Gilmore reached out to touch Vax’s braid and breathed. “By all the Gods, Vax’ildan, look at you.”

Vax grinned, the sudden tension broken, and took Gilmore’s hand with one of his own, replying. “Nobody’s going to be looking at me, did you see yourself before you came down?”

They lapsed back into silence, clutching each other’s hands and staring at each other, taking in the enormity of what they were about to do before Vax whispered. “Last chance to change your mind.”

Gilmore raised one of Vax’s hands to kiss the back of it and whispered back. “Never. Let’s do this.”

They walked together, still hand-in-hand, up to the chapel of Sarenrae. Standing outside the doors to the chapel were Jarett and Shayne and as Vax and Gilmore approached, Vax could see Shayne quickly knock on one of the windows, presumably as a warning for those inside, before she and Jarett fluidly opened the doors to the chapel, in unison like they’d done it a thousand times.

As Vax and Gilmore began to walk into the chapel, everyone rose to their feet as music began to play and three voices rose in song to accompany it. Vax recognised it as the thing that Vex had interrupted earlier, and tears sprang to his eyes as he saw where it was coming from. Scanlan was playing and singing, tenor voice strong and steady from his constant practice. Undercutting him was Percy, his voice a little more unsteady, but a beautiful baritone nonetheless, and soaring above all of them, which really made Vax lose all control of his emotions, was Pike, gorgeous in her white dress, and her sweet soprano making the celestial words even more like poetry than they already were. He had no idea what the words meant, but he was sure that he hadn’t chosen music to walk into, and he was pretty certain Gilmore hadn’t. His friends, his family had put this together in secret.

And it was beautiful.

The music came to an end as Vax and Gilmore took their seats in front of the altar, facing the rest of the congregation, along with their primary supporters. To Gilmore’s right were his parents, lined faces beaming with pride, his mother sneaking her hand into Gilmore’s to both give and receive support. To Vax’s left was Vex, trying to wipe her eyes without smudging her make-up, and on the chair next to Vex was a wreath of flowers, irises and white chrysanthemums interwoven with tendrils of ivy. It was there to represent the place Keyleth would have had and she had helped put it together and preserve it before she left.

The congregation sat, Percy finding his seat next to his sister, and Scanlan sliding in next to Kaylie, who rolled her eyes but didn’t protest having her father sit next to her. Pike stepped forward, small enough so that she could stand in front of Vax and Gilmore without blocking their view and simply said. “Let us pray to Sarenrae on this momentous day.”

Services to Sarenrae were rarely quiet, and this one was no exception, but again, because the wedding ceremony was so loose, the quiet voices rising up were by no means in unison, but combined they still somehow sounded beautiful. Harmony rising out of chaos was perhaps a slightly heavy-handed metaphor for their relationship, but considering it was completely coincidental, Vax would take it.

The service continued for maybe half an hour, the noises levels rising and falling as people finished prayers and started new ones, before Vax caught Gilmore’s eye and Gilmore reached out a hand, a silent question. Vax took it, and they stood. Pike raised a hand into the air, a call for silence, before turning to face Vax and Gilmore, guiding their free hands to join so that they faced each other and prompted gently. “The vows.”

By mutual agreement, Vax was going to go first. The vows for Sarenrae were very simple, easily memorised, but no less powerful for it. He swallowed around the sudden lump in his throat and said. “In the presence of Sarenrae, and before these our families and friends, I take thee, Shaun Gilmore, to be my husband, promising with Divine assistance to be unto thee a loving and faithful husband, as long as we both shall live.”

Vax raised Gilmore’s left hand and pressed the back of it to his lips, before he whispered, his voice being carried by the arches of the chapel. “All you are is wedded to me, my husband.”

Gilmore’s eyes were wet and his cheeks were streaked with silently falling tears, but his voice was still strong and loud, carrying well as he repeated. “In the presence of Sarenrae, and before these our families and friends, I take thee, Vax’ildan, to be my husband, promising with Divine assistance to be unto thee a loving and faithful husband, as long as we both shall live.”

The press of Gilmore’s mouth against Vax’s hand made the tears building up in Vax’s eyes overflow as Gilmore murmured. “All you are is wedded to me, my husband.”

