The chapel hall of the Alm's temple was a large circular room with pews arranged around the center where a pulpit quietly sat on a raised section of the floor so anyone on it could be seen by all. Elder Arkin surveyed the hall with a humble smile firmly plastered across his lips at the joy of presiding over the first same-sex marriage held in centuries. Sunlight bathed the hall in a subtle tapestry of colors as it flooded through stained-glass windows while a gentle cool breeze danced through the aisles from the few open windows. The hall was nowhere near capacity as Olivia and Lucina decided to keep the wedding to only close friends and family. However, that only added an air of ease and joy to the venue as everyone could speak freely without repercussions from high society. Cassandra and Kent were light-heartedly whispering with one another as they sat with the Lyllium family. Margaret and Todd were silently sitting while Margaret rested her head on Todd's shoulder. Richard was mostly stoic except for his leg which kept bouncing as the only sign of his restlessness which Baron Lyllium and Charles were doing their best to placate. A gust of wind ruffled Vivian's long hair and she was about to fix it when Adam reached over to do it for her with a soft smile on his face. And while normally commoners couldn't directly attend a noble's wedding, Olivia and Lucina made exceptions for the servants and knights of their houses who also sat among the pews. Tress and Mary talked amongst themselves as Carl tried to interfere in their conversation before Peter yanked him back into his pew. Elise gave a motherly laugh and sarcastically reprimanded Carl while she leaned on Jeremy who sat next to her. Arkin chuckled to himself as he softly spoke, "While not the fullest wedding, this sense of kinship on this blessed day is surely to make our Hearth Mother smile upon us."

  "That was the goal," Olivia quietly replied with a smile. After they entered the hall and had escorted Olivia up to the pulpit, Alice quickly made her way over to Richard to assist in keeping him seated and calm for his daughter's wedding. "It's best when everyone is at ease."

  "You say that, yet you are the least 'at ease' in the hall," Arkin joked as his gaze went back to Olivia.

  "…Please have mercy, Elder." Even though everything was going off without a hitch and the November weather was relatively warm and sunny, Olivia was nervously fidgeting in place. She had read about and watched plenty of cutscenes of characters' weddings during her life as Ayaka, but to actually stand at the altar in front of everyone was making Olivia more nervous than she thought she'd be. She was thankful the wedding wasn't during the height of summer as she would most definitely be sweating profusely and ruin her suit. She hid her nerves with a laugh, "You can't blame me, all things considered."

  "Everything will be fine," Arkin reassured while glancing over the book in front of him that held a few notes for the wedding speech. Movement across the hall caught his eye and brightened his smile, and he mentioned to Olivia, "I think I see something that will help put your mind at ease coming up the aisle now."

  "Up the…" Olivia's voice trailed off as she turned to follow Arkin's gaze and she felt her breath get stolen away.

  "…" With her arm linked with Elizabeth's, Lucina entered the hall and started walking up the aisle. High heels clacked against the floor invisibly under the long skirt that went down to the floor. The wedding gown had two layers to it that wove into each other: the under dress was a brilliant white and covered with subtle flower embroidery while the outer layer was a smooth silk of striking scarlet that traveled down and into the gown's train. Despite the train's length being well behind Lucina, wind magic was gently rustling through it so that it wouldn't touch the floor as many Auristers and Magisters often incorporated their abilities into their weddings to make the occasion more personal. Red rubies and black spinels glinted in the light from the jewels that were draped over her neck and hung into her dress' low-cut neckline. Long, loose sleeves fluttered like flags as Lucina continued up the aisle to eventually stand next to Olivia. Elizabeth gave Olivia a warm smile before quickly taking her seat next to Charles, but Olivia didn't see it as she was too focused on Lucina. The blue sapphires in Lucina's hair ornament sparkled and reflected in Olivia's eyes.

  Olivia reflexively tried to speak to make things less awkward for herself, "…H-Hi." It didn't work.

  "…" Lucina silently chuckled at Olivia's failed attempt and gave her a warm smile to lighten the mood.

