On the day of Anne's engagement, The Hammedatha family rode into Rivera Compound and found that wide white tents had been set up in the lawns, with long dinner tables of rectangular shape and well furnished chairs arranged under them. There were peach linen cloths over the tables, and flower centerpieces of white jasmine flowers and leather ferns. They were already set for lunch.

When the servants took their horses, the Hammedathas were ushered into a tent and to the same table where the Riveras sat. Aside from Lord Jared Rivera and his wife Victoria, were his younger siblings and some of their children, who lived in the Eastern sector and had arrived a day prior. They were all currently staying at Rivera Manor.

There was his sister Rose and her husband Lord Malachi Kingsley, with their son Alistair Kingsley. His sister Caroline was in the house with the other girls.

There was his brother, Lord Abraham Denning Rivera and his wife Regina, with their two sons; Seth and Taris. Taris was still a young child- the only little one, and was to be the ring bearer. They had a daughter, Leticia, who was also currently in the house.

Since Jared was the eldest son, he was referred to as Lord Rivera, and Abraham as Lord Denning. Their eldest sister, Meredith (Anne's mother) had always been ill, and died not long after Anne was born, without revealing who her father was. This is why she took up her mother's name, and she had been in tears when Luther accepted her even without knowledge of her full descent. To the entire family, Anne was not her father's daughter, but a daughter of The Rivera household.

The function had been organised in such a manner that the guests were to dine outside first, and then follow into the house for the official engagement ceremony. The meal was brought directly to their tables by several servants, and they stood at the nobles' beck and call. During this time, the two families interacted wonderfully, and Elena's cousins had been pleased to see Aira once again, and more so to meet her siblings whom she had already blabbered about to them. Alistair had been especially honoured to meet Kieran, and informed him of his admiration towards him and the Prince's Guard.

He was clad in a lavishly embellished gold and caramel doublet and brown pants, his dark hair slicked back with gel.

"I've always wanted to feel what it's like to be a soldier," he said and clicked his tongue. "But sadly I'm not very athletic."

"It's just because he much prefers dancing," Seth cut in. He was lean and thin compared to Alistair, and his face had rather delicate features, with starry brown eyes and long lashes, and prominent cheek bones. His black hair flowed to the nape of his neck in curly waves, but it was not as thick or as long as Kieran's.
"Honestly, I think it's a common trait of this family, the dancing bit. Like how the Hammedatha bloodline has warrior spirit, the Rivera's got dancing spirit. "

"And Luther isn't so bad himself. He's actually really good," Alistair noted, picking a strawberry from the fruit platter.

"I haven't seen the groom or his family, by the way," said Kieran. "I had presumed they would be dining with you."

"No, no," Alistair waved a finger at Kieran and leaned back in his chair, slumping a bit to assume a sort of laidback position. The confidence with which he did so reminded Kieran of Prince Luke.

"You will see when the time comes. It isn't us to introduce the groom, but the bride herself. It's kind of a Rivera ritual." Alistair added and tossed the strawberry in the air and opened his mouth to receive it, but Seth intercepted it with his hand and quickly popped it into his own mouth.

Immediately, Alistair began to yank on Seth's ear, with Seth letting out short yelps.

"Manners!" Lord Denning's voice boomed from all the way at the end of the table, and the two cousins winced and assumed the 'back straight' position, ceasing all horseplay with haste.

***** ***** ***** *****
When the guests finished their meal and were finally ushered into the house, they took time to admire the interior décor. The inside nearly resembled a garden, with wisteria garlands hanging from the lantern holders embedded in the walls, and stands around the room holding flower pieces of white and pink jasmines, fuchsias and myrtle leaves surrounding the platter.

The guest tables were arranged in such a way that there was a group of tables to the right, and another group to the left, with an aisle separating the two. Stands holding the flower pieces were placed along either side of the aisle. The groom's side was to the right, and the bride's to the left.

