by J. D. Wright
“She left.”
“See? I would never do that to you.”
“You did do that to me,” he said, stopping her hand before it could go any lower. “You married another man, Ingrid.” Everything was slowly coming into better focus.
“I had no choice, Xavier. You know that. My father forced my hand.”
“You had a choice, Ingrid.”
“What was I supposed to say? I’ve been sleeping in the Prince of Labara’s bed? Who would believe me? It’s better this way, Xavier. For both of us. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be together.”
She pressed her lips against his, again. This time, he didn’t try to stop her. He was tired of trying. Tired of trying to stop Ingrid. Tired of trying to find Dahlia. Tired of trying to force himself to stop thinking about her. Ingrid wasn’t what he wanted… but at least she was there.
When he began to kiss her back, she slipped her tongue into his mouth and her hand into his trousers. He hadn’t even realized she had removed his belt while they were talking. She shoved him backward, onto the bed, and climbed on top of him.
“Get out.”
Ingrid sat up and looked over at the door. Tristan was standing in the doorway, holding it open.
“Get out, Ingrid!” Tristan said, louder this time. “Now.”
She began to argue, but Tristan interrupted her, “Before I have you detained and summon your husband.”
“You wouldn’t,” Ingrid dared, rising from the bed.
“I would. In fact, I may summon him, anyhow, whether you leave quietly or not.”
Ingrid only hesitated for a moment, then gathered her skirts into her arms and fled the room. Xavier sat up and rubbed his eyes. The lantern Tristan was holding was much brighter than his candles. Suddenly, he felt his shirt hit his face.
“Ow! Seriously?” Xavier grumbled.
“You should be ashamed!” Tristan spat. “Letting her back into your bed? Have you no decency, at all? She is a married woman now, Xavier!”
“She came to me! I didn’t want her here. I told her to leave.”
“She clearly didn’t listen.”
“Clearly.”
“What if I hadn’t come in when I had? What if I hadn’t thought to see if you had made it back, safely? What would you have done?”
“I don’t know,” Xavier said. “Something I would later regret, I suppose.”
“Exactly.”
Tristan set the lantern down on the floor and extinguished the flame.
“What are you doing?” Xavier asked.
“I am staying here, tonight. I don’t trust her not to return and I don’t trust you not to leave and go after her.”
“I won’t go after her.”
“Again, I don’t trust you. You obviously are not in any position to be making decent decisions.”
“So what? You’re going to share my bed? I may have had a bit to drink, but I do still have my limits,” Xavier teased.
“No,” Tristan replied, pulling the quilt and rolling Xavier off of the bed. He tossed a pillow down to his brother. “You are going to sleep on the floor.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Rianne knew she was alive, but she felt dead inside. Like a ghost. She stood very still and allowed the seamstress to stitch the back of her gown. Her wedding gown. The gown she would be wearing when she stood in front of everyone she knew and said vows she didn’t mean. She had offered to wear Seraphina’s gown, as she didn’t really care what dress she wore. It didn’t feel like a celebration to her, anyway.
However, Isabelle had been adamant that Rianne wear her own gown. Rianne couldn’t argue with the beauty of the dress. Her mother had always had a fantastic sense of design. The top portion was a tight corset, all white, with a lace underlay that covered her arms, shoulders, and upper breasts. The skirts were pale yellow, full, and also had white lace. Layer upon layer of lace. Rianne couldn’t even imagine the time it would take to stitch only the lace, let alone the entire gown. The cost to make this one dress would be more than enough to barter a passage to a faraway kingdom.
Seraphina had used Rianne’s original wedding colors, so Isabelle decided to use pale yellow and white for Rianne. Her mother had clearly ordered the making of the dress many months ago. However, she had only needed to change the color of the base skirts to yellow in order for it to match.
But as beautiful as the gown was, when Rianne looked into the mirror, all she saw were her tears. She easily overlooked the beautiful silver necklace with yellow jewels that hung around her neck. It was a wedding gift from her father, but she would gladly sell it or trade it for a horse to ride away on.
