Tale of Four

"Father," Gerlad called to Adrian, his expression cold. The dining hall had slowly emptied after Mabel left, with the two being the last remaining, bar the servants cleaning. "This is an insult to our family."

"Be quiet Gerlad." Leaning over, Adrian rested his hand on his temples and slowly massaged them, groaning as he did. "It is hardly an insult what the king has done."

"You can’t be serious. Making me say the vows of submission." Gerlad slammed a fist on the table, making Adrian glare at him.

"You do not have the right to be offended, my boy." Adrian snapped back, "No matter how your mother or I treat you, you are still a bastard born from wedlock. You do not carry a real last name and have nothing to truly offer. Do not misunderstand. You may think you are playing a smart game with the Cosmatons, trying to use the Princess to put your own blood on the throne, but you are also a piece in their game."

"Uncle said that the Prince Reg..." Adrian lifted a hand to stop him.

"My brother said the Prince Regent is unstable, but did he ever say that he is dim, or lacking in his position?" Adrian shook his head. "I know Oscar better than anyone in this world, Gerald. What certain words mean when he says them. When he calls the Prince Regent unstable, he means it not as an insult to his intelligence but as a way to describe the Prince’s own morals." Adrian sighed, "You are not the great puppet master you think yourself to be. The prince is using you and his sister to force the Clovers to back down before they fully commit to the war. The same way, Brandon is using his grandson as a piece to force the Clovers to fight for him."

Adrian rose and grabbed the table to stop himself from stumbling. "It is not a bad thing to be hidden in the real players’ shadows, my son, but do not get arrogant just becuase you were used as a piece that could marry the bride he wanted. Your ambitions are obvious to all who see them." Gerlad bit his lip and lowered his head. Adrian slowly walked off, leaving him alone to contemplate what was said.

-----

The night passed, and Mabel could barely open her eyes by the morning, when numerous maids charged into her room and prepared her. Before she could even fight back and order them to stop, they quickly dragged her away, throwing her into a warm tub of water, filled with flower petals and oils, making sure to clean every inch of her body. One dug their nails deep into her scalp, and before Mabel could reprimand them for the pain, they moved on, working at another part of her body.

For half an hour they worked tirelessly on her, and Mabel did everything to hold in the vomit that was in her stomach, as they dragged her to the next part of the preparation. She could tell they were rushing it. Before her, they pulled out two dresses, both brown in colour. One was a puffy dress, with numerous layers all stacked upon one another to make an uncomfortable nightmare. On it, numerous coloured fabrics of gold and silver were sewn through to separate the layers. The other was a sleeker dress, one that, like the other, left no skin free, but didn’t have the numerous layers added to it that would make walking a challenge.

She couldn’t help but scoff internally. Their culture and how she insulted it had been the weapon they attacked with, yet they did the exact thing to her, ignoring the heritage of her mother and Hills, providing a brown wedding dress rather than an orange one, let alone making her wear soemthing that wasn’t her mother’s. Both had veils that stretched down to her feet, needing to be held by two ladies when she walked in pairs of heels, the same colour as the dress.

They were hideous to her, but knowing she didn’t have a choice, she quickly chose the sleeker of the two; that way, at least, she was able to walk properly in her current state. The maids were relentless after her choice was made, jumping at her like seasoned warriors, working in perfect coordination to fit the dress on her body. When the corset was pulled, Mabel choked back her vomit again, as they quickly fitted everything. Finally, they sat her down and began her makeup.

Compared to the outfit, Mabel actually enjoyed the next part. Rather than adorning her with colours that only matched the dress, they instead did things that exemplified her already good features. Subtle dark eyeliner was added to make her sharp eyes even sharper; her lipstick was light, not needing any more than she already had. Her face was whitened before her cheeks were blushed to exemplify her eyes. Finally, they moved to her short hair. Without much to work with compared to what they were used to, they left it as it was, instead giving her rose gold earrings. Finally, the veil was placed atop her head to cover all the work done.

