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"Ready for what?"

"The ceremony"

"Wait a minute," Mericlou said hurriedly She backed a quarter-step away "Wait just a minute! You mean here? Now?"

"Yes," Aldrec said "Why not?"

"B …but it takes tirandiose and near inexplicable gestures with her hands "We'll need-"

"If you're talking about invitations and preparations," Aldrec said, interrupting, "Then you won't have ain, Tulyr, ould perforht, but they'd do it at the risk of their own credibility in the religious circles And some human priests may, but at the risk of their own lives"

"Then … if it's that dangerous, then hoould we even have a ceremony?" Mericlou asked, crestfallen "I do want to marry you, love; I honestly do"

"I know," Aldrec said, his eyes twinkling "And that is ill have a ceremony in the style of my people"

"But elves marry in just about the same way humans do," Mericlou said hesitantly "The sae license …"

"Coh elves are different Our ceremony is private, between the husband and wife to be, with a sie of vows"

"But how do you know that the couple is actually married?" Mericlou asked

"Why would they lie about it?" Aldrec replied, genuinely confused over the question

And then she realized it She was thinking like a hue for the purpose of monetary benefits and the like, but to elves, the very idea was anatheh in spite of herself

"Oh, never mind, love," she said, momentarily abashed over her brief lapse in common sense "But is that really all there is to it? Just an exchange of vows?"

"Yes, but it is nothing to be taken lightly," Aldrec replied earnestly "This is so that is most important to us Don't think that the sinificance My people took e very seriously The only difference is that we simply considered it a private matter between those in love And therefore, only the Divine presides over it"

Mericlou went over to one of the bookshelves, and leaned against it, eyes closed in deep thought