  Now that the bride and groom had arrived, Arkin began his speech in a voice that filled the room despite remaining deceptively quiet, "Lords and Ladies, friends and families, blessed faithful of the divine, upon this day we gather for our Hearth Mother's most beloved of events: the joining of two families into one!" A warmth radiated throughout the room as if Alm herself were gathered in the proceedings. "Rejoice, mothers and fathers whom shall witness their daughters aspire into their own. Rejoice, friends and loved ones whom shall walk alongside this new family as they begin their journey. Rejoice, Olivia and Lucina whom shall meet your future in each other's hearts; hand-in-hand." Lucina basked in the warmth that hugged her heart as she listened to Arkin's words and even Olivia felt her nerves relax as the breeze brushed against her cheek in a reassuring nudge. "Ever since the dawn of man, sculpted by our Violet King's hands, humanity has desired not to traverse the long night in solitude, but in the company and warmth of our fellow man. To not hold our hearts shut as a door holding back the winter's chill, but to open them wide to let in the summer's welcoming glow. Just as our Violet King gave us the capacity to long for one another's company and our Hearth Mother nurtured our souls to yearn for one another's love, so we are here today to indulge in those gifts to their fullest."

  "…" Olivia's gaze was idly drawn to the mural of Zulm's eye on the ceiling of the hall.

  "…" The eye silently stared back as the words around it shifted and slithered.

  "But a gift is only such when accepted by all." Arkin gestured toward Lucina and asked, "Lucina, Harbinger of Zulm, will you accept the gift of Olivia's love?"

  "I will, by Lady Alm's benevolence." Lucina turned toward Olivia.

  Arkin gestured toward Olivia and asked, "Olivia, heir of Holst, will you accept the gift of Lucina's love?"

  Olivia's gaze left Zulm and fell onto Lucina as she turned to face her and affirmed, "I will, by Lady Alm's benevolence."

  Arkin let his arms fall to his side as he continued, "Words carry the weight of those who speak them and while mine can guide, they cannot proxy; none may grant or accept love on another's behalf. Holding such truth in your minds I ask that you swear not to me, those gathered, or even the gods, but to each other."

  "…" Lucina looked up into Olivia's eyes which were as clear as the blue ocean along Solfin's coast. Her white hair was the same waterfall of diamonds that had captivated her years ago, yet now held the glistening rubies as a show of her love for Lucina. In this moment of peace and calm, of joy and relief, the rot that so deeply infested Lucina's eyes receded for a moment to allow her eyes to shimmer like green emeralds in the sun's radiant light. Her voice, filled with happiness, echoed throughout the hall, "I love you, Olivia."

  "…" Olivia looked down into Lucina's beaming happiness and couldn't help but return it with a bright smile of her own. As reality caught up with her, a single tear of joy rolled down her cheek only to be wiped away by Lucina's gentle touch. Olivia leaned down, wrapped her arms around Lucina to pull her close, spoke with conviction and pride, "I love you, Lucina," and deeply kissed Lucina's lips.

  "…?" Arkin had more of his speech to say but found his words lost as a white flower petal fluttered in front of his face to stop him. Responding to her overflowing emotions, Olivia's aura rained down glowing white flower petals that combined with Lucina's wind magic to playfully dance through the air over the guests. The spectacle left many speechless and awestruck as they watched the petals flutter and fall as Olivia and Lucina held each other in a loving embrace.

  ***

  "…Hmm," Charles softly hummed to himself as he sipped from the wine glass in his hand and took in the atmosphere of the wedding reception. Once Arkin finished, and they were finally able to pull Olivia and Lucina away from each other, everyone moved the pews aside and brought out tables and chairs for the feast. Charles was currently standing alone as he watched the other guests mingling with one another. A satisfied smile kept his other emotions in check.

  "Not planning on joining in?" Lucina suddenly appeared next to Charles while holding a wine glass.

  "I'm just taking a short break," Charles deflected and looked at the glass his daughter held, "Don't you dislike wine?"

  "It's just normal fruit juice," Lucina chuckled as she held the glass toward Charles to take a sniff of the red liquid in her glass. "Olivia calls it 'punch' and it’s a blend of various fruits. It's on the other table if you'd like to try it." She gestured to a table across the hall with prepared drinks.

  "Perhaps later…" Silence fell upon the two as they stood next to each other without saying a word.

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  Eventually, Lucina broke the silence with a joke, "If you're this awkward, I'm going to start fearing future family gatherings."

