Quick Click: The First Date - The Engagement - Wedding Invitation - The Wedding - The Roleplay Story
Mimi and I met over the Internet. I had placed an ad on Yahoo personals, something to the effect of "If you like to dance, try new things, play games, cuddle, etc. then I'm your man." Mimi's first sentence in her response was "Can I keep you?"
Our first date was the day before Thanksgiving in 2000. We met for dinner at Texas Land and Cattle on 290 and IH-35 in Austin, a wonderful steakhouse that we both enjoy. She was immediately impressed by the red rose that I gave to her before dinner. I was initially impressed with her wonderfully warm smile After dinner, we went to play pool. I smeared her at pool and in return she smeared me at air hockey. The evening ended with a kiss but started a blooming relationship.
Mimi and I met my friend Lori and her husband Eddie for my birthday on February 28, 2002 at Oishi Sushi House, my favorite restaurant at the time. I had talked Mimi into dressing up nice because it was my 30th birthday and I was having Eddie take pictures because it was a momentous occasion for me to turn 30 *wink wink*. Mimi was not expecting anything because recently, when she had asked how our relationship was going, my answer was "so-so" (on purpose, of course).
After we ate dinner and I opened my birthday gifts, I went looking for dessert. Mimi expected me to return with the usual sweet fruit that Oishi serves, but I returned with fortune cookies in my hand, explaining that Oishi keeps them in the back for birthdays. Lori, Eddie, and I had normal fortune cookies but Mimi's fortune cookie contained a fortune, which looked like all the rest, that read "When he asks you the question, be sure to say 'yes'." People are still asking me how I got that particular fortune into the cookie. *grin*
Mimi laughed and showed the cookie around, stating how coincidental the fortune was, not knowing at the time how appropriate it REALLY was. When she turned to me to show me the fortune, I got down on my knees with the ring placed between my lips and asked, in American Sign Language (a hobby of ours) "Will you marry me?" Mimi answered "Yes" with what has to be the biggest smile I've ever seen on her. Eddie was taking pictures of the event since he "just happened" to have his camera there. The ring went onto Mimi's finger and the engagement was official.
Mimi and Andy were legally married on October 31 because Halloween is our favorite holiday and we wanted to have a memorable anniversary date. It won't be easy for us to forget our anniversary. Halloween fell on a Friday that year, so we held the wedding on November 1, 2003, because it's nearly impossible to have a wedding on a Friday and we wanted our friends and family to share in our happiness.
The wedding at The Texas Renaissance Festival was wonderful. We got the full wedding package, so that Mimi would receive the royal treatment, and we were pleased with the results. The weather was perfect (considering the location), the wedding went off without a hitch, the reception was enjoyable, and our guests brought joy to our hearts. We have photos but they aren't digital yet so I can't post them.
Andy and Mimi wrote a fictional story, in a medieval setting, about the meeting and betrothal of Sir Andy and Lady Mimi. It was just a bit of fun to set the mood for a Renaissance wedding, and we sent the story to the wedding guests in three parts.
PART I
This would be a good day for a hunt, thought Sir Andy as he stood in the green grasslands behind Wellington Manor. The sky radiated an iridescent blue, decorated with patches of woolen clouds that rolled slowly in the crisp autumn breeze. The sounds of hunting dogs punched through the din of gossip and laughter emanating from the crowd of nobles and lackeys that awaited the beginning of the hunt.
The large, old manor of strong oak beams and white maple trim stood as a castle in an otherwise undeveloped countryside. The front of the manor opened to rows of towering coniferous trees that created a corridor to the main road leading through Travis County. A large, well-kept lawn surrounded the manor. Less then five hundred paces from the back of the house grew a wall of various trees and brush that stretched to either side as far as the eye could see. Through this dense line of vegetation, the hunters would enter the wild forest and attempt to bag a smorgasbord of delectable trophies ranging from deer to boar to partridge.
Sir Andy scanned the crowd to gauge his competition. His dogs were not as well bred as those of Lord Geoffrey and his experience at hunting could not touch the sixty-three years of pelt collecting by the venerable Duke Barrington of Chester. Another chap, dressed in gaudy green pantaloons and yellow jerkin, would not be a problem. If his skill at hunting were as infamous as his ego, he would have the heads of ten dragons mounted on the walls of his dining hall. As it was, he had little more than a twelve point stag and a black bear runt to show for his talk of grandeur and marksmanship. Andy felt that he could best the majority of the nobles who stood present this fine day.
