Luke had his mouth open to protest but any words that could've formed then were instantly wiped out by the sound of trumpets blaring from the entrance of the hall. August had already turned to look just like the dozens of others that dropped whatever they were doing. Several servants and maids had already chauffeured the nobles and middle-class men out from the red carpet, instantly clearing the way for the royal families to parade in.

Ascoth's personal elite knights were the first to enter, lining up along the red carpet with enough space between each and all standing at attention with their spears pointing upward towards the ceiling. Unlike the guards lining the balconies, these guards were fully armored, each with their own tailored suits and helms, which Luke had never seen until now. No doubt they were asked to dress for the occasion.

The trumpets in the background had dissipated away and the steward had reappeared, this time with no guest book on hand and his face seeming beaming with new found vitality. He spread his arms wide and spoke with a voice that filled the hall.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you His Majesty King William Ascoth and his royal entourage!"

The hall became alive with noise. All eight of the knights thrust their fists against their chest plates with practiced synchronization and immediately fell to one knee, bowing low with one hand keeping the spear upright. No sooner had they settled into their bowed position had the king himself moved across the upper landing.

Applause filled the hall which Luke even contributed too. King Ascoth had Queen Isabel by her arm and both looked absolutely stunning. The queen's dress shimmered with magic with each step she took, giving off illusions of flower pedals and butterflies that fluttered from the cloth. Her hair had all kinds of feathers and ornaments doubling the volume of her head. But it could be said that the queen was an accessory to King Ascoth, who was the only person in the entire hall that was more brilliant than she. He was dressed in a half suit of armor that also revealed the laced mythril chainmail underneath as well as his own silken robes. A sword hung at his hip that needed no ceremonial dressings. The enchanted blade gave off a soft silver aura imbued with runes that probably had no use except to distract an opponent's eye. The king was already tugging at one of the plates of his chest plate. Though obviously irritated, his smile was so finely sculpted that none could tell just by looking.

Despite the grandiosity of the king and queen's dress, the only person that Luke was interested in was the person who came last. Lady Vivianne Heravera. She wasn't even related to the royal family and yet it looked as if she belonged no where else. Of course she didn't look nearly as splendid as Queen Isabel, but she was a beauty of her own accord. Her hair was golden with matching brown eyes. Fair skin. Soft features. The definition of alluring. What irked Luke the most was the head sitting on her shoulders. How someone could be blessed with such intelligence too! God's gift came in spades for her. Just looking at her sent a feeling of frustration rolling through Luke which he was sure wouldn't leave him for the rest of the night.

The royal family had moved past the crowds and up a platform to settle into their own seats. The king and queen took the center and the rest retired to the seats placed behind. Several more thrones were set up too, probably made for Griswold's Vilenthrope and Pelta Lunata's Lannister royalties.

Griswold was the first to make entrance as it was always customary to have the groom's family enter first, as one formality or another dictated. It was incredibly tedious having to watch everyone slowly move across the floor, always one man and one woman, always moving in beat with the trumpets playing, which was an aggravatingly slow pace. Though Luke wouldn't dare say it aloud, he really couldn't care about the families moving in now. He only wanted the affair to be over with so he could have a proper conversation with this Zachariah fellow. One where snotty nobles couldn't stick their pompous noses in.

Griswold's king and queen had moved to the platform while the relatives had ascended a staircase winding up towards an empty tier on the left. Pelta Lunata followed soon after, taking the tier on the right. Only when the floor had been cleared of royalty had the knights risen back to their feet, a motion that reminded Luke that they were even there, and swiftly took their place along the platform. Luke couldn't help but notice that, despite wearing dressed suits of armor, their spears weren't exactly up to par. They were well cleaned but simply lacked the luster and, well to put bluntly, superfluous attachments that were present in just about everywhere in the room. They looked like spears ready to be used. And while Luke couldn't see their eyes, he was sure they were watching the crowd like a hawk, probably ready to spring once the slightest suspicious action was made.

King Ascoth rose from his seat, moving his hand to silence the already silent crowd. Another formality. Luke heaved an inward sigh. For royalty, tradition and customs must've been sown into their flesh.

"Lords and Ladies and all the good people of Griswold and Pelta Lunata, we bid you all a gracious welcome to the lands of Hagar. Though we are no stranger to Griswold and Pelta Lunata, we are all deeply humbled by your presence. Especially my lords Siegfried Vilenthrope and Vesper Lannister, we hope Hagar has been up to your expectations. But please, we have kept the kind people standing far too long! Sit! Sit!"

It hadn't even occurred to Luke that chairs were produced and set behind everyone in the crowd. The servants and maids worked incredibly fast. He hadn't even noticed anyone moving behind him with a chair, much less an entire stack of them. The entire crowd lowered at the same time like it were practiced for this occasion and Luke, feeling rather silly at being the only one standing, quickly sat down. Some how, the maids had managed to arrange the chairs to have everyone form into orderly lines and rows.

