The City Temple

When Arella arrived, both Devon and Anne were just about to enter the temple premises! She had to thank the stable and fast services of the cleaner cum pilot because of which she could make it in time to their wedding!

The temple's premises were huge. The spectacular city temple stood proudly in the center. The sublime surroundings were filled with nothing but greenery. What else could be calming to the members of the beast clan other than grasslands?

Many members liked coming to the premises to enjoy the peace and calm. The temple's doors were always open for everybody, even during the dead of the night. The temple in itself was a specimen of stunning art. What added to its beauty were the giant statues that guarded every direction; statues of beasts with their tamers.

In the North, was the magnificent statue of a giant Bear and its tamer on its back. In the South, an alert Tiger fixedly gazed into the unknown with its tamer standing closely. In the East was the tamer, gently touching the trunk of the humongous Elephant with massive tusks. And in the west was the wisest beast, Gorilla with its tamer, peacefully existing with each other.

The colossal and well defined statues of beasts and their tamers had a charm that was difficult to express in words. The presence of these statues meant a lot of things. Among these, it was part protection, part motivation. Members felt themselves protected under the gaze of these lifeless statues. And the same statues were a source of inspiration to them. One day, they aimed to become so powerful as to be able to protect the entire beast clan. 

These statues have been guarding the temple since time immemorial. It is said that these were the first beast clan members who rose to power and became Royals. These statues mirror the power, dominance, intelligence, and alertness of the clan members. But none can compare to the magnificent statue that stands atop the temple.

In the middle of the temple, on the highest place, stands the dignified, ferocious, awe inspiring, and admirable Dragon, with a tamer on its back. What's unique is that this tamer has a weapon, a long spear. When Arella first visited the temple, she was dumbfounded by the magnificence, intricacies, and aura of the statues.

She had long learned of the founding Beast Gods and their attributes. Bear for its explosive power, Elephant for its dominance, Gorilla for the intelligence, and Tiger for alertness. All collectively reigning under the command of the proud Dragon.

But what made her stupefied was not the grand and splendid statues, but the tamer of the Dragon! Everybody claimed that it was the Dragon that commanded the Beasts. But Arella had different opinions. When she first saw the statue of the tamer and Dragon, she had an innate feeling that it was actually the tamer that was commanding the Dragon!

Atrocious! She knew! But she couldn't shake the feeling. Later, she simply stopped thinking about it and went with the flow. Everybody said that the Dragon was the almighty commander, and she agreed. Everybody claimed that these four beasts were the forefathers, and she agreed.

But today, once again looking at the tamer sitting proudly on the back of the Dragon, she found the old thoughts surrounding her. It was the tamer! It has to be the tamer. The more she looked at the statue of the tamer, the stronger her feelings grew. The tamer was undoubtedly leading the Dragon! 

She hurriedly shifted her focus to the other statues. The tamers! Why did it appear as if the Tiger was protecting its tamer? Why does it feel that the tamer was telling something to the Gorilla? Why was…

"Arella! I thought you weren't free!" A booming voice was heard in the temple premises. It brought Arella back to the present. Who could it be other than Anne?

The clerics gave a condescending look at the oblivious Anne. Devon tacitly apologized by giving an awkward smile. Finding them, Arella came running toward them.

"You! Lower down! We are in the Holy premises! And how dare you send me an invite at the last moment! Don't blame me if I couldn't bring any wedding gifts!" Arella cheerfully teased and greeted Anne. She politely nodded to Devon. To which Devon nodded back.

"Who cares about any gift? Your presence is more than enough!" Anne looked a little too excited.

"Umm, I will go, and find the head in charge of our ritual. You two can explore the premises till then." Devon knew that both of them had a lot to share. So, he found an exit and left on his own.

Just after Devon's shadow disappeared from their sight, Arella did what she badly wanted to do.

She playfully twisted Anne's ear!

"You, you! Why didn't you inform me earlier!" Arella spoke her grievances.

"Ouch! Sorry sorry. I thought you were with the Major General. I didn't dare to snatch you from his arms!" Anne pleaded not guilty and presented her case.

"Huh! Forgiven! But no next time!" Arella released her ear from her captivity and skillfully wrapped her arms around Anne's.

"So, today's the big day. Nervous? Excited?" Arella softly asked her.

"Hmm. I guess. How do I look?" Anne uneasily turned toward Arella and questioned in a small voice.

"You look great. Especially the shine in your eyes! You look as if you are glowing!" Arella fixed a few curls for her while appreciating her.

"Stop teasing! I am serious!" Anne mumbled.

"Anne, you look gorgeous. And I am pretty sure that you are the prettiest in Devon's eyes. Shall we ask him?" Arella turned to her back. Devon's silhouette could be seen walking toward them.

Anne's breathing hitched a little. She tightly held Arella's hand for comfort.

"It's time. We should head toward the ritual center. The temple head would meet us there." Devon calmly informed them.

Then, the three of them headed to the destined place. There inside the temple, stood an elderly man. He gave the couple a look and asked them to stand in a particular place. Both Devon and Anne followed his orders. Arella stood a little away from the couple and witnessed the entire ceremony.

The head chanted some chants. Both took their vows, made their promises, and then, they were married! Nothing dreamy, just a plain wedding. But to Both Devon and Anne, it was the most special day of their entire life. The sparks in their eyes revealed how elated they were despite the plainness.

Despite the absence of expensive bridal attire and grand celebration, pure mirth danced in their eyes, devoid of any qualms.

By witnessing their ceremony and being a part of their moment, Arella understood one thing.

It's the humble, happiness infused moments that make one's life special.

After the ceremony, Arella thoughtfully gave the couple some intimate time to cherish their big day. She went out of the picture on account of exploring the temple premises and buying some souvenirs for her home. She was gone for quite a while.

Anne could see through Arella's thoughts, and Devon was, as usual, very taciturn. So, to pass the time, Arella aimlessly explored souvenir shops, miniature statue shops, spirit stone shops, and calming herb shops. None caught her attention. So, she moved from one shop to another.

"Nothing's impressive, right?" A familiar voice caught her by surprise. Startled, she turned around to see the face.