The Price of Peace von chelle76 ================================================================================ Kapitel 21: The Best Laid Plans ------------------------------- I DO NOT own Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs or Sei Jushi Bismarck, they are owned by their respective animation companies. The Price of Peace Chapter 20: The Best Laid Plans "Well, the uniforms won't be done until late in the afternoon, so we can literally take the day to do whatever you want, Love," Saber says as they leave the cleaners. "Well, I still need to get some clothes and a dress, along with some new shoes. I've just about worn these out," Amanda replies. "So where ever you want to start." Saber looks to Elaine, "What all do you need to get, Elaine?" "Oh, a couple of things at the grocery, but I can wait until on the way home to get that. I would suggest that you go and look at rings first. That way, if they need to be re-sized or something, there is time to have that done," Elaine replies. "Sound advice. Shall we go to the jeweler's first?" Saber asks, looking towards Amanda. "Sure. Then perhaps we can take my sword to be cleaned?" Amanda replies. "You know, I'd forgotten about that," Saber says. "Let's go and look into that first. The man that made your sword owns a small shop here. I believe his son runs this store. He is still learning his craft, so the father still makes the swords himself." They walk a ways down the street and enter a small shop. A young red-headed man looks up as they enter. "Can I help you folks?" he asks eying them as they approach the counter. Saber takes the sword and places it on the counter. "We'd like to have this sword cleaned, sir," Saber replies. The man picks up the sword and inspects it, "Very rare to see a woman's sword this fine." He unsheathes the sword and looks at it. "It's seen use recently. Tell me what kind of use has it seen." "It was used to defend our lives. The blood on it belonged to a man that had threatened to kill us," Saber replies quietly. He looks between Saber and Amanda, "I see. I need your name, sir." "Captain Richard Rider," Saber replies. The man pales and looks at him in shock. "Yes...yes sir. I'll have the sword cleaned within an hour." "Oh, and would it at all be possible to have my family's coat of arms be added to the sheath?" Saber asks. "Oh, yes, sir. That would be no problem at all," the man replies. "Although it might take an extra hour or two for that to be done, sir." "Thank you kindly, sir. We shall return then," Saber replies and they leave the store. Elaine looks over to Saber amused, "What was that about? You never give your full name." "I didn't want him asking too many questions. My name usually scares most people into asking fewer questions, so I used it," he replies simply. Amanda shakes her head, "You don't seem the type to do that." "Not on a normal basis, but I saw that in that case, it would be to our advantage to do so," Saber replies. "Pretty soon, you'll be able to use my name to get people to leave you alone, Love. You might even get away with it now." "I don't see why I'd want to, but I'll keep that in mind," Amanda replies as they arrive at the jewelry store. They enter the store and immediately a salesman comes to their side, "May I help you?" he asks eying the group a bit nervously, noting the two soldiers following behind them. "We'd like to look at wedding bands, please," Saber replies. "Oh, yes, sir. Right this way," the man replies. He leads them to a display of wedding rings. "May I see the engagement ring, so that I may show you something in similar style." Amanda holds out her hand and the man studies the ring, "Ah, from the old clans. We don't keep a lot like those nowadays." He leads them to a corner display where there are a few more ornate sets on display. "Something more like these are a bit closer to keeping with the family traditions." He unlocks a case and takes out a set very similar in style to the ring Amanda is wearing. "Here we are, these are made by hand the old way." He pulls out the rings and holds them up, they are white gold bands etched with Celtic knots engraved around the outer edges of the band in onyx. "On the inside, we typically put the family name with the bride and the grooms first names, otherwise, this is what they look like." He hands a ring to Saber and one to Amanda. Saber takes the ring and studies it carefully, "It appears to be made very similarly to your engagement ring. What do you think, Love?" Amanda looks at the ring and nods, "They're beautiful. But I'm happy with anything we get. It's the meaning of the ring that I care about." "Let's see how they fit then," Saber replies