Chapter 74 - Vows

The maiden froze for a moment.

Magnus was imposing in a velvet garment of sober lines, black with details embroidered in silver. The First Prince was waiting for her with an unreadable expression, in place of his younger brother.

They exchanged a brief look before Alexa reached the altar, and the Prince's eyes seemed tense and anguished. Alexa needed Father Agnello's firm hand on her back to remember to bow to the Highnesses and the Bishop, before kneeling beside Magnus in front of the altar.

The priest's words ran through her ears without being heard. The maiden stared at the saints at the altar, but her view was again becoming blurred.

At the most critical moment of her life, Alexa's empty stomach was spinning and making funny noises, preparing for a roar of protest. The maiden was still thinking about the amazing sight she had before entering the church. Was it a delusion caused by fasting and tiredness? Or a real vision?

And, after spending part of the night kneeling in peas, kneeling again, even on a pillow, was not comfortable at all.

Magnus pulled on her sleeve, and Alexa took time to understand, but he caught the damsel's attention. The priest had said something that she barely heard. Did she have to answer?

Apparently, impatiently, Magnus whispered,

"Say your name and that you want to get married."

"I, Alexa Zoë, wish to marry Magnus," the maiden said without thinking, realizing her mistake shortly after. Alexa's red face was hidden under the veil, but the maiden saw when the First Prince turned around, barely hiding a smile between amused and embarrassed. Shaking her head, Alexa tried to correct herself,

"No, that's not it. I don't want to!"

This time, it was the Bishop who had an alarmed reaction, and looked quickly at Prince Gutard, to the right of Prince Magnus. Alexa felt hyperventilate and sweat under the heavy and hot vestments. The Bishop questioned as if asking a child,

"Lady Alexa, you don't agree with this marriage, is that it?"

"Hm," black dots blinked in front of her, and she just wanted to get it over with. The damsel reached for the sleeve of Magnus's cloak, pulling him in a silent cry for help. The Prince ran his hand behind her back, supporting the damsel. An indistinct murmur from those present was heard in the cathedral nave.

"Yes? I will repeat, lady. You, Alexa Zoë, born in the Saskia family of Byzantium, daughter of Demetrios Karoulos Saskia, are aware and agree with the marriage union to Prince Franz Alexander Emanuel Reinhardt von Wuttenfal; represented here by his older brother, Prince Karl Magnus Wilhelm von Wuttenfal?"

Her stomach answered for Alexa. A loud, clear GRRRRRR growling coming from the maiden's belly. Of course, only those closest to them heard it, but to Alexa, it seemed that the rumble of her stomach had echoed throughout the cathedral. That bastard Magnus chuckled, and rubbed her back,

"Just say yes, don't pass out, bride," he again looked at her with a mixed expression of amusement and concern.

Alexa probably did what he said, because right after that the First Prince took Alexander's ring from the pillow they offered him. Then Magnus took the maiden's hand and took it off her glove. When he touched her on the bare fingers, Alexa looked up at the Prince again. His hand shook a little, as much as hers.

He stared up at her too, and Alexa swallowed. It was a penetrating and intent look. Soon after, the Prince lifted her veil as the last part of the ceremony, accepting her as wife on behalf of his brother in front of everyone.

At that moment, they couldn't stop looking at each other. The bishop said something about separation after death, according to the vows of the Western sacrament. Then they were sprinkled with holy water.

A wave of melancholy hit her chest as Alexa looked into the First Prince's golden eyes.

°°°

Back to the castle, in the carriage pulled by black horses, Princess Alexa was sitting next to Prince Magnus, voraciously eating a mutton pie. Little by little she felt her strength and humor return as she fed. In front of her, Prince Gutard and her tutor Father Agnello watched her with amused eyes.

"I thought I was going to pass out there. I'm sorry. I was even a little deaf, "she looked up at both of them, apologizing.

"It would have been worse if you had puked on someone," said her husband's father, showing a good mood that Alexa hadn't seen yet. "For a girl with your petite frame, you have a voracious appetite, Alexa!"

"It's a very polite way of saying that I'm a dwarf ogress, as recently pronounced Prince Magnus," she said, accepting the handkerchief Blue Eyes offered after finish her snack.

"This is a known fact of the court, my lady," said the Prince at her side. And turning to his father, Prince Magnus changed the subject,

"My father, enjoying the moment that we are together, please give me the answer I asked you earlier. Allow me to go to Languedoc in search of the so-called Master Petrus. I will leave with few men and I promise to be as soon as possible. Princess Alexa must give me the details of how to find him."

The newly turned Princess, who drank water from the skin, noticed the penetrating gaze of men on her. For a moment, she felt trapped. Alexa knew that, once again, she should act cautiously now. Mainly because she had just found a Tanaion in the city. If there was an Order cell in Holstein, maybe there was someone else who knew how to get her husband back. However, Alexa could not reveal this and expose the members of the Order without having complete knowledge of the situation.

"Your Majesty, I can repeat everything I have already said about the man who possibly has the antidote. But look ... Maybe the antidote is closer than we think. Unfortunately, we have already realized that there are several factions willing to attack the Von Wuttenfal, I mean, our family. They are in action nearby. What do we already know about them?" she changed the subject. "Since we're talking about this, what do the investigations say about all these assassination attempts? The antidote may be close by, with who did it," she repeated, returning the penetrating look to them.

"Right now, you shouldn't worry about these political issues, Alexa," said Prince Gutard, after carefully choosing the words, while facing the maiden. Then a strange suspicion arose in Alexa's mind, observing the strange climate among men. The newlywed Princess asked abruptly,

"You know who tried to kill Prince Alexander, didn't you?"

After a moment of silence, Gutard raised an eyebrow, with an expression in which doubt and sadness fell on his face,

"Yes. It's better you know it now. Alexander was found in his favorite garden, with an empty vial in his hand. The poison, we are sure."

Alexa took a deep breath. If that were true, it really changed things a lot.