by Daris Howard
Louise watched with pleasure as the friendship grew between her father and Alexander. It started out slowly at first. Alexander was not sure of himself or where he fit in. But once her father had made up his mind that she could marry Alexander, he acted as though he had planned it all along. Since the women spent lots of time planning the wedding, Alexander and her father had time to get acquainted. One day, as the king, Duke Reginald, and Alexander sat down to tea together, the women being too busy to join them, she overheard the king joke to Alexander. "Doesn't it make you feel like you are just an afterthought as far as the wedding goes?"
It warmed her heart to see her father proudly introduce Alexander as his future son-in-law. Alexander was always the gracious, kind person he had always been, but he was not much for titles. As people tried to address him as "Lord Alexander" he would kindly ask them to just call him "Alexander." Louise was worried about her father's reaction to this, but it didn't seem to bother him. Her father seemed to accept Alexander for what he was. In fact he seemed to appreciate the man Alexander was. She was grateful, because she was sure Alexander would never go for the title of "Prince", which is what he would be forever once he married her.
There were a few who still felt it was inappropriate for her to marry him. Her Aunt Eldna and her cousin Tobias were among them. But most of the kingdom loved Alexander and celebrated the marriage of their princess. The people of Bernodia were more than ecstatic to see a native son marry into the royal family, especially Alexander. They talked of how it might raise the image of the north in the eyes of the rest of the kingdom.
Very quickly, Christmas was arriving. She and Alexander had been at Denville for more than a month by then. The king and queen were to arrive just a few days before Christmas. They had all long ago dispensed with bringing lots of items with them. The large supply wagons more than doubled the time it took to get between Winslow and Denville.
Louise thought the snow in the north was beautiful, but she told Alexander she could do without the cold. He laughed, but agreed that they would spend most of their winters at Winslow and most of the summers at Denville.
Alexander had other tricks up his sleeve for creating new food in winter, too. He would make the honey candy, but instead of boiling it until it thickened, he added almost twice the cream, along with some egg whites, then he would beat it until it fluffed up, and, finally, he poured it on fresh new snow.
This made a candy dessert that was lighter and not quite as overwhelmingly sweet. The first time he gave one to her, she bit into it, and its coolness crumbled in her mouth like mist. He said as a little boy he liked to eat snow, and that was how he ended up putting the two together. He said the important part was finding good, clean snow. She could hardly believe anything was better than honey candy, but she liked this even more. He called it "snow candy." Sometimes he took a big cup of snow, mixing honey with different kinds of things and pouring it on top, just to eat it that way. She tried some, but her favorite topping was still just honey candy.
One other thing he made that she really liked was what he called "snow cream." He took lots of cream and put it in a tall wooden container. He took dried fruits and boiled them. Then he mixed in some honey and poured that in with the cream. He then stuck this in a tub of melting snow and ice. Young servant boys would take turns stirring the creamy mixture. When it got thick, he gave a bowl full to Louise. The creamy, sweet, cold mixture just glided down her throat. She couldn't get enough of it and ate it quickly until her head started to pound. Alexander laughed and told her a person had to eat it slowly.
Louise wanted her parents to try snow candy and snow cream and she wanted some for her wedding, but she knew the supply of honey was running low. She felt partially responsible for that, having given so much to the army when she went to get Alexander. Alexander told her not to worry about it. There would be plenty. He told her the biggest fear would be whether the cream would hold out. Cream was saved for weeks ahead of Christmas and stored in the freezing temperatures of the ice house.
The cook made up the last of the honey in the castle into snow candy the week before Christmas and stored them on trays in the ice house too. Louise was sure it wouldn't last until December thirtieth, the wedding day, let alone until her parents could try some.
But then came a tradition that was unique to the Bernodians. People from all over the country started bringing gifts of honey, hams, vegetables, and many other things to Denville. Mostly, though, they brought honey, because it was so plentiful in the mountains of Bernodia. Each giver was then the recipient of snow candy for each member of their family. Louise saw the honey barrels starting to fill, even as the cook busily made more snow candy.
Louise could see what Alexander meant as she saw the cream supply dwindling fast. He sent servants to buy any cream that was available at the villages near and far. They barely made it through the week, with very little snow candy to spare, and immediately started saving all of the cream to make more for the wedding.
Her parents came that week, and Louise was as happy as she had ever been in her life. Her parents were there, and she loved them more than ever. Alexander was there and, in less than a week, he would be her husband. Lady Margaret and Duke Reginald were there, and they already seemed like a mother and a father to her.
Louise decided to hold off giving her parents any snow candy until Christmas Eve. She decided it could be Alexander's Christmas gift to them. On Christmas Eve, as was tradition at Denville, they had a big feast that included every servant of the castle. They had it in the great hall, and lots of tables and chairs were brought in. It was a grand feast, with every imaginable kind of meat, cheese, bread, cake, vegetables, and dried fruit.
This was unusual for Louise. She couldn't ever remember sitting down to a feast at the same table as the servants. Of course, as she thought about it, only about nine or ten months earlier she hadn't ever sat at the same table as people who were not of nobility.
