“I really do want a wedding, you know? A white dress and a big cake, and maybe I could get Gunnvall to sell me a few bottles of his ice wine for toasts and speeches? Ooh and dancing. You wouldn’t happen to know where we can get music on this station, would you?” My mind is racing a mile a minute as we walk hand in hand back to his apartment, where he says Urzu has madefurkurraagain. My stomach rumbles at the thought.
“Meshi and Shemo’s brother has a band, actually. I haven’t heard them play, but Meshi says they are pretty good," he tells me, "and I’m sure that Gunnvall would be happy to supply some ice wine for us. He’s a romantic at heart, he’ll love the idea of attending a real human wedding.”
I hum happily, going over all the things a wedding entails. I haven't been to many on Earth, but I’ve seen plenty of reality TV, and90 Day Fiancéwas one of my favorites. I giggle as I realize I have them all beat. How about nine day fiancé, bitches?
“We can get Mojo to officiate. I kind of doubt there's a priest here, but I think the captain of a ship works, too.” I feel like I read that somewhere once, and really, who cares? Who is here to judge us or validate us anymore? We are survivors, just like everyone else on this space station, and I think that entitles us to abandon traditional norms like getting married by a priest. It will still be fun to have Mojo officiate, though. He seems like a real riot.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I think Mojo would be excited to be a part of our ceremony.”
I explain the official side of wedding ceremonies, the parts that usually involve a priest, as we approach Khur’s apartment. I’m about to start on flowers, thinking maybe we could get the Silfans to save a few from their flyers, when the apartment door slides open and reveals Urzu waiting on the other side. She’s pacing and seems a bit nervous, clutching her hand around a long, cylindrical package.
“Hey Urzu, what’s wrong?” I say immediately, walking into the apartment and putting a hand on her elbow to stop her.
“Sister, what have you got there?” Khur asks warily from behind me when Urzu doesn’t answer my question.
She looks at him with a question burning in her eyes before holding the package out to me. I take it without thinking.
“Has Khur told you about my weaving?” she asks me timidly. Timid is not a word I would usually use to describe the friendly, outgoing Dhugaren, and I am getting worried about my future sister-in-law.
“Uhh, no? Why don’t you explain it to me,” I murmur.
“Some Dhugarens have a gift. It is rare. I may be the only weaver left now, I’m not sure. Sometimes I get visions. Brief flashes, like aphotograph from the future. They show me things that will come to pass and I am compelled to weave them into a tapestry. Several days ago, after the first time you came for dinner here, actually, I had a vision and the compulsion to weave it into a flash was so strong my fingers twitched when I wasn't working. Last night I stayed up all night weaving, because something told me I would need to give this to you today, when you got home. I hope that the image I wove for you is a welcome one. It’s been a long time since I’ve used my gift to give good news.” She wrings her hands in a very human gesture of nervousness and I pat them kindly.
I’d seen a fortune teller once back on Earth who told me she saw my soulmate hidden in the stars. I’d thought she was crazy, and she probably was, and I haven’t thought about her since I left Earth. Now, though, I am more willing to believe crazy things. Look where I found Khur, after all: hidden in the stars.
So I am more willing to believe Urzu has some clairvoyant ability that made her weave our futures onto tapestries than I may have been back on Earth.
“I’m sure it’s lovely, Urzu. I’ll open it now.”
My fingers move to twist the end of the canister open—it kind of reminds me of the tubes you used to buy posters in—but Urzu stills my hand.
“Wait. I’m going to leave. You should share this privately, first. I will not tell a soul what is on there until you tell me you’re ready to share it.”
I gape as she hustles out of the apartment, then glance at Khur warily.
“Here, you open it. She made me nervous.”
Khur’s claws have all been trimmed short, so he uses his fingertips to pry off the end of the canister and slide out a colorful canvas rolled around a slim dowel. Slowly, he unravels it and holds it out in front of him with both hands, so we can both see it. Luckily, I am leaning against him, my back pressed to his chest, or I may have fallen over at the vision before me.
The tapestry is about the size of the one of those posters I tacked to my walls back on Earth. Instead of paper, though, it's a fine, soft cloth hanging from a long dowel along the top. Beautiful colors and details are woven in with the utmost care. It depicts the wedding I have been dreaming about for the last hour. Khur is wearing a beaded belt and loincloth that looks like traditional Dhugaren garb while I have a gorgeous, lacy white tea-length style dress and matching veil. We’re staring at each other adoringly in front of an arch decorated with a rainbow of Silfan flowers. Oh, and Khur’s hand rests reverently on my very pregnant belly.
“Holy shit,” slips out of my mouth, and honestly, I can’t come up with any other words right now, so I just repeat, “holy shit.”
“Destiny, is this… are you… is this okay?” Khur’s voice is deep and full of longing. I glance up at him to see him staring at the tapestry like it’s a holy shroud, like it’s revealed all his deepest wishes. Hell, maybe it has.
“How often do Urzu’s visions come true?” I whisper.
“Always. I would bet she knew to give it to us now, because it is already true,” his hand slips down to cup my stomach. When his thumb caresses me something unlocks inside of me and I let out a heaving sob.
“Destiny, I’m so sorry. I had no idea. I never imagined we would be biologically compatible. I thought we could not have offspring. I am so sorry if you did not want this.” I can feel his indecision between clutching me to him and letting me go, giving me space. That’s the last thing I want right now, though, so I turn to him and wrap my arms around his waist. My hands don’t even meet around his back.
“These are happy tears, Khur. I’m so happy and so, so scared. I never thought this could happen for us. We never even talked about whether we wanted kids. I thought maybe if we did we’d adopt one day, but I didn’t even know if that was somethingyouwould want."
“Oh my mate, I want nothing more than to make a family with you. If you let me, I'd fill you with my seed a hundred times, and we’d have a whole litter of furry humans running around this station.”
I balked. “A hundred times? No. Maybe we will need to adopt a few, after all.”
“Whatever you want, just say you want it with me.”