  "Ah? No, it's…" Charles sighed and downed the rest of his glass before setting it down on a nearby table. "I suppose it just still doesn't feel completely real to me, yet." Charles looked out over the hall and watched the mingling guests. Alice and Elizabeth were fawning over Olivia in her suit while Cassandra was inspecting it with her keen eyes trying to capture the look and wondering aloud if it would look good in pink while Margaret calculated the cost of the pink fabric. Servants, knights, commoners, and nobles enjoyed themselves freely without restraint. Softly, with both pride and regret, Charles mumbled, "I'm proud of you, Lucina."

  "…" Lucina watched Charles for a few moments before playfully waltzing in front of him to grab his attention. She was in an especially good mood today, so she decided to take care of something that she'd been putting off for a long time due to how busy she usually was dealing with Solfin. "Well~, there's one way that I know will help you realize and solidify this moment~."

  "…?" Charles turned to Lucina and expected some joke or off-hand remark to lighten the mood.

  But Lucina's next words stunned Charles, "You could always give me a hug, Father."

  "…Fa-…" Father, a word Lucina had never spoken to or called Charles. It sounded strange coming out of Lucina's mouth, and Charles almost thought she had said it as a snide joke, but that was until he looked at her face.

  "…" Lucina's expression held no malice, her eyes contained no hatred, and her smile was pure and genuine as she stretched out her arms toward him; the wedding ring on her finger glinting in the light.

  "…" Slowly, hesitating as if it were a dream he'd accidentally wake up from, Charles stepped toward Lucina. As Lucina wrapped her arms around him, Charles felt something he'd never experienced before; the touch of his daughter. During her first years of life, Charles avoided Lucina as much as possible and after the misunderstanding of her birth was cleared he continued to avoid touching her as she would always flinch away and dodge his attempts to get close. For her entire eighteen years of life, Charles had never felt Lucina's touch. "…Ah…" Tears relentlessly started pouring down Charles' face as he, for the very first time, wrapped his arms around and hugged his daughter. It was a deep, silent cry from the heart that made no noise other than the occasional sniffle.

  "You won't make family meetings awkward, right, Father?" Lucina leaned her head against her father's as she fully accepted his hug.

  "I…I won't," Charles managed to mumble out as he tightened his hug.

  "Good, otherwise I wouldn't come visit with your grandkids." It was a grudge that had long since lost any meaning to Lucina, so she decided to finally bury this hatchet. "I can't have them seeing their grandfather as an awkward mess whenever I'm around. I have no faith in Richard, so make sure to love them like a proper grandfather."

  "…" Charles didn't say anything and just nodded into Lucina's shoulder as he continued to silently weep. Olivia, Elizabeth, Vivian, and Adam came over when they saw the scene and Elizabeth immediately pulled Lucina, Charles, and Adam into the first Felswore family hug. Olivia and Vivian couldn't help but smile at the joyous family moment. A moment that would find a permanent place nestled in the hearts of the Felswores for all their days.

  ***

  Since the Felswore's mansion was closer, it was decided that the two families would head there for the night before traveling back to Wortrest for additional celebrating. It was late at night when they arrived and the overcast clouds attempted to grant privacy to the only two people who were still awake in the mansion.

  "Mmph~!" Awake, and impatiently horny. Lucina was still in her wedding gown while being pinned against the wall outside the bedroom that was prepared for them since Olivia couldn't contain herself anymore and attacked her before they could enter. Olivia grinded her body against Lucina while their tongues were intertwined in a fierce battle for control. Lucina finally had the advantage, and tried to reason, "O-Olivia~, the room's-Mmph!" But Olivia silenced Lucina, once again, while reaching for the door handle.

  "Mm~…Mm?" When the door opened and the two newlyweds slipped inside, Olivia paused and broke off her aggressive kiss when she saw what was inside the room. "What…is this?" The room itself was beautifully decorated with dark hardwood flooring that complimented the wood of the furniture, and the walls were painted a forest green that gave a comfortable feeling as the glow from the three campfires lit the room…the campfires?

  "Ah, looks like Elise managed to finish it before we arrived!" Lucina pulled herself away from Olivia and started inspecting the campfires that sat along the three edges of the room's large bed. Fires flickered in their tents of logs that were surrounded by a circle of black stones, yet when Olivia drew closer she saw that the fires weren't spreading. Despite being on a hardwood floor and next to both wooden furniture and cloth bedding, the campfires were safely contained in their circle and didn't even appear to produce any smoke; though a heat haze was rising off the flames.

