May 7th, 1891 — Late — A Chapel in Montrose

Alfred had been soaring since they left Ottery St. Catchpole. Even the little delays here and there, hitches in the plan that caused them to have to make adjustments and adapt to fit new circumstances as they arose, couldn't dampen his spirits. Even when he tried to tell himself that nothing was going to change, practically, it couldn't bring him down. They may not be sleeping in the same bed tonight, and no one would know except the two of them, and he still had to earn her father's approval and go through an engagement and plan a wedding... but they were going to be married tonight. Ultimately, that was what it all came down to. Not the impatience of the minister, who had been pulled away from his evening cup of tea and bribed with a bottle of scotch Alfred had to purchase from one of the little stores on the waterfront. Not the uncertainty about what would happen next. Just: they were going to be married.

They'd gotten everything in order, he thought, which meant there was nothing else to delay them. His stomach fluttered with nerves, though that was silly — it wasn't like he was nervous. He'd known he wanted this for a long time. He chewed his lower lip as he looked at her — this probably wasn't the dress she would have chosen to wear if she'd known when she left the house tonight what they'd be doing, but there was something sort of nice about this, too. Marrying the Zelda he saw every day, instead of one who was done up with fancy hair and elbow-high white gloves.

"When we do this next time, you can wear the gloves I got you," he suggested, reaching out to take both of her hands in his.

---

@"Zelda Fisk" Cassius Lestrange Delight Urquart Holly Scrimgeour

  

---

MJ made the most Alfredy of sets and then two years later she made it EVEN BETTER

They were actually doing this. As soon as she'd agreed, Zelda had known she would be following through on it, because she wanted this — but any number of things could have gone wrong between Ottery and here, and they'd had to adjust the plan a few times, but they made it. They retrieved Delight, (after Zelda explained the plan to her, as clearly as possible,) and found a willingish minister, and if Julian had noticed she was gone he hadn't managed to find her.

So now they were going to be married, and Zelda couldn't stop grinning, even though she was wearing a random dress and her hair was still a little undone from when she'd played with it earlier. They were going to be married. She was going to go back to her room in her home in Bartonburg tonight, but they were going to be married, and it did not matter that Delight was the only one here and that she had maybe-never been to Montrose before. They were going to be married.

(Quickly, if the impatience of the minister was anything to go off of.)

"I'd like that," she said, giving Alfred's hands a squeeze. She turned to the minister and said, "I think we're ready when you are."

---

  

---

AMAZING set by MJ

Delights had her reservations about all of this, but she would have been insane if she didn't. Zelda was eloping—so late in the day, without any of her family members present, without a proper engagement period, and after numerous rumors about her had been circulating. The only reason Delight had accepted once hearing how determined Zelda was to elope was her mindset that it was better to keep the reigns on a situation when it was within her control; she felt more comfortable being there and being able to know what exactly was going on than she would from the comfort of her bed, not knowing what Zelda was doing or if she'd actually go through with it. Delight needed to be there.

However, she was not about to act thrilled for the happy couple—and they were happy. She even had to admit that as she stood from behind and watched Zelda hold Mr. Darrow's hand in front of the Minister, hair a little mussed and her dress so plain in comparison to the one Delight might have envisioned for her.

She took a breath. She could do this. She was a good friend.

(And she would have the full account of everything that happened if something went wrong.)

---

The following 1 user Likes Delight Urquart's post:1 user Likes Delight Urquart's post
   Zelda Darrow

---

— DELIGHTful set by lady <3 —

The minister cleared his throat. Alfred's insides tingled once again. He squeezed Zelda's hands in his.

"John Darrow," the Minister began, glancing down to read the name. Alfred wished he'd made a point to tell him to say the whole thing, John Alfred Darrow, just as he'd written it down, but it was too late for that now, he supposed. A note for next time. "Will you have this woman as your wedded wife, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony?" Neither of them belonged to this faith, but Alfred hadn't exactly mentioned that when he'd been trying to convince the minister to marry them, so — if this bit was just between him and Zelda and a god he didn't really think existed, that was all right, wasn't it? And the vows did get better, as he continued: "Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health? And forsaking all other, keep yourself only unto her, as long as you both shall live?"

They'd been through all of that already, hadn't they? Maybe not to the degree that would be contained in a lifetime, but he'd loved her, comforted her, honored her and kept her already. He had forsaken all others; he'd chosen her.

"I will," he promised, meeting her eyes as he brought one of her hands up so that he could lightly kiss the back of her knuckles.

---

  

---

MJ made the most Alfredy of sets and then two years later she made it EVEN BETTER

This was really happening, because they had a minister and he was reading Alfred's vows, and they had a witness who looked only a little like she wanted to flee. None of it was how Zelda had pictured it, but that didn't matter, because it was going to be legally bound by the ceremony and by the license. And even though the minister called him John Darrow, and even though her family wasn't here, a tingle went down her spine. This was really happening.