Staring at each other through tears as they were, they almost didn’t notice Pike approach with the official part of the ceremony, the signing of the certificate. She stood before them, the certificate pinned to a thin piece of wood to keep it straight and smiled encouragingly. The best part of the way they had been arranged was that Vax and Gilmore could sign simultaneously, given that Vax was left-handed and Gilmore right-handed. They did so, and Pike moved across the line of primary supporters to let them sign it.

She then placed the certificate down on the table and said. “We invite the family and friends here present to bear witness to the marriage, by word or by deed.”

This had been organised to the minutest detail, because otherwise it simply wouldn’t work. Each row stood and filed forward to sign, and it had been arranged so that Scanlan and Kaylie would be the first, so afterwards they could take up their instruments and provide some light, happy music whilst everyone was waiting for their turn. That was the ‘deed’. ‘By word’ encouraged people to offer a few words if they felt it was necessary.

Naturally, Scanlan did, and before he placed his flute to his lips, he nodded over to where Vax and Gilmore were seated again and said. “For someone who never found himself suited to marriage, I find myself strangely envious of yours. Congratulations, guys. May you have the wedded bliss you so deserve.”

It was a rare, sweet moment for Scanlan, and whilst Vax was certain Scanlan meant it, he was also sure that the flowery sentiment was partly an attempt to impress Kaylie. Scanlan was nothing if not predictable when it came to his daughter.

People continued processing, a few of them offering words as they did so. Cassandra, after signing, offered them a traditional blessing often used at weddings in Whitestone. “May your hands be forever clasped in friendship, and your hearts joined forever in love.”

Percy echoed her with another Whitestone blessing. “May your troubles be less and your blessing be more, and nothing but happiness come through your door,” before continuing. “Vax; Gilmore. There’s nothing better than watching two of your friends fall in love, except perhaps watching those two friends get married. I’m very happy for you both.”

Towards the end, Vex stood up and said. “Brother, do you remember when we were kids, we had to memorise that awful poem? We must have recited it half a dozen times a day, and our tutors were never satisfied with how we said it. I came across it again, and I think that’s what I want to say to you.”

She paused, and Vax nodded, gripping Gilmore’s hand tightly. Vex nodded back, took a deep breath, and said. “But let there be spaces in your togetherness and let the winds of heaven dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.”

As the last person in the congregation signed, Pike stepped forward, the last overall to sign. She bent over the certificate and carefully signed her name, before unpinning the piece of paper from the wood and bringing it with her as she stood in front of Vax and Gilmore and said, quietly but clearly. “Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance. By virtue of you signing this certificate alongside these witnesses, I can pronounce you married.”

Pike grinned the widest Vax had ever seen her smile as she finished. “You may kiss.”

Vax wasn’t sure which one of them moved first, but either way, he was in Gilmore’s arms, feeling almost overwhelmed at how much he loved this man as he kissed him, soft and sweet and loving, deaf to the applause and cheers and music around him. They broke apart quickly, unable to kiss for too long given how much both of them were smiling, before Vax buried his head into Gilmore’s shoulder and just clung to him. Married. He was a married man.

When they finally drew back from each other, Pike presented them with the certificate and then squeaked with surprise as both men drew her into a hug. She patted their shoulders as they released her and whispered. “Thank you.”

“Thank you.” Gilmore repeated. “For everything, Pike Trickfoot.”

Pike’s mouth wobbled, a testimony to the feelings she was barely keeping in check, but before they could threaten to spill over, the music outside the chapel suddenly swelled into life, a fast lively jig and instead Pike smiled and said. “You’d better hurry. You don’t want to miss your cue, and this is my favourite bit.”

One of the main reasons beyond Pike for why Vax had wanted to be married under Sarenrae was how joyful her services always seemed to be, heavily featuring singing, dancing and music in general. He had often heard Pike singing her prayers, and they sounded so happy. The fast music playing outside was the dancing part of the service, and Pike had been quick to explain that there was a specific dance for celebrating a marriage. It was one of the few aspects of the wedding that had been rehearsed more than once.

As Vax and Gilmore made their way outside, they could already see some figures had already leapt into dancing, their quick steps and whirling skirts making it obvious that the ladies had taken the lead, with men in a loose circle around them, clapping and egging them on. Some chord, some cue in the music that the crowd recognised but Vax didn’t, suddenly made them form up and begin to dance through the steps, going from turning circles into quick-stepping pairs into a line, bodies moving past other bodies with speed and grace.