and he takes his ring and places it on his hand. "Mine fits perfectly," he says as he pulls the ring back off of his finger. "How's yours, Love?" he asks. Amanda places the ring on her finger, "I think it needs to be a little bigger, can you do that without messing it up? Or do you have one like it in a slightly larger size?" she asks. The man comes over and looks at her hand with the ring on it and nods, "Yes, ma'am I can add to it rather easily and it not lose the integrity of the design." He holds up some sizing rings, "Let's see what size you need. The ring as it is now is a seven and a half." He takes the next size ring and holds it up to her, "Try this one on, Miss." Amanda takes the ring and trys it on her finger. "It seems to fit pretty snug," she replies as she struggles to pull it off. "You might want to go up to the next one then. If your fingers swell at all, you might wind up losing a finger. I'd hate to have to cut it off of your hand," The salesman replies as he hands her the next size up. She takes it and tries it, "This feels better. It's not too loose that it falls off." she takes the sizing ring and hands it back to the salesman. "Yes, ma'am. I'll go and see if I have one in the back," the salesman replies and heads to the back. "What is your take on them, Elaine?" Saber asks. Elaine nods, "They seem appropriate, Saber." He chuckles, "A rather non-committal answer." "It's your decision Saber, along with Ms. Amanda. I think they're very pretty and they go well with the engagement ring. But the decision is between the two of you," Elaine replies. The salesman comes back out carrying a box. "Well, I have the size below what you need. If you give me until this afternoon, I can have this one sized for you and both ready to go by then." "Amanda? What do you think? This is something that you'll hopefully be wearing for a long time," Saber asks. Amanda nods, "I like them, Saber. I think it's nice that they look alike as well." "Then if you would sir, size the ring for us and we'll return this afternoon to pick up the set," Saber says turning back to the salesman. "Of course, sir. I need your names for the engravings." "Richard and Amanda Rider," Saber replies. The salesman nods. "Ah, Captain Rider. Congratulations to you. I'll have the rings ready after three o'clock. You may come by anytime after that to pick them up." "Thank you," he replies and pays for the rings. They leave and head for the clothing store. A while later they are sitting down having lunch. "The dress should be ready in about an hour," Amanda says between bites. "That should work out about right then. We can go and pick it up, along with the other clothes you bought and the uniforms, when we're finished here. Then load up the car before heading back to get the rings, and then pick up your sword," Saber replies. "After that, we can stop by the grocery and then head home. We should be home in plenty of time for dinner," Elaine says. She turns and looks to the two soldiers sitting quietly at the table. "You two have hardly eaten." "We're on duty, ma'am," the taller soldier replies. "All the more reason for you to eat something. It will keep you more alert," Saber says, glancing at the two soldiers. "Yes, sir," they reply and slowly begin to pick at the food in front of them. "So all of the paperwork is filed at the courthouse, correct?" Elaine asks. Saber nods, "Yes, once we go through the ceremony and the general signs off on the certificate, everything will be in order. It will save us from having to make multiple trips out here." Elaine nods. "I'm glad things are working out for you. Have you decided when you want to do the ceremony?" Elaine asks looking between Saber and Amanda. Amanda looks to Saber who shrugs, "I'd be happy doing it tonight. If we get home in enough time for everyone to change, then we could have the dinner be the reception." Amanda nods, "That was sort of my thought too, but I don't want you to be over tired. We've done a lot of walking today." "Believe it or not, I don't feel too bad. Sore, but that is becoming a common occurrence, so I'm learning to ignore the little bit of constant pain," Saber replies. "How is your shoulder?" "Sore, but I think I could do without the sling for a couple of hours. I might have to ice it afterwards, before bed. But It's getting better, I think," Amanda replies. The taller soldier is watching the conversation with interest, "Excuse me, Captain?" Saber looks over towards him, "Yes?" "What exactly are you planning? It sounds like some sort of wedding." Saber nods, "Yes, I plan on getting married this evening to Amanda here," he replies nodding to her. The soldier looks between