Her hair was pulled back, which she knew was her mother’s best effort to hide the purple strands. Isabelle had suggested putting yellow flowers in her hair, but Rianne chose white, instead. It reminded her of the flower that Zander had placed behind her ear, the day they left the glen. At least in her last moments, his memory would be with her.
In one final and desperate effort, Rianne had begged her mother to allow her to leave and go back to Zander. She tried to convince her mother to look the other way and let her sneak out of the castle. No one would blame the queen if her daughter escaped. After all, she had done it once before. For a moment, Isabelle seemed to consider it. Then she refused, stating, “A princess must always keep her promises.”
“I’m not the one who made the promise to marry Carneath,” Rianne mumbled.
Finally, she had given up. Now, her only hope was that someone would have pity on her and set her free. Her brothers might have been willing to help her, but Nolan had made certain that neither Tristan nor Xavier could visit Rianne. They had aided in her escape once already, albeit unknowingly. But to Nolan, it wasn’t a risk he was willing to take. He, himself, avoided visiting his daughter, for fear he might change his own mind after witnessing her despair.
The seamstress finished with the gown and handed Rianne the veil.
“No,” Rianne said. “I don’t want it.”
“But Your Highness,” the seamstress said, “the queen has chosen this veil for you.”
“I don’t care. I don’t want to wear a veil.” If I’m going to do this, I’m not going to hide my face.
The seamstress didn’t argue. She placed the veil back inside its box and gave a quick curtsy before excusing herself. Rianne stared into the mirror. Under other circumstances, she would be thrilled to look this way on her wedding day. For a different groom, that is. It was too bad that this gorgeous gown would go to waste on Carneath.
Downstairs, the guests assembled in the hall and awaited the start of the ceremony. Tristan took a seat on the front bench, between his brother and his wife. Nolan and Isabelle were seated next to Xavier and closest to where the bride would be standing. Tristan assumed it was to prevent Rianne from running back down the aisle. But if she did try to flee, he was considering helping her. He shook the thought from his head. His father would likely never forgive him if he did help her to escape. Again.
King Carneath entered and took his place to the right of the throne, in front of the mysta. The mysta was the same one who married Tristan and Seraphina with the same enormous mustache. Tristan was surprised when Seraphina pointed out how funny he looked when he spoke.
Soon, the wedding procession began and the room filled with music. The Royal Knights of Labara marched into the hall and took their places on either side of the aisle, pointing their swords toward the floor. Since Labara was the bride’s kingdom, the procession was chosen by the bride’s family. Therefore, there would be no annoying flute players this time. Once the knights were in place, the three young girls who were chosen as flower fairies skipped down the aisle, tossing flower petals and leaves along the way.
Next, two squires carried the rings. Each ring was placed around the tips of their swords. It was customary that the rings stay balanced until they reached the end of the aisle. If a ring fell off, it was a bad omen and the marriage would be doomed. Rianne waited in
the hallway, hoping to hear gasps of a ring falling. Unfortunately, she heard the trumpeter begin to play the bride’s song, instead.
The two men who were guarding her motioned toward the door. She knew this was the moment that she was supposed to turn the corner and enter the hall, but her legs didn’t want to move. They felt numb. Most of her body felt numb. Finally, she took one last glance down the empty hallway. Cursing under her breath, she stepped forward and found herself in front of the entire hall. Everyone was looking her way. Every eye was on her.
Once she was in the center of the doorway, the knights raised their swords, creating an arch of shiny metal above her head.
“She’s going to run,” Seraphina said, tugging on Tristan’s arm. “Just watch!”
Tristan almost hoped Rianne would run. But she didn’t. She held her head high and started down the long walk to her future husband.