Many of the faces in the crowd were unknown to Andy and he did not find any of them worthy of note. That is, until he came to the face of one lady who caught his eye like the taste of a fine wine whose quality could only be fully appreciated by a connoisseur of the most notable authority. She wore a contagiously happy smile and her eyes caressed the crowd with a soft touch of confidence and curiosity.
Andy decided he had to meet this interesting lady at once and excused himself from his dogs and retainers to mill through the crowd in her general direction. When he reached within ten paces of her, he noticed that she had spotted his approach and immediately feigned disinterest in him. She smoothed down the folds of her dark blue velvet formal dress, flattening the lace that traveled from the ground to the top of her bodice as if it would not be proper for a lady to look even the least bit disheveled, even at an outdoor event.
The lady's game of indifference reached its conclusion when Andy offered his hand and announced, "I am Sir Andy of Greenridge. I would consider it an honor and a privilege should the lady feel generous enough to identify herself."
The lady intended on toying with the young knight, hoping to hear him stumble over his own words as he naively attempted to grace her with the blessing of his presence. What she did not expect was the knight's confident, friendly smile and the poetic tempo at which he spoke his opening line, as unimaginative as it was. The lady decided that playing coy was an old game and that shocking the youth with her wit would be much more fun. Her answer to his inquiry of her identity was a simple, "I am the deer."
Andy was taken by surprise at the unexpected turn that the conversation had taken. He would not be daunted by the mysterious answer to his question and, in point of fact, the challenge to solve the lady's enigmatic response piqued his interest. After taking a few seconds longer than he would have liked to develop a reply, Sir Andy spoke, "I have found my quarry and the hunt is over."
Not to be outdone by the likes of this upstart knight, the lady retorted, "I have been chased down by a dog." She crossed her arms and jerked her head away from Andy, looking towards the manor as if to avoid soiling her innocence with the likes of an aggressive hunting animal.
Andy winced at the obvious jab. His reply had to regain his honor without spoiling hers. "I am not the dog but its master, eager to claim the prize."
The lady turned her gaze back to meet his. She put just enough hint of anger in her voice to appear offended but not dishonored, "Am I to be your trophy?"
Andy at once surmised that this was not a woman to be "owned". She was independent and did not need a man to live out her life. True, a good man would make her whole, her soul complete, but she would not stand one step lower than any man in the grand staircase of life. Andy nodded appreciatively at her honest rebuttal while thinking of an adequate response. He scoured the deep recesses of his brain until he had constructed a worthwhile reply, "I am not a hunter of trophies but a master of the woods. I am the stag, wearing a rack of honor upon my head, and I will challenge any buck for the chance to stand neck to neck with the mistress of the woods, the dearest of all deer." Andy spun the tale gracefully, his tenor voice lilting with a bard's skill.
The knight waited for a response until he noticed a warm smile spread across her lips. The first challenge was over, but the game not yet won. "I am Lady Mimi and I am pleased to meet a man of your mental caliber." She stressed mental in a way that made obvious the need for Andy to prove his physical prowess. She would not marry a man who could wrestle a lion but not quote poetry, nor would she marry a man who could paint her likeness in words yet fall prey to the attack of a vicious groundhog.
"I hope to see you again at this evening's festivities, m'lady. It would be my honor to have your hand in a dance." Andy did his best to appear dashing and gentlemanly.
Mimi answered back, "I would not have wasted another breath on you if you had not asked for a dance. And I imagine that we will enjoy a quiet conversation? Maybe even *wink* a stroll around the grounds with you as my escort?"
She was both intelligent and fun. At the thought of dancing, he could see her bouncing slightly on her toes with a hidden energy the likes of which could set the night ablaze with the light of day. Though not as rich as the Countess of Glenshire or as beautiful as the Countess Karina of Russia, whose looks could be compared to one of many goddesses in Roman or Greek legend, the Lady Mimi was everything that Andy desired, the spark of life that could recreate the garden of Eden anew.
In a challenging voice, Mimi warned, "See the man over there staring daggers of ice in your direction?" Indeed, one of the hunters, the powerful Baron Niklas of Germany, was eyeing Andy as wickedly as if they had been enemies for a lifetime. "The baron believes himself to be my suitor and fully intends to take me as his wife. Should you entertain the thought of sharing my company tonight, you may very well face his wrath."