The tables had peach linens lain over them, and each table had one of these flower pieces at the centre. They all faced a wooden platform, on which a sofa settee had been placed. The floor of the platform had been embellished with numerous red rose petals, and the flower pieces stood on all four corners of the platform.

"It looks even more beautiful than I had imagined," Aira said, marvelling at the flower arrangements. She took a deep sniff, her shoulders lifting as she breathed in the scent, "Smells refreshing and wonderful too!"

"Well, this family really has a thing for flowers," Joshua mused as he sat down with his siblings at one of the front tables to the left. "I thought it was just Elena," he added, and Kieran at once reminisced to him and Elena's date, to the precise moment when he had fixed the red carnation in her hair.

There was something within him that kept on causing him to wonder when she'd make an appearance; when he'd get to see her. It was taking too long.

Alistair stepped in front of the platform and faced the guests, smiling brightly as he introduced himself, made the opening remarks, and recognised the Commander and the General's presence, as well as their family. He cracked a few jokes to break the ice, which worked and amused everyone.

"And now without further ado, let the ceremony officially begin." Alistair said and snapped his fingers towards the band of musicians. He grinned as he said, "Musicians, do your thing." This was another action that reminded Kieran of Luke.

The musicians started to play a fast and merry song as Alistair strutted back to his seat. The door adjacent to the platform was opened and out leaped two female dancers, Leticia and Caroline, waving long strips of yellow cloth. They were wearing white short sleeved dresses that were slim fitting in the torso but free and waved out at the waist. The dresses were knee length, and the dancers wore pink tights underneath them, which helped because they had to do a lot of twirling and also lift up their legs. Their feet were bare.

Behind Leticia and Caroline were Mara and Elena on opposite sides, wearing similar outfits, and holding up a wide and long pale yellow cloth.

A smile tugged at the corner of Kieran's lips when he saw Elena, a feeling of satisfaction stirring in him.

As the two dancers dance walked, all the while waving their strips of cloth in sync, Mara and Elena followed behind them, and as they reached the front corner of the wooden platform, they tossed the cloth up in the air to reveal Anne, who had been hidden behind it.
The crowd gasped in pleasant surprise.

Anne's gown was a halter neck, slim fitting on the torso, then cascaded in free waves from the waist down, to her ankles. It was white from the top, and ended in pink hues towards the hem. Her hair had been styled into a chignon, and she wore a veil over her head with the same colour design.
Her hands were lightly held together in front of her, and a silver bracelet adorned her right hand and wrist, with thin chains ending in rings for her index, middle and fourth fingers. Silver bangles adorned her left wrist. She was also wearing diamond earrings, and like any blushing bride, her eyes were downcast, her lashes seemingly resting on her cheek bones.

Mara and Elena joined their two cousins in their merry dance, and Anne stood infront of the platform as they danced around her, clapping their hands and skipping in a uniform yet complicated pattern. They were smiling cheerfully as they danced, which made everyone else smile along and feel utterly jovial.

At last, the four separated from Anne as the music came to a stop and bowed before the guests, who applauded the performance. Only it didn't stop there. Anne lifted her eyes and looked up for the first time into the crowd, and began to walk.

The harpists played a slow lovely tune, as the dancers exited the stage, taking their cloth with them, and Anne walked down to the aisle.

All was quiet save for the romantic melody, and the guests curiously watched Anne as she made her way to the groom's side, sauntering through the tables. At last, she reached a certain table and extended her hand out, to a man sitting there with some other guests. He took it it and stood up, and smiled lovingly at Anne.
He was Luther Javanmoore.

Everyone around them hooted and clapped.
With a blushing face, Anne turned around and led Luther by the hand to the aisle.

"So this is the ritual Alistair was talking about," Aaron said, watching the lovebirds with undivided interest.

Aira sighed dreamily. Her elbow was propped on the table, her chin settled in her hand, a look of wonder in her eyes. "It's so romantic," she said as she watched Luther follow Anne onto the platform, and they sat down on the setee.