  "Finish…what, exactly?" Olivia's eyes stared into the flames and she swore something inside looked back. "What are-…" As Olivia turned back to Lucina to further question her, she was silenced as she watched the fabric of Lucina's wedding gown slide off her body.

  Now completely naked, Lucina sauntered over to Olivia, and mused, "Just me being a little selfish." Her words dripped with arousal as her fingers gingerly started unbuttoning Olivia's blue shirt. "While this won't, technically, be our first night together…I'm…I guess I'm just a little impatient." Lucina left the unbuttoned shirt, coat, and cape still hanging onto Olivia while her hands moved further down to remove the belt around Olivia's pants.

  "Impatient…for what?" The arousal that was once quelled by curiosity now returned in full force as Olivia's hand brushed some hair off Lucina's face.

  Lucina's voice slithered into Olivia's mind as she finally undid and unzipped Olivia's pants, "Can't you tell~?" Abruptly, Lucina pushed herself away from Olivia, crawled onto and kneeled on the bed; the light of the campfires dancing along her scar-covered body.

  "…" Olivia swallowed a lump in her throat and hastily kicked her shoes off.

  "Something I know Elise mentioned to you, once before~…" Lucina arched backward to push her chest forward as she let her words sink into Olivia's mind. "Surrounded by the flames of Lady Alm's approval~…"

  "…!" Olivia almost tripped over herself taking her pants off.

  "Blessed by one of her faithful~…" Lucina slowly started moving backward toward the head of the bed. "A ritual for one, specific purpose~…"

  "!!!" Olivia practically ripped the rest of her clothes off and threw them to the floor. As she approached the bed, a once invisible ring of letters in an unreadable language started glowing. Olivia reached the bed.

  "I want to see our kids~, Oli-Mmph~!" And silenced Lucina with a passionate kiss. Olivia's arms wrapped around and clawed into Lucina's back as they lifted her off the bed and pressed her against Olivia's trembling body. There was no foreplay, they had done plenty of that on the way to the room, and Olivia was in no mood for it as her mind was filled with a singular purpose: to impregnate Lucina. Even though she didn't know the specifics of the ritual, Olivia didn't care and followed her instincts and lust as she devoured Lucina. One of her hands traced down Lucina's back, grabbed one of her butt cheeks, and gave it a harsh squeeze.

  "Mmm~!" A moan escaped Lucina's throat as she wrapped her arms around Olivia to try and get even closer; to truly become one. The heat haze from the campfires rose into the air and surrounded them. "Mmm-Mmph!?"

  "…!" Olivia enjoyed Lucina's muffled yelp as she started grinding her clitoris against Lucina's while completely ignoring the world around her. All she wanted was for Lucina to be completely messed up with pleasure beneath her as they basked in each other's love. She broke away from their kiss as her lungs desperately cried out for air, but that didn't stop Olivia's hips from continuing to grind against Lucina's. "Lucina~…Lucina~!" The ring of letters snaked along the floor and into the campfires where they rode the heat haze into the air and started glowing with a warm orange light.

  "Ah~…Olivia~!" Lucina's semi-conscious mind cheered as she noticed the glowing letters. "We're-Mmph~!"

  "…!" But Olivia continued to block out the outside world as she brought herself back down into a kiss. Nothing mattered other than Lucina and nothing would stop Olivia from seeing her Lucina, her wife, crying out with pleasure. She was almost there, she could feel it.

  "Mm~…O-oh~…Oliv-!" Lucina was managing to mutter out words between the deep kiss and her own moans of pleasure. As her arousal was reaching its peak, the floating letters closed in on Olivia and pierced into her back.

  "!?!" It was like a bolt of electricity jolted through Olivia's whole body as she orgasmed harder than she'd ever done before. Her body violently shook, the strength instantly evaporated from her limbs, and her mind momentarily went completely blank. As Olivia collapsed, the letters emerged out of her lower stomach as small ethereal tendrils which pierced into Lucina.

  "Agh~!" Who was also struck with a powerful orgasm that sent her mind spiraling. Her fingers clawed into Olivia's back and were the only reason Olivia broke out of her ecstasy-fueled daze.