"Miss Zelda Fisk," the minister said, sounding only a little skeptical of her name as he said it. "Will you have this man to be your wedded husband, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony?" They weren't talking about her God, but she'd known that when she agreed to elope, and so she didn't mind. "Will thou obey him —" Zelda bit back a wry smile at this, because they could pretend "— and serve him, love, honour, and keep him, in sickness and in health? And forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto him, so long as you both shall live?"

The bit about obeying and serving aside, Zelda could get behind this. Warmth spread through her chest and she squeezed Alfred's hands again as she said, "I will."

The minister continued. "Who gives this woman to be married unto this man?"

Oh — she had not entirely prepared for this. In the absence of her father or any of her family, that left her with — Zelda broke eye contact with Alfred so she could look at Delight and raise an eyebrow.

---

The following 1 user Likes Zelda Darrow's post:1 user Likes Zelda Darrow's post
   J. Alfred Darrow

---

AMAZING set by MJ

Her stomach was hurting. Why was her stomach hurting? She began to panic, her gaze flickering around to every little area in sight, wondering if it was the curse or if it was her reproductive system giving her a hard time again—only then she realized, oh, it was probably the nerves.

She took a breath. The ceremony was continuing, and it seemed her role in it was not yet finished.

"That's me, I guess," she piped up, smiling sheepishly as she raised a hand halfway into the air. Was she allowed to do that?

---

  

---

— DELIGHTful set by lady <3 —

Alfred's heart had sunk a bit at the question, expecting it to be some sort of a trap. The minister already knew Zelda's father wasn't here, obviously. That was the whole reason they'd asked for someone to marry them at what was approaching the middle of the night on a Friday. It hadn't really occurred to him that someone else could fill that role, or that they already had a built-in person with the witness, until Miss Urquart spoke up. The minister gave her a look, and Alfred thought maybe he was going to shut the whole thing down. What it really was, apparently, was that there was a thing Miss Urquart was supposed to do, putting Zelda's hand out, and she'd missed her cue. Presumably the two of them weren't supposed to be holding hands through the whole thing, either. The minister awkwardly took one of Zelda's hands, and Alfred sheepishly dropped his own for a minute. The minister picked his hand up and put it together with Zelda's — exactly as it had been a moment ago, but slightly different, and presumably that was an important difference in whatever kind of church this was.

Best not to antagonize the minister until after it was over, Alfred thought, trying to ensure he was paying enough attention not to make any more silly, minor mistakes... and not realizing that it was his turn to talk until the minister had been giving him a very significant look for at least a second.

"Oh," he said, slightly flustered. He hoped he remembered the words; they'd only learned this a few minutes ago. "I, John Alfred Darrow, take you, Zelda Ophelia Fisk, as my wedded wife," he began, speaking precisely and deliberately. "To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to..."

This was the part where it started to get a little repetitive. Had he already said to have and to hold? The minister mouthed a l sound at him, and Alfred caught on. "To love and to cherish, till death us depart. According to god's holy ordinance," he concluded; this last was almost as an afterthought, but in the spirit of not antagonizing the minister he was happy to tack it on. Was there something else? "And thereto I plight you my troth," he added hastily. He didn't actually know what my troth meant, but presumably it was just as important to the minister as the hand-placing bit.

---

The following 1 user Likes J. Alfred Darrow's post:1 user Likes J. Alfred Darrow's post
   Zelda Darrow

---

MJ made the most Alfredy of sets and then two years later she made it EVEN BETTER

Zelda was so delighted as Alfred went through the vows that it was difficult to keep herself from grinning too widely; she'd wanted to hear this (or something like it) for so long that it was easy to ignore the circumstances and just feel the pure joy of it. The specifics aside, marriage vows were essentially a promise, essentially a contract — and now they were finally officially, if secretly, tied to one another. They'd been unofficially tied together for a while now, but this was bigger.

Alfred finished and the minister, with a slight eyeroll, rearranged their hands so that Zelda was holding Alfred's right hand. She decided not to ask about this because now it was her vows. Zelda was at least a little relieved that she had not had to go first.

"I, Zelda Ophelia Fisk, take you, John Alfred Darrow, as my wedded husband," she said, holding Alfred's gaze. Now she had to be sure to get things in the right order, which shouldn't be that difficult, because Alfred had just gone. Carefully, she continued, "To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health. To love, cherish, and to obey, till death us depart." She took a breath in, and her grin widened before she continued: "According to god's holy ordinance. And thereto I plight you my troth."

The minister sighed and took their hands in his own again. "In the presence of God, and before this congregation, John Darrow and Zelda Fisk have given their consent, and made their marriage vows to each other," he said, "They have declared their marriage by the joining of hands. I therefore proclaim that they are husband and wife." He put Zelda and Alfred's hands together again and finished: "Those whom God has joined together let no one put asunder."