On cue, the parents of the couple walked onto the platform and stood beside their respective children, and Taris brought forth the rings on a red satin pillow.
Everyone else witnessed as Anne placed a silver ring on Luther's finger, and he did the same. They all clapped and cheered for the newly engaged couple; who stood up and joining hands, lifted them up for everyone to see the rings.

"And that marks the end of the engagement ceremony," Aaron said and looked at Kieran, to his left, "Elena hasn't even come back yet."

Kieran shifted restlessly in his seat.
Why wasn't she back yet, he thought, was that glimpse of her all there was to it?

"That is not the end, brother," Aira corrected Aaron, a knowing smile on her face, "There is one final ritual."

Aaron raised an eyebrow at Aira, who sat to his right, "And which one is that?" He asked, and she only grinned.

The harpists started to play again, a different melody from before, but still slow and romantic. Once everyone had returned to their seats, Luther and Anne came down the platform holding hands, Luther without his jacket, and Anne without her veil. Underneath his maroon jacket, he was wearing a white shirt with long sleeves, ruffled at the wrists. It was tucked into well fitting white trousers.

The couple faced each other, and Luther slid his hands around her waist, just as she placed her hands on his shoulders. They then began to dance to the soft song of the harpists.

But it was not any ordinary couple dance, rather, a choreographed performance of moves in perfect sync, where the couple did not have to stay in one place or move through the common motions of a waltz. It was a most romantic dance that involved a lot of hand movements and touching. It was a display of genuine affection, and anyone could see the depth of attraction and love from the way he held her, delicately but firmly, and from the way she ran he hands along his body, lightly but heartfelt.

At some point, Luther twirled Anne by her raised hand, and she spun back to him, her back sinking into his front. He wrapped his arms around her, and burying his face in the crook of her neck, swayed with her.

"Psst. Kieran," Aira whispered across the table to her brother,"That is the kind of dance you're going to perform with Elena on your engagement."

As soon as he heard those words, Kieran couldn't help but picture him and Elena in Luther and Anne's current position.
It made his skin crawl.....and in a good kind of way.

He watched intently as Luther slowly dipped Anne, and pulling her up again, lifted her up by her thighs and they spun together, with Anne's arms outstretched, her body arched backwards. Finally coming to a stop, he let her down slowly, and his arms found their way round her waist, hers round his neck. There was no space between their bodies, and both were breathing heavily at this point.

Anne's hand snaked to the nape of his neck, her fingers caressing his soft hair; and a slight push from her made their foreheads touch. They both shut their eyes, relishing the moment, while Ray quickly raised his palm over Aira's eyes, shielding her vision of the two love birds.

When the music stopped, the guests clapped appreciatively, and some even stood up, fascinated by the lovely performance and courageous display of affection. Aira was among those who stood up, beaming from ear to ear.
"It's even more magnificent than when I peeked at it before!" She proclaimed, "I can't wait for Kieran and Elena to do this dance!"

Ray grabbed her by the elbow and hauled her back into her seat.
"What are you talking about?" He demanded disapprovingly, "It is not mandatory to dance on the engagement."

Aira raised her chin, a smug look plastered on her face, "In case you didn't know, brother, this dance is a Rivera tradition. It is therefore a must for Kieran and Elena to dance as a couple on the engagement." She said and savored seeing the anxious and disapproving looks on Ray and Joshua's faces.
She went on to add, "Luther and Anne had been practising to perfect this dance." And the brothers' eyes widened, as they exchanged silent words and gestures across the table.
They were worried, and Aira smirked at this.

Aaron leaned close to Aira and whispered, "We don't even have to do anything to win the bet now. Practising and having to perform this dance will most definitely make Kieran and Elena fall in love with each other."

"That is exactly what I was thinking!" Aira whispered back and Aaron grinned devilishly. He raised his fist, and Aira bumped her fist with his. Both giggled like little kids and looked over at an unsuspecting Kieran, whose mind was obviously somewhere else, that he didn't notice the murderous glares Joshua and Ray were sending to a gloating Aira and Aaron.

He wasn't much of a dancer, but thinking about performing a similar dance with Elena made him...excited.

