Afterword - Book 2 - Chapter 64 (Patreon)

Chapter 64: War-Time Celebrations

(Original Chapter Title: War-Time Celebrations)

This chapter certainly has its ups and downs, doesn't it?

For all that Ranthia pretends she isn't bothered, being abandoned by Remus back when she was a War Ranger has undeniably left a lasting mark on her. Remera's situation is nowhere near as dire, but the dearth of support in the wake of the latest shimagu offensive dredged up her old terror and stress. And she (unsurprisingly) suffers for it.

Stress and depression can be an insidious combination. It can make minor interpersonal issues feel like attacks meant to hurt you—even when you know damn well the other person hadn't meant anything negative. Avyna's sense of humor—which Ranthia usually finds somewhere between enticing, endearing, and exasperating—instead fans the caustic flames of Ranthia's mood. It isn't like Remus understands the very concept of mental health, Ranthia just has enough self-awareness to know that something is wrong with her.

She assumes it's a weakness, but it isn't. And by Xaoc, I hope no reader thinks it is.

Mental health ailments flare up, much as certain physical ailments can. During a bright flare, it can be all-encompassing. But there can be good days too, sometimes you can even set it aside and all but forget about the problem.

Until it returns.

But this chapter isn't all gloom and frustration. Ranthia might have 'ruined' the pre-wedding party (okay, yes, she absolutely had it end on an awkward note, but things were otherwise fine), but the wedding itself went off without a hitch.

Designing marriage traditions was fun. We never really saw much of Remus' weddings in BtDEM, but one thing was important to me: I wanted every city in Remus to have its own traditions. Remember, few in Remus travel beyond the city of their birth, so the cultures of each major and/or long-lived city will be somewhat more insular than a more widely connected society. But Glorine and Gailla aren't from the same city, so I got to play around with different traditions.

Elaborately dyed tunics were expensive by the standards of the average Reman, but marriage stuff tended to go all out and be preserved for many generations. Ranthia's still used to the more muted and plain styles of the work-a-day or wandering sorts, so she finds them garish.

But this wasn't just any wedding, it was a Legion wedding. The base commander had his own sense of pomp, which focused on the achievements of the women within their own stations. The eight-pointed star of the bond that was woven out of the ribbons felt fitting, even if my attempts to sketch it came out spider-y (prompting Ranthia's aside, though I didn't think to save it; I really need to get better at saving random things I do for this story). One of my beta readers was alarmed at the bond being cut, but the physical bond was symbolic of the pledge the couple made to one another. A physical knot would be restrictive, but their pledge wasn't meant to restrain them—the marriage is intended to let them excel together. So the physical binding is cut, leaving them wearing the loose ribbons for the remainder of the ceremony.

I've shown throughout Blind Chaos that the adornments that denote a married couple vary by city. For Glorine and Gailla, they each designed and commissioned the bracelet her bride would wear. The designs are intentionally abstract, yet there are intended meanings—meanings meant only for the couple. This allows those without artistic talent or the ability to read to provide their spouse with something meaningful.

Anyhow, I'm pleased with how the wedding came out. I didn't want to belabor it, but I wanted to make it a sweet moment. The chapter as a whole has a LOT of character moments, both positive and negative (seriously, the base commander came off as such an ass in the wake of the funeral). And that's important, because Blind Chaos is a tale of living life and rolling with what comes.