Vax and Gilmore’s cue was obvious, as the dancers formed a horseshoe shape, they moved to the middle and began to turn with the music, the others forming a giant circle around them, breathless but still whooping and yelling, the joy in the music overcoming every other consideration.

As Vax closed his eyes and let himself fly in Gilmore’s, in his husband’s, arms, for one brief, pure moment, his mind went free and blank and he knew absolute, true peace.

Chapter Text

As it had been agreed on, three days after the ceremony, Vox Machina plus Gilmore got ready to leave the Keep and make the journey to where Keyleth lived with the Air Ashari. It would normally be very difficult to find the Ashari people, as druids were secretive by nature, but there was a wonderful trick that would both cut down on their travelling time and lead them straight to the home of the Ashari.

As the sun reached its zenith, directly overhead and beating down on them, they stood around the largest tree in the courtyard and Vax couldn’t help but smile as it slowly unfolded and turned into a portal. They all began to step through quickly, knowing that the portal didn’t last long. Vax was the last through, and as he stepped through, he had maybe two seconds to take in the beauty of the place they had come to before arms went around his neck and for the first time in ten days, Vax heard Keyleth’s voice again.

“Vax! Vax, I missed you so much!”

Vax hugged her close and replied. “Missed you too, Kiki.”

As she moved away, she grabbed his hand, dragging him along. Vax reached out a hand to Gilmore with a pleading expression as he was dragged off, and Gilmore just laughed as Keyleth began to talk a mile a minute, collecting Percy on her way, and the rest of Vox Machina followed behind the three of them into the Air Ashari village.

The village itself was almost invisible unless you knew it was there, but not because it was actively hiding, but because it seemed so much part of the land. The houses were small, and made out of wood, but there was no attempt to stop plants from growing wherever they willed, so some of them were green with ivy. As they passed through the centre of the village, they had been met with their fair share of curious stares, but nothing hostile or over-the-top. A couple of younger kids had followed them for a bit before losing interest. It became obvious where Keyleth was leading them, as there was one building considerably larger than the rest and, sure enough, Keyleth headed straight for it, ducking past the curtain and holding it open for them to pass inside.

Inside was cool, and smelled of green and growing things. There were several long tables and benches, at the end of which sat three figures, one of which Vax recognised and two of which he didn’t. All three of them rose to their feet as the group entered and Keyleth released Vax to introduce them.

“You might remember my father, Korren.” Keyleth started, pointing to the first man who had stood up and bowed. Vax bowed back, and out of the corner of his eye, he could see that all of others had followed suit apart from Grog, who just looked confused.

Korren smiled and said. “It’s nice to see you all again, and under much nicer circumstances than the last time. Which pair is my daughter conducting the ceremony for?”

Vax felt Gilmore take his hand as he replied. “Us, sir.”

“Vax’ildan, wasn’t it?” Korren asked, and waited for a confirmation nod before continuing. “I don’t think I’ve met your betrothed before.”

Gilmore stepped forward, letting go of Vax’s hand to extend it and say. “Shaun Gilmore, sir. A pleasure to meet you.”

Korren shook his hand and waited for Gilmore to stand beside Vax again before gesturing behind him and saying. “Allow me to introduce the other important members of the Ashari.”

First to step forward and bow their head in greeting was an older woman, long black hair streaked through with grey plaited back and yet still easily reaching her waist. Her eyes were a bright clear blue in her lined face.

“My name is Raiana, friends of Keyleth. Welcome to the Air Ashari.”

“Raiana is our spiritual leader. She will teach you the ceremony you will have tomorrow.” Korren added, before gesturing for the last person to step forward.

This was another older man, probably around Korren’s age, but in contrast to Raiana, his hair was both very short and completely grey. His robes were also very simple, even by Ashari standards.

“My name is Thalen, friends of Keyleth. Welcome to the Air Ashari.”

“Thalen teaches magic to our children, he is the keeper of all our natural magic.” Korren explained. “Now, Keyleth, I suppose you’d like to take over here?”

Keyleth nodded, and kissed her father on the cheek. “Yes, Father. Thank you.”