Glancing around the hall, she saw her mother’s work. Bunches of yellow, white, and pale pink flowers were strategically placed around the windows and down the aisle. The large chandelier that hung in the center of the room had tiny sparkling gold chains and strings of white flowers hanging from it. It slowly spun around, enchanted by Eon, she assumed. The gold reflected off of the light from the windows. The tiny reflections twirled around the room, over the faces of the people watching her and across the aisle in front of her. As she watched it, she became dizzy, so she looked down and tried to concentrate on walking.
With every step, she felt more and more ill. She wondered if her face looked as terrible as she felt. Looking further down the aisle, she got her first glance of King Carneath.
He was wearing his formal attire in black and white, the royal colors of Carneath. He didn’t look as old as she had been imagining, but he was certainly much older than he had been the one time she had met him, before. His neatly trimmed beard and short brown hair had gray sprinkled throughout. His face might even be handsome if he were younger. Much younger.
She wanted to believe that it could be worse. That she should be thankful Carneath wasn’t an ugly slob. But even if she did overlook his age, she couldn’t see herself loving him. Especially, after meeting Zander. Her vision for her future was different now. There was someone else she wanted to see standing beside the throne. Someone else she wanted to wear this gorgeous gown for. She just wished he were here to see her. The thought of Zander made her shudder as she passed her family and stepped up to face Carneath.
“Oh, wow,” Seraphina whispered. “She may not be happy, but she sure looks lovely.”
“She does,” Tristan said. Then, for some reason he couldn’t explain, he bent down and whispered, “You looked lovely, too.”
Seraphina blushed and looked away, hiding her smile as she took a seat beside him.
The hall was quiet now. Only Rianne, Carneath, and the mysta were left standing, apart from a dozen or so guards from both Carneath and Labara, who were scattered around the hall. Rianne looked at the giant text in order to keep her eyes occupied as the mysta began to speak. She was afraid to look at her groom, her parents, or anyone else.
Please, let this nightmare end. Wake me up. Let me wake up.
She felt a bit faint and planted her feet further apart to keep her balance. It didn’t do very much good, however, because she could still feel her body slowly swaying.
The mysta stopped speaking and began to read from his book. Rianne tried to hear the words, but they were just muffled sounds. She began to imagine herself somewhere else. Anywhere else. The glen was the first thing that came to mind. She had spent many days and nights in Silver Glen. She wished she could be there now. Even being surrounded by wolves would be better than this.
Please, someone. Anyone.
Suddenly, the hall doors flew open with such force that it splintered the wood. Rianne was the only person in the room who didn’t flinch. Thank you, thank you, thank you. She didn’t need to look in the doorway to know he was standing there. Her rescuer.
“What is the meaning of this?” King Carneath turned and shouted, demanding an answer for the disruption. “You! State your purpose here. Who are you?”
Zander knew that every person in the hall was watching him. He looked across the large room and spotted her, standing beside the mysta. He tried to stay focused, but she looked so beautiful in her gown. The white flowers in her hair were a special touch that made it hurt just a little bit more. He took a few steps forward then stopped. He looked Carneath straight in the eye and didn’t falter. He knew exactly what his purpose was. To stop this wedding.
“My name is Zander, son of Leitis, the Royal Mage of Vale. I place a ban on this union.”
YES! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Rianne kept her face calm, but her mind was spinning.
The hall was quiet as the mysta lowered the text that he had been reading from and glared at the wizard, frowning. “Yes, boy. What is your reasoning for placing a ban on this marriage?”
“What is his reasoning? This is preposterous! No reason would warrant this interruption,” Carneath said, outraged that the mysta would even entertain this fool.
“He is bound by his scriptum,” Zander said. “A ban on a marriage must be heard.”
Carneath looked like someone had set his face on fire. He called out to his soldiers who moved toward the back of the hall, surrounding the wizard. Zander ignored them.
“Go on,” the mysta said, nodding slowly.
