The Good Goblin

Kiyui and I got married three months ago. We would have got married sooner, but everybody was far too busy… what with the funerals, rebuilding the city, sorting out the farm, etc. The almost apocalypse was shockingly unhelpful for event planning. Plus, Smutisha did make a rather big deal of it. She said people needed a spectacle to raise spirits. She paid for it fortunately, because it was certainly way bigger than anything that we could afford.

The wedding itself was held at the gardens. Which was nice. It meant that both Cathy and Damecus could attend. Not to mention the sheer beauty of the place. It really is lovely, Svampe did a great job helping to restore it after all the damage. We got married in front of an arch of white flowers. I’m not sure of the names of all the flowers… I’m sure Damecus would know… my point is simply that the whole thing was wonderfully scenic.

Despite how much of a big deal was made of it, the actual ceremony was not overpopulated. I’m sure Smutisha would have had it otherwise, but I was quite insistent on that. The guestlist consisted of pretty much everybody that I mentioned before… minus Gentle. No way in hell was I inviting that awful woman.

In addition, we had some guests from Purressia. Kiyui’s father came. He walked Kiyui down the central passageway. I am aware that the expression is down the aisle… but it isn’t an isle… the isles are at the sides. Sorry to be pedantic. But words exist for a reason, and if you know the correct one then you should use it.

Speaking of Kiyui’s father… there was a bit of drama about that. Kiyui was really worried that he wouldn’t come… even though they have moved past a lot of their issues, he was still worried that expecting his dad to leave Purressia for the wedding would be a step too far. But his dad didn’t think twice and showed up with plenty of time to spare before the big day.

But then he refused to do the walk with Kiyui if Kiyui was going to wear “a fucking ridiculous dress.” I never saw the original wedding dress that Smutisha had had made. But Mr. Kintari said that it had way too much lace and didn’t suit Kiyui’s frame. Kiyui allowed him to alter it and I have to say… the dress that I saw on the day was actually really beautiful. It made him look so… delicate. Kiyui told me he was actually much happier with the dress after his dad altered it. He only accepted the one Smutisha provided because she was paying for everything. And to be fair to Smutisha, she complimented the alteration and said it looked much better. So, all was well in the end.

I know it doesn’t exactly sound very consequential, but Kiyui was really stressing about it all at the time. I say all this, there was plenty of drama around clothing at this wedding. Much like the lizardmen, at traditional Purressian weddings nobody wears any clothes at all. Much to Tadwick’s dismay, I managed to talk Kiyui out of that one. I’m not having everyone in the city staring at my naked body… nor do I have the desire to see theirs. Luckily Kiyui was quite easy to convince… he loves any excuse to dress up fancy.

The other Purressians in attendance were Shu and Shai, Shai’s wife Saki, as well as Reisuke and Sven. It was their first time in a city other than Purressia, so it was very strange for them. They seemed to enjoy the experience though.

Shu actually officiated at the ceremony… for the Gaian faith stuff anyway. Smutisha officiated the legal side of things. Even after all this time, I still don’t know much about the Gaian faith. Just the odd bits and bobs that I have picked up from Kiyui over the years… such as the eagle of fire bringing life to the world. And the main reason I know that story is because of his necklace. It was nice to have elements of his faith incorporated into the ceremony. I may not know much about it, but his faith is important to him and it made him happy. And seeing him happy just makes me smile.

I’m pretty sure that Shu slept with Farrow after the reception. I could smell her all over him the next day. The two of them keep things to themselves, so I don’t think it is public knowledge. Although Kiyui did tell me that the two of them have been exchanging letters over the past few months, so who knows… maybe things will develop. If not, then they at least seem to be remaining friends.

The wedding itself was the most amazing day of my life. It is a memory that I will treasure forever. Not just because of the moments between me and Kiyui. Although, obviously that is a massive part of it. But because I felt so loved, not just by him, but by my family and friends. They were all so supportive and happy.