  "…" Olivia's lungs gasped for air and her lower body quivered as her mind came back to her. She kept licking her lips and swallowing despite having no spit in her mouth. "…?" Something, a warm tickling feeling, pulled her gaze down as she just barely managed to partially lift herself up. Her eyes watched as the ethereal tendrils that connected her to Lucina pulsed with orange light as if transferring something from her into Lucina's lower abdomen and with each pulse, Lucina's body quivered. The strange phenomenon lasted for a few seconds as the ritual completed and the tendrils started evaporating into thin air, but not before one final pulse was transferred carrying with it a tender green light.

  "…" Lucina's half-lidded eyes blankly stared up at the ceiling as she was still coming down from the high of her orgasm. But, noticing movement, her gaze shifted to Olivia and the two stared into the other's eyes in silence.

  "…Lu-!?" Before Olivia could speak, a semi-transparent pink square appeared in front of her vision. Olivia almost dismissed the square as an annoyance but froze when she read what it said.

  (Achievement Unlocked!)

  (Family Starter)

  (Even in the darkest of nights, having a home to return to makes it all worth it. Cherish those you hold close and they will do so in kind. Enjoy the sunrise as you're no longer alone.)

  (Conceive your first child with your married partner)

  "…" Tears started flowing down Olivia's face and splashing against Lucina's.

  "O-Olivia!" Lucina immediately fought through her groggy mind and forced herself awake. Even though her arms held no strength, Lucina managed to lift them and haphazardly try and wipe away Olivia's tears. "Wh-…What's-!?!"

  "Aha…haha~!" Laughter filled the air as Olivia lost her strength and fell back down onto Lucina.

  "…Olivia?" Still concerned, Lucina managed to roll over so she was side-by-side with Olivia on the bed and could look her in the eyes.

  "Ahahaha~," Olivia continued to laugh and smile.

  "Hey, Oli-!" Lucina was interrupted as Olivia gently started to affectionately stroke Lucina's cheek. "…?"

  "…Say," Olivia asked once she stopped laughing and could speak, "What…should their name be?"

  "…!" Realization dawned on Lucina as she figured out what happened. "You…saw?" Even though she was a firm believer in the gods and their magic, this was a ritual that she'd never heard of before Elise so there was still some skepticism in her heart. Did Olivia's strange 'system' tell her it worked?

  "If only it told me the gender, I could have a better idea about what their name could be," Olivia joked and brought her other hand down to start rubbing Lucina's stomach.

  "…" Lucina's own hand went down and rested on top of Olivia's as they both held her now pregnant stomach. A whirlwind of thoughts swept through Lucina's head as she was overcome with emotions. "If you're having trouble…then…" But one emotion won out over the others. "Let's go for twins!" Excitement.

  "…Pfft!" Olivia started laughing again at Lucina's absurd suggestion and rolled onto her back.

  "Why are you laughing?" Lucina pouted next to Olivia and started sulking.

  "That's not how having twins works," Olivia explained through her laughs and playfully rustled Lucina's hair.

  "And how would you know!?" Filled with a determination that somehow refueled her strength, Lucina got up and pinned Olivia to the bed. Her long brown hair draped over Olivia like a curtain of thorns and the light from the campfires desperately tried to break through the thick briar. "Your old life didn't have magic, so how do you know going again won't give us twins~?"

  "…" Olivia…had no answer to that. And even if she did try to find one, Lucina gave her no time to think before she came crashing down into a passionate kiss and renewed their night of passion. Laughter and pleasure-filled moans filled the air of the cool November night that marked the end of their first day of marriage. And, unfortunately for Lucina, Olivia would turn out to be correct in her remark about how having twins worked, but she wouldn't care. The only thing Lucina would think about would be how proud she is when, nine months later, she and Olivia would welcome their first child into the world.

  [Main Story End]

  Hellhounds of Providence to the end and I hope you enjoyed the ride! This is my first original work and I had a lot of fun writing it, though I still have lots of room for improvement as a writer. I'll work hard to make the next work I release better and hope you'll check it out when it releases after a long break as I have personal plans for the coming summer!

  Hellhounds' main story, I won't set the book as complete just yet as I plan on releasing a few side stories/epilogues. They'll be self-contained stories with no overarching narrative to them, but I still want to write them since I think they'll be fun. If you're interested then check back next week for the first side story which will feature the Felswore siblings, and if not, once again, thank you for taking the time to read Hellhounds of Providence!