The wedding of the prince of Zhongshu and the second princess of Longuo, Ainuan, took place a couple days later. The day before, Long He had disappeared and when he had returned the sun had already set. He had handed Yuelan a bundle carefully wrapped in paper and smelling of cedar. Inside the folds of the paper was a set of exquisite robes made of white silk embroidered with symbols of silver thread and one large, five-toed, horned dragon covering the back. Silver brocade ribbon lined the hems and the dress and inner robes were made of the same silver brocade and white ribbons. The dragon had explained that they were robes for the dragon priestess and they were intended for formal occasions. Yuelan put these robes on when she got up in the morning and started preparing to attend the wedding. Willow and Camphor worked hard on coming up with a hairstyle that suited the robes and eventually decided on a simple one: a bun held with a single, dragon-shaped hairpin made of blue jade.

Guangfeng was waiting outside Yuelan’s courtyard when she walked out and he stared at her for a bit before he smiled and saluted her. “Priestess. You look beautiful.”

“Thank you.” Yuelan smiled back at him. “Did the palace send the carriage for me like they said they would?”

Her fiance nodded. “It’s waiting just outside. Long He and Byakko are already waiting there as well. Byakko seems a bit grumpy that you’re going to take a carriage, though.”

“If I ride on his back I’ll get his fur on these robes,” Yuelan sighed. “I can’t attend a wedding in a formal capacity covered in fur. I’ll look ridiculous.”

Guangfeng chuckled. “The carriage is a way for them to show you respect as well. I’ll see you after the wedding. I need to stay here to send my sister off properly.” He smiled at her and escorted her to the gates of the posthouse.

Yuelan smiled at Guangfeng and stepped into the carriage with Long He’s assistance. The dragon was in a smaller version of his natural form and the white tiger was his full-sized tiger self. They took up positions on either side of the carriage and followed it toward the palace. The horses pulling the carriage rolled their eyes and snorted, frightened by the two predators on either side of them, and the driver had a difficult time keeping them under control.

When the carriage arrived at the palace Zhongshu’s emperor was waiting to greet Yuelan himself. He gave her a slight bow and helped her down from the carriage as everyone around got down on their knees.

“Priestess. We appreciate you agreeing to bestow your blessing on our son’s marriage,” the emperor said politely.

“I just happened to come for other responsibilities. I don’t mind bestowing my blessing before I leave,” Yuelan replied. Politics indicated that in order for her to maintain the status of the dragon priestess she needed to pretend that she hadn’t set out from Longuo with the original intention of attending the wedding. Fortunately, there had been other responsibilities for her to take care of while she was in Zhongshu’s capital, so it wasn’t exactly a lie.

Yuelan followed Zhongshu’s emperor through the palace to the location where the wedding was to take place and took the seat he offered her that had been placed beside his throne. As she sat down, Yuelan smoothed the robes she was wearing then folded her hands together in her lap and sat up with a straight back and her head held high.

It took almost two hours for the bride and groom to make their way into the hall and Yuelan sat quietly and calmly through the wait and the ceremony. At the end she stood and stepped down from the raised dias where the emperor’s throne and her chair had been placed. Her steps were measured and slow and didn’t make a sound on the dark, stone floor. Byakko and Long He went with her, one on each side, and the trio stopped right in front of the bride and groom.

In one of his front claws, Long He held a bowl filled with water. Yuelan dipped two fingers into it and brushed them across first the bride’s and then the groom’s foreheads in swift, gentle strokes. Her voice was soft, but still carried to every ear in the large hall. “I grant you the blessings of long lives and good health. May you have peace and harmony in your home and your marriage.” She put her fingertips on both hands together and bowed her head, then turned and went back to her seat. Byakko stretched out and settled himself on the ground just in front of her chair while Long He coiled himself around her chair. Yuelan leaned back against the seat and crossed her legs, one arm resting on the chair and supporting her head as she watched the wedding banquet begin.

This time, Yuelan did not sit at a table and eat. People didn’t approach her and instead stopped a bit away from Byakko to bow to her and then the emperor as they passed by to greet others. The banquet continued for several hours before Yuelan could leave without making it seem like she had an issue with Zhongshu or an objection to the wedding. Once she was free she left the palace and rode on Long He’s back to return to the posthouse where Guangfeng was waiting for her.