Obviously, it was very different to my dream all those years ago. There were no giant deformed drakes for a start. Nor was my dad officiating. I like to think he was there in spirit… with my mum… and even Lucas.

You know… I really never thought that I would miss Lucas as much as I do. Well… in all honesty, I never thought I would need to. I always assumed that I would die before him… what with me aging faster. But he made my mum so happy and he was truly great with the kids. I didn’t appreciate him enough when he was alive, but he was actually a really good stepdad. He truly stepped up for my family… and I really wish that I had told him that when he was alive.

I also wish that my mum was able to see my wedding. It felt kind of wrong doing such a big event without her. She’d seen me through so many major events in my life. Always helped and looked out for me. She saw my feelings for Kiyui before I did. Wherever she is now… whatever happens after death… I hope that she is looking down on me and that she got to witness my wedding. I hope she got to see all the boys that she raised being so amazing.

By that last statement, I don’t mean me. I mean my boys. She is the one who raised them really, she got them through the rough patches, taught them to read and write… taught them how to work the farm. And I think they did her proud on that day. Svampe was my best man. Tadwick and Alexi were ring bearers. And Tadwick actually managed to stand still for most of the ceremony… which is a minor miracle. They looked so smart and dignified.

Olly and Dolly were Kiyui’s best men and Henry was the flower boy. I know that Henry in particular is a bit of a new addition. But Olly and Dolly feel like family at this point. So, by extension, Henry is part of the family now. Nomius is also a very clear part of the family, but his main job at the wedding was keeping an eye on Henry. To be fair to Henry, he did behave himself, but you can never be too sure with that child.

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Nomius and Henry actually caught and prepared most of the meat for the wedding dinner. Obviously, as I mentioned earlier, getting the livestock levels back up has been difficult for all of the farmers in the area. We weren’t, in fact we still aren’t, in a position to slaughter loads of them for elaborate banquets. So, most meat that people are eating at the moment is wild game… ya know… things like pheasant. Which they managed to catch a fair few of. They also caught a duck and two geese. The duck course was hoisin… which I felt was oddly appropriate.

I never found out where Clive went for his last couple of days. After he left Kiyui and I in that room, he just disappeared. I’m pretty sure Carter knows what happened. But he isn’t saying anything. Oh right… I never mentioned Carter before. He’s married with a kid now. He’s joined an adventuring party and seems to have just resumed a perfectly normal life. Which I find weird. He spent his entire life dedicated to Clive and Clive’s visions. He helped Clive to ensure everything came to pass. And now that it’s all over and Clive is gone… he’s just gone and cracked on with life… as if that’s what he has always done. It baffles me to no end.

Anyway… sorry for the detour. The other courses at the wedding… right, we had roast pheasant with apples, onions, celery, sage, and cabbage. Served with a side of mashed potatoes.

We also had pheasant pot-pie which contained onions, carrots, peas, pimientos, parsley, and garlic. Which I have to say was absolutely amazing. Damecus made it… I’m sure there was other stuff in there that I am unaware of… but honestly… it was mouth-wateringly good.

The geese were simply roasted and served with a range of vegetables. We had plenty of vegetables, what with Svampe boosting the growth of all the greenery on the farms.

For desert we had sticky toffee pudding… because honestly… it is a desert sent straight from the gods. I love a good sticky toffee pudding and by the gods did Smutisha’s caterers deliver on that.

The speeches went well. I kept mine as short as possible because public speaking terrifies me. I kept it to the essentials. How important Kiyui is to me. How essential our family is to my life. How amazing he is as a person, how beautiful he is, both inside and out. I phrased it better than that, but you know, I’m trying to summarise here.

Kiyui’s was so unbelievably sweet that it made me blush. Smutisha gave a speech… because… well… she’s a public speaker and to be honest, her speech went down very well with the audience. It was very flattering and had plenty of humour… which is something my speech was definitely lacking. Kiyui’s dad gave a very emotional speech about how pleased he was to be reunited with his son and how much it meant to him to be a part of his big day… which had Kiyui crying. But like… happy crying. I am honestly so glad that him and his dad have got past their… past… and started to bond again.