"Any buck, any time. I am not concerned about his type." That was not entirely true, but he had to show a good face for the Lady Mimi. Andy smiled confidently at Mimi and looked back to Baron Niklas. The middle-aged German was over six feet tall with broad shoulders and a bushy mane of black hair. His green eyes maintained a steady gaze on the knight even as the horn blew to announce the start of the hunt. Other hunters moved off towards the woods with excitement running through their veins. The baron, on the other hand, stood as still as a dead stone slab, a scowl showing through his full black beard and mustache. He slowly drew his sword, checked the sharpness of its exquisite blade, and looked back at Andy with the devil's visage. He then replaced the sword in its sheath and began towards the woods, intent on killing more than any of his competitors. Andy knew that this foe was as dangerous as any he would ever face.
PART II
The post-hunt ball was held in the large dance hall of Wellington Manor. Two stone fireplaces, large enough for a grown man to stand in without hitting his head on the top, warmed both ends of the long room. Men and women, all nobles, paraded around the hardwood floor dressed in their finest clothing. Some of the guests danced to music provided by a quintet of musicians who took up a small corner of the room. The majority of people milled around talking with each other or lounged at the tables while gorging themselves on all manner of meats, fruits, and drinks that were carried around by distinctly dressed servants.
Sir Andy arrived in formal dress, his long black and red tabard fit regally over his cloud-white shirt. Black velvet pants flowed like water into tall black leather boots. The sword by his side was more ornamental than utilitarian but the blade was sharp enough to provide adequate defense.
The knight waded through the dense crowd until he saw her ... Lady Mimi, dancing with some foppish clown that fancied himself the height of fashion in his fluffy, feather-adorned clothing. Mimi's dress consisted of a red lace material over a black undercoat. Gold thread weaved about the red lace like light scintillating off of a dark pond. Andy waited for the waltz to end and then approached Mimi with his hand outstretched.
"M'lady," Andy declared, "You are as graceful as a deer and as magnificent as the magical forest itself."
Mimi blushed appropriately, and smiled as she offered her hand to be kissed by her knight errant. With resignation in her voice, she playfully replied, "I guess you've come to claim your dance with me."
"Aye, m'lady, that I have." Andy led her to the middle of the room where the dancers prepared for the upcoming Strathspey. The music began and, as the romantic couple began the opening rondel, they looked into each other's eyes and bathed in the warm feelings each had for the other. Through the entire dance, Andy and Mimi could not take their eyes off of each other.
At the end of the Strathspey, after performing a deep and rather characteristic bow, Andy suggested, "Shall we take a walk?"
"It would be my pleasure," replied Mimi as she took her knight's arm and allowed herself to be led out of the dance hall. Wellington Manor was decorated with paintings, and displays of arms and armor, on both walls of every hallway. The adventurous couple passed several people who were wandering into smaller rooms for more intimate conversations.
Andy and Mimi noted the paintings of hunters tracking their prey, and warriors clashing in the midst of battle, as they walked about the first floor but they did not notice the green eyes of a hawk following them on their journey. They did not notice the large dark figure of a nobleman and his companion following carefully behind them so as not to attract any attention to them. Andy and Mimi rounded the far corner of the house and began to head up the stairs to the second floor of the manor where they assumed no guests would care to venture.
The second floor was decorated much the same as the first but contained no guests, most of whom would have probably exhausted themselves trying to climb the flight of stairs in their weighty formal garb. The flirtatious couple strode calmly down the empty hall exchanging sweet nothings and even daring to hold each other's hands.
"You are even more beautiful than I remember. I long to touch the skin on your cheek and gently caress your lips, as red as sweet cherries."
Mimi absorbed the compliments as she would absorb the warmth of a bright spring sun. "And you, my brave knight, are poetry to my ears." They shared a laugh and appraised a painting of a large black bear standing on two hind legs as it towered over a hunter who looked prepared to take down the bear though he was only half the size of the great beast.
A deep voice, filled with bravado, carried ominously down to the couple from the end of the hallway, "Scoundrel, thou shalt leave the lady and be gone or thou shalt feel the fine edge of my sword." The two romantics looked up in surprise to see Baron Niklas standing as a titan at the edge of the stairs with his hand on a large jewel-encrusted sword hilt. Beside the German noble stood a thin, blond man of medium stature who wore a blue ruffled shirt and black jerkin. The second man's sword appeared to be that of an experienced soldier.
"I shall defend her honor with my blade," Sir Andy returned. "Be a gentleman and let's not make a scene in this fine house."
With a pre-established nod from Baron Niklas, the soldier drew his sword and marched towards Andy. Mimi backed up against the wall to get out of the way, hoping to see her knight fight bravely on her behalf. Andy tried to draw his sword but it appeared stuck, the ornamental sword and scabbard not fit properly for combat. The soldier approached Andy with a smile on his face, grateful for a fast and easy kill.
