Soraya let go of Arezoo's elbow and turned her daughter to face her. She lifted her hand to briefly touch Arezoo's cheek, and Arezoo leaned into the touch. The small, private moment between mother and daughter was endearing.
Then the mother stepped back, and Ruvon offered Arezoo his arm.
She took it, and they climbed the three steps to the dais together, stopping in front of Annani.
Annani looked at the bride and groom and raised her hands.
The crowd settled into a hush.
"Today, we gather to celebrate a journey," she said, and her voice carried across the green without the need for amplification. "The journey that brought these two souls together through paths that were not easy and not gentle, and that could very easily have ended differently if not for the courage and the will of these two young people."
She let her gaze rest on Arezoo, then on Ruvon, then back to Arezoo.
"Arezoo. Ruvon. Each of you arrived in this village carrying a history that you did not allow to define you. You chose to define yourselves. You chose to grow. You had the courage to open your hearts and let each other in."
Arezoo's eyes had filled with tears, but she was holding them in, and Ruvon's hand tightened around hers.
"The Fates are kind and merciful," Annani continued. "But not always. They reward those who have suffered greatly or sacrificed for others, and the two of you are most deserving of their boon. They brought you together, but you did the rest, growing around each other like two trees whose roots have intertwined and are drawing strength from the same soil."
She lifted her hands a little higher.
"In each other, you have found a mirror for your strengths and a balm for your wounds, and a partner for the long road ahead. May your love be as deep and as patient as the river that nourishes the earth, always finding its way home. May it be as steadfast as the mountains, and unmoved by the storms of life. May your union be blessed with laughter, with understanding, and with courage when courage is needed. May you always find in each other a haven of peace and a wellspring of joy."
The breeze moved through the green and stirred the garlands.
"May the Fates smile upon you," Annani said. "May they guide you through the years to come, hand in hand, heart in heart. And may the love that brought you to this moment carry you through every moment going forward."
She lowered her hands.
"Arezoo and Ruvon. Before all gathered here, and in the eternal embrace of the Fates, I bestow upon you my blessing. You may speak your vows."
They turned to face each other and held each other's hands. Even in high heels, Arezoo was a head shorter than Ruvon, and she had to tilt her chin up to look him in the eyes.
"I'm supposed to go second," Ruvon said quietly, "but I'm too full of things to say to wait. So, if you'll allow me, I would like to go first."
Arezoo smiled and nodded.
Ruvon took a breath.
"When we first met, you were sitting on a bench at the playground watching the children, and I came over with two cups of vending-machine coffee because I didn't know how else to approach you. You were terrified of me, and I knew that, but I desperately wanted to prove to you that you had nothing to fear from me."
He paused, and steadied his voice.
"You were so brave. You took the coffee and smiled at me. And then you let me bring you a book. Then you let me sit with you at the café while you read poetry to me, and I sat on the other side of that table and tried to memorize the sound of your voice because I didn't believe that I would be allowed to hear it again. Every time you let me come back, I treated it as a gift, because that's what it was. It still is. Every time you choose me, every day, every hour, is a gift I do not take for granted."
A ripple of murmurs went through the crowd, and Annani caught Kalugal smiling. Not his usual smirk, but a soft smile she rarely saw him wear.
"I vow," Ruvon said, "to never stop earning that gift. I vow to be patient and brave for you in every way that you ever need patience or bravery or both, and steady when you need steadiness, and quiet when you need quiet. I vow to make you laugh, because your laugh is the sound I love most in the world. I vow to read poetry with you for the rest of our lives. I vow to defend you against every danger I can defend you against. I offer my love freely and expect nothing in return except the chance to keep offering it."
He swallowed.
"You once told me that you wanted respect, honesty, and patience. And maybe more kisses. I vow to give you all of those things, especially the kisses. Many of them. Until you tell me to stop, and even then, I will probably ask if I can have one more."
The crowd laughed, Arezoo laughed too, and a tear escaped down her cheek, and Ruvon, without taking his hand from hers, lifted his other hand and brushed it away with his thumb.
"I am yours," he said. "I have been yours from the moment you let me sit on that bench. I will be yours for as long as I draw breath, and for whatever comes after that, if anything does. I love you, Arezoo. With every part of me that is worth loving with."
He stopped. The crowd held its breath.