She watched her father carefully to see how he would react. He didn't seem bothered by it in the least. She could remember his first reaction to shaking hands with the people in the mountain village, and she knew her father had changed a lot, too.
The hall went quiet as the king and queen each had snow candy and a bowl of snow cream set in front of them. Louise thought about how in the palace there were delicacies reserved only for nobility. But Alexander and his parents had no such things. If Alexander liked it, he wanted everyone to try it. There wasn't a servant at the palace that hadn't tried both snow candy and snow cream.
Everyone watched carefully as the king and queen took their first bite of snow candy. The king smiled and licked his lips. "My, that is good. That is better than honey candy. What is it?"
Louise grinned. "It's snow candy."
The king laughed. "Don't tell me. Let me guess. Alexander made it."
Louise nodded. The king grinned at Alexander. "I think sometimes you missed your calling in life, my boy." As the whole hall burst into laughter, the king smiled. "Of course, Alexander, I don't think being born of nobility has stopped you from branching out and doing whatever you want."
Alexander and Louise both knew the king meant only good in what he said. The king was enjoying the attention, even if it was by the servants of Denville. Louise was seeing a side of her father she didn't even know existed. For that matter, she wasn't even sure her father knew. As the king joked and everyone laughed some more, the excitement was building in Louise until she was about to burst. "Father, try the other one. Alexander calls it 'snow cream'."
Both the king and queen took a bite of the snow cream at the same time. They looked at each other and the wonderment in their faces told the whole story. The king smacked his lips. "My heavens, that is good. What did you say it was called?"
Louise beamed. "It is called 'snow cream', Father. But don't eat it too fast or it makes your head hurt."
Many in the hall laughed at this, and Louise, who hadn't meant to make a joke, realized that
there must have been many others that had eaten theirs fast, too. The king turned to Alexander. "You will have to teach the cooks at Winslow to make it."
Alexander smiled. "There is one big problem, Your Majesty. It requires snow."
The king grinned. "I'll just make a decree that it snows at least once a week in Winslow." Everyone laughed again. The king reveled in being at the center of attention, and Louise marveled at how funny he truly could be.
The wedding day finally came. She kissed Alexander good luck at breakfast. He smiled at her. "I've got a surprise for you later." She wanted to know what it was, but he said that if he told her, it wouldn't be a surprise.
She hurried to her quarters to get ready. The queen came to help direct Elizabeth and Marina. Everything had to be just right. Her hair was done up, and her dress was beautiful. The royal tailors and seamstresses had been sewing for months. When she was finally ready, she gazed in the mirror. She had never felt so pretty.
Elizabeth and Marina helped her carry her train to the great hall. There stood her father. He looked at her and smiled. "You are beautiful, Louise."
"Thank you, Father."
"By the way," he said, "Alexander asked me to tell you to notice the girls in the procession."
That really piqued Louise's curiosity. What was this surprise Alexander had up his sleeve? Finally, Lady Margaret led in the flower girls and the girls that would hold Louise's train. There in the lead was Nell. She was so beautiful with her blonde hair curled around her face. She was dressed in white, wearing a wreath of dried flowers in her hair. All of the little girls were from the mountain village. Louise knew the trail to the mountain village would be difficult to traverse this time of year, and she wondered what Alexander had to do to get them there.
Louise knelt down by Nell. "Nell, you are so beautiful. I am so glad you could be here."
Nell smiled at her. "Thank you, Your Highness."
Louise was shocked. She looked at her father, but he just shrugged. "Alexander said, according to her grandmother, when he sent word that he wanted Nell and the other little girls to be part of the wedding, she got so excited that she started talking again."
Louise hugged Nell, and Nell returned her affection. Louise could feel her heart swelling with even more love for Alexander. She hadn't even thought of bringing in the children from the village for the wedding. He was kind and thoughtful in even the smallest things. Sometimes what seemed like a small thing was really a big thing.
The queen and Lady Margaret went into the hall to take their places. The music began to play. Nell and another little mountain girl led the way with dried flowers, due to the season. Behind Louise, six girls carried her train. As she stepped into the hall, her arm through the arm of her father's, Louise looked up and saw Alexander. He was dressed in a royal uniform, and she thought there could not be a more handsome man in the world.
She noticed many of the mountain people were there, attired in the best clothes they had. There were many other people from villages near and far. Most Bernodian villages tried to send at least one representative. As they neared the front of the hall, Louise saw Nell wave at someone. As she glanced out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nell's grandmother motioning for Nell to pay attention to what she was doing.
On the other side of the hall she caught a glimpse of Aunt Eldna. Eldna was her father's sister, just younger than himself. She was actually a pretty woman, but her sour character had creased her face. She frowned, even now, and Louise knew she did not approve of this wedding. Beside Eldna sat Tobias. For some reason, he was smiling. She was surprised, because he had expressed his consternation, saying she was marrying far beneath the dignity of a queen.