She led Vox Machina back outside and began to lead them towards the houses, smiling and saying. “It's so strange to see you all here, but the good kind of strange, you know? Like two worlds colliding. Anyway, there's two or three unclaimed houses that you can stay in, arrange yourselves however you please. I was thinking that we could go over the ceremony today and actually perform it tomorrow, if that's okay with Vax and Gilmore?”

Keyleth finally paused for breath as she looked over at the two of them expectantly. Vax and Gilmore shared a look before Vax replied. “That sounds great to us, Keyleth.”

She beamed. “Okay. Okay, that's great. Let's get to the houses.”

“Actually, that was something I wanted to ask you, Keyleth.” Percy started. “Why do you have so many empty houses? There’s not been a tragedy here, has there?”

“Oh no.” Keyleth replied immediately. “Nothing of the kind. We don’t harm the forest, not at all, and especially not for our own benefit, so we have to wait for the forest to give us what we need. Some years we get an overabundance of wood, and that happened a couple of years ago, so we haven’t expanded enough to use everything we’ve built.”

She pushed the door of one of the houses open and said. “So I was thinking that Pike, Scanlan and Grog could stay here, it’s the one with the highest ceilings so hopefully Grog won’t….” Grog promptly walked into one of the overhead beams and everyone present winced. “That.” Keyleth sighed.

Pike patted Grog’s leg. “Sorry, Grog.”

Grog shrugged. “It’s okay. I’ll crouch.”

They stepped back out of the house and Keyleth pointed over to another and started to lead them over. “That one’s built a little more traditionally, but there should be enough room for you all, given that I’m guessing you’ll be okay with sharing a room.”

Vax smiled, still holding Gilmore’s hand, and decided not to look over at Percy and Vex. He was pleased for his sister, certainly not wanting her to spend the rest of her life alone, and it would be slightly hypocritical of him to not like her choosing a human, given who he was about to marry for the second time, but still… she was his sister. He really didn’t want to think about her sleeping with Percy, both in the literal and figurative sense.

Keyleth pushed open the door and waited for them to walk in and take it in, smiling at their praise. It was clear that Keyleth, despite all her reservations about the role she was to take on, was very proud of her people and what they had accomplished, and in the ten days she had been away, had become much more confident in her ability to lead them.

Once they had put their bags down and explored the house they would be staying in, Keyleth grabbed Vex and Percy’s hands and said. “Come on, let’s get the others. There’s a tradition we all need to observe without Vax and Gilmore, so you two have to stay put here for a bit.”

Vex frowned at her. “There’s traditions for us?”

“Yeah.” Keyleth smiled. “You’re family. In our ceremony, the family has a very important job to do, which I’ll explain after we leave the house.”

Percy shrugged. “Okay then. See you later, you two.”

Once they had been left in the house on their own, with Vax resisting the urge to sneak after Keyleth, Vex and Percy, they found themselves curled up together on a chair, Vax in Gilmore’s lap as was their habit by now, heads tipped together as they took in the blissful silence of the forest around them.

Eventually, Gilmore murmured. “What do you think Keyleth’s got them up to?”

Vax shrugged in response. “I have no idea. Knowing Keyleth, something completely over the top and yet really adorable. I’m not going to put anything past them given what they pulled at the temple.”

“It was beautiful.”

Vax sighed, and snuggled closer, head ending up in the crook of Gilmore’s neck. “We should probably get an early night, if Kiki’s getting us up at dawn.”

Gilmore shook his head. “Dawn. That girl’s lucky I love her.”

It was indeed dawn when Vax and Gilmore were woken up by gentle tapping on their door and Vex’s voice coming through, saying. “If we have to be up this early, so do you, brother. Get up!”

With a groan, Vax sat up, feeling Gilmore shift next to him and say. “Dawn. Why did I think this was a good idea, again?”

“Because you love Keyleth, and because you love me?”

Gilmore sat up and leaned over to kiss Vax gently. “I suppose I do.”

Keyleth had told them that was nothing specific about what they had to wear, just that the clothes worn for the ceremony tended to be in natural colours. Gilmore had brought a set of crushed velvet dark blue robes that Vax had seen him wear exactly once before, and he’d been hard pressed not to just immediately tear them back off again. Vax himself was back in his usual dark browns and blacks, which he’d initially worried about until Gilmore had literally gone through his clothes and picked them out, explaining in great detail exactly why he loved Vax wearing that particular item of clothing.