Rianne had to remind herself to breathe. Then, for the first time since entering the room, Zander’s eyes met hers. She felt her heartbeat quicken. The knots in her stomach were nothing compared to the joyous voices in her head. He had come. He actually did. She had convinced herself that he wouldn’t. His face was like a dream in the middle of her nightmare. Everything would be alright now. He was here.
Her eyes were begging him to rescue her. It hurt him to see it. He would save her. He just hoped she would forgive him for what he was about to do…
“Princess Rianne of Labara cannot marry King Carneath,” he said. “The princess is unclean.”
Gasps could be heard around the room. Even Rianne’s breath caught in her throat.
No.
King Carneath’s head snapped back to his betrothed. His glare was intense. Rianne kept her eyes on Zander, afraid that if she looked away, she might cry.
King Nolan stood, outraged at the wizard’s claim about his daughter. Queen Isabelle stayed in her seat and shook her head. The boy was brave. She would give him credit for that. But he was also foolish.
“And do you have proof or bear witness to this claim?” the mysta said, eyeing Zander, trying to tell if the wizard was lying.
“I do.” He never took his eyes off of her, afraid that if he did look away, he may miss the last few moments they would ever have together. This was his last chance to look at her beautiful face and those lovely blue eyes.
“I forced the princess to lie with me,” he continued.
No, you didn’t. We didn’t. That isn’t true! Tell them it isn’t true! Despite her best efforts to hold herself together, the first tear began to fall down her cheek.
“And you will swear to this being true?” the mysta asked.
No, no, no, no. Say NO! Please, Zander…
Zander turned and looked the mysta in the eye. Holding his head high, he took a deep breath and kissed his freedom goodbye.
“Yes.”
It happened so quickly that it actually felt like someone had slowed time. The king yelled for his soldiers to capture the wizard, who pounced on him. Zander didn’t fight them. Rianne leapt off of the top step, her dress and jewels flying in the air around her. Xavier caught her, mid-jump, around the waist and spun her around. It took him and Tristan both to hold her back as she screamed Zander’s name over and over.
Carneath immediately rounded on Nolan, shouting accusations, convinced that King Nolan had misrepresented his daughter in order to take advantage of him. King Nolan’s guard got in between to protect their king
, leading King Carneath’s soldiers to do the same. Fighting commenced and guests fled in every direction to escape the swinging swords all over the hall. Clanking metal and shouting echoed off of the tall stone walls, making the room so loud that even the sound of thunder couldn’t have been heard.
Rianne managed to break free and took off running down the aisle. She reached her hand out to Zander. But before she could touch him, someone grabbed her and pulled her back, dragging her to the other side of the room while she screamed and fought them.
The commotion blocked any view that Rianne could have of Zander now. She tried to climb on Xavier’s shoulders to get herself high enough to see over it. Isabelle took hold of Tristan’s arm.
“Get her out of here. It isn’t safe. Now!” she shouted, when her son hesitated.
Tristan and Xavier drug Rianne out of the hall. Seraphina ran close behind them, shutting doors as they went to prevent anyone from following them. They made their way into their father’s study and closed the door behind them. Tristan pushed his father’s desk in front of the door.
“Is that true?” Xavier asked, pointing toward the door. “What he said? Is that true?”
“No, it isn’t true,” Rianne replied. “Zander would never force himself on me. Ever!”
“Then why would he say that?”
“I don’t know why he said that!” Rianne shouted.
“He had to,” Tristan said. “It was the only thing he could say that would guarantee the mysta could not continue with the ceremony. A king cannot marry a soiled princess. At least, a respectable one wouldn’t.”
“That was the only way to save me?”
“In a sense, yes.” Tristan sighed. “You aren’t related to Carneath and you are not too young to consent. So… yes, it was the only other way.”
“But once Carneath leaves, Zander can tell the truth. He can say he lied and they will have to set him free.”
Tristan shook his head. “He swore to a mysta that it was the truth. That was the only way to make it a valid claim. If he were to admit to lying, the punishment would be just as severe.”