Disclaimer – I do not own BMT world – it belongs to Trudi Cananvan
A Strange Marriage
It was the strangest marriage that Lorlen had ever been to. For a start, it was being held in the High Lord's Residence and as far as he knew from the Guild's records, no other High Lord had married there. The organisation of rooms in the Residence didn't seem particularly suitable for the requirements of a marriage ceremony.
The second odd thing about it was the complete absence of any family for either the bride or the groom. It was to be expected that no one from Sonea's family would attend and certainly none of her dwell friends, but no one from the groom's family or his House were there either. The Court had sent one of the King's Advisors, but no one from the Royal Family had arrived for the ceremony. Normally, this would have been expected as Akkarin was, as High Lord, a high-ranking Advisor to the King, a member of a very important House as well as a boyhood companion of the current King.
Akkarin had only invited a few of the Higher Magicians, Lord Balkan, of course, as both bride and groom were Warriors and it was only right that the Head of their Discipline was there to give a blessing, Lady Vinara represented the Healers and there were six or seven others, but the vast majority of the Guild had not received an invitation. Akkarin had simply said that as everyone was going to the Ball afterwards, it seemed more sensible to use that opportunity for congratulations and good wishes rather than to try and fit several hundred magicians into the Residence.
Once the news was out that the High Lord, a man with a reputation for being a cool, dispassionate man, was going to take a wife, the Guild had been in uproar. It seemed such a strange decision, for those who, unlike Lorlen, did not know the true reason. It was even stranger still, as the bride was a former slum dweller and Akkarin belonged to a wealthy and important family. There were some, perhaps those who did not particularly like the High Lord, who said that obviously there had been some breaking of the rules which forbade intimate relationships between guardians and novices and that there should be an investigation. Others seem to think that life, and of course love, had caught up with the High Lord at last and he was now acting just like any other man.
Lorlen sighed, I wish I didn't know the real reason why Akkarin was forcing young Sonea to marry him. To be here, pretending to be a happy guest at a normal marriage was very uncomfortable, he thought.
He thought back to the meeting earlier in the day when Akkarin broke the news to Rothen that not only was he going to marry Sonea, but that the marriage would take place the same day. Lorlen thought that Rothen was going to hit the High Lord, his anger was so great. The situation was not helped by the fact that Akkarin seemed to be enjoying the encounter in some way.
I've known him since we were boys, and I recognised that look of amusement in his eyes, he thought. Poor Sonea, on the other hand, was so quiet and unlike herself, I wonder what Akkarin had said to her. How can a man change so much in such a short time?
Although Rothen had had an invitation, and, despite the fact that he had been instrumental in getting Sonea into the Guild, and, indeed, had been her first guardian, he had decided not to attend her marriage. He had gone instead on a long visit to his son, Dorrien, a Healer who lived and worked in a border village, far from Imardin.
I can't say I blame him, thought Lorlen. If I had had a good excuse, I wouldn't be here either!
"In a little world of your own again, Lorlen?" a light, charming voice said in his ear and Lorlen turned to meet the amused gaze of the High Lord.
"There is a lot to think about, High Lord," he replied coolly, "Such a rushed marriage is bound to create a lot of gossip and you did order me to control the Guild's reaction."
If he hoped to disconcert the High Lord, he was disappointed. Akkarin simply smiled at him and said, "I have every faith in your ability to control our little family, Lorlen. Remember, we don't want to damage Sonea's reputation, do we?"
Akkarin moved away to talk to other guests and as Lorlen was finding the atmosphere in the huge reception room too uncomfortable and he didn't want to have to fend off pointed questions from other guests, he spent some time wandering around the other rooms on the ground floor of the Residence.
In the dining room he found Takan, the High Lord's servant, overseeing the catering arrangements. The table was set with all the gold plate which belonged to the High Lord, as well as several elaborate candelabra whose candles caused the gold plate to gleam. There were large crystal bowls of pink and white roses dotted around, filling the room with a delicate fragrance.
"That looks very impressive, Takan," Lorlen said. "If the food is only half as impressive, it will be an excellent feast. Very difficult, in view of the short notice, I expect."
