Chapter 170 Wedding Ceremony
The next morning, the entire city was abuzz. People were crowding the streets since the early hours and all the powerful dignitaries and organizations were scrambling to prepare wedding gifts.
Not too many people were invited and it was made a private event, but every person that received an invitation was very influential within Federal City.
Jack arrived at the Fat Goose Auction House early in the morning, just like Argyle had asked. He also brought a few people along, those being Maura, her parents, and her grandparents. They all entered the Fat Goose Auction House and were guided to the guild quarters deep inside the property. Soon, they reached Argyle's personal courtyard.
When Argyle saw Jack, he smiled warmly and waved. But as Jack got nearer, Argyle noticed something different about Jack that caught him off guard.
"Jack, is there something you needed to tell me?"
As the group neared Argyle, most of them couldn't help but be hesitant. They didn't want to offend someone who was lv. 71.
Maura was especially shaky, trying to hide behind Jack. The last time, she was asleep and never met the man. But now, it was totally different…
Grabbing Maura's hand, Jack pulled her to his side. He looked to Argyle and said, "I've come just like we agreed."
"And what's with her? Neither you nor she was wearing those rings last night."
"Considering the conditions you placed on me, we had to make a decision. Though it was much sooner than I would've wanted, we made it official last night," explained Jack. "If I remember correctly, you said that if I'm interested in another girl, you said you wouldn't mind me marrying her, so I did."
Speechless, Argyle stared at the confident Jack and the timid Maura. After a moment of thought, he shrugged. "Does this mean you'll go through all this willingly?"
"Yes, it does."
"Good, then I'm glad." Argyle heaved a sigh of relief. "Since you're doing this of your own will now, I'm glad my planned surprise won't be wasted."
"What surprise?"
"Forget about it, you'll find out after the wedding," stated Argyle. Then, he smiled at Maura. "Now, doesn't this mean that she's also my daughter-in-law?"
Unsure how to answer, Maura looked to Jack. When Jack nodded, she took a deep breath and introduced herself, "Hi, I'm sorry for being unable to meet you last night. My name is Maura Jaldor and I'm… I'm--"
"My wife," added Jack.
"Yes, I'm Jack's wife," repeated Maura, feeling a bit better after Jack said it. It was her first time saying it out loud, so she wasn't used to it yet.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Maura. I'm Argyle Wittam, owner of the Fat Goose Auction House and Founder of the Fat Goose Guild, but you can just call me Argyle." He bowed to Maura, showing much more respect than most lv. 71 experts would.
Jack motioned for the other's behind him to step forward as he mentioned, "This is Maura's family. They're all from Federal City and they own the Heavenly Palace Inn."
"I'm Zariff and this is my wife Marisha," announced Zariff as he reached his hand forward. "I was recently released as an association branch chief, so I'll be staying in Federal City for some time."
Giving Zariff a peculiar look, Argyle firmly shook Zariff's hand. "I'm so sorry to hear that. It's a sad thing to see an outstanding man like yourself succumb to something so terrible as Skaryn's Vengeance."
"Yes," agreed Zariff with a pitiful smile.
Marisha also stepped forward and shook his hand as she introduced her parents, "They are my parents, Rayard and Martha Tomlin. They own the Heavenly Palace Inn, not us."
"Hmm, I've heard a lot of great things about the Heavenly Palace Inn. According to rumors, they have some of the best food in the city. I'd love to recommend the place to some of our clients. In a few months, we'll have the yearly auction, so plenty of dignitaries will be searching for a place to stay."
"Thank you, Master Argyle!" Rayard bowed and confidently added, "I can guarantee the best meal in the city and would gladly invite Master Argyle over for a meal whenever you'd like."
"I'll take you up on that offer one of these days, and just call me Argyle." Turning to Maura, Argyle asked, "Is it alright if your husband leaves to go get ready? The ceremony will be starting soon and I'll make sure you all have the best seats."
Jack nodded to Maura and let go of her hand. After waving to everyone, Jack left with Argyle toward a dressing room.
"I'll leave you here with Baral, he's the man in charge of it all. He'll make sure you're taken care of. Also, I have one question that we need to be answered before the ceremony," stated Argyle. "What's your full name?"
"Jack…" He thought for a moment but soon nodded after thinking of a suitable name. "Jack Dyrshire."
"Dyrshire? The same as Tralon?" asked Argyle, a little confused by the coincidence.
"You wouldn't know this, but Tralon actually took my old name for his own after he and I formed a pact," explained Jack. "So, technically, it's Tralon that borrowed my name, not the other way around."
Though Jack's main in-game character was Jack_J, the family name used for his account was Dyrshire. Once Jack had chosen Tralon as his NPC companion, he changed Tralon's name to match his for personal reasons.
"Interesting…" Opening the dressing room door for Jack, Argyle looked at Baral inside, "Make sure everything is in order. If Jack asks for something, you make it happen. I'm off."
*****
A couple of hours passed and guests were already being guided into the Fat Goose guild quarters.
