Chapter 5: Kissing the Bride
THE solemn chime of the bells rang throughout the city, but not to mark the hour. This was the crooning of the liturgical bell, a grand affair atop a tower that predated the palace. Its purpose was to tell the people it was a special day—the wedding day of their crown prince. It was a day of grand celebration, and anyone could see the capital’s streets were packed. Flowers dyed the cobblestone roads with spring hues; even the most humble dwelling was decked in flags and blossoms.
An opulent carriage pulled by handsome white stallions slowly proceeded down the capital’s main street. Spectators caught only glimpses of the bride within, and her ephemeral beauty struck them speechless.
I watched the procession from the castle tower.
“The time has come,” Harold informed me politely.
I sighed. “I wish I could get a glimpse of her…”
“We have several court painters on location throughout the town. You will have paintings of every part of the proceedings shortly.”
I hadn’t arranged for such a thing—no, it was the work of my parents, no doubt.
As Elizabeth’s carriage finished scaling the slope of the main street, I nodded and straightened my jacket. “Very well. Let’s go.”
We walked through the palace and into the courtyard, where my bride’s four white horses would soon arrive. Here, she would disembark the carriage, accompanied by the duke and duchess la Montlivere. I handed my spyglass and binoculars to Harold and proceeded to fix the collar on my stark white suit.
The ceremony would be held in the palace’s main hall, the very place Elizabeth and I had met all those years ago. The guests were assembled and awaiting our entrance.
The bells rang again, signaling the start of the ceremony. The carriage door swung open, and the red carpet unrolled from the open portal down the central aisle. I savored the feel of the plush fur beneath my feet as I strode to the front of the aisle.
Closest to the hall’s entrance were the assorted nobles of Urhalla. Among them, I spotted Raphael with Lady Yulisse at his side and Edward accompanied by Lady Selena. That proved they really were engaged, more than anything else. The pair seemed nervous with unease rather than the anticipation the other nobles showed—in fact, they were downright pale.
Closer to the front of the hall were the visitors from abroad. I noticed Malius there, accompanied by his fiancée, Lady Lecia, on one side and Leohardt on the other. Even King Ricardo was sitting as naturally as though he’d never left our borders in the first place.
I finally reached the altar and turned back toward the assembled guests. The liturgical bells rang for a third time, and the organ began playing. The distant double doors swung open to reveal Duke la Montlivere with Elizabeth on one arm.
She was in a dress with several tiers of frills and lace, behind which trailed a great train of fabric. It was like watching a spun-sugar cloud in motion, with her immaculately styled hair serving as a garnish. I barely glimpsed her tranquil smile through the veil that covered her face. It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen in my life, and no amount of rehearsal could have prepared me for the burgeoning I felt in my heart. She was not of this world and was missing only her soft-plumed wings.
All eyes were on the bride, but she kept her gaze resolutely lowered, her footfalls unwavering and precise. I felt a wave of relief that she was the one approaching me. Had I been expected to walk toward her, my knees would have betrayed me by now.
The duke seemed beside himself with joy, his eyes brimming with tears that easily surpassed Elizabeth’s joy. I could understand him all too well; not only was he witnessing the culmination of his daughter’s years of hard work and growth, but there was the sorrow of giving her away. His emotions so moved me that I nearly began crying myself. Thankfully, none of the guests in the front were looking at me, and I blinked the shameful moisture from my eyes.
After what felt like an eternity and the blink of an eye, Elizabeth finally arrived before me. Duke la Montlivere moved to pass her hand to me, and she looked up at me. Our eyes met through the veil. No words passed between us, and the softness of her tears echoed the bliss on her lips.
I warmly smiled back at her. “Elizabeth…”
“Prince Vincent.”
She laid her hand in mine, and as naturally as we breathed, I led her up onto the altar. We looked out upon our audience, eyes passing over the hundreds of guests who had come to witness our union. Even Lars poked his head up from the gold-ribboned basket innocuously placed by the wall. Everyone in the hall was smiling warmly at us, but my joy outshone all the rest.
“Thank you kindly for gathering to celebrate this blessed day with us,” I announced to the assembled guests.
“We have gathered here today to make formal our vows,” Elizabeth continued.
“With my bride Elizabeth at my side, I vow to love and cherish her and grow alongside her to better fulfill my duties as crown prince.”
“I vow to love Prince Vincent as I do our fair land of Urhalla and to show undying devotion to both.”