But above all, there was Alexander. He stood tall and handsome near the priest. She wanted run to his side, but now was the time for ceremony. They neared Alexander, and she removed her arm from her father's, and she returned a curtsy to his bow. Her father took his place near her mother as Louise reached up and took Alexander's arm. He whispered, "You're beautiful" as he led her up in front of the priest.
Marina and Elizabeth were there to attend her, and two young men, distant cousins of Alexander's, stood beside him. Most men of nobility might have a Man-At-Arms to accompany him everywhere he went, but Alexander liked the freedom to travel and be himself, so he had none.
She couldn't remember much of what was said after that. She could remember the priest asking her if she would love, cherish, and honor Alexander of Bernodia for all of her life and take him as her husband. Her heart fluttered as she said, "I do."
She could also remember how her heart trembled as Alexander was asked the same about her, and replied, "I do."
He put a ring on her finger, and she put one on his, the symbols that they belonged to each other. And most of all, she could remember when he kissed her, and how she thought that was the symbol of the love that sealed them and their hearts to each other forever.
The people in the hall then rose and started to clap, most of them, anyway. Louise could see Eldna did not. Alexander bowed, and she curtsied. As she did, she thought back on a night so many months before when they had bowed and curtsied to a hall of people. It was her birthday ball, the point when her heart began to change. They had come so far since that parallel night not too long before.
Chapter 11
Marie
The wedding celebration was wonderful, with feasting and merriment. All of the wedding guests were invited, including the villagers from the mountain. Aunt Eldna seemed displeased about sitting at the same table as commoners.
After each of the many toasts that were proposed, the newly married couple was expected to kiss, which made Louise very happy and caused Alexander to glow bright red with embarrassment.
The cooks had outdone themselves, bringing in plates of roast pork, chicken, ham, and lamb cooked over an open fire. Bernodia was known for an abundance of apples, and there had been huge amounts stored for the wedding celebration to be pressed into apple cider.
Alexander had seated Nell next to Louise, with Nell's grandmother on the other side of Nell. Nell talked a lot to Louise, even after her grandmother told her she needed to be quiet and eat her meal. Louise and Alexander were pleased to hear her little voice. Of course, dessert was snow cream. Most of the villagers had never had it before, and Alexander had to explain how to make it. Louise even saw Eldna smile as she tried some.
After the dinner, which lasted well into the evening, Louise was happy to have some time alone with Alexander. His arms around her felt so right, and she loved thinking nothing could come between them again.
They slept as late as they wanted, with breakfast near noon, but then they had to prepare for one more big celebration. They had planned their wedding for December thirtieth, because December thirty-first was the night of the Bernodian Ball. Alexander wanted everyone to meet his wife, so he looked at it as an opportunity to combine it with the wedding celebration. The servants had worked hard all week pressing apples; the cook and her helpers were making snow candy as fast as they could. A team of men had no other job than to go far and wide loading wagons full of clean snow to bring back for the cook. Another group had gone all week buying more cream at all of the villages.
Everyone in Bernodia was invited. They just had to get there. The great hall, the courtyard, and all the hallways of the castle were full of people coming and going. They went through barrels of apple juice and fields full of snow turned into snow candy. Louise was sure Aunt Eldna would stay in her room, but she was there visiting with Captain Johnson of the Royal Guard. Louise smiled to herself. It was strange that stuffy, old Aunt Eldna would seem to enjoy visiting with a soldier.
Though people usually didn't bring presents to the Bernodian Ball, that night they did - gifts for the newly married couple. Many of the artisans and craftsman from Esconodia were there, bringing beautiful, carved chests, necklaces, and richly decorated blankets. Louise wondered how her father would feel about the Esconodians, but if h
e noticed at all, he didn't say.
The craftsman that had sold Alexander the necklace was pleased to see Louise wearing it. He gave her a small necklace that was a miniature of her own, suggesting it was "For baby princess someday."
As the ball commenced, the king and queen, Lady Margaret and Duke Reginald, and Alexander and Louise stepped to the ballroom floor. A hush fell on the crowd as the musicians began to play. The three couples danced, and as they did, Louise thought of the dance many months before that had changed everything. Even then, she was sure where it would lead; she just didn't realize how happy she would be.
When the music ended, the people in the hall applauded. The three men bowed and the three women curtsied - an invitation for everyone to join them on the dance floor. It was a wonderful celebration and went into the early hours of the New Year.
The next afternoon, after a good night's rest, Alexander and Louise left for Walsken Manor, a few days' journey away. The first night Alexander asked her if she would like to stay at an inn or at a home in a village. She chose to stay with the family.
It was getting dark by the time they entered the village, but it was noised about quickly that Alexander and his new bride were there. People converged on the village square to greet them and congratulate them. He had candy for the children, and had even brought his book, though the parents told the children the new "prince" was just married and should not be bothered that night. So after the children got their candy, they were quickly shooed off to their homes.
Alexander was embarrassed at being called a prince. He asked, "Louise, will it bother you if I just have people call me Alexander?"
She kissed him. "Not as long as you always remember that, to me, you are a prince."