The Assassin's Blade

by H J Peterson

  And if the twisting in his stomach was any indication of how much time he had, he had to get out of there right then.

  Friedrich leaned towards Maddox as Eltz and Viktoria looked out of the carriage and talked about how they were, hopefully, going to manage to get to the church without getting mobbed by the mass of reporters. “Maddox, I need you to get me to one of those alleys as soon as possible.”

  Maddox gave him a look. “What?”

  “I need to get to an alley right now,” Friedrich repeated. He could taste the bile in his throat. His time was nearly out.

  Maddox finally seemed to realize what was about to happen: his eyes grew wide with horror. “Oh, hell. Please tell me you’re joking!”

  The knot tightened, again. Oh, heaven damn it! “Do I look like I’m joking?”

  The carriage rocked, and Chayim opened the door to the carriage.

  Every reporter swarmed the door, shouting enough questions at them that Friedrich hadn’t heard a single one.

  In that moment, Friedrich felt any ounce of hope had had left of not embarrassing himself die inside him. That was it: he was about to become a social pariah. On his wedding day.

  Damn it all! It was bad enough that he was marrying someone so below his station; the tabloids were going to eat him alive if he threw up.

  Luckily for him, though, Maddox reacted much faster to it all than he did. Just seconds after Chayim had helped them out of the carriage, Maddox was shoving his way right through the crowd like a man on a mission. The man didn’t even stop to ask people to get out of the way: he just plowed his way through the crowd, and her certainly didn’t stop to apologize to any of the reporters that he shoved in the name of getting Friedrich to the alley.

  And thank heaven for that determination, because just seconds after they got out of their sight, Friedrich’s stomach heaved, and he hurled all over the side of the brick building that shared the alley with the church.

  It kept coming. Friedrich didn’t know how he could’ve possibly thrown up that much, but… it happened. And dear heaven, it was awful.

  “Feel better?” Maddox asked. Friedrich hadn’t even realized that he was holding his hair back so it wouldn’t get vomit in it until then.

  “A little,” Friedrich groaned, still bending over. At least that knot in his stomach was gone. “Would you happen to have some water on you?”

  Maddox let go of his hair as Friedrich stood up straight, again. He pulled out something that he really hadn’t wanted to see at that moment: a flask.

  He pointed an accusing finger at the metal container that held water from the pools of hell, itself. “I’m not drinking that stuff, Maddox. You might as well put that damned thing away.”

  “It’s not for you to drink: we’ve got to get that vomit out of your mouth, before you kiss Katalin on hers,” he said. He held the flask out to him. “Swish some of this around in your mouth, then spit it out.”

  Friedrich grudgingly took the flask and did as Maddox said, ignoring the way this particular brand of alcohol burned everything it touched, then spat it out by his vomit. He didn’t have to smell his breath to know that it now smelled of whatever brew Maddox kept in that flask.

  “Please tell me you have something on you to get this smell off of my breath,” Friedrich said, handing the flask back to him.

  “I do, actually,” Maddox said, putting the cap back on the flask. He tucked it back into his tunic and looked back up at him. “But only if you can stand to eat something.”

  Heaven, what had he done to deserve any of this?

  “What is it?” Friedrich asked.

  Maddox reached into his pocket and pulled out a small candy, wrapped in colorful wax paper. “A butterscotch.”

  Friedrich held his hand out. Maddox gave it to him, and he began to unwrap the small piece of candy.

  “Make sure you suck on it,” Maddox said as Friedrich popped it into his mouth. “It’s not going to work as well if you chew and swallow.” He began to look around. “Now, let’s get you inside for your wedding.”

  Friedrich nodded, and the two of them went into the church through a side door.

  Of course, the first person to greet the two of them was Viktoria. She came running over to them as fast as her skirts and her shoes would allow, eyes wide with a crazed look that almost reminded Friedrich of a rabid dog.

  “Where in the world have you been?” she asked quickly. “We’ve been looking for you!”

  Friedrich frowned. “I was just… taking a second to breathe in the alley, I guess.”