The tip of the soldier's blade thrust neatly towards Andy's unprotected chest when it was knocked down by another sword; a true battle-tested weapon that had only recently been displayed on the wall as a reminder of the Battle of Kent. The soldier looked up in surprise to see Lady Mimi holding the weapon with a sureness only possessed by years of practice. She smiled wryly and, before the soldier could recover from the deflected sword thrust, she leveled her blade to his neck with the tip pricking the side of his jugular.
Mimi turned to Andy and demanded, "You are supposed to be saving me, not the other way around, Mr. Knight." Andy shrugged self-deprecatingly and replied, "You can obviously handle yourself. You need a poet more than you need a defender, m'lady."
The soldier would not give up so easily. He dropped back away from the blade at his neck and knocked Mimi's sword aside with his own. With the instinct of a cunning warrior, Lady Mimi exchanged a few sword strokes with her opponent and deftly disarmed him, his sword flying through the air and landing under a low bench. She gracefully flicked her wrist, an action that cut the soldier's belt and caused his pants to fall to his knees. He tripped and fell as he tried to back up, his face red with much degree of embarrassment. Mimi approached him again and the soldier froze with Mimi's sword pointed straight at his heart.
Baron Niklas, tired of the idiocy he had just witnessed, drew his own large claymore and approached Andy as an angry giant. Mimi did not get in the way of the imposing German because she knew his skill and strength to be too great for her. Andy finally unlocked the ornamental sword from its sheath just in time to face the fearsome baron. Andy struck out first, hoping to wound his opponent and force him into submission. The baron blocked each of Andy's quick shots with the skill of a veteran sword master.
Niklas returned the favor with a couple of heavy swings with his own large claymore. Andy quickly gauged the strength of the German, the heaviness of the sword, and strategically deflected the swings rather than block them directly. The deflections kept Andy from getting his own sword broken and his bones shaken, but it did not allow him to return the attacks with a counter, as he normally would like to have done.
A few more passes and the battle seemed to be at a standstill. Injuries were minimal with only a gash on the baron's left leg and a long cut along Andy's right arm. Suddenly, Baron Niklas swung straight down with his Claymore as if to cleave the knight into two even pieces. Andy was forced to block from above and the swords became locked. Baron Niklas pressed down with controlled anger, his hot breath blowing onto Andy's sweaty forehead. Andy was not sure who would win this unfortunate state of affairs. Either he would find a weakness to exploit to end the battle quickly or his strength would give out and the baron would split his head like a ripe cantaloupe.
The baron unexpectedly pushed Andy away so that he could gain a better advantage. Then sounds began to drift up the stairs, the taps of many footsteps heading up to the second floor, presumably some party guests rushing to see what all the noise was about. Andy and Niklas quickly sheathed their weapons before they could be caught.
Lady Mimi did not realize what was going on until after several nobles crossed the threshold at the top of the stairs and peered down the hall with morbid curiosity. She stared at the sword in her hand for a moment and then hung it back up on the wall, rambling to no one in particular, "I thank you, gentleman, for trying to teach me the art of sword fighting but I assure you that I would stand a better chance of cutting off my own foot than leaving a scratch on my opponent." She smiled and curtsied politely at the young soldier who was just then pulling his knickers back up to their proper place.
Baron Niklas walked up to Andy and, although it would be improper to hurt the short knight in front of witnesses while a guest in the Duke Wellington's home, he felt it prudent to bide his time until a better opportunity presented itself. He stared down at his rival and murmured only loud enough for Andy to hear, "Thou hast not heard the last of me. Stay away from Lady Mimi or I swear, I shall see thy head mounted above my fireplace." On that grim note, the Baron Niklas stared ahead with a cold, uncaring gaze and walked away with quiet confidence.
PART III
Andy rode his white stallion down the dirt path at a slow pace. He held the reins of Mimi's black mare and led it deeper into the Tanglewood Forest. Lady Mimi was blindfolded so she did not see the quiet giants that stood as wooden sentinels guarding the inner secrets of the forest. The old trees were topped with leaves of falls colors, golden yellows and burning oranges mixed among various shades of green. Mimi heard the songs of birds whistling happy tunes with no more care in the world than if they were cherubs in heaven.
Mimi took in a deep breath through her nose and absorbed the smells of strawberries and ivy. She caught the distinct scent of elm but was not sure if it was spiced with maple or hackberry. The rhythmic thumping of the horses' hooves on the bramble-covered path felt somehow calming, a hypnotic music that lulled her into a sense of well-being. She would have fallen asleep with the ease of a baby if the contour of the trail had not been so uneven.