"You look beautiful, Princess," The headmaid said with delight, clapping the rest away. Mabel looked at herself in the mirror and was thankful for the veil hiding her expression. Sure, she looked fine, but the colour of her outfit was wrong. It wasn’t the vibrant colours her mother wore that she liked, nor the dark colours she personally liked. Rather, it was a hideous brown that looked like dirt.

Standing up, she stepped out and saw Ser Keep waiting for her. Seeing Mabel, he quickly placed a hand on his chest before bowing and taking her hand. "As your father isn’t here." Whispering in her ear, he spoke so no one else could hear, "I shall be the one to walk you. No one will question me, as I represent the crown." Mabel nodded, "I shall stay close, even when the ceremony starts."

"Can you be sure the bedding ceremony can be avoided?" Ser Keep took a deep breath and shrugged.

"I don’t know. I have spoken to some of the soldiers Elias sent. A few are in agreement with me that this can’t take place and will faithfully act should you make your intention clear. After all, the majority are second and third sons and do not believe a bastard deserves you. Added to that, they do not agree with the method used to get you here. But this was only a handful. You must be the one to make the room wish to do so."

"I understand." Mabel sighed, "I think they told me the plan for the ceremony last night, but I had drunk myself into a stupour."

"The ceremony will be directly followed by the bedding." Ser Keep replied, understanding what Mabel wanted, "Due to the feast the previous night and the excuse of war, Lord Doyle was able to convince the guests that holding another such event was disrespectful to the king. Many from the previous night agreed."

"Shrewd bastard. They are rushing this marriage far too quickly." Mabel closed her eyes for a moment. "There must be another reason for it besides wishing for our families to be tied to one another. It’s almost as if they are rushing to have us lie with one another rather than marry, in my opinion."

"I assume it is Gerald Stem putting the pressure." Ser Keep clicked his tongue. "Bastards always feel inferior. His father likely is allowing it to happen, as there are no downsides for him. Maybe a loss of face for such a rushed marriage, but that is soon forgotten."

"All I need to do is get through today. Tomorrow I shall leave for Kevin Bundy’s position. They cannot force me to stay when my family duty in this war calls me elsewhere." Ser Keep nodded in reply. Pausing before the double doors towards the garden, he took a deep breath.

"Princess, win the crowd, do nothing else. It is a lot, but..." Mabel cut him off with a chuckle.

"Ser Keep. I can humiliate myself so long as it is my choice. I already have a plan." Flashing her canines under the veil, she smiled, "After all, why do you think I drank so much and ate so little? Mother taught me many tricks to make sure I keep my figure. I’m sure she would cry if she knew I did it now, however." Ser Keep signalled the maids to make their arrival known. One ran off, and opposite the door, music started.

Mabel closed her eyes and began the first step of her plan. Slouching foward a little, she let her eyes droop. Ser Keep waited before pushing the door open. A line of seats created a path towards the altar, each man and woman standing, applauding, a few throwing a handful of petals on the path. At the end, she saw Gerlad, dressed in a plain green robe like that of the grass. Along the sides, guards stood watching. Some were the Doyle household’s own, whereas the rest were those provided by Elias.

Mabel walked foward. Her steps were uneasy, by design, and she made herself look as pitiful as possible. Some guests noticed the ladies showing sympathy and the men, a mixture of pity and snickers. Stepping up on the altar, Ser Keep stepped to the side and rested a hand next to his sword. With a final nod to Mabel, she turned and faced Gerald.

The priest on the altar raised his hand to silence the applause, and once silence took over, he spoke. "Honoured guest. Today I preside over a blessed day, announcing the union between Gerald Stem and Princess Mabel Cosmaton. It is with great honour that I ask the Lord of Creation to bless such a holy union. It is with great humility that I ask the Lord of Joy and Sorrow to look favourably upon their future."

The priest paused, "May they say their vows." Turning to Mabel, he waited for her to speak first but was shocked when Gerla was the one. His face showed his annoyance at having to be the one to speak first, but he quickly hid it and gave a charming smile.

"I, Gerald Stem, hereby swear, upon all the Lord of the Creations’ Pantheon, to honour and respect my... wife." Forcing out the final word, he carried on, "I swear by this to be faithful and servile. I swear to be honest and true with her, till now, till the end." Mabel stopped herself from smugly smiling at his words.