  “Well, you need to get up to that altar: the wedding’s going to start in a few minutes, and you still need to tell the priest whether or not you and Katalin decided to write your own vows,” Viktoria said. She handed him the box with Katalin’s ring in it. “Here’s the ring. Now go-” she squinted at his mouth. “Is that a candy? Where did you get candy? I thought you were sick.”

  “It’s a butterscotch, Lady Totefels,” Maddox explained before Friedrich could say anything. “Pardon my boldness, my lady, but his breath was smelling rather… well, rather rank, and he didn’t feel comfortable with kissing Katalin with it. He was also a little too worried for his own good. So, I gave him a butterscotch.” He dug through his pockets some more and pulled out a couple more. “I was about to have one, myself, if you want one.”

  Viktoria sighed and took one of the candies. “I will have one, thank you very much.” She unwrapped it, popped it into her mouth, and handed the wrapper to him. “Now, both of you need to get up to that altar right now, before I lose it!”

  Neither of them argued with her. Friedrich and Maddox took their places by the altar, where the priest was standing, flipping through “The Holy Book” for appropriate verses for the ceremony.

  He glanced up at the two of them as Maddox popped a butterscotch into his mouth. “You never told me, Lord Eltz: will you and Katalin be exchanging the traditional vows, or did the two of you decide to write your own?”

  “We decided to use the traditional vows,” Friedrich said. “She’ll be saying the vows in Vorbereicher, and I’ll be saying my vows in Magyaran.”

  The priest paused and looked up at him. “Do you know if Lady von Thurzó has the Vorbereicher version of ‘The Holy Book’?”

  Oh, hell!

  “D-do you not have one?” Friedrich asked.

  “No, I don’t have a Vorbereicher version,” the priest said. “This is a Magyaran Gerechtist church: we cater to Magyarans, most of whom barely speak Vorbereicher.”

  Friedrich turned to Maddox. “Maddox…”

  “I’m on it,” Maddox said. He went down the stairs of the altar and began jogging towards the door to get “The Holy Book” in Vorbereicher.

  Of course, though, Viktoria stopped him before he could get to the door. “What are you doing? Get back up there!”

  “I’m sorry, Lady Totefels,” Maddox said quickly. “Friedrich needs me to run and get something. I swear, I’ll be back before the wedding starts-“

  “No, you won’t!” Viktoria snapped. “The wedding is going to start right now: get back up there, before I…I…”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said. He walked up to the altar and took his spot behind Friedrich, defeated.

  “I’m sorry; I tried,” he said quietly.

  “It’s alright,” Friedrich said. He told himself to not panic: Katalin was a smart woman. And, seeing as she actually came to this cathedral for church, she probably knew that she would need to bring her own set of scriptures.

  Right? Please, tell him that she knew all that!

  With that thought, the doors at the front of the cathedral that lead to the front atrium opened, revealing Katalin in her wedding dress with her father next to her and the maid of honor, her cousin Zosia, holding the veil behind her.

  Friedrich’s jaw dropped.

  Katalin looked absolutely beautiful. She was wearing a long, cream-colored gown, with lace cap sleeves and a low neckline. Her hair was pinned up in wh
at looked to be a complicated combination of a bun and a braid, with a beret made of silver, pearls, and what looked to be green diamonds, which held a sheer veil to her hair, which was draped over her face. She was wearing a pearl necklace with matching earrings, and the engagement ring he’d gotten her on her finger. She held a beautiful bouquet of big, purple flowers, with little white flowers in it. He was pretty sure the purple flowers were irises: they looked like the same flowers that were in a vase he broke as a kid, and he remembered his mother muttering about her inconsiderate son knocking over her irises during society parties for weeks afterwards.

  Katalin was one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen. He’d known that before, but seeing her there in that wedding gown was just… it was the happiest, most surreal moment of his life.

  It was humbling, knowing that that woman, the one that everyone stood for as she walked down the aisle of the chapel, had actually said yes to a scatterbrained klutz like him.

