#alternative title: my big fat peasant wedding

[townsenddecades]

1326 – Day 3 – Tovar Fairground

It’s time for Gregory and Agnes’ wedding!

Despite living in Praaven now, Gregory decides that it is only right to celebrate his wedding on the Fairgrounds near his home village. He is delighted to officially introduce Agnes to his family, although some of them have already met her at the abbey. She is a little intimidated at meeting the entire Townsend clan – Gregory assures her that it is only his siblings, their partners, and some of his nieces and nephews, but it is still an overwhelming number of people compared to her sister and father.

Sensing her unease, Malika greets her warmly and introduces her to her youngest, whom Agnes seems quite enchanted by, while Gregory goes to hug his father. Winter had sadly made it impossible to visit the farm, so he hasn’t seen Benedict in years.

It is soon time to greet their guests. Gregory’s teacher-turned-partner Jeremiah Browne is invited, of course, as are Abbot Edmonds (who is, not so secretly, Agnes’ father) and Agnes’ sister Berrit. The other guests are all part of Gregory’s family – Anna, her husband and daughters, Simon and his wife, Elsie and Wilfred Watmore, and of course Benjamin’s entire family.

It is a challenge to give everyone the attention they deserve, but the bridal couple is nothing if not determined to try. It is nice to see some people again, too. Gregory has been a regular guest at the Crawley’s house, but he hasn’t spent much time with Benjamin’s children and hasn’t seen Simon in many years. He doesn’t think he ever met his lovely wife, either. She seems downtrodden, but Simon explains that it’s due to a recent loss.

Gregory can only hope that being among their family will cheer her up, and Malika, too, who has recently lost one of her own children.

At some point while the guests are still arriving, the abbot sits down at a fire. He is a frail old man and seems oddly melancholic for such a joyous occasion.

The actual ceremony goes smoothly, despite being somewhat late in the day because some of the guest arrive later than expected. It causes some frayed nerves – to be frank, Gregory and Agnes can hardly wait to finally be married – but all turns out well, all relevant words are said and at the end of it, the happy couple is pronounced as husband and wife.

If more than Malika’s kind welcome is needed to put Agnes’ anxieties at rest, the cheering that greets their union does the trick. Her new husband’s family seems delighted to have her as one of them, which in turn delights her. Since her mother’s death, it has only been her sister and the women at the abbey. She is only too happy to be part of the Townsends now.

And she can’t wait to start her own branch of the family with Gregory.

He holds her hand tightly as they turn towards the congregation, giving her a gentle smile. “Are you feeling well, my wife?”

She can’t help but beam. “Spectacular, my husband.”

This moment alone would have been worth the years of waiting.

After the formal part of the celebration is over, the celebration part of the celebration can begin. Which means, most of all, food and dancing. It isn’t easy to put together a wedding feast in early spring, but regardless of that, the couple and their guests wholly enjoy themselves. It is good for everyone to get a chance to catch up with each other, Gregroy makes a little speech about how glad he is to have everyone take part in this celebration of his union with the woman he loves more than anyone else in the world, there are toasts, there are bawdy jokes, it is more than they honestly could have wished for.

It is even comforting, in a way. The last Townsend wedding – Simon’s and Mariora’s clandestine nuptials not included – had been before the famine and the recent upheavals in the kingdom. It is a balm to see that so many of them still exist. That there are many children that will carry on the Townsend line.

But most of all, Gregory enjoys dancing under the starlight with his new wife, surrounded by his family. He can’t imagine a more perfect culmination to their wedding. Well, maybe aside from their wedding night, but Agnes lightly slaps him on the arm when he makes that joke, protesting that she was still raised in an abbey as a Watcher-fearing woman.

Gregory chuckles. “I’ve heard it said that the Watcher wants us to have many children to tell Her stories. I can’t imagine She is illogical enough not to know that they need to be created somehow.”

“You’re a terrible blasphemer”, she rejoins, mock offended.

“Or just drunk”, he responds, spinning her around. “If anyone asks, especially your father or sister, it’s that.”

And a bit apart from the revellers, Benedict has taken the opportunity of being under the clear spring sky to show the stars to his young grandson.

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