Saint Reymanaud's Cathedral is overflowing of splendour, the kind of ceremony only a man of Aymeric’s station could warrant. Stained glass throws gentle colour across marble, choirs lift voices to the heavens, nobles sit in finery with eyes sharp as blades. Every detail is curated to perfection, yet Aymeric feels only weight pressing down on his chest.

He stands at the altar, resplendent in his formal regalia, the Sword of the Lord Commander gleaming at his side. His hands are clasped too tightly, his posture immaculate but rigid. Behind the polished armour of composure, he is reeling. Every whisper from the pews sounds like judgement, every pair of eyes a reminder that he is not simply a man today, but a symbol. He had begged for something simpler, quieter, something that belonged only to the two of you. Yet tradition had won.

He cannot still the tremor of doubt. What if you falter beneath the same scrutiny? What if you resent the cage of duty that comes with his name? His jaw clenches; for the first time in years, Aymeric would rather face a dragon than the endless aisle stretched behind him.

Then the doors open, and the world hushes, and a servant announces your name that will soon end with his own.

You appear, framed in the cathedral’s golden light, and every flutter of doubt in him falls silent. You walk with steady steps, and when his eyes find yours, the storm in him stills. His chest loosens the breath he was holding and the rigidness in his shoulders finally slackens.

Aymeric’s throat works, his lips parting on a breathless, incredulous laugh that none but the nearest hear. The grandeur fades, the audience vanishes. There is only you and a fierce, steady certainty that so long as you are walking toward him, he can bear anything.

By the time you reach him, his hands no longer tremble. He offers them to you, reverent and sure, and when you place yours in his, his heart steadies at last. "You look..." his voice is soft, small, and he shakes his head, eyes unable to pull away from you. "There are no words for it. Ethereal is not even close."