  Katalin slowly walked towards them, her arm linked with Lord von Thurzó’s, the organist playing gentle music in the background. The poor man: he looked like he was holding it together alright, but Friedrich could see that he was getting close to tears. Terézia and Viktoria, however, weren’t holding it together at all. Both of them were silently dabbing away at the corners of their eyes, their faces splotchy and red from crying. Friedrich wasn’t totally sure whether or not his mom was emotional or just having a mental break, but he knew for a fact that Terézia was being emotional: from what Katalin had told him, Lady von Thurzó had been the epitome of calm all through this process.

  All thought of how sick he’d been feeling and the fact that he’d vomited in the alleyway by the church just minutes before the ceremony was forgotten. In that moment, it was just the two of them, about to commit themselves to each other for the rest of their lives.

  Once they reached the altar, Lord von Thurzó gently pulled the veil back. Oh, sweet heaven! She was looking absolutely radiant. Her face almost seemed to glow in the cathedral’s soft light. She was wearing a little makeup–a little around the eyes, some soft red lipstick–but even if she hadn’t been wearing any, she still would’ve been like an angel right out of heaven.

  “You look beautiful,” Friedrich whispered to her as the priest opened the prayer book to the correct page and the organist played the final notes of their song.

  Katalin smiled. “Thank you.”

  The priest cleared his throat, and the organ fell silent. Not a sound could be heard in the church: Friedrich couldn’t even hear his mother and her mother sniffling over there in the front pew, with his father sitting next to Viktoria with his arms folded and his face as hard as stone. Well, at least he didn’t look angry.

  The priest looked up at the ceiling of the church and began the ceremony in Magyaran: “Almighty God in heaven, we thank you for this day and ask for your presence as we join two of your children in holy matrimony.” He looked over at Lord von Thurzó. “My lord, say your last goodbye to your maiden daughter.”

  Lord von Thurzó hesitated, giving his daughter a look. Finally, though, he and Katalin hugged each other tightly. He whispered something into her ear, something that Friedrich couldn’t understand, kissed her on the cheek, and walked down from the altar, wiping his eyes with one finger as he took a seat by Terézia, who wrapped an arm around him to comfort him.

  The priest looked between the two of them, smiling slightly. “Friedrich, Katalin: will the two of you join hands?”

  Gladly. Friedrich took Katalin’s hands and gently squeezed, looking her in the eyes.

  “Almighty God in heaven, we ask that you bless these two as they journey into life with one another,” the priest said. “Give them thy strength as they make their way through these uncertain times. Give them patience with themselves and each other, and may they stay true to one another. Amen.”

  “Amen.” The quiet chorus went out around the congregation.

  The priest closed the prayer book and looked out over the congregation, a smile on his face.

  “Family and friends,” the priest began, looking out at the congregation, continuing in Magyaran. The translators leaned in to Friedrich’s family and House Eltz’s allies to translate, but Friedrich couldn’t hear it. “We are gathered here in the light of Almighty God and with the blessing of St. Janika, his beloved servant, to witness the marriage of Friedrich Eltz, some of Dieter Eltz and Viktoria Totefels, and Katalin von Thurzó, daughter of Tamas von Thurzó and Terézia Jankovics. We hope that this union will bring them and their families closer together, and that they may go through the rest of their lives with heaven’s blessing.”

  The priest shifted his weight between his feet as he looked out at the congregation, again. “Their love is a unique one. In my life, I have had the pleasure of officiating at a wedding that connects people the way this one will only a couple times, and it’s never involved a Vorbereicher.”

  Friedrich watched as his father’s frown deepened and his body became rigid. All Friedrich could seem to do in that moment was pray that he wouldn’t stand up and walk out.

  “Friedrich, Katalin: your love for one another is rare and beyond compare,” the priest continued, looking between the two of them. “Your children will be blessed by your proud heritages with a broader view of the world, and they’ll go on to bless the rest of the world with strength and wisdom learned from the two of you.”

  Friedrich began to feel a little sick at the sound of that. They weren’t even married, and people were already talking about kids?

  The priest looked out over the congregation, again. “The vows will go as follows: Friedrich Eltz will say his vows in Magyaran, while Katalin von Thurzó will say her vows in Vorbereicher. Both have elected to use traditional vows rather than write their own.”