"On this day, many years ago, the good nations of Griswold and Pelta Lunata raised their war banners and trumpets and clashed weapons. Lives have been lost, our precious land stained with the blood of our ancestors, and for what reason? To unite the land as one? Both our goals have been the same and yet we find ourselves face to face, fighting brethren, where in any other occasion we would have held hands to protect the ones we love, upholding peace as one, sacrificing honor for duty!"

A wave of nodding heads rippled through the crowd, one where Luke could only cross his arms and frown at. Was he the only one that noticed the good king using 'our' in referencing a battle that Hagar never really took place in? And the last statement didn't make too much sense. Still, charm was the man's greatest ally and people paid attention to his powerful voice rather than what his words really meant.

"But today we gather for quite a different reason. Today, we hope to establish this dark day as the end of war and suffering! We lay down our weapons and instead join hands to walk down the path of harmony! Today, we behold the glorious union of noble Prince Kristopher Vilenthrope of Griswold and fair Princess Hilde Lannister of Pelta Lunata, and above all, open the doors towards a future that marks today as the beginnings of peace! The start of a new era! The first note in a symphony of perfect unity and harmony!"

At this point Luke couldn't help but let out a groan. Why couldn't the man just get on with it? Thankfully, another trumpet solo dampened any noise Luke made and all eyes were directed towards the back, up the staircase and towards the double doors that were thrust open.

"I bid you all to lay eyes on the future king and queen of Griswold!"

The room immediately erupted into a thunderous applause as the bride and groom passed through the doors. Princess Hilde was dressed in a luxurious white gown that seemingly consumed her legs and made her appear as if gliding over the red carpeted floors. Her hair was blonde, almost white and nearly disappeared into the shade of her veil. Her skin was tanned, as most women of the ocean nation were, and her hands covered in elbow length lace gloves. Prince Kristopher, on the other hand, was fair skinned, as most men of the mountainous nation were, and dressed in military robes, sword at hip, lapels, the entire works minus the heavy armor traditional to Griswold. He was black-haired and had a face that was more effeminate than the ideal husband. No doubt his dress was made to compensate for his looks.

The bride held out her hand where the groom took it, released for a second to readjust his grip, as if unsure about how to hold a woman's hand before giving up the hand-holding all together and settling with locking arms. The bride gave the Prince a half smile but their eyes didn't meet for longer than a second before the Prince began to lead the Princess down the stairs. Brides maids trailed behind as flower girls spiraled ahead, tossing pedals into the air that multiplied after being thrown to shower the newlyweds as they descending the stairs.

Luke trailed them for a second before his eyes crossed August, who was apparently sitting behind him. August caught Luke's gaze and gave him a small grin. Luke nodded to the man before quickly looking away. It hadn't even occurred to Luke that he didn't know anything about August, despite the man knowing plenty about him. He didn't even know what nation the man was from. All the people at the wedding were either foreigners from Griswold or Pelta Lunata or natives of Hagar.

The bride and groom had already walked up to the platform where they were greeted by the High Priest when it struck Luke that the man's motives were all but clear. Lifting a piece of land into the air would be incredibly useful, both in harvesting the energy in the sky as well as aerial advantage over other nations. Imagine lifting an entire army into the air, disguised by the clouds, moving into enemy territory. Or shipping weapons from one nation to another without notice from the authorities. It's creation would mark a new chapter in the scientific and military community, a new chapter for Hagar if Luke could pull through with it (which he will, no doubt) but what good would it do for August? It was already said that he had no interest in publicity, otherwise he would've just gone straight to Heravera when Luke suggested it, so financial gain? No, the man didn't look interested in the money. Only in accomplishing the task itself.

As an act of charity? Luke almost laughed at the thought. Hardly anyone every did anything as an act of charity anymore. Most did it to gain recognition with the public, to better their image, but August didn't care about highlighting his name. Not to mention he said he was thinking about this for a long time. He was planning something, that much Luke knew. What did he want a giant land mass in the sky for?

A roar of cheers rose around him. By the time Luke looked up, the bride and groom were withdrawing from what Luke imagined to be an awkward kiss, and then Luke noticed he wasn't clapping with the rest of the crowd and quickly joined in.

The two newlyweds turned away from each other and faced the crowd, one hand holding their betrothed, the other waving at the crowd. It seemed they spent the majority of the time looking out at their to-be subjects rather than looking at each other. In some ways, that was a good thing, but Luke was sure they were avoiding eye contact for a much different reason than new-found love for their people.

King Ascoth's voice boomed across the hall, joining in with the cheers of the crowd. "With this we welcome the creation of a new world order! No longer restrained by war are we! No longer shall we bow our heads to the impulse to fight that dwells in all of us! We are powered by love now! With love we teach our children! With love we hold our beloved! Like the new King Vilenthrope and Queen Hilde, we shall sing about peace and harmony! And what better way to celebrate this glorious moment but with a feast!"