And then, because it had been two days after their wedding and they were both still sort of high on that, Gilmore had then proceeded to take every item of clothing that Vax had been wearing off and make him forget all about it.

They dressed quickly, a comfortable silence between them, and when they stepped out of the room, they found Vex and Percy waiting for them, dressed in their own version of finery. Vex held out an arm to Vax and said. “Come on then. I’m escorting you, Percy will take Gilmore.”

“Do you think we’ll get lost?”

Vex raised her eyebrows at him. “Do not start with me, brother, it is dawn and I will put your neck under my boot in front of everyone. Also, we’re following orders. Keyleth has got a lot more bossy now she’s in charge of a people.”

Vax smiled at the image of Keyleth laying down the law with the rest of Vox Machina. “She’s always been good at that when she knows she’s right.”

They stepped out of the door to the house, and Vax shivered a little in the cool morning air. Summer was leaving now, the leaves on the trees in the forest surrounding them were starting to change colours, and it made getting up with the sun chilly. The rest of Vox Machina was waiting for them as they came out of the house and Vax smiled at them all. They fell into step behind Vex and Vax, and Percy and Gilmore, and the little procession continued towards the centre of the village.

When Vax finally came into sight of the centre of the village, he felt his jaw drop open and he heard Vex giggle a little next to him. When they had arrived, the centre of the village had been little more than a large grassy circle of land, nothing remarkable or notable about it. Overnight, it had been transformed. Around the edges of the circle of land were flowers, layers and layers of flowers arranged into one continuous circle. Vax could see ambrosia, aster, bellflowers, red and white carnations, primroses and roses of at least four different colours, all tied together with gorse. Vax could also smell jasmine and honeysuckle, probably also interwoven in the circle. Within the circle of flowers were rows of low wooden benches, and a large old stump of what must have been a magnificent tree when it had stood.

In the circle, in front of the tree stump, stood Keyleth, dressed in bright reds and oranges that matched her bright hair, and with the sun rising behind her, she looked more angelic that any person Vax had ever seen before. Around the circle were the people of the village, standing quietly and even though they made no noise as Vax and Gilmore appeared, but Vax could see the smiles on these people’s faces and wondered at the generosity of spirit they had, to celebrate the marriage of strangers to them.

Vex led him to the edge of the circle, and Percy and Gilmore followed, arranged so that Vax and Gilmore were next to each other, with Percy next to Gilmore and Vex next to Vax. As they waited on the edge of the circle, Keyleth held out her hands and called. “We gather here in peace for this sacred occasion that is the rite of marriage between Vax’ildan and Shaun Gilmore. As our Circle is woven and consecrated, this moment in time and this place become blessed. Let each soul truly be here that the spirits of those gathered may be blended in one sacred space, with one purpose and one voice.”

That was the cue for Vax and Gilmore to step forward, hand in hand, and walk forward to stand in front of Keyleth, who beamed at them. As everyone else filed in behind them to find seats, Vax could see what was on the covered tree stump a little more easily. There were a large goblet, silver and engraved, and filled with what looked like wine. There were two lengths of rope in front of the goblet, resting on a red cushion, and to one side was a large candle, coloured yellow and orange and brown.

Once everyone had found a seat, Keyleth lifted her hands up from where she had left them extended and said. “Hail spirits, you of beauty, power and inspiration, of the high skies that guide us to stretch and grow; you of the dark earth that holds and feeds us; you of the open seas that wash the shores of our sacred lands; you who offer us freedom, nourishment and rebirth. As our ancestors knew and honoured your power, so do we now.”

Echoed back by the gathering. “So do we now.”

Keyleth lowered her hands and winked at the two men in front of her as she started talking again. “The earth under your feet is the solid ground into which you build your foundations. The dark earth which supports this dear green place is where we give our seeds, and it will nourish our roots and help our plants bear fruit. As our ancestors knew and honoured your power, so do we now.”

“So do we now.”

As the gathering echoed those words again, Keyleth turned to crumble a handful of earth over the ropes resting on the altar, before turning back and continuing. “The sea which surrounds this land, the water which fills the lakes, it is into the sea that everything flows in time. Listen to the waves as they tumble over the shore. Gather the rain from the sky and let it wash you clean and carry you to distant shores. As our ancestors knew and honoured your power, so do we now.”