  The priest opened “The Holy Book” to the correct page, then looked to Friedrich. “Repeat after me.”

  He cleared his throat and looked down at the book. “I, Friedrich Eltz, son of Dieter Eltz and Viktoria Totefels.”

  Friedrich swallowed. This was it: the rest of his life was about to start.

  “I, Friedrich Eltz, son of Dieter Eltz and Viktoria Totefels,” he repeated.

  “Do solemnly pledge my life and my heart to you, Katalin von Thurzó, daughter of Tamas von Thurzó and Terézia Jankovics.”

  Friedrich could feel his hands starting to shake a little. He’d never realized that he could be so excited, yet so scared about something, before. “Do solemnly pledge my life and my heart to you, Katalin von Thurzó, daughter of Tamas von Thurzó and Terézia Jankovics.”

  “I will stay by your side in good times and bad, from this moment until the moment of my death.”

  “I will stay by your side in good times and bad, from this moment until the moment of my death,” Friedrich repeated.

  “And this I say in the name of Almighty God and with the blessings of heaven,” the priest said, closing “The Holy Book”.

  “And this I say in the name of Almighty God and with the blessings of heaven.”

  The priest looked between Friedrich and Maddox. “Do you have the ring?”

  Maddox gave Friedrich a confused look, waiting for a translation.

  “The ring,” Friedrich said quietly.

  Maddox nodded, pulled the box out of his pocket, opened it, and handed Friedrich the band.

  Friedrich took the ring. It was just a simple silver band, as per tradition, but it had still cost a small fortune. Katalin had told him that she didn’t care much about what the ring was made of, but Eltz had, of course, insisted on getting the most expensive ring they could: a platinum ring with a delicate, engraved vine pattern in the middle, and gold inlay as the border. So much for simplicity and humility: the band had nearly cost as much as the engagement ring, and that one hadn’t exactly been cheap.

  Whatever annoyances he had about the wedding band vanished the second he saw Katalin’s reaction to it. Her eyes got wide and lit up, and suddenly, Friedrich
found that he’d forgotten that he was ever annoyed. All he could really seem to do was slip that ring on her finger, the same one her engagement ring was on, and thank heaven that he was lucky enough to have a girl like her.

  The priest turned to Katalin. “Do you have a Vorbereicher version of ‘The Holy Book’ with you?”

  Thank heaven, she nodded, then looked over her shoulder at her parents. Once she did, Lord von Thurzó stood, picking up a book that sat next to him on the pew, and came up to the altar, handing it to the priest.

  The priest cleared his throat as he opened “The Holy Book” and Lord von Thurzó took his seat. Once the priest found the right spot, he looked up at her. “Please take his hands, and repeat after me.”

  Katalin nodded, and the two of them held hands, again.

  “I, Katalin von Thurzó, daughter of Tamas von Thurzó and Terézia Jankovics,” the priest said in Vorbereicher. The members of Friedrich’s family perked up at the sound of their own language, while the members of Katalin’s family either squinted and leaned forward a little to try and understand what they were talking about, or leaned to the side to listen to their own interpreters.

  “I, Katalin von Thurzó, daughter of Tamas von Thurzó and Terézia Jankovics,” Katalin repeated.

  “Do solemnly pledge my life and my heart to you, Friedrich Eltz, son of Dieter Eltz and Viktoria Totefels.”

  Katalin swallowed. She was starting to get emotional: Friedrich could see the tears starting to brew at the corners of her eyes. “Do solemnly pledge my life and my heart to you, Friedrich Eltz, son of Dieter Eltz and Viktoria Totefels.”

  “I will stay by your side in good times and bad, from this moment until the moment of my death.”

  Katalin smiled through the tears that threatened to spill over. Seeing her get like that was starting to get to Friedrich: he’d always been a bit of a… sympathetic crier. “I will stay by your side in good times and bad, from this moment until the moment of my death.”

  “And this I say in the name of Almighty God and with the blessings of heaven,” the priest said as he closed “The Holy Book”.