The great St. Peter's Cathedral was silent, the air heavy with the scent of a thousand white lilies and old, hallowed stone. Sunlight, fractured into a rainbow of colors, streamed through the magnificent stained-glass windows, painting the faces of the assembled nobility in jeweled tones. The pews were filled with the most powerful and influential people in the entire kingdom of Albion, all of them waiting with hushed anticipation.
The priest stood before the grand altar, his voice echoing in the vast, vaulted space. "Dearly beloved," he began, his words formal and traditional, "we are gathered here today in the sight of God, and in the face of this company, to join together this Man and this Woman in holy Matrimony…"