“So do we now.”

This time when Keyleth turned, from her hands fell water, soaking through the ropes and cushion, but no further, and she turned back again. “The sky, the vault of heaven, the atmosphere always above this beautiful place. It is through and above the sky that the wind blows, through the sky the gentle summer breeze brings fresh clean air to this space. It walks on the tops of the trees and ripples waves on the lakes. Turn your heads upward and open your eyes, for it is always there. As our ancestors knew and honoured your power, so do we now.”

“So do we now.”

This time Keyleth summoned wind, a gentle localised breeze that blew through the ropes quickly, leaving them undisturbed and no longer dripping wet. She turned back to face the gathering yet again and asked. “Vax’ildan and Shaun, are you ready to declare your vows to each other, vows that will bind you together, soul to soul, heart to heart, witnessed by those who have gathered here this day, in spirit and in body, in this sacred Circle?”

Together, they replied. “I am.”

A lot of the druidic ceremony, they had discovered, involved them speaking at the same time. Even some of the vows had to be spoken simultaneously. When Vax and Gilmore had first discovered this, they had practiced with each other almost every day to ensure they knew the rhythms of each other’s speech. In only those two words, Vax could sense that the practice had been worth it. He had never felt so in tune with Gilmore.

Keyleth smiled, her whole face lighting up as she said. “Then take each others hands and make your promises to one another.”

Vax and Gilmore turned to face each other as per Keyleth’s instructions, hands clutched together as they made eye contact and mentally counted down together before starting the vow, perhaps half a beat off from each other. “You cannot possess me for I belong to myself, but while we both wish it, I give you that which is mine to give. I pledge to you that it will be your eyes into which I smile every morning. I pledge to you my living and my dying, each equally in your care. I shall be a shield for your back, and you for mine. I shall not slander you, nor you me. I shall honour you above all others, and when we quarrel, we shall do so in private and tell no strangers our grievances. This is my wedding vow to you.”

There was a pause, the length of maybe two breaths, before Gilmore spoke again, this time repeating the vows that had a call and a response. “These are my words to you: In winter, let me warm you. In spring, let me sate your passion. In summer, let me defend you. In autumn, let me sooth your fears. Let me be your beloved, and you mine, loving you and no other, until the end of my days. Let our hands and hearts be bound, in this, our pledge of love.”

Vax squeezed Gilmore’s hands, fighting back tears as he repeated the memorised response. “There is not now, and there will never be, anyone for me but you. I swear my undying devotion to you because I can think of no truer way to express the power of my love. I will be true to you, and you to me, never betraying - by word or by deed - our love. My heart is yours to cherish or to break. Take it, and take me with it, for all the rest of my life.”

They stared into each other’s eyes for a minute, before it was broken with a sniffle, and they both looked at Keyleth, who was crying silently, but still smiling. She turned to pick up the ropes from the altar and said, her voice wet. “At sacred times and places, our ancestors clasped hands when they would wed, and such handfastings witnessed by the community were lawful, true and binding, as love binds one heart to another.”

With the first rope, Keyleth wrapped it around the first set of clasped hands, the ones closest to her and tied it, before moving around them to tie the second set of hands. She moved again to stand back in front of the altar and proclaimed. “As a symbol of the vows you have made to each other in sacred space, surrounded by your community of friends and family, I bind you together.”

In her hands now was the silver goblet, and Vax could now see that he had been right; it was filled with wine. Keyleth held it out and said. “This sacred Earth offers us the power of life, nourishing us, body and soul, as now this wine will nourish you. Share this gift of life, as now you will share all things.”

It was awkward, but somehow even with their bounds hands, Vax managed to lift the cup so that Gilmore could sip from it, and Gilmore managed to do the same for Vax. Keyleth took the cup back, setting it on the altar and turned back, now holding the candle and a burning incense stick in her hands.

“As the sun and moon bring light to the Earth, do you, Vax’ildan and Shaun, vow to bring the light of love and joy to this your union?”

In unison, they replied. “I do.”