them, "I see. So why the secrecy?" "Because we weren't sure when we were going to get married. But after everything that has happened, we have decided that sooner is probably better than later. And the other members of my team have been teasing us about the whole thing, so to get back at them, we decided not to tell them until they arrive for the ceremony." The two soldiers laugh, "That's rather mean, sir," the one soldier says. "I had heard you were rather serious and reserved, so for you to pull of a stunt like this is rather funny." Saber chuckles, "I've heard that many cadets are a bit afraid of me. Even more so since I was blinded." "Blinded, sir?" the younger soldier asks hesitantly. Saber nods, "Aye. I have very limited vision. Technically, I'm legally blind. It's actually how Amanda and I met." "But you were just out on the Bismarck, weren't you?" "Yes. It was with Amanda's help that I was able to do the job I had done for years," Saber states. "Impressive, sir. I'm not sure I would be able to function as well as you have." "I've adapted. It's not always easy," he replies. The sever arrives and Saber pays the bill, and they talk for a little longer. "Is everyone ready to go?" Saber asks. The others nod and they get up and head back to the clothing store. After getting the dress and other clothes, they go and pick up the rings before heading to get the sword. "Ah, Captain Rider, I have just finished with the sword, sir," the young man says as they enter the shop. He goes to the back and brings out the sword. "I am assuming that you are the owner, Miss?" he says looking to Amanda. "Yes, sir," Amanda replies. He offers her the sword and she takes it and unsheathes it, inspecting the work. "It looks like you did a good job, sir." The man nods. "It is a rather unique sword. I was careful with it. Was it a gift?" he asks. "Yes it was," Amanda replies. "Rather unusual to receive such a gift. Those gifts are usually only given to nobility." "It was her engagement gift, sir," Saber replies. "Ah, you must trust her immensely. Not many men would give a woman such a gift," the salesman says with a smile. "I'd never give my wife a bladed weapon as a gift. I might end up on the receiving end of it." Saber chuckles, "I trust her with my life. She has on more than one occasion proven herself worthy of such a gift. We must be going now, as we have other things to do." He pays the man and they leave for the car. A couple of hours later, they arrive back at the estate. The two soldiers help carry in the packages and then leave to report to Commander Eagle, leaving Saber and Amanda alone. Amanda plops down onto the bed next to Saber, who puts his arm around her. "Are you okay, Love?" he asks eying her with concern. Amanda nods. "Yeah, just a little tired," she replies, placing her head on his shoulder. "Would you like to rest for a while?" he asks. She thinks for a minute and shakes her head, "No. I want to find out what the plan is before I decide what I'm going to do." "Plan?" he asks. "Well, we had talked of possibly getting married tonight, but I wasn't sure if you had decided to wait until tomorrow or what. You look pretty tired yourself," Amanda says. Saber smiles, "I'd like to marry you tonight. Provided that the general and the others are up to it." "I wouldn't complain. At least then the little quips from Colt would end." "I seriously doubt that. They're liable to get worse," he replies and kisses her cheek. She smiles at him, "Should we go and see if we can find out the plan then?" she asks. He nods and they get up and head downstairs. Commander Eagle looks up as they enter the room, "Ah, there you are. I was wondering where you were. Your escorts have already left. General Whitehawk arrived about a half hour ago. Elaine says dinner will be ready in about two hours." "Well, we'd like to know if everyone is amenable to us doing the ceremony tonight. All we'd have to do is change pretty much. Elaine would have to help Amanda change into her dress and wrap her shoulder while I changed into my uniform. I suppose we'd also have to tell the others to get ready. So it'd be about an hour before everyone was gathered. The basic ceremony is rather short from what Elaine has told me, so time isn't an issue for that." Commander Eagle nods, "Let's find General Whitehawk and see what he thinks. I believe I saw him heading for the kitchen a short time ago to talk with Thomas and Elaine," he says and the trio head into the kitchen and find Elaine, Thomas, and General Whitehawk in deep discussion. They stop talking and look up when they enter, "Ah, Saber, Ms. Kelly, I was just discussing things with Thomas and Elaine. Have you decided