The Church of Providence was a group that worshipped an unknown power existing beyond the realm of mortals, and their highest doctrine was the Creed of Destiny, in which they praised the inevitability of fate and the importance of destiny.
The followers of Providence believed that all fates and actions in the world had already been predetermined long before we were born, and all creatures are simply walking a path laid out for them towards their inevitable destiny! The Priests of Providence were the ones in charge of upholding the religious order of Jadar, and they were also in charge of handling all weddings and burials in the world as well!
The four men in white rang their bells simultaneously, and another fifth man gently walked forward from behind these four men. This man was also old, but he was dressed differently from the others. Rather than a white robe, he wore a black robe, and his head was adorned with a high Biretta marked with the symbol of Providence! [A/N: Biretta is the high cap worn by priests.]
This man was the head of the Church of Providence, and as the head of the church, he had been designated to lead this marriage! There were gold chains around the old man’s neck, and they glowed in the afternoon sun as he walked forward and raised his hands to the side while speaking to the people.
"Children of Destiny. We gather here today to witness the eternal union of two of our own..."
The old man’s speech began as usual, and the people all listened as he continued. Although the Priests of Providence all knew that the union they were about to bless here was not the union that was meant to happen, they were not going to do anything about that. Agiel’s destiny was not tied to the destiny of the current King of Jadar; that was very common knowledge. But the Priests believed that even this union of two disconnected destinies is a destiny on its own! Perhaps Agiel was destined to join together with someone who was not her Soul Bearer, and perhaps Agiel was destined to suffer for the rest of her life as a result of it.
You see, the Church of Providence was a very passive religion, and they were willing to turn a blind eye to almost anything occurring in this world because they believed that this was simply the way things were meant to be! It was the reason why the church did not involve itself in the previous battle between Agiel’s mother and the current King of Jadar, and also why the Church simply offered its services to the current King of Jadar after the war ended! Their commitment to the flow of destiny was absolute!
"... And as we gather here to bear witness, may the Lord of Providence shine his guiding light upon our destined way."
"Verata!"
The entire congregation responded to the prayer as one group, and the Priests all nodded their heads in acceptance before they moved away to make space for someone else to appear. The sound of heavy footsteps echoed from the distance, and the tension in the region grew rapidly as the powerful figure of King Tigal appeared before them! Loud cheers rang out across the land as people applauded the King’s presence, and Tigal looked over his loyal subjects with a calm, superior look on his face!
Tigal was dressed in the royal military uniform. He wore a brilliant shirt and trousers with multiple awards attached to his chest. He had on a clean cap, and there was a sword on his hip to complete the uniform. Behind the King, advisor Vinaris walked onto the stage as well, and he gently moved to the side to stand on the edge of the stage, opposite where the priests were standing. Vinaris watched as the King soaked up the praise from his subjects, and Vinaris smiled as he anticipated the rest of this ceremony.
The King eventually raised his hand to stop the clapping, and he turned to the priest and told him to go on. The Priest stepped forward once again and stood in the middle of the stage before making another announcement.
"And now, we welcome the destined bride. Princess Agiel of Jadar."
A deep silence went through the crowd as they all waited with bated breath for their princess to show herself, and it didn’t take long before the sound of footsteps began to approach the stage. Agiel appeared from behind large doors and walked out onto the massive balcony, and the crowd seemed to take a collective breath when they saw Agiel’s radiant figure standing before them! Agiel was dressed in the whitest wedding gown, and her white hair and blue eyes seemed to shine in the afternoon sun! There were multiple handmaidens following behind her, and they were helping her to hold up the back of her gown.
At that moment, Agiel had the deepest scowl on her face, but it was impossible for anyone to see it since her face was covered by a veil. Agiel walked up to the front of the stage and looked out at all the people gathered below, and once they got a full view of her, they immediately exploded in applause! The people clapped and cheered for Agiel, and Agiel’s frown only deepened as she turned away to face the man who was to be her husband.
"You look beautiful, my darling."
A shiver of disgust travelled down Agiel’s spine as she heard the King speaking to her in a low, rough voice. The King smiled at Agiel, and Agiel immediately felt like stabbing a knife into his eye.
"Let’s get this over with."
Agiel turned to the priest and spoke in a harsh tone, and the King immediately narrowed his eyes at her. The tension on the balcony rose once again, and for a moment the priest was afraid that the King would attack Agiel. But the King eventually turned away from her in annoyance, and he nodded to the Priest to begin! The Priest stepped forward between Agiel and the King, and he raised his hand to make the crowd quiet down again.
"We have come to witness the union of two into one. The joining of destinies. The perfection of a tale written long before the dawn of existence. In this we believe... Verata."
"Verata!"
The crowd responded, and the King muttered a quiet ’verata’ as well. Agiel said nothing.
The priest stepped back and gestured for one of the other priests to bring forward an artefact. The second priest walked forward holding a long rope that glowed with a strange silver light. This rope was a relic from this world known as the [Eternal Chains], and it served as a connector that allowed people to connect their minds and destinies in a way that could never be broken!
The moment Agiel saw that artefact, she felt her heart rate pick up as a sudden fear came over her! Agiel knew that the moment she was connected to the King using that rope, there was nothing anyone could do to release her from this marriage! The rope was an eternal binder that could never be broken!
"Join your hands."
The priest spoke up in a calm voice, and Agiel saw the King bring his hand forward towards her. Agiel stared at his hand with a mix of dread and anger swirling somewhere deep in her stomach, and she had to swallow these feelings down desperately before she put her hand out towards him and placed her palm in his own. The Priest said some more words to them, but Agiel couldn’t hear anything he said through the intense pounding of her heart in her ear! It felt like she was about to have a heart attack, and Agiel found herself wishing desperately that Jason would appear at this very moment.
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