BXBX NOVEL Chapter 172: Nervous.
Gadriel and Gabriel; her sisters, and then Renia, Ana'el, Sorath, and Ashera, the only male god who had been welcomed in her presence for the proceedings was Adonai, for hebwas the one who had painstakingly made her dress for her.
Directly at her left and right, Arla and Dina stood smiling at her reflection, and behind them was Eris and Sara.
"I am scared." Ikaris confessed, taking a deep breath and exhaling sharply in hitched breaths showcasing her nervousness. "Goodness, I am shaking!" She raised her hand and gazed at it with an anxious countenance. "What if I fumble and say the wrong thing while all of Arkadia is watching?"
The gods all wore a light sunshine yellow, the ladies, with Eris wore cropped sheath dresses that slightly frilled at their ankles and left their backs exposed above the corset, while their hair was traditionally braided and tucked neatly into itself like a flower and then their heads were adorned with crowns made of silver leaves and golden roses.
Adonai was also dressed like nobility, wearing a similar sunshine yellow suit of traditional Arkadian design with epolets of pure black and crests across his sleeves, buttoned on both sides and held together by weaved cords.
Dina and Arla wore Empire dresses as the bridesmaids; their hair had smaller braids that neatly folded around their heads and freely fell behind them, held together by small silver petals and golden flowers, and they looked like direct royalty with small silver tiaras atop their heads, completed with dresses which also pooled just at their ankles, like the gods their dresses were a shade of sunshine with golden strips travelling from their sides to their feet, creating definitive lines, along with gloves from their shoulders which ended in fingerless frills at their wrists held together with more golden stitches, and there was a slight glow to their attire which had been imbued with divine mana for that same effect.
"You will be great, Ikaris-" Dina stepped forward.
"What if he dislikes my dress?" Ikaris kept staring at herself.
"He will not." Adonai answered confidently in Dina's stead.
"What if he changes his mind and I am left standing before everyone, I have seen such a thing happen many times while I was on earth, humans often change their minds abruptly..." She clenched fists tightly.
"He is not human, Milady." Arla walked forward next holding her hand and opening her fingers with a smile at her. "Everything has progressed according to the planner's intent with both of your blessings, the only piece of this puzzle remaining is for you to go before him, as you are.
"I am a mess." Ikaris looked at Arla, smiling teary-eyed. "Arla, I love him so much I'm so happy, but what is this feeling invading my stomach, I am so nervous that I feel the urge to throw up, I am fighting my legs and my back from failing, what if I faint, what if I-"
"Hush now." Arla placed her finger across Ikaris's lips smiling. "These are all good signs, to walk into the ceremony with full confidence and a cool head as a bride shows a lack of passion, it is that same love you feel that is driving you crazy and making you feel funny."
"T-that makes no sense at all!" Ikaris argued, laughing nervously again.
"I'm sure he's just as nervous." Dina commented. "He might have an outgoing and confident personality in public, but I think we should all know by now that Master is quite the introvert, I guarantee he is going through something similar.
"Let me check-" Ikaris quickly raised her hand to open a system window but almost everyone snapped. "No!" at the same time, causing her to flinch and groan in annoyance.
"No seeing the groom until you are presented to him." Renia waved her fingers. "For the last ten days he has agonised countless times over seeing you, but he has kept his head, you have done no such thing and you have been preoccupied by myself purposefully because I knew you would try to peek at him, do not ruin all my efforts!" Renia balled her fists at her with a tick mark across her forehead.
"Wh... Huhh?" Ikaris lowered her hand and sighed again.
"It is time we dress you." Adonai spoke up. "Your holiness, Ikaris, please raise your arms and take a deep breath." He instructed her, and she did as told, sucking in a breath and closing her eyes, feeling the warmth of his magic encompass her from head to toe as she was transformed without moving a muscle.
"Goodness." Ikaris heard Gadriel whisper, and in a panic she opened her eyes ready to fling doubt at herself again, but froze in awe when she saw herself.
It was an A-line Dress that hugged and accentuated her curves, pushing up her bosoms with a chiffon velvet lace-up corset and another laced shoulder chiffon that pooled around her body on the floor, pure white almost blindingly so, the dress had golden flowers that formed a V down her torso stopping above her pelvis in small vines all slowly exuding golden mana in the form of glittering dust.
Unlike everyone else who's hair had been braided, Ikaris's velvety hair had been straightened, falling along her dress silkily and over her shoulders, revealing the glittering of galaxies she usually reserved, and although they had insisted, she had outright refused any kind of makeup on her face, and now looking at her the gods and mortals alike saw that their primordial needed no such measure because her beauty was already without description,
"Please remain still Holiness." Adonai waved his right hand daintily with a smile, and her lower dress was layered once more with another set of glowing silks and her head was adorned with an Arkadian jeweled halo, made entirely of diamonds complimenting her eyes as they draped around the sides of her head and rested atop her hair behind her as well, while a similar jewelled necklace appeared around her neck rested between her breasts in three layers of diamonds which shimmered from the glow of her dress itself.
Like Dina and Arla her arms were covered to the elbows by gloves, but they hid her fingers completely and were attached to the shoulder veil which rested on her back via the elbows.
"Ikaris, you look amazing..."