Smutisha arranged for us to stay in a very fancy inn for the evening of the wedding night. The bed was shaped like a heart and everything. It all seemed very elaborate and unnecessary. Especially given how drunk we were by the time we got to the inn. I genuinely struggle to remember the latter end of the evening. But that is probably for the best. You have heard more than enough about my sex life over the years. You don’t need to hear about me drunkenly attempting such things.

It was nice waking up in a quiet, peaceful, and beautiful room with no kids interrupting or arguing in the morning. I absolutely love Tadwick… but on the few occasions when I have been hungover, his morning enthusiasm has definitely not been helpful.

The final wedding related thing that I’ll mention is Rosario and Wynrun’s gift to us. They commissioned an oil painter to do a painting of our family. I don’t know if you know much about oil paintings… but they take forever. Which is where Wynrun comes in. He has made these magical animatronic golem things. So, you pose for the picture, they set the golem to your exact position, cast the spell and the golem will mimic your appearance. It means you don’t have to pose for several days.

Now… originally it was just going to be me, Kiyui, and the kids. But then Tadwick insisted Nomius be in it because he’s family too. Then Alexi pointed out that Olly, Dolly, and Henry are part of Nomius’ family and thus should also be included. Then Tadwick wanted “Grandad Kitty” in it as well. So Kiyui’s dad was then dragged into it. So, it went from being a painting of five people to ten. So, it is quite large.

The painter told us to just wear whatever we felt comfortable in because it can take time to set up the golems and cast the spells. So naturally Tadwick wore nothing but his hat. Obviously, I had him positioned to obscure certain things. I am not having his penis staring back at me every time I look at our family portrait. I may be a lot more comfortable with nudity these days, but I draw the line at forcing some poor artist to spend fuck knows how long doing an oil painting of that.

Kiyui wore his wedding dress because he was very proud of it. Olly actually wore something much more modest than I was expecting. Kiyui said it was because he didn’t want his scars to be in the painting. Apparently, he isn’t a big fan of strangers seeing them. Dolly wore a matching outfit to Olly… I think it’s still habit for them to dress the same. Even though they have given up the twins routine since they stopped being prostitutes.

Nomius just wore his usual outfit. He doesn’t really change his look much. I do like that he still wears that hat to match Tadwick though. Svampe wore his big hooded robe… but he had the hood down at least. Alexi wore one of his ruffled shirts. Even when he is being casual, he looks formal. He’s terribly cute.

Henry was initially dressed like a normal child. He may be a psychopath, but at least his tastes in clothing are normal. Just a shirt and shorts. Simple and easy. Until he saw Tadwick that is. Tadwick… as well as being naked… decided to bring a throwing axe to pose with. So obviously when Henry found out about that he also wanted to be naked… and bring a knife. Obviously, he also had to be strategically positioned. So, he is behind Alexi and in front of Tadwick. The two of them are sticking their tongues out, looking ridiculous, and posing with their weapons. At least they look like they’re having fun.

Mr. Kintari wore the suit that he wore to the wedding. He wanted to look smart. And since Kiyui was wearing his wedding dress, I figured that I should wear my wedding suit as well. That way at least some of us match.

It took a good few weeks for the painting to be finished and sent to us. We really do look like a weird and mismatched bunch. But I like it. Kiyui and I are in the centre, facing each other. And everybody else is kind of circled around us, with the taller people at the back and the kids sat in front.

It is actually my favourite gift that I have ever received. Not being in the high financial bracket means we don’t get paintings of each other made normally. But looking at it… it is such a wonderful way of solidifying a memory. When I am long dead, the boys can look at this and remember back when we were all a family. No matter what paths everyone takes. No matter where we all end up. This painting will remind everybody that we are, and always will be, a family.