Although the banquet was lavish, the fast was required to last until the following morning. Matilda, therefore, ate only a few slices of bread and drank a few sips of wine.
After the wedding gifts were exchanged, she was sent back to the Church.
The bride and groom were to spend the night before their wedding in the Church.
In more secular weddings, the fasting and the vigil in the Church were treated as mere formalities, just going through the motions.
But with the Holy See in attendance, no such shortcuts could be taken.
For the first three days, Matilda knelt and prayed before the holy icon.
On the fourth day, she stood up.
On the fifth day, she sat on a bench.
On the sixth and seventh days, which was now, she walked into the Church and lay down on the bench without hesitation.
’She felt she had to maintain her Devotion, but her body was protesting.’
The fast left her head groggy.
"Want some of this?" Eric’s voice rang out.
He was sitting by her legs, holding something that he waved at her.
Matilda glanced at it instinctively, then ignored Eric again.
Eric grabbed her hand and pressed something into her palm.
Matilda placed what Eric had handed her on the side of the bench, then turned away. "You said *you* were going to be devout."
"Does not fasting and not abstaining from desire mean a lack of Devotion?" Eric asked with a smile, picking up the piece of candy.
"’By the mercy of God, we are called to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to Him. To serve Him thus with a sanctified body is our sacred duty,’" Matilda recited slowly.
"Does this have anything to do with salvation? Does it?" Eric asked, looking at her.
"In the Catholic World, countless Priests keep mistresses and indulge in pleasure, gluttony, greed, and lust... Are you asking me to break the law as they do? Is that how one finds salvation?"
"Fasting is not the end goal, my wife. The purpose of fasting is to make us aware of our sins so that we might repent. Yahweh wishes to see us repent, not to see us go hungry here," Eric said with a shrug.
Matilda did not respond.
"Remember the Book of Isaiah? To gain God’s approval, the Jews fasted with great ceremony, but the more they feigned Devotion, the more distant Yahweh became.
One day the Jews asked Yahweh: ’Why have we fasted, and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?’
Yahweh said: ’Is the fast day I have chosen merely for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed, and for spreading sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Can this be called a fast day, a day acceptable to Yahweh?’
And why did Yahweh say this? Because while these people fasted, they feigned righteousness, even asking Yahweh for just decisions, but in secret, they indulged in pleasure and sought commercial profit.
They quarreled with each other, oppressed one another, and even came to blows. To conceal their evil deeds, they put on a sorrowful appearance, as if they were repenting for their sins."
"Do you know why Heresy is more hated than paganism? Because heretics know the truth, yet they twist it." Matilda turned her gaze to look at Eric.
"Am I a heretic, then?"
"I don’t know. But you’ll show your true colors eventually, and one day I will see it." Matilda sat up, took the candy from Eric’s hand, and popped it into her mouth.
’It was different from the candy she usually ate. The sweetness was more intense, and the texture wasn’t sticky.’
’It wasn’t dried fruit, nor was it made from honey.’
’What a strange sensation.’
As for why Eric didn’t explain his views on fasting to Matilda sooner? Well, he found it rather amusing to watch an arrogant woman go hungry.
...
As dawn broke and the Priests of the Papal States entered the Cathedral, Eric felt Matilda’s whole body tense up. He could feel it just by watching her from the side.
Matilda wore an ivory damask gown, cinched at the waist with a golden sash to accentuate her slender figure. The sash was encrusted with various gems: topaz, agate, and rubies. Over the gown, she wore a crimson Cloak, which she held up as she walked.
Her head was covered with a veil, over which she wore a golden circlet. The circlet was set with jewels, and her hair was interwoven with Metal ribbons.
Her fingernails were dyed the color of madder root and polished to a brilliant shine.
She wore a ring on each finger—one was an exquisitely decorated gold band, another was set with a large citrine. She had also perfumed her wrists and throat with the scent of roses and nutmeg.
Before them were two rows of choir members and a Priest, who held a Cross aloft.
Weddings were usually held at the doors of the Church, but her wedding to Eric would be celebrated before the altar inside, to emphasize its legitimacy before God.
Matilda took a deep breath and stepped onto a narrow carpet of fresh green rushes, which was strewn with herbs and pink roses.
The path of flowers guided her down the long nave toward the altar steps.
Attendants swung silver censers, the chains CLINKING as the scent of frankincense rose to swirl around the vaulted ceiling, mingling with the choir’s song.
Four young girls from the Nobility followed behind her, bearing the weight of her pearl-encrusted train.
With every step, her gown fanned out and swung back. Occasionally, she could feel the softness of a crushed rose beneath her foot, a sensation that seemed to be an omen.
As she made her way to the altar, the congregation on either side knelt and bowed their heads. Their faces were hidden as she glided past, and she could not see if they were smiling or frowning.