102 Eternity

In the deepest darkest web in the corner of the forest, an army of men came marching to their doom. In the grand scheme of things, they were insignificant. They were the enemy of Tanya's home and the enemy of all of her followers. One might believe mercy is a given when already at such an advantage, but one must also assume that revenge is always on the table.

As the clacking of the horses and the shouting of the soldiers echoed throughout the dense green, more eyes began peering in and watching from afar. In all directions, the soldiers could be struck down.

Yet, they came marching and marching, unaware of who might come and kill them. They had been ordered by the king himself to invade the Golde kingd9m through a special route, and that they will do. The only thing that could stop them is a deity.

"Avros, how much longer? Has the commander even sent scouts to recon the terrain yet?" A skinny soldier asked his squad mate.

"Peal, don't question. It is best that we just march and don't think further. We will be rewarded with women and gold, that is all you need to think of." A row calmly replied.

"Finding a wife is so difficult where I'm from! If I can claim one from the spoils, I might as well kiss the king's a*s." He laughed. The soldiers did not come here only for glory. The prospects of monetary remuneration as well as the unspoken rules of the spoils of war had attracted many men far and wide. Many of these men were new to the war and wanted something.

Greed, lust, pride; these were all motivations that drove the soldiers. That is how they were raised, to seek opportunity.

"But don't you already have a wife, Avros?"

"I need a replacement." 

These talks were what accompanied the stomping in the forest. Towards the Golde kingdom, the army marched. And in the forest, the army was utterly annihilated.

However, a much more joyful occasion would be taking place on the other side of the dense green. In a most colourful venue surrounded by smiling faces and vibrant flowers, four women stood on a stage.

A young priestess came walking towards them, holding a symbol of a tree tightly within her grasp. With a charming smile, she arrived and nodded to the girls.

"May Crea bless this occasion." She kindly said.

At that moment, a certain vermillion-haired girl was hiding a surprised expression.

'This priest worships me?! Then what deity is actually going to bless my wedding?!'

'Am I supposed to affirm my own marriage? Is it possible to be so shameless?' Tanya pondered for a moment before being nudged on the arm by Penelope.

"Greetings everyone, in the name of the divine forest goddess Crea, may this marriage between Tanya Vermillion and the three women, Penelope Vermillion, Rose Vermillion, and Yuri Vermillion be forever blessed and protected. I have said my peace, now let them seal their fates using rings."

The moment had finally come.

And that detail was terrifying even though they remained calm. They had prepared, but this had happened so fast. One minute they had only met Tanya and now they were to marry Tanya. It was like the last year had flashed before Rose and Yuri's eyes. As for Penelope, she also felt similar.

As they wondered, a box of rings was presented to them. The moment had come faster than expected. They did not even have time to reminisce. 

But they had to move fast nonetheless. They knew how they felt, it did not matter how they did it on stage. Their families, their friends, and the royalty of Golde; they all watched closely.

Tanya was the one to take the rings and place them on each girl's finger. This would be the only way to seal the deal. If Tanya can just put on the rings, she would finally be married.

With this in mind, she took the rings. The vermillion crystal rings dressed in gold and etched with platinum. The workmanship was like none other. If one were to see it, they might gasp until they die. But this, Tanya could only let a single tear down. It was symbolic, not awe inspiring.

"Penelope, will you become my wife…" but a thought came into her mind.

'Until death.'

'Is that enough?'

Traditionally speaking, death would be the end of a marriage. But could this really be considered love if she just let death end her love? Tanya was much more of a romantic than she gave herself credit for. For this, she would change the rules.

Her religion, her blessing, her vow.

"Penelope, will you marry me and become my wife for all eternity, so long that the skies may crumble and our souls might forever extinguish; will you stay with me?"

Penelope smiled, these were just the words she wanted to hear. It was not shallow.

"I do."

"Yuri, will you marry me and be my wife even when the star fade and we no longer see this world? Will you still love me then?"

"I do."

"Rose, will you marry me and never leave me even if death does us part?"

"I do."

The rings were in place for three of them. All that was left was Tanya.

"Tanya, will you forever be by our side, cherish us past existence, love us with all of your heart, will you marry us?"

To that, Tanya answered straight forward. She answered with pride.

"I do."

And so concluded the most important part of Tanya's life so far. Deep within her, she blessed this with all of her heart. She was just too happy. Words could not describe it all.

She felt love, she touched it and grasped onto it. How will it evolve?