For the Love of Two Chapter 9

The bride was ready. The groom was getting nervous. It was time.

There was no organist and no organ at Lookout Point, so all the guests "ooh'ed" the wedding march, adding harmonies as they thought best. It actually produced a charming, subdued effect, suggesting a guarded optimism instead of the brassy confidence that accompanied the march when played on a church organ. This was the second time Victor had watched Emily march toward him in her wedding gown, but he still was overtaken by the classic deer-in-the-headlights look common to most bridegrooms. She was so beautiful! Emily strode confidently down the "aisle," smiling on the outside, full of fears and worries on the inside. What might go wrong this time? Could she really have a happy wedding day after all?

She stopped beside him and took his hand, and they both turned to face the Elder. "Dearly departed," he began, "we are gathered here today to join this couple in matrimony. If anyone knows any reason why these two should not be married, let him speak now, or forever hold his pieces."

"I know a good reason!" came a familiar voice from below them.

"You?!" Emily exclaimed in horror. The crowd slowly parted to allow Lord Barkis Bittern to climb the stairs and approach the wedding party. His time in the South Side had not been kind to him. His clothes and his face were scorched almost black, and several sparks glowed in what was left of his hair. But there was still no mistaking his arrogant sneer, or his walk that suggested that he owned the world.

"Emily, Emily, Emily, how quickly you forget," he scolded her as though she were a child. "Don't you remember the promise you made to me? You promised you'd love me forever, didn't you?" When she didn't respond, he repeated, "Didn't you?"

Reluctantly, she nodded.

"Well, then," he smirked, "if you made a vow to love me forever, then why are you marrying this commoner? He's got no place in your life – you belong to me!" He waved his fingers dismissively at Victor. "Be off with you, boy. You've done enough harm already. I'll take my rightful place by Emily's side, and we'll finish up this charming little ceremony."

"Why are you doing this?" Emily begged him.

"When you wake up in the morning and see me next to you, the look of horror on your face will be my reward," he sneered. "I have suffered much on account of you, and it's only fair if you share in my sufferings until the end of time, isn't it?"

Everyone stared at Elder Gutknecht, waiting for him to come up with a satisfactory reply. All he said was, "A promise is a promise, I suppose..."

Emily was close to panic. "Elder! Victor! Do something!"

"There's nothing they can do, my dead little darling," Bittern gloated. "Your own words have sealed your fate." He ignored the scowls and glares of everyone else present. But he couldn't ignore an odd feeling in his foot. He glanced down, to see a small skeletal dog lifting its leg on his left shoe. Scraps didn't have a bladder anymore, but somehow, a puddle appeared on the lord's shoe anyway. He kicked at the dog and missed.

"No, no, wait a moment," Victor thought out loud. "Elder Gutknecht, what would be the best thing that could ever happen to Lord Barkis?"

Gutknecht thought for a bit. "I suppose the best thing would be if he returned to the South Side, accepted his punishment, and perhaps learned something from it someday."

"Well put," Victor nodded. "Emily, would you like to see Lord Barkis return to the South Side and accept his punishment?"

"Very few things would make me happier," she scowled.

"Excellent," Victor nodded with satisfaction. "Just before Vicki left me, she told me something that stuck in my mind. She said, 'Real love isn't about feelings. It's about doing what's best for the one you love.' And, since Emily wants what is best for Lord Barkis, that means that, technically, she still loves him and she hasn't broken her promise. But that promise didn't say anything about marriage