Takan shook his head, "No, Lord Lorlen, I sent in the order last week and everything was delivered in good time."
Lorlen glanced sharply at him, "Last week? How long have you known about the marriage?"
The servant looked up, "Lord Akkarin told me some time ago, Lord Lorlen, it was only the Guild which learned the news today. And yourself, of course."
Lorlen didn't know what to make of it. Akkarin had made it sound as it his decision was rather last minute, once he realised he would lose his hostage when she graduated, yet Takan had obviously had enough notice to prepare a traditional, elaborate marriage feast. He glanced at the clock and realised it was almost time for the ceremony.
He arrived back at the reception room just before the marriage was due to be celebrated. He found a good vantage point from where he could observe Sonea and see how well she coped with what would obviously be a great strain for her.
He tried to think how she might be feeling. She had lived in the Residence for some time now, so he supposed she was used to the High Lord and his strange ways. Knowing the truth about him and his use of black magic would make her very wary of him and as his Novice, she would have been able to maintain some distance, but to be his wife, that changed many things. For a start, she would be expected to accompany Akkarin to official ceremonies and the Court. She would have to spend quite a lot of time in her husband's company and Lorlen supposed she would find that a burden.
Lorlen sighed, If only I had been able to prevent this!
The large double doors to the reception room opened and he caught his first glimpse of the bride. She was wearing an expensive silk dress set with tiny jewels. Lorlen, whose House controlled the silk trade in Kyralia, could see that the material was of the finest quality, beautifully cut and carefully embroidered. It was not a dress which could have been made in a day or two. Sonea had foregone the traditional jewelled coronet for a simple marriage wreath of pale pink and white roses, which complemented the embroidery on her gown. She was very pale, but walked the length of the room, unaccompanied by family or friends, without hesitation and no sign of nerves.
Sonea arrived at Akkarin's side, but Lorlen noticed that she didn't look at him, apart from a quick, sidelong glance. Akkarin looked at her briefly as he offered his hand, then they both turned to the official who would conduct the ceremony.
For the first time, Lorlen noticed that Akkarin, too, was dressed in costly finery. He had forsaken his High Lord's robes to wear the expensive fine clothing of a noble. The tight-fitting trousers and long sleeveless jacket showed off his tall loose-limbed figure to perfection and reminded Lorlen just how handsome he was. Akkarin had also left his hair loose, which changed his appearance quite dramatically. It was very hard to recognise the High Lord in the worldly young noble standing next to his bride.
As the ceremony continued, Lorlen's full attention was on the bride and groom. Colour had risen in Sonea's cheeks, but her ritual words were spoken in a calm, clear voice with no hint of distress. The High Lord's responses were equally clear. As the ceremony approached its end, Akkarin pushed the marriage ring on her finger, half-smiling down at her. She slid a ring on his marriage finger and for a moment, they looked at each other. Then they moved closer to each other for the ritual kiss which sealed the marriage.
Lorlen stared intently as Akkarin bent his head and brushed his lips quickly across Sonea's. Her colour rose, and Lorlen saw her swallow hard. It was over in a moment and the now married couple turned to acknowledge the applause of the guests.
That went well. If I didn't know better, I would suppose that marriage was a choice for both of them, Lorlen thought. Both seem perfectly at ease and they have obviously taken the trouble to have expensive finery made, as would any couple in a traditional marriage.
Later, just before the guests went over to the Ball, Lorlen managed to catch Sonea alone.
"How are you feeling?" he asked kindly.
She smiled at him, "I'm fine, Lorlen. Don't worry, I shall be all right and I am very glad that you and Rothen will not be put in a very difficult position. The High Lord treated me well as his Novice and I don't suppose he will treat his wife badly."
"You look lovely, Sonea. What an exquisite dress, it suits you perfectly."
"Thank you Lorlen. I hope I shall see you at the Ball and perhaps you will ask me to dance?"
After she had gone, he wondered how he'd stopped himself asking when she had first seen the dressmaker about making her marriage dress. Perhaps it is because I wouldn't have liked the answer, he thought ruefully. Such a dress requires long days of work. If she had said some weeks ago, I might have wondered why she hadn't told me so that I could have prevented this mockery of a marriage!