You tried, Lia answered kindly. I’m sure she appreciated the gesture.
I hope so. As I entered the front door, Marten immediately flagged me down to review a large binder of notes for the upcoming ceremony, and my mood returned to its harried baseline over the course of the afternoon. When Lia emerged from her final fitting session, I was whisked away for my third set of measurements, and by the time it was over, Hana had already served dinner. For a brief moment, it looked as though Marin planned to sit with us at the table, but she took her food and excused herself to speak with the tailors before they left. After a quiet meal, Hana and Marten excused themselves to turn in early for the night, leaving Lia and me to follow suit.
When we retired to the bedroom, I leaned against the closed door and watched as Lia began to prepare for bed. She sorted through an already sorted pile of clothes on the bureau, gave a satisfied nod to the stack, and retrieved her nightgown from the bedpost. She had already unfastened the ties at the front of her blouse and was in the process of tugging it over her head when she caught me staring, and she froze mid-action. “Can I help you with something?”
A smile spread across my face. “No, I’m just enjoying the view.”
She laughed as she pulled the blouse over her head, holding the inside-out garment across her chest in faux modesty. “It’s rather improper for a man to watch a woman change if she isn’t his wife, you know.”
“I’ll have to fix that, then; let’s get married,” I answered, finally pushing off from the door to begin my own nighttime routine. “How’s tomorrow sound?”
She sucked in her breath through her teeth. “Oh, I can’t do tomorrow. I’ll be busy at the chapel all day.”
“Damn. Guess it can’t be helped.” I sat in the bedside chair and slipped out of my boots, then began to unbutton my shirt. My fingers lingered on the top button as I stared down at my right arm with unease.
My hesitation must have been obvious, because Lia stepped forward and unfastened the last button. “Let me help you,” she said gently, pushing the shirt off of my shoulders. The fabric fell away to reveal a tangled web of black scars that ran all the way from my fingertips to my armpit. I turned my head away, but Lia caught me by the chin and held my gaze. “It’s alright,” she whispered.
“I know,” I grunted through clenched teeth. “I still don’t like to look at it, though.” I hadn’t noticed the spread of the scars until Lia had awoken and convinced me to change out of my armor. Where the black lines had once ended near my wrist, they now extended to my shoulder and were so dense around my hand that it was difficult to find any uncorrupted flesh amid the jagged scars.
Lia pulled down the collar of her nightgown to reveal the edge of her matching scar. “Whenever I see these, I remember what you went through to save me. I know it doesn’t change where they came from, or what they are, but that’s what helps me.”
I pulled her in against my chest with my good arm. “That helps. Thanks.” I slipped into bed after shedding the rest of my clothes and shivered against the cold fabric. “So,” I started as Lia climbed into bed next to me, “how’re you feeling?”
“Anxious. Excited. Ready for it to all be over,” she answered. “It’s been fun to do all the planning, but I didn’t know how much work it was going to be!”
“I can’t imagine how Elise is coordinating all of it while also running her business day to day,” I laughed. “Assuming she hasn’t just put the company on hold for us.”
“While I wouldn’t put that past her, I think she probably enjoys the challenge,” she chuckled. She extended her hand to the middle of the bed and wiggled her fingers until I reached out and wove them with my own. “How about you? Any last-minute regrets? You still have time to get away, if you start running now.”
“Nah. You’d catch me anyway,” I answered. She raised an eyebrow as I paused for comedic effect. “No regrets,” I assured her with a smile. “I’m ready. I’ve been ready for a long time.”
“Good!” she said, rolling over and tucking herself against my chest. “And you’re right, by the way: I would catch you.”
I kissed the nape of her neck as I settled into the pillow. “That’s good to know.” Despite the excitement waiting for us in the morning, Lia was quick to fall asleep, and I followed her in the darkness soon after.
---
When I awoke the following morning, Lia was already gone. I smiled at the indentation she had left in her pillow as I rolled out of bed. Based on the itinerary for the day, I wouldn’t see her again until she was standing opposite me on the altar; the thought of her in a wedding dress entranced me, and I had to shake my head to dispel the image and focus on my task at hand. After changing into my wedding garb, most of my day would be spent waiting with Marten until the ceremony began.
I opened the bedroom door and spotted my new vestments hanging on a hook across from me concealed within a heavy garment bag labeled with my name. “Lux?” Marten called out from the living room when he heard the door open. His head poked out from around the corner a moment later, sporting his usual toothy grin. “So, you’re finally awake, then? I almost decided to pop in and wake you up myself.”
“Good morning, Marten,” I replied, grabbing the clothes off the hook. “Lia’s gone ahead into town, I assume?”
“All of the ladies left for the chapel hours ago,”