Maura and her family were some of the first people to take a seat, but not the first. First was a tall, thin elderly man with pointed ears. He was seated in the back though and didn't have much of a presence, so they doubted that he was important.
Following them, a few groups arrived in succession. One group sauntered up to the front, glaring despisingly at Maura's family. One of the leading men laughed and asked, "And who might you be? If you're important enough to sit here, then how come I haven't recognized you. Move back and make room."
They felt an invisible pressure emanating from that man. Clearly, his level was far higher than any of theirs.
"Kaldor, stop threatening my guests!" Argyle's booming voice appeared as he also stepped in. "I treat these people like my own, so don't try and throw your weight around. I'd sooner kick you out than make them move unwillingly."
"Really, then just who are they?"
"I already told you, they're my people. So shut up and take a seat elsewhere."
"Fine, fine, since you asked so politely I can only do so." Kaldor laughed and took a seat as he continued, "Even though your Fat Goose is powerful now, it doesn't mean you can boss me around. Don't forget, my Golden Haven Guild was here long before you were. You were the one to arrive and start stealing our business."
"What are you two complaining about?"
An elderly man approached them and sat beside the group from the Golden Haven Auction House.
"Hurmot, I was wondering if you would come. I'm sorry for giving you such short notice, please forgive me." Argyle bowed his head slightly, acting very sincerely to the old man.
"Forget about it, I'm just surprised you actually agreed to something like this," replied Hurmot. "When I offered any of the young men from my Celestial Crane Guild, you turned me down with a second though. Yet here we are now, at your daughter's wedding which takes place less a day after the announcement. What's with the rush?"
"There were some complications with schedules, so we all agreed that now would be best and that it wasn't worth the wait."
"Whatever you say." Hurmot still didn't fully believe Argyle and had no clue what was going on behind the scenes.
The three men chatted and bantered as the other dignitaries of the city arrived. When the Adventurers Association walked in, it was surprisingly only Lorwynn that had come.
Since most people wouldn't recognize him, Lorwynn's warm smile and mysterious aura made everyone wonder who he was. Then, he walked straight to the front and passed both of the Gold Haven Guild and the Celestial Crane Guild. Taking a seat next to Zariff, he smiled but said nothing.
Zariff was startled but also said nothing, not even to his family. He didn't dare to say that Lorwynn was the association founder in public, not since Lorwynn liked his privacy.
Soon Argyle stood before the entire crowd. "I'd like to thank you all for coming and supporting my daughter and her husband today. We're happy to accept your gifts and your personal witness to today's event. Now, let's allow the husband and bride to step forward."
The doors at the back of the room slowly opened, gradually revealing two figures.
On the right, there was a beautiful woman, whose white dress accented her curves and added to her natural sexiness. The veil covering her face added to her allure, enticing the crowd. Almost everyone recognized her as Eliza, the little miss of the Fat Goose.
To her left, a proud, confident man walked hand-in-hand with her. His eyes were sharp and his demeanor was incredible. They could all tell that Jack was meant to be a hero.
As Jack led Eliza to the front for all to see, they stopped in front of Argyle and bowed to him.
"Jack Dyrshire, do you take Eliza Wittam, my daughter, to be your lawfully wedded wife and your lifelong companion, no matter the circumstances or situations you two may face?"
"I do."
"And do you, Eliza Wittam, take Jack Dyrshire to be your lawfully wedded husband and your lifelong companion no matter the circumstances or the situations you two may face?"
"I do."
"Then I pronounce you two husband and wife."
Eliza's face filled with blush, so much so that it could be seen through her white veil. Her heart was thumping as she held out her left hand.
Showing a beautifully crafted ring with a golden band and a bright red ruby, Jack gingerly grabbed Eliza's hand. He slid the ring onto her finger, completing the ceremony.
"You may now kiss the bride," added Argyle with a playful smile.
Jack's hands trembled slightly as he removed her veil and showed Eliza's beautiful face. He couldn't help but admit just how beautiful she was. While Maura had a sense of purity and gentleness in her beauty, Eliza was fiery and sexy. They were both very different, yet equally beautiful in Jack's eyes.
When he saw her tender gaze, Jack gave in. He caressed her face as he leaned in and took her first kiss for himself.
Cheers filled the air! Applause was sounded and congratulations were shouted. Some guests approached Argyle to congratulate him and others did the same with Jack and Eliza.
Time slowly passed and the multitude of people winded down and the afternoon was set in. With fewer guests, Maura and her family finally approached Jack.
"Congrats, I can't believe how lucky you are. Just wait till Keela and the others learn about all this," joked Marisha.
Worry filled Jack's thoughts as that thought ran through his mind.
As if to calm him down, Maura grabbed his other hand and held it tightly. It made both Jack and Maura feel a bit better.
"You're Jack, right?" asked a calm, clear voice from behind Jack. At the same time, a hand gently landed on Jack's shoulder and turned him around. "It's been a long time, Jack. Far too long."