Keyleth held out the incense stick, and again, with a little bit of manoeuvring, Vax and Gilmore managed to take it and together, they lit the candle. Keyleth raised the candle high and called. “May you share the joys and challenges of life together. Let all bear witness that Shaun and Vax’ildan are joined in love as husbands. Through this their marriage, witnessed and blessed, may their love partake of the beauty, majesty and power of this sacred Earth. My own blessing, the blessings of the ancestors, and the blessings of all those assembled here be with you and with all that comes of your union.”

She set the candle down, smiled the most joyous smile Vax had ever seen on her face, and finished with. “The rite of marriage is complete. You may kiss.”

As the sun climbed higher into the sky, shining down its bright golden light, making everything warmer and brighter, Vax leaned forward and pressed his lips to Gilmore’s, closing his eyes and just letting himself feel. They only broke apart when they felt the ropes binding their wrists together fall away, and looked around to see every person on their feet clapping and cheering, and Keyleth in front of them, crying in earnest now as she hugged them.

That evening, sweaty and sated and lying together on their second marriage bed, Vax raised the question that had been bugging him for a little while. “Shaun? Did you ever decide what you wanted to wear?”

Like the first time Vax had asked this question, he felt Gilmore go still under him, except this time, Gilmore didn’t seem to shake it off, and Vax prompted again gently. “Shaun? Is everything okay?”

There was still no verbal reply, but Gilmore very carefully shifted Vax’s weight off him and climbed off the bed, going over to where his travelling bag was and digging through it briefly, coming back clutching a small black box. He sat on the side of the bed and held out the box. Vax reached out, took it and opened it.

Sitting there were two plain silver rings, polished so brightly that they shone even in the dim light of the room. Vax stared at them for a bit, touching one of them ever so gently with the tip of his finger, before he looked up and just asked. “Shaun?”

Gilmore didn’t look up as he quietly replied. “When you said that you’d wear whatever I would wear, I had already thought that I wanted to wear a ring. But we’d already discussed why I wouldn’t give you an engagement ring, and I was worried that you wouldn’t want a wedding ring. There’s still all the reasons why you wearing a ring at all might be a bad idea.”

Vax put his other hand carefully on Gilmore’s arm. “Is that why you haven’t brought them to the ceremony either time?”

Gilmore nodded. Vax sighed, and moved the hand that had been on Gilmore’s arm up to his face and gently turned it so Gilmore was looking at him. Vax leaned in and kissed him, before whispering. “Shaun, they’re beautiful. I would be honoured to wear your ring.”

“Really?”

Vax couldn’t help but laugh a little. “You ridiculous man, I just married you twice. I really don’t know of a better way to tell you that I love you, and I love everything you do for me, including making me a beautiful wedding ring.”

Gilmore smiled, confidence coming back into his features as he took one of the rings out of the box and held it up for Vax to take a closer look. “I enchanted yours. It’s a version of a permanency spell, with exceptions. This ring, once it goes on, can never come off unless you take it off. It cannot fall, and it cannot be taken.”

“Thank you.” Vax replied, eyes big at the thought of Gilmore working so hard, before holding out his hand. “Go on then.”

Gilmore took Vax’s left hand, but paused just before he slid the ring on and said quietly. “A long time, before there was all this ritual surrounding marriage ceremonies, two people would just stand in a place that meant something to them and vow to marry each other. That’s all it was.”

Gilmore looked up, wide dark brown eyes meeting wide hazel eyes, and they maintained eye contact as Gilmore slid the ring onto Vax’s finger and murmured. “I marry you, Vax.”

Vax looked at the silver ring, resting on his finger, and wondered how such a little thing could have such huge significance, before reaching for the box to remove the other ring. He held the little circle of silver for a few breaths, before reaching for Gilmore’s left hand and sliding the ring on, murmuring. “I marry you, Shaun.”

They were completely naked except for the rings they now wore on their fingers, and yet in that moment, Vax finally felt it sink into his skin. He was married. Done and done, forever and ever, this man by his side. He would go to sleep next to this man, and wake up next to him, and kiss him to say hello and goodbye and I love you and I missed you and how are you.

A gentle touch to his face brought Vax back to himself, and he looked at Gilmore, who asked. “Where did you go?”

Vax leaned his head on Gilmore’s shoulder, took a deep breath and let it out, before replying softly. “Nowhere. Nowhere without you.”