when you would like to have the ceremony?" "We were hoping to do so this evening, sir." Saber replies. A knowing glance passes between the others and Thomas nods and gets up and heads to his quarters returning shortly with a small box and a clothing bag. "How soon would you like to do the ceremony?" he asks, looking to Saber for a reply. Saber looks to Amanda and she nods slightly, "We were thinking that as soon as everyone is ready that we could, if that is agreeable." "Then I shall go and tell the others to get ready and then prepare myself. I'm not telling them why until the two of you come out together. I think then they will have no doubts," he says with a mischievous smile. "Thank you, sir," Saber says. The commander and the general leave to get ready for the ceremony, and Saber turns to Thomas. "What's in the box?" he asks curiously. "Something I will explain to you while you are getting ready. It concerns part of the wedding ceremony traditions for your family. Normally your father would normally explain everything, but since he is not here, I was schooled in this, to pass this to you when the time came." Saber nods, "Then let's go upstairs," he says to Thomas. He then goes to Amanda and kisses her lightly. "I'll see you soon, Love," he whispers quietly to her. She nods and he and Thomas head up the back stairway to his bedroom. "Come on, Ms. Amanda. Let me get my dress on and then I'll come to your room and make you up proper, all right?" Elaine says smiling. "Um, yes ma'am," Amanda says a bit nervously, making Elaine chuckle. They go to Elaine's quarters and Elaine changes into a nice dress. "Now, let's go and get you ready," she says and they head to Amanda's room and she bandages her shoulder and then helps her change into her dress. Saber finishes putting on his dress uniform and Thomas is looking him over and nods approvingly. "Normally Saber, you would be wearing your Clan's Kilt, but since you are being married by General Whitehawk, your dress uniform is appropriate. However, you still need to display your clan colors, so I want you to wear this swatch of cloth below your ribbons," Thomas says he as takes a small swatch of cloth and pins in below the military ribbons on Saber's uniform. "Now, there is a second swatch of cloth here. After you say your vows and exchange rings, you are to pin this onto Lady Amanda's dress. This marks her as a member of your clan for life. She then is entitled to any privileges that your clan has and any relative of yours is also hers. Normally a member of your clan plays the pipes as the two of you make your way to the alter, or in this case to where you will stand with General Whitehawk. Since you have no close family, I will do this, unless you object, sir." Saber places his hand gently on Thomas' shoulder. "You and Elaine are family, just as I consider the crew members of the Bismarck my family, Thomas. It is an honor to me that you are willing to do this for Amanda and myself. You have always been like a second father to me." Thomas nods and smiles at him, "Then let's not keep your young lady waiting. Let's go into the hall and wait for her and Elaine." Saber nods and they head into the hall. Thomas goes and knocks on Amanda's door and Elaine answers. She nods and Amanda comes out in a simple white dress trimmed in dark blue and silver. Her hair is pulled back from her face, save a few loose strands that frame her face. Saber smiles when he sees her and takes her hand. Thomas nods to them and heads downstairs. Elaine smiles and nods satisfied. "I'll see you downstairs in a couple of minutes. You wait here until you hear Thomas start playing the pipes." "All right, Elaine. Thank you for everything," Saber says quietly. Elaine kisses Amanda's cheek and heads down the stairs. Commander Eagle comes out from the kitchen in his dress uniform to find the others similarly dressed, except for Robin, who is in a nice dress; all looking a bit perplexed and talking amongst themselves. He nods as they all look up to him when he enters the sitting room. "Father, What is going on?" April asks confused. Commander Eagle smiles, "Everyone will know soon enough. Now, I want you three to come and stand here," he says indicating a place for them to stand by the fireplace. "Ms. Robin, you may stand beside Colt if you wish." "Assigned spots? What are we doing?" Colt asks. "As I said, you'll know momentarily," Commander Eagle says with a mischievous smile. General Whitehawk enters the room carrying a Bible and some papers, followed by Thomas, who has some bagpipes. Elaine comes down the stairs and takes a place to the opposite side of General Whitehawk, Commander Eagle comes and stands