Every person was a blur -- except her. She was seen in stark, sharp clarity compared to those gathered. Eira made delighted trilling noises beside him, and a thick purr vibrated her chest simultaneously. Noah's breath caught in his throat as Cordelia moved down the isle made between friends and family, allies and trusted. She had never looked more beautiful to him -- and, truly, it had nothing to do with the way her braided hair coiled up and emphasized the features of her face, nor the gown that hugged each curve of her body exactly as it should. It was not the ringed tiara that adorned her brow, nor the painting of her lips. It was all in her eyes, the deep copper that Noah came to find as his favorite color.
Her voice came across the bond and it nearly broke him. Tears welled in the bottoms of his eyes and he blinked them away, a half-laugh croaking from him, his throat unable to contain his breath any longer. You look beautiful. He returned mentally, blinking back his white-hot tears. Noah extended his hands for her, palm up, and waited for her to place the torch down in its stand, which stood between and beyond them as an altar before the shrine.
As he took her hands, his gloved thumb stroked over her knuckles.
"Cordelia Limore, daughter of frost and snow;
I take you in joy, delighted in the love of you, forsaking all others. You are to me the whispering of the wind through the Fangs, the endless mystery of the tundra, and I will give my life to discovering all of you. My friend, my lover, grow old and wise with me, as I will with you. By Vi's strength I will cherish and protect you, nourish your heart and challenge your mind. You are mine, and I am yours. On this day, we bind our families together for eternity.
Will you stand by my side, in war and peace, working shoulder to shoulder as my wife?"
