Chapter 5
I Do
The tall, thick grass blew like the waves of the ocean in the field where Emilia lay, gazing at the clouds. The bluest of skies hung overhead and white puffy clouds were scattered throughout. The song of a nearby yarkle set the mood perfectly.
Emilia had dressed accordingly for such a warm, sunny day. She wore a thin, snow white dress, and a crimson red rose accented her chocolate brown hair. A basket of fresh picked fruit and aged wine sit waiting in the brown wicker basket beside her. Emilia was the most beautiful woman in the whole kingdom of Galdarath, and tomorrow she would become the Queen of Galdarath, as she was scheduled to wed the King, Thaddeus Graystone.
King Thaddeus Graystone had the reputation of being a kind man. He was the most loved and respected leader the kingdom had ever known. This just one of the many reasons Emilia fell in love with him, that, and his ravishing good looks.
Thaddeus Graystone ruled with a kindness unlike any king before him. The people of Galdarath practically worshiped him. They would not hesitate to lay down their own lives for their king in an instant. This kind of loyalty could only belong to a man who had earned the respect of his people, and Thaddeus had done just that. He had lifted several of the crippling taxes that had deprived his people for many years. He showed equality between the common folk and nobles. Often, he would frequent the homes of the commoners in his kingdom to show them that he genuinely cared for them. He loved to hear of the problems and joys that the common folk shared with him as they sat down and shared meals together. Thaddeus did his best to help the citizens of Galdarath. These unheard of acts gained him the moniker of the Commoner’s King, just one of his many nicknames.
Under his short reign, trade flowed into Galdarath like never before due to his natural ability to negotiate with the other kingdoms. He showed fairness by allowing most criminals a just trial, and he tried his best to objectively hear every case brought to his court. He was the king for whom the people had longed.
As kind as he was, his compassionate heart could never be mistaken for a weakness. He was very strong, and everyone in Calencia was well aware of it. When the King became angry, no one dared to stand in his way. A proven warrior of many battles, Thaddeus had a reputation that struck fear in the hearts of his enemies. Friends and foes alike often referred to him as Thaddeus the Invincible, due to the rumor that he had never sustained a single injury in his countless engagements; this was no rumor. During the war with the Black Suns, a group of bandits who accepted members of any race, it was estimated he slew at least two hundred of the outlaws in open fielded combat. He did not receive as little as a scratch. In his crusade to annihilate the Shadows, an organized assassin’s guild, it was said that the heads of the guild did not even have the chance to draw their weapons before he struck them down. All of this, he accomplished by the young age of twenty.
The sight of the young King alone made most sapient men reconsider their course. Standing six feet and five inches tall, he towered over most. He had a very wide frame with muscles that busted from every inch of his body; a true specimen of how a man should look. And if his size was not intimidating enough, his legendary suit of armor, which had been passed down through the generations of Graystones, set him apart on the battlefield. His white and gold armor once belonged to the immortalized Ryker Graystone. Whenever he set foot on the battlefield donning his armor, the havoc seemed to halt for a few moments as everyone stood in awe of the indomitable King. He carried three fabled weapons with him onto the field of battle; two long swords that hung from his hips and a large double edged battle axe, his favorite, across his back. The element that set these weapons apart was the material from which that they were crafted. They were dragon bone and said to have been forged from the bones of the last High Dragon. Dragon bone weapons were extremely hard, extremely sharp, extremely rare, and Thaddeus could swing them with ferocious, deadly accuracy.
A man such as Thaddeus was desired by all the women in the kingdom, if not only for his ravishing good looks and radiant personality, but for the riches he could afford them. Those women could fantasize all they wanted, for it did not matter, he was Emilia’s. She had won his heart, and tomorrow they would become husband and wife, King and Queen.
As Emilia lay day dreaming in the field, a voice called out from behind her, “A woman of your beauty should not be out alone in the countryside. Bad things could happen to one such as you with no one to protect her,” said a low, deep voice.
Her heart raced. She rolled over onto her stomach to meet the eyes that accompanied the voice.
“Sir, I think I am well protected. I have no need to worry,” said Emilia.
“I see no guards here. What makes you think you are so well protected?” asked the man.
“Well, it just so happens that I am the bride to be of the most fearsome, handsome man in all of Calencia, the King of Galdarath.”
“Such a false sense of security. The relation to the King offers you no protection. Now, if you were accompanied by the King himself, that would be a different story,” said the man.
Emilia jumped up from the grass and ran. She jumped onto him and wrapped her arms around his neck and legs around his waist. He embraced her in his bulky arms. Their eyes met for several seconds, and she pressed her pink lips against his. It was the type of kiss that only true love can produce. She wove her fingers into his long, chestnut brown hair, never wanting to let go. He bent to one knee and placed her down on the silk blanket she had laid out. He hovered over top of her as they shared an intimate, endless stare into each other's eyes.
“Where have you been? I have been waiting here for what seems to be hours?” the beautiful Emilia asked.
“The work of a king is never done, my Queen. Recently there was some trouble in Causperias with a rogue mage. I had to speak to Sebastian regarding the situation and of course, set the bounty on the girls head,” said Thaddeus.
“And how is our dear friend, Sebastian? Is he well?” Emilia asked.
“Sebastian is well. He has his hands full at the moment, and he regretfully informs me that he will not be able to attend the wedding tomorrow. He sends his regards,” Thaddeus said as he fell onto his back, gazing at large cloud which took the shape of a griffin.
“No!” Emilia exclaimed. “He has to come to the wedding. If not Sebastian, who will be your first man?”
“I am sure someone will oblige me,” he replied. “I wonder if I should go back to Causperias and assist Sebastian?”
“Let us not talk of such matters today. We are to be wed tomorrow. You should not have to worry about these things. Sebastian will be fine. I am sure he will at least make the reception,” Emilia said as she ran her fingers through Thaddeus’s hair.
Thaddeus rolled over onto his stomach and stroked Emilia's fragile cheek with his hand. He became very serious and asked, "Why do you love me?"
With a smile, she said, "Why does the sound of a harp make me smile? Some things in life naturally happen without any explanation. You are my harp, Thaddeus."
Thaddeus smiled and rolled onto his back.
"Why do you love me? You could have your pick from any woman in the entire kingdom, yet you chose me. Why?" she asked.
After a moment of debate, Thaddeus replied, "Because I felt sorry for you."
Emilia playfully smacked him on his hard chest and said, "Well, if that is the only reason."
Thaddeus sat back up and stared deep into her eyes and said, "I love you. I love you more than anything in my life. I love you more than my kingdom, my riches, and more than all of the glory I have attained on the field of battle. I would give up everything that I possess for you, even my life."
"Will you love me till the day that I die?" she asked.
"No," he simply stated.
Emilia looked at him queerly.
"I will love you till the day that I die," Thaddeus declared as their lips met.
Emilia gave Thaddeus a ripe plum from the basket of f
ruit; he took it and ate. They consumed several more pieces of the delicious fruit and finished off the bottle of wine. They spent the rest of the day floating in the sea of tall grass speaking of their future together and sharing their most intimate desires. They spoke of their unborn children, even picking out their names. Although they did not make love, since that was to be saved for the night of their wedding, they did become as intimate as a man and woman could become, without crossing any lines of decency. Thaddeus, as well as Emilia, were both virgins, and they were saving their bodies for the night of their wedding.
They lay entangled in one another’s embrace until the orange sun began to fall out of sight.
Locmire's Quest: Book One A Tales from Calencia Novel Page 17