beside her. Thomas goes to the opposite side of the fireplace and back a bit from the people and nods. "Now, I suppose I should tell you what's going on," General Whitehawk says to the confused group beside him. "It would be nice," Colt mutters. April suddenly has a look of realization her face, "Are Saber and Amanda-" "Yes, April, they are," Commander Eagle says before she can finish her question. April smiles. "I knew it!" she then stops. "Wait are they getting married now?" "Yes, we are starting in just a moment," General Whitehawk replies giving a nod to Thomas. Thomas nods and starts playing the tune Highland Wedding and Saber and Amanda come down the stairs holding hands and stop in front of General Whitehawk. He smiles at them and begins reciting the wedding rites. A few hours later, everyone is chatting around the dining room table happily. Cake has been served and everyone is laughing and talking about various things. Colt comes over to Saber and Amanda and places a hand on Saber's shoulder. "Glad to see you two didn't elope," he says with a smirk. Saber laughs, "I wanted all of you here, Colt. You are my family. Besides, had we eloped, it would have tainted the bloodlines of my family and our marriage not recognized as a true one, so we did what was required...albeit barely." Colt turns to Amanda and smiles. "You look rather pretty, Ms. Amanda. I can't believe you got to wear white," Colt says and laughs. Amanda rolls her eyes and laughs. "I was still able to do so, Mr. Wilcox," Amanda says with a defiant grin. Colt smiles and shakes his head. "I must say, you two are bound to do well together. You've already survived so much. Now we just need to get April and Fireball to get hitched. They may as well be married." April hears her name and comes over. "What were you saying about me, Cowboy?" "Nothing much, just that with as long as you and race boy there have been together, you should already be married," Colt replies with a grin. April glances towards Fireball and blushes slightly. "Perhaps one day," she says quietly. She then turns to Saber and Amanda and smiles broadly. "Congratulations. I can't believe you two got this planned and ready without us knowing." "It wasn't us really. Thomas and Elaine took care of most of the arrangements," Saber replies. They all talk for a while longer and Saber notices how tired Amanda looks. "Are you ready to go and lie down, Love?" he asks her quietly. She nods slightly, "I'm starting to feel rather tired, and a bit sore," Amanda replies. He nods and they excuse themselves and head into the kitchen where Thomas and Elaine are eating and talking. "I was wondering where you two disappeared to. Why didn't you stay out with us? You are family," Saber says as they enter the kitchen, the door closing behind them. Elaine smiles, "We wanted some peace and quiet." She looks to Amanda, "Lady Amanda, I took the liberty of moving all of your clothes into Saber's room. That way, you don't have to hunt for anything when you need it. Over the next couple of days, we'll work on moving you completely into your new bedroom, all right?" Amanda nods, "Thank you, Ms. Elaine. That was thoughtful of you." Elaine nods, "You look rather tired, are you all right?" "I'm a little sore and tired, but I'll be fine. We were coming to get an ice pack and then going to change and retire for the night, if that is all right," Amanda replies. Elaine nods, "Of course it is," she says as she fetches an ice pack and hands it to her. "You two go and rest. We'll see you sometime tomorrow. Good night," she says and kisses Amanda's cheek. "Good night to both of you and thank you for everything," Saber says as he leans down and kisses Elaine's cheek. "We'll see you tomorrow." He takes Amanda's hand and they head up the back stairwell to their bedroom. They close the door behind them and Amanda goes and sits on the bed. Saber comes over and sits beside her, eyeing her with concern. "Are you all right, honestly?" Amanda nods, "I'm okay. Just worn out. We've done quite a lot today." she adds with a chuckle. "Aye, we have." Saber replies and kisses her gently. "You look beautiful. Even though I can't see clearly, I can see well enough to know that." Amanda smiles weakly. "Do you think you could help me change? I can't get this on or off without help because of my shoulder," she asks a sounding a bit embarrassed. Saber nods, "Of course." She stands up and he helps her out of the dress and into a silk nightgown, being careful of her shoulder. He then changes and they climb into bed and she snuggles tightly against him. He smiles and kisses her, pulling her against him. Hosted by Animexx e.V. (http://www.animexx.de)