"I, Mabel Cosmaton, Princess of Veston, Daughter of Anton, second of his name, swear to protect and care for my husband." Her tone was flat, lacking any emotion. "I swear to provide and lead. I swear to be faithful and true to my husband, till now, till the end." The priest looked at her with a cold glare, hearing her leave out the Lord of Creation from her vow, but realising she had no intention of saying more, he quickly brushed over it.

"Please lift the veil." The priest ordered, hoping no one else realised what Mabel had done. Gerlad moved and revealed her face. Many saw her dropping eyes and pitiful expression as if she was moments away from passing out. The quiet murmurs were quickly silenced by Adrian’s glare. "With a kiss, seal the vows and may the Lords punish all those who lied in their name."

Mabel was like a stone, unmoving, as Gerlad leaned foward. Kissing her, he tried to make her move more, but Mabel stayed still, her eyes open as she watched him finally pull back, realising she wouldn’t do anything to entertain his desire. Gerlad moved quickly, grabbing Mabel and looking to the crowd.

"Come, my wife. Let us." Bidding the guests to rise, Mabel shook her head and raised her voice just so everyone could hear before they erupted into cheers.

"I am very unwell at the moment. Let us delay the bedding ceremony for today and do so another day." Her voice shook as she looked around. Ser Keep and a few of the guards he had spoken to quickly moved as soon as they heard her, ready.

"Don’t be ridiculous." Gerald quietly said in a quiet voice, so only he could hear, "We are sealed in marriage, princess. Whatever the vow was, you are still my wife. Do as told." Mabel peeked at Ser Keep.

"I cannot. I am truly unwell, husband." Her final word was said with venom. Gerlad took a deep breath and contained his anger, grabbing her arm.

"Honoured guests, my wife claims she is ill. As a faithful husband, I ask you not to carry her to the chambers but allow us to walk." Mabel scowled and pulled away from Gerlad.

"Husband." Covering her mouth, she spoke loud enough so her intent could not be mistaken. "I truly cannot today. It has taken everything for me to come here and speak. I believe I have not been able to rest properly after my long travels. For today, please let us dispense with the bedding."

The moment Gerlad grabbed her to make her move, Ser Keep moved, nodding towards the others he had aligned with. Pushing Gerlad back, he rested a hand on his sword. "Do you wish to harm the Princess? She has made her worries clear. In such a state, she is not fit right now."

Mabel knew it was only a matter of time. The crowd had already begun to sway towards her. All of them knew the wedding had been rushed, and blaming that for her illness was the perfect excuse, even if a flimsy lie. They had not seen her drink the night before, and didn’t know the truth. But with Ser Keep intervening, all goodwill could be lost.

Even if she hated what she was about to do, she knew she had to. Trying to swallow her own tongue, she gagged. She would have rather put a finger down her mouth, but it would be too obvious what she was doing if she did. Instead, she had to make do. Repeatedly doing it, she felt what she was waiting for and hunched over. Covering her mouth, she vomited into it and looked around as guests realised what had happened.

’This is disgusting.’ Seeing the looks people gave her, she couldn’t help but feel humiliated and vile. But it wasn’t enough. Wiping it down her chin, she let it fall onto her dress. From her eyes, the makeup ran down her face as tears formed from her actions.

Ser’s Keep’s words, Gerlad’s arguments, Adrian’s counters, all the guests’ cries. None of it registered in her mind as she stared out. The smell wafted into her nose, nearly causing her to throw up again as she watched everyone debating on what to do.

In that moment, seeing everything, seeing the men and women fight, the guards move, some to protect her, others acting under Adrian’s orders, reality dawned.

She had always felt free, been free to do as she pleased. Unlike other women, she was different. But in the face of the crowd, having to cover herself in her own filth just to sway their opinion at a wedding she never wanted, she saw the truth. She was like the rest, only in a bigger cage. Her father had expanded it, but now she reached the edge; she saw the truth.

She wasn’t free, not really. She had no choice, no say in her future. The moment it was decided for her, she had to accept, and the only way to break free was to humiliate herself and hope that the realm had enough pity.

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