The minister reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a folded-up piece of paper. "Now all three of you need to sign the license."

---

  

---

AMAZING set by MJ

Was that it, then? Alfred nearly asked, after the declaration (a little silly to still say in the presence of this congregation as though there were more than just the four of them here, but presumably this fellow didn't officiate elopements that often and hadn't thought to change the words), but before he could the minister was instructing them to sign a marriage license. Right, right, the paperwork — Alfred had no idea at all what was involved in this before tonight, because he had never actually looked into the practicalities of eloping no matter how often he'd told Zelda he would do it. He'd become apprised of all of this earlier, though, when he'd been trying to convince the minister to officiate in the first place. The minister had given him a right earful about all of the work involved in making a marriage legally binding, but luckily most of it was work on his end; they just had to sign.

Alfred took the offered quill, dipped it in the inkpot, and signed a little too quickly and sloppily — there were drips around his signature where he ought to have been more careful, but it was legible. Without waiting for anything else, and without giving either of them a chance to sign it, Alfred turned his attention to Zelda, took her face in both hands, and kissed her deeply.

---

  

---

MJ made the most Alfredy of sets and then two years later she made it EVEN BETTER

Zelda smiled into the kiss, and reached up to twine her arms around Alfred's neck. (She may have spared a thought to poor Delight, but they had just gotten married and hopefully Delight would not hold this against her.) The kiss lasted for a long beat and Zelda left her arms around Alfred afterwards. She was reluctant to relinquish any of the proximity she had with her husband because they were finally, finally married. And maybe nothing was about to materially change for them, but she still felt lighter than she had in months. Even if it was just for them, (and Delight, by proxy), they were married and no one would be able to change the fact of it.

"I still need to sign," she said, although she had not made any move to actually pull away so that she could.

---

  

---

AMAZING set by MJ

Alfred grinned down at her and stayed where he was, with his hands on her cheeks and her arms around his neck. "Yeah, I know," he agreed, then kissed her again.

---

  

---

MJ made the most Alfredy of sets and then two years later she made it EVEN BETTER

Delight was not so sheltered that she'd never seen two people kiss, but never had she seen such... passionate displays of affection right in front of her face. Her cheeks flushed a deep scarlet, and although she looked away she was all too aware of the way Zelda was wrapped in her now-husband's arms. A number of thoughts flashed through her mind, all at once—that she was never going to be able to look the two of them in the eye again today, that she really shouldn't have come along, that she was going to have her name printed on the license and that it would probably come back to bite her, and that she wished they'd brought another witness so she could turn to them and pretend she wasn't trying to avoid watching Zelda kiss Mr. Darrow.

She passed a glance to the Minister, who was still awkwardly holding out the license for Zelda and Mr. Darrow to sign, and the moment he caught her eyes Delight hastily moved from her position, around the newlyweds, and grabbed the quill from the Minister. She paused, briefly considering botching her signature for deniability if one of Zelda's sisters decided to accost her down the line, but after she impulsively scribbled her name and pulled the quill back there was no mistaking the Delight Urquart on the third line on the license.

---

  

---

— DELIGHTful set by lady <3 —

Zelda could have very happily kept on kissing Alfred all night. It was really only the flurry of motion from Delight signing that reminded her that this was not really the place, and when the second kiss ended Zelda loosened her arms from around Alfred's neck and took a step back. She bit her lip as she grinned at Alfred, already regretting the increased space between them on some level — but she still had to sign, and surely the minister wouldn't tolerate this forever. (Neither, for that matter, would Delight.)

She turned and signed the license in a quick gesture, her signature a little neater than it was when she was scrawling it on work documents or the Z she wrote at the bottom of her letters.

"We're official," Zelda said brightly to the piece of paper, almost as if she could not believe it. As official as they could be without a change to her name and without anyone's family present — but legally, they were finally, actually married.

---

  

---

AMAZING set by MJ

"We're official," Alfred echoed, still grinning. He couldn't really believe it, either. And they weren't really official, were they? In the eyes of the law they were, but the word didn't really make sense when they'd planned not to tell anyone about this. She wasn't going to take his name tomorrow morning. Her father, brothers, and sisters wouldn't know. He wouldn't tell Evander. They wouldn't have a honeymoon, or a wedding night — not yet, anyway. So official wasn't really the right word. This was important, though; there was a permanence to this that they had been missing before, despite both feeling it, both wanting it.

"We're forever," he said softly. That was the word for it, he'd decided. That was what was different now; this was a confirmation of what they'd both been talking about for a long time, even though on the outside nothing was going to change. He wasn't leaving. She'd do anything for them. They were forever, now.

---

  

---

MJ made the most Alfredy of sets and then two years later she made it EVEN BETTER