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Aerith felt her heartbeat speed up the moment she laid eyes on Cloud at the far end of the aisle next to the altar.
He had a cape attached to his right shoulder, one that was familiar and yet not at the same time—she recalled a dream where he met her in a library, wearing a tattered cape and seeming hesitant to touch her. But in her dream, she had welcomed him home with open arms. She couldn’t wait to do that in her waking life.
The cape was only the first thing she noticed. It was his eyes that made her heart decide to run a thousand miles. He gazed at her like she carried the heavens in her arms, like she was the most amazing thing he’d ever seen, like she was perfect.
After a moment, she looked down at her bouquet. Don’t over exaggerate, Aerith. Her imagination had gotten away from her—although it was true that he was looking at her with deep love. That was not an exaggeration, and never would be. Cloud had always admired her; he’d admitted as much when they confessed feelings. She had been nervous to love him, but Cloud had always come for her.
In another dream, in a town by a ruined castle, he had promised even if I go far away, I’ll come back and she believed him. Of course, he needed a confidence boost, but when he found his light, it would lead him back again. Back to her, to a future full of possibilities, like a delivery service or a florist stall.
But this was the here and now, and it wasn’t a dream. She and Cloud were going to have a happy life together, and today she was going to promise him forever. Her hand slid into his when she reached the end of the aisle, and even though he wasn’t supposed to, he pressed a quick kiss to her knuckles.
“You’re beautiful,” he whispered.
She squeezed his arm. “Thank you, handsome.”
Together they came to stand in front of all their friends. The moogles who were helping officiate the ceremony danced to a halt and then in adorable, squeaky voices, requested that they begin their vows. Cloud didn’t look nervous, but Aerith could feel his fingers trembling in anticipation. They were going to say their vows and exchange rings, and from that very moment, they would be husband and wife. “Take my hand,” she breathed.
Equally soft, Cloud replied, “I’ll never let you go.” He adjusted his grip and cleared his throat. Cloud had practiced for this. Even though it was stupid to look at himself in the mirror, he didn’t want to embarrass himself on their wedding day. In a louder voice that their audience could hear, he began, “Aerith, I never imagined that falling in a patch of flowers would change my life for the better.”
The words became caught in his throat, despite all that practice. He had a speech planned—it was his wedding day, he was going to tell Aerith and all their friends how much he loved her, come hell or high water!—but he couldn’t. He wanted to say, You were so beautiful, the moment I met you. Your impressive eyes, your smile worth more than one gil… Cloud wanted to tell her that she impressed him, that your heart was even more beautiful than I could have imagined.
From that day in the slums, Aerith had him wrapped around her finger. Her charm, her kindness, her bravery. He couldn’t really believe that this day had arrived; while he knew that she loved him and he loved her, and they wanted to get married, for it to actually happen felt like a dream.
Well, if it was a dream, he didn’t want to wake up.
All right, so he couldn’t say all the things he wanted to—he had the rest of his life to tell her, maybe even that night when they were alone, so that she could hear it right away and he didn’t put it off until it was too late. For now, he could say his vows. “Today, and tomorrow, and every day after that, I vow to be your bodyguard, your friend, and your lover. I vow to listen to you and to care for you, in sickness and in health, in war and in peace, and in all the mundane days that we’ll look back and call the best days of our lives.”
Up until this point, his voice had remained steady, but here it wavered and he kept biting his lip. “You make life worth living, Aerith.” He loved her, more than anything in the world. Without her, there was no meaning, no purpose, but with her, he had someone he wanted to protect, someone he wanted to make happy, someone to—to save the planet for. Aerith awakened something in him he didn’t know he had anymore.
Cloud loved Aerith, and he wanted her to know his thoughts, his feelings, right now and for always. “I… I choose you. Forever.”
Aerith beamed. And it was beautiful.
Warmth bloomed in Aerith’s chest and it felt as if it would spill out from her face once Cloud finished reciting his vows. She had some idea of what to expect, but it made no difference in moving her. Her emotions almost made her want to rush through the words so that she could get them all out at once, but that would diminish how special this moment was. Cloud had given his best, and he deserved the same from her. With that in mind, she took a deep breath, centered herself, and met Cloud’s gaze.
