Mr. Lund had set off early, he wanted to go north, to the large festival meadow in the middle of the forest. Today, a big wedding was to be held there, and he was one of the many invited guests.

On the way there, he was joined by other guests, including gnomes, fairies, the dodo (his grandmother felt too old for a celebration), and many others. Many of them had never been to a wedding before, and so were quite excited.

Since it would be some time before they would arrive at the festival meadow, they were looking for a little distraction from the wandering, and so one of the gnomes asked:

"Mr. Lund, you are well acquainted with the wedding couple. Won't you tell us how they found each other?"

"I will gladly do that, my dear friends," Mr. Lund replied. "Because it is a very beautiful story that has led to this wonderful event today." And so he began to tell it:

You all know Erik, the teacher at our little school. With great skill he teaches our children and all those who seek knowledge all sorts of useful and helpful things. Everyone appreciates him and likes him very much, and Erik also takes great pleasure in imparting knowledge, and his job fulfills him very much.

But for a long time he had a longing for a companion, for someone with whom he could share life's joys and sorrows. But so far this person had not come into Erik's life, and his job as a teacher did not give him much time to move out and look for love in other places.

Then, last year, the Art Weeks were held at the school. The students were given the opportunity to learn about various art forms, such as painting, poetry, handcrafts and much more.

For this purpose, artists from near and far were invited, who could then share their art with the children and anyone else who was interested.

One of these artists was Mark, a sculptor who created sculptures of great beauty and artistry. When Erik entered the school's art gallery one morning, he met Mark for the first time.

They both looked at each other, and Erik immediately felt a special connection. For the next few days, they both talked only about art and the school routine, but Erik felt an inner turmoil when he saw Mark that he had never known before. (I remember very well his excitement when he told me about it, but now onward).

For days and weeks, they both talked to each other, becoming more and more familiar, as both seemed to enjoy each other's company very much. Then one day Erik summoned up all his courage and asked Mark if he would like to go out with him.

Mark looked at him, laughed in a warm voice and said to him:

"But of course, I thought you'd never ask me!"

From that moment on, they did many things with each other, went out together, took walks in the woods, went to the theater, and cared even more about the Art Weeks at school and, of course, about the students.

The Art Weeks passed, the artists returned to their hometowns. Mark, however, stayed here, with Erik. And then, a few months ago, the decisive day came. As they walked home from a performance by the school theater group, Mark led Erik through the park, and as the sun was setting, he proposed to him by the pond. Erik happily accepted, and today the wedding is to be held here on the festival meadow.

Shortly after Mr. Lund had finished telling the story, they arrived at the festival meadow. This was festively decorated, with garlands, beautiful flowers and multicolored lanterns. Several music students would play music for their beloved teacher and his fiancé, and a variety of delicious food and drinks were served.

Mr. Lund and the other guests were led to their seats, and after a short time a soft gong sounded, calling the guests to silence.

The Water Lady now stepped in front of the assembled guests and began to speak:

"Dear friends! I am glad that all of you have come here today to witness how two beloved people enter into the eternal union. We do not want to delay this wonderful moment any longer, so let us begin now!"

The musicians began to play a lovely music, opening the ceremony. From the left, Erik came striding towards the Water Lady. He was wearing a midnight blue suit, and his eyes were shining with happiness. From the right side now came Mark, in a suit of soft green, just as happy as his partner.

"And now the rings," said the Water Lady, and Mr. Lund stepped forward and presented her with the rings for the couple, for as a good friend of Erik's it had been his duty to guard them.

The Water Lady took one hand of each of them, and spoke:

"Plain and simple let us keep it. So I ask you, Erik and Mark, do you want to enter into eternal union with each other?"

Both answered in the affirmative, they put on each other's rings, and the Water Lady placed their hands in each other's.

"Then you are now united forever!" she spoke.

With tears of joy in their eyes, the two kissed, and the assembled guests broke into cheers and shouts of joy.

All the guests offered their congratulations to Erik and Mark, and everyone was deeply touched by this beautiful moment. A lavish party was celebrated, and until the early hours of the morning the married couple was celebrated again and again.

Mr. Lund stood on the sidelines, he was not someone who liked to celebrate. But even he was deeply touched by Mark and Erik's happiness, and to himself he said:

"What a beautiful couple they are."