THE RED HIBISCUS HOTEL, Manila

It was half an hour before the wedding would start. Zephyr was able to reorganize everything. Dani was already in the wedding venue. All Zephyr needed now was to be by Sophie’s side. 

Zephyr briskly walked to Sophie’s room and knocked. Sophie opened the door and he held out his arm. As Sophie walked, the gold jewelry on her would clink. Zephyr looked at her to see any discomfort but all she had was a face of serenity. When they reached the doors to the middle of the mezzanine, Sophie took a step back. Zephyr sensed her hesitation. “Is everything alright?”

“I—I can see him.” Sophie said in a quiet voice. She peeked through a glass window that Zephyr thought was covered by the flowery decorations. Zephyr decided to take a peek himself and saw the groom. Robin was in his male form, wearing bright red traditional clothing as well. He and Sophie matched with the golden jewelry as well. Zephyr noticed Xavier whisper to Robin’s ear and as he did that, Robin nodded. He must have been assured that the incident had been fixed. 

Sophie’s fingers combed through her hair and she smiled at Zephyr. “He’s so beautiful. I want to believe he’s the same person I met that night.”

Zephyr noticed that she said “person” though Robin was technically not one. 

The doors opened and Zephyr led Sophie beside Robin. Zephyr noted in his mind before all this that this was a traditional pre-colonial wedding. The vampires preferred to have it like this since they only respected the pre colonial nobility of the country, such as Sophie. The couple to be wed sat in a kneeling position as different clans, families, and politicians presented gifts to them. The wedding ceremony also included other rituals like blessings and a blood pact. Zephyr noticed Sophie and Robin would avoid looking at each other which he hoped was just nerves. 

Zephyr then heard his birth name called. It was time. After the couple had drawn their blood and mixed it with water in a container, Zephyr had to say the immortality spell. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. As he chanted, he was reminded of how he was cursed. His relatives had tied his hands together so he wouldn’t escape. A cloth was around his mouth to make sure he wouldn’t ruin the spell. He remembered how his cousin could only look at him, and do nothing. No, Zephyr thought. He dismissed these memories. For Sophie, this wasn’t a curse. It wasn’t a blessing, either. It was a task given to her. Zephyr tried to make sure he didn’t miss any words. And when he was done chanting, he opened his eyes.

The guests clapped but it was interrupted by Robin. He cleared his throat and held Sophie’s hand. “Now that Sophie Esperanza is my immortal companion and wife, I would like to offer myself to her. From now on, everyone shall address me as Robin Esperanza-Sidapa.”

The second before everyone rushed to clap, everyone gave each other a hastened look. The politicians, including Solano, seemed pleased that Robin was taking the initiative to make better ties but the vampires seemed watchful. Sophie’s hand was still with Robin’s and she looked up at him and he smiled at her. 

The rest of the ceremony was the same as any other wedding. The communal feasting and the wedding dance was held in a big ballroom.

As they headed there, Solano went up to Zephyr. “I heard there had been suspected sabotage in the food. How did you deal with this considering the logistics?”

Zephyr said “It was nothing. Just required a little innovation.”

As the people entered the ballroom, they looked in awe at the organization of the room. There were napkins and utensils at the assigned table but the food and plates were all put in a really long table.

Zephyr told Solano, “It’s called eating buffet style. It’s something I saw when I was in America. The people dining get to choose what to put on their plate. No waiters needed.”

“And how’d you resolve the need for blood in the menu?”

“I asked Xavier if he could have shipped blood food products here from European restaurants. In Europe, many places put blood in food. Black pudding, Blood sausage, blood pancakes, stew.”

Solano was in awe. People were amazed by this different setup. And not only did it allow vampires to eat blood but to have people enjoy eating blood as well. The guests happily chatted throughout the feast, both humans and vampires. 

When it was time for the dance, Robin eyed Xavier who gave a thumbs up at the other clan members. They moved what seemed to be a lamplight on wheels. Sophie covered her mouth with her hands, realizing what Robin meant. 

Robin offered his hand to Sophie. Together they recreated their lamplit dance while the people excluding Dani and Zephyr had to guess what it was supposed to be. And at the end of the dance, Robin whispered something in Sophie’s ear. He then leaned to kiss her on the lips which Sophie welcomed. 

The guests cheered and joined in on the dance floor.