I turned to face my bride. All eyes were on us—it was time for the symbol of our love, the wedding kiss. I tenderly lifted Elizabeth’s veil. Her violet eyes blinked warmly at me as the hall fell silent, to the point that I could scarcely believe a crowd of hundreds was observing us. Most watched with eager anticipation, though there was an undercurrent of unease, likely from my closest friends and others who knew of my condition.
I wrapped an arm around Elizabeth to support her, and my lingering doubt melted away. The lingering sensation of her lips from all those months ago filled my head, filling my heart with fervor and dulling my unease.
We drew closer. The entire hall held their breaths. Our lips drew within a hair’s breadth of each other, and finally—
“What?!”
Blinding white light flooded the room, making it impossible to see anything. Two, then three thunderclaps rang through the room, followed by fireworks crackling. It was the unmistakable sound of mana clashing with mana. I whipped about to see the source of the explosion.
“SUFFER MEOW WRATH, MARIABEL!!”
The shrill cry tore through the hall, and Elizabeth looked at our attacker in shock. A ripple of unease ran through the guests.
That has to be Plum.
“Lord Zachary, rally the perimeter guards!” I shouted. “Lord Dominic, Raphael, we need barriers! Protect the guests!”
“Allow me to help!” Lady Lecia called. “Divine Wall!”
“Divine Wall!” the mages echoed.
Count Norden hurried out of the hall, accompanied by a small group of the hall guards. The mages’ barrier was erected a moment later, covering the entirety of the cavernous room.
Wait… the entire hall?!
I did a double-take. Malius was holding Lady Lecia’s hand to lend her his mana, and beside them, Leohardt was contributing directly to the spell. He hoped to earn the favor of his beloved brother, no doubt. On the opposite side of the hall, Lady Yulisse was emitting a halo of mana light alongside her fiancé and father-in-law-to-be, though she was still pale as a ghost. That skill contributed to her return to the capital.
“More importantly, where is Plum?” I returned my attention to dealing with our King Cait Sidhe assailant. “The hall is secured. Remain calm, everyone! The Urhallan army and I will bring the situation under control!”
Elizabeth readily turned to me. “Prince Vincent, let me come with you!”
“It’ll be dangerous…but I suppose I can’t stop the future queen. Thank you.”
She turned. “Lord Lars!”
The little dragon barreled through the air toward us as we made for the balcony to take stock of the situation outside. What we saw defied all our expectations.
“I, King Plum, am reborn! Let us settle the score once and for all, nyahahaha!”
A familiar bipedal cat strode up the main street, coat billowing about it just as it always had. The issue was the sheer size of the monstrous feline, now an impressive three stories tall. Not only that, but several dozen other cait sidhe trailed behind it. Fortunately, traffic had been effectively curtailed for Elizabeth’s ride. The colossal clowder hurt no innocents as they advanced, but the crowds about the streets were still clustered about to watch the procession. Despite the guards’ efforts to evacuate them, they seemed to believe the attack was a prelude to the parade to come and applauded the invaders.
I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised… It’s a giant cat with a full horde of felines, after all.
“Meow you’ll pay for your transgressions! Thunder Stooooooorm!”
Plum held out its little paws, and its horde of followers let out a fierce chorus of caterwauling as the king’s fur crackled with electricity. A flurry of innumerable lances of lightning shot out a moment later, smashing violently into the protective barrier around the palace. Several broke through, scorching trees and shrubbery in Mother’s garden.
I cursed under my breath. “We need to hurry… Elizabeth, can you make Lars giant again?”
She nodded. “Of course. Lord Lars, lend me your power!”
“Gwearrrgh!”
The tiny dragon clamored up onto the balcony, trembling with anticipation. Mana flooded into his little body, wreathing him in ephemeral fog. When it finally cleared, the mighty dragon’s wings were extended to their fullest, his scaly neck craning high over us. I leapt onto his back, then held out my hand to help Elizabeth up after me. Once she was aboard, I cast a spell around us.
“Divine Wall!”
She started in surprise as the dome of light enveloped us. “You can cast that, too?”
“Yeah. It’ll be enough to deflect a few of those lightning bolts, at least.”
I couldn’t envelop Lars in the barrier as well, but I was far less worried about the hallowyrm. He let out a growl of discontent but obediently took flight, soaring above our foes on the main street below.