“Sixteen?”
“Yes, my prince.”
She is a child. Wesley was ten years her senior. Moon Mother, how can this be?
Most noble girls in Alyria were married off while they were young and fertile. However, something about it did not sit right with Wesley.
He could not ignore her beauty, her allure. He felt attracted to this girl, there was no denying. His mind became a hive of dissonance.
Ciana’s father, King Emery Blacktree of Ashen, walked up from the crowded floor where he had been conversing with nobles to his daughter’s hand, before bowing to his new son-by-law.
Emery had a strong presence about him, an unspoken power that he gave off. Standing with Emery would make any man feel inferior. The presence of a true king.
Wesley hoped his new father-by-law hadn’t heard his father’s crude jest. Tobius was insufferable at the best of times, but when he drank, he could become reckless.
Making such lude jokes about King Emery’s daughter was a risky thing to do. Emery was probably the most powerful man in Alyria, and Wesley knew what was riding on this wedding.
Tobius stumbled over to Emery, raising a goblet for a toast and facing the crowd. The music stopped and the crowds went quiet, awaiting the king’s speech.
“The ancestors of we Seynards were the first true Alyrians. We tamed the wilds and built cities from the very earth itself!” the king boasted.
Wesley noticed some of the Anai slaves around the hall lower their heads solemnly.
Tobius continued his speech. “Our lands are beautiful and rich. We hail the Moon Mother for all the blessings she has bestowed unto us. Tonight, we celebrate peace!
“For many long years, the kingdoms of Caldaea and Ashen have been at odds with one-another. We have fought valiantly to defend our borders, to uphold our cultures, and to protect our freedoms. But as of one year ago on this day, peace was achieved between our two nations, and an end to the border conflict was reached.
“I, Tobius Seynard, King of Caldaea, and Emery Blacktree, King of Ashen, agreed to end the war, and settle our differences through matrimony!”
The hall erupted with applause and cheering. The relief felt when an end to the conflict was reached was widespread and across every group. Caldaea’s economy had made a turnaround ever since as old trade links were re-established and industry could again thrive.
It had been a necessary, lucrative venture to seek peace for both kingdoms.
King Tobius took a sip out of his goblet, wine spilling down his chin. He mumbled before continuing, his crown tipped further offside.
“We promised to wed my firstborn son and Emery’s firstborn daughter as a gesture of peace, and so here we are today! Moon Mother, bless this happy couple with your light and radiance! May this marriage serve as a union between our two families, our two Houses, and as a symbol of prosperity for Caldaea and Ashen.”
Wesley sighed, rubbing his temples. The crowd stomped on the floors with approval, clapping their hands, shouting support, and swigging their drinks. The royal families seated at the high tables gave applause.
King Emery shook Tobius’s hand firmly, adjusted his own golden crown and raised his drink. “Creator’s love to this wedding and to our two kingdoms. Let there be peace once again between Ashen and Caldaea.”
Wesley took another mouthful of wine, bringing warm, sweet flavours of summer and the tang of berries to his mouth. It went down smoothly, and his head began to spin.
This was not the sort of wedding Wesley had ever imagined for himself. It was a political stunt. He was unsure if he was more disappointed at his father for forcing such a thing upon him, or at his own naivety for expecting to be able to ever get what he wanted.
Tobius finished his toast with one more drunken announcement. “Tomorrow, we shall continue our celebrations with the Uniting Tourney, in the name of the Moon Mother and the newly married couple. The food and wine shall flow from dawn to dusk! Knights from across the kingdoms shall joust and race and melee for our pleasure, while the lords and ladies of Chateau Cardell extend their hospitality to the city streets for all to enjoy!”
King Emery went and sat further along the high table with his wife, Queen Sirillia. She coughed into a handkerchief before sipping some water. The woman was sickly and frail. Rumour had it she had been suffering with a long battle of lungrot.
Wesley was surprised she had attended the ceremony at all, let alone was feeling well enough to be at the reception so late into the night.
The celebration went on, but despite the dancing crowds and the wedding feast, all that Wesley wished for was to have Jodie in his arms again. Her silky black hair, soft skin, and adorable dimples.
He could see her as he closed his eyelids. Beautiful and serene, yet also strong of will and intelligent.
Wesley still fondly remembered the first night he ever lay with Jodie, in a barn outside the city. The way the moonlight shone off her smooth skin. The smell of her perfume as he took her in his arms.
They were so young. It was so long ago.
Wesley suddenly became aware of the arousal in his trousers, snatching him away from his daydreaming. He took another sip of wine as the reception continued and he was dragged back into his unpleasant reality.
“A wine lover, are you, my prince?” Ciana asked gently, trying to ease the tension between the two. “I’ve heard your father is fond of wine, too.”
Ciana had such soft features and a pleasant tone, why then did Wesley feel so conflicted about all that was happening?
Wesley smiled awkwardly. “Actually, no. I find it makes me rather dizzy.” The room was becoming a blur.
Ciana