***** ***** ***** ******
Kieran was restless. It was time for interaction, and there was still no sign of Elena. Him and Aaron were standing with Alistair and Seth, involved in conversation about their homes and differences between the North and East. Kieran tried to pay attention to the conversation as much as he possibly could, but his eyes kept darting around surreptitiously, in search of her.

He lifted his hand, and as he gently brushed his thick locks back from his face, he glanced sideways and made a double take.
Elena had finally made an appearance, and she was currently chatting in high spirits with the ever animated Mara and Aira. Her gown was off shoulder, exposing her flawless skin and bare graceful neck. The gown was a rich purple, with golden embroidery that made up for her lack of jewellery. She wore her hair in a neat low bun, and some fuchsia flowers were placed in the side of it.

Kieran stared at her as though it was the first time he'd ever gazed upon such stunning beauty, and the words from the ongoing conversation faded out into nothingness. He expelled a breath he hadn't known he was holding, and he felt a certain ease at seeing her, like his most desired wish had at last been fulfilled.

Aaron snapped his fingers infront of his brother's face, knocking him out of his daze.
"Careful, or your eyes might pop out of their sockets, brother," Aaron said, a teasing smile playing at his lips.
Kieran's attention returned back to the three men, and he noticed Alistair and Seth wearing the same teasing smiles as Aaron. It was a truly cringeworthy sight.

"Don't be shy about it, though," Alistair said shrugging his shoulders, "It's perfectly normal for one to stare at his would be bride."

"I wasn't staring."

The other three hooted at once, nudging each other and wiggling their eyebrows suggestively at Kieran, who rolled his eyes.
"General, general, general," Seth said, enunciating each repetition, "We called you a bunch of times, just like this. Your mind was clearly not with us."

"Well that doesn't mean I was-"

"Hello, dear cousin Elena," Alistair grinned, his scheming eyes focusing on the new arrival.

Kieran turned his head so fast, he nearly killed a neck muscle, and saw Elena, who had somehow materialised next to him. His eyes were wide with surprise as he looked at her, stupefied; almost as if he could not believe that she was right there, smiling at the other three as they greeted her. She replied their greetings and turned to Kieran, finally looking up and meeting his awaiting eyes.

"General," Elena said and bowed in greeting, then looked at his face again.

Kieran opened his mouth to reply, but found that he could not. The only thing he could do was stare at her; at her coal black hair, big sapphires for eyes, supple pink lips, and the bare skin of her neckline and shoulders.
He couldn't believe it; He, the General of the Prince's Guard, had been devoid of his ability to talk.

Elena tilted her head to the side and eyed him curiously, wondering if he had something to say or not.

Aaron leaned in to his brother's ear and whispered hoarsely, "Talk. You're looking stupid." He then gave him an encouraging pat on the back, and left with Elena's cousins.

"I will also get going then," Elena said and made to leave, seeing as Kieran had nothing to say.

"Lady Elena," Kieran found his voice all of a sudden. He knew she had no reason to stay in his presence. He had, after all, cancelled their courtship and said there was no need to see each other; much less to talk. He was supposed to be honouring his decision, but the moment he saw her, all reason seemed to fly out the window.

"Do you have something to say?" Elena asked him.

Did he?

Before, it had been easy and quite nice to form conversation with her, so much that he had opened up to her. But now he was in a dilemma about whether to do so, or stick to his decision.

His mind was at war with his feelings.

Before he could say anything, Mara arrived and took Elena's hands in hers.
"Elena, Lord Javanmoore would like to see us," she announced and turned to Kieran. She smiled widely at him, "I'm going to have to borrow my sister for a while, General."

Kieran nodded, and the sisters excused themselves. He watched them leave, and he watched her retreating back as she giggled at something Mara said.
That was the last meeting he had with Elena that day.

Author's rambling:
Hello!
I had a lot of difficulty writing this chapter, because it was full of description and I'm weak in that area. I hope you managed to get the picture, though!!
Ah yes, don't forget to vote!