The earth met the sky and her heart tumbled. When he looked at her like that, she felt as though time had no meaning. She hoped that he would always be able to make her feel that way, that it would never stop feeling as magical as it did now.
“Cloud, you crashed your way into my life, and moseyed into my heart effortlessly.”
A smile like a tiny wildflower lay at the corner of his lips. He was also blushing a little at her choice of words.
“I liked you from the start. It’s hard not to when you’re rescued by a handsome stranger.” Chuckles rippled through their audience at that. “But I loved you when I found us working together as a great team, from caring for the flowers to rescuing a damsel in distress.” Cloud complemented her in all of the best ways. He went along with her whimsical ideas and trusted her to watch his back.
You came for me. I think I knew I was in love then.
“I vow to honor you and trust you. To be your healer and be at your side through thick and thin.
“With you, I can see the future. Our future.” Aerith swallowed and held back tears as her own words hit her hard. She hadn’t always thought she would have a future, but Cloud made her believe.
She could see their house, surrounded by flowers, with a swing on the porch. She could see children and pets. Days unending, like the vast expanse of the sky above. Above all, that future looked bright.
“I want to meet you, every day, for the rest of my life.”
Cloud’s fingers brushed her eye—she hadn’t realized her tears had slipped out. “You will,” he promised, just loud enough for her to hear. His soft smile made him more handsome than ever. His promise filled her with hope, and she found herself falling in love with him all over again.
The moogle bridesmaids tittered and chanted something; to Cloud, it was silly nonsense, but he had been told that they were saying a blessing during this part of the ceremony. It was better in their native kupo! according to the moogles. It came to an end after they shook tree branches wrapped in ribbons and bells over the couple.
“And now, please exchange rings, kupo!” one of them squeaked. Another very helpfully lifted a pillow with the rings nestled securely on top.
He took a breath to steady himself, and then clasped Aerith’s hand. With great care, he picked up the ring and slid it onto her finger. “A ring for forever.” The small, yellow diamond lily accompanied by emerald leaves sparkled on her finger. It was perfect, as perfect as the day he’d given it to her and every day she’d worn it since. “I take you as my wife.”
My wife. The thought made him jittery, but mostly, he felt happy. It wasn’t all that grandiose, but the best things in life were small… like saying my wife.
Aerith squeezed Cloud’s hand and let the moment linger. Slowly, she took his ring and slid it onto his finger. “A ring for always.” Originally, she had wanted his ring to match hers; it didn’t seem fair that hers should have so many lovely details but his didn’t have anything, so she had tried to point to rings with engraved leaves, or those with jewels. But Cloud didn’t want any of that.
“I know what you’re saying, Aerith. But I’m… just a country boy.”
“You’re my country boy.” Still, she heard him, so she looked at a different case. “How about this one, Cloud? Will you marry me with this one?”
His expression lightened. “Yes, I will.”
That ring was a plain gold band, with AG to CS June 1st engraved on the inside. That was the only decoration he wanted, which suited him perfectly.
Once his ring was settled on his hand, she met his eyes again. “I take you as my husband.” A thrill passed through her—there really was nothing like saying my husband for the first time and it being true in the present.
“Now you may kiss the bride, kupo!”
Cloud had both looked forward to and dreaded this part of the ceremony. Kissing in front of everyone made him feel uncomfortable. It was Aerith, though, and he loved her more than disliking all eyes on him.
First, he lifted her left hand and kissed her knuckles, his lips brushing her ring. Aerith blushed, but she was quick to place that hand on his cheek.
It was a race that Cloud would say he won; their lips met and somewhere in the distance, they heard their friends’ cheers and applause, and the moogles’ bells ringing.
“Presenting Mr. and Mrs. Strife!”
“Ready?” he asked.
“For anything,” she answered.
The pair raced down the aisle, laughing under a shower of petals, and out the doors to their life together.