The horses seemed to make a sharp turn and the crunch of sticks and leaves on bare dirt turned into the swish of tall grass. Mimi obeyed Andy's insistant order to duck and she felt the leaves of a low branch tickle the nape of her neck. They were now traveling off of the main path and into a section of woods not often seen by the eyes of men ... or blindfolded women, for that matter. Mimi had walked a short distance into the Tanglwood Forest on previous occasions, but neither she nor anyone she knew had ventured so far into the woods, never mind venturing off of the worn path that led safely through the trees, between the hills, and over the ditches.
The sound of falling water reached Mimi's ears as the horses passed over a particularly steep hill. They stopped at the bottom of the hill after crossing over it, very close to the sound of water, and Andy helped her off of her horse. He delicately untied the blindfold and removed it to reveal a sanctuary of bliss within the heart of the Tanglewood.
Captured within the bowl created by surrounding hills lay a quiet pond. It was filled by a waterfall that emanated from a hole in the far side of the basin. Flowers decorated the hillsides with splashes of reds and purples. Borders of small yellow flowers painted with black stripes crept around several patches of short tan mushrooms. The waterfall itself was only twice the height of a person and flowed in a thin but constant stream into the waiting pool of water below. Mimi peered past the narrow shore to identify skinny white minnow and large rainbow trout meandering through the water with no place special to go.
She turned to see Andy looking deeply into her eyes and caressing her heart with his loving gaze. Speaking for the first time since they had entered the woods hours ago, Mimi said, "It's so beautiful." No words could properly describe the scene except possibly 'magical' or 'heavenly' but she already knew that Andy appreciated this small Eden more than she could possibly put into words.
Andy spoke softly, "Ever since I met you, I have been swept up in the winds of happiness and flown to the highest peeks of joy. You make me laugh, you understand my desires .... You look truly becoming in a blindfold."
Mimi giggled with delight at the joke.
Andy continued, "I cannot give you riches or broad shoulders. I cannot place you in a castle with diamonds around your neck. If that is what you desire, then Baron Niklas is a relentlessly protective man. He will ensure that you have everything that money can buy. And women swoon just to look upon him."
Despite her curiosity about where this was leading, Lady Mimi listened attentively to Andy's obviously prepared speech. She did not want to interrupt him lest he lose his concentration and forget his thoughts.
"What I can offer you is mountains of fun, lakes of love, streams of kisses, and songs of joy."
Mimi joked, "You can leave out the songs. I've heard you sing."
Andy blushed and rolled his eyes away in mock humiliation, but quickly recovered and continued, "Never-the-less, I will honor you with my life and you will want for nothing." He paused dramatically, waiting for her to nod her head in expectant anticipation. He then got down on one knee and asked, "Will you be mine until the end of our days?"
The smile that bloomed over Mimi's lips expressed the boundless joy in her heart. She could not have been happier had she been given the riches of the world and a hairdo to match. "We should marry this Saturday," Mimi blurted out in an excited rush of thought. "It is All Hallow's Day, the first day of the Celtic New Year. What's a better way to celebrate a new beginning?"
Andy agreed, "What a splendid idea." But a concerned thought drifted through his mind like a dark cloud blotting out the sun. "Baron Niklas will not likely let us marry without a challenge."
Mimi nodded in agreement. "I guess we need a little protection.
"Our friends will, of course, come to our aid," Andy offered. "And I have a little money saved up to hire a few good men-at-arms."
Lady Mimi added, "My Aunt Louann knows a few men who could help us, as well. Don't ask me HOW she knows them. You don't want to know. She told me and I definitely didn't want to know. I wish she hadn't told me. So don't ask."
Sir Andy smiled as he made the gesture of tying his mouth shut with a ribbon. "And I shall have my son, Chris, at my side as my defender," Mimi said with pride in her voice. "He has been attending sword school and he could handle any ruffian less skilled than the baron himself. With enough friends and hirelings, our numbers should be enough to dissuade anyone from crashing our party."
"Well, that's settled then," Andy said, wrapping his arms around Mimi in a loving embrace. He gave thanks for finding such charm, intelligence, fun, bravery, and beauty in one irresistible package. They kissed, a quick peck on the lips, which was not socially acceptable behavior but they were more adventurous than the typical couple. Andy suggested that they begin planning for the wedding so they jumped onto the horses to rush back home. They had invitations to send out, food to prepare, and ... oh dear, I wonder if we can reserve Notre Dame de Paris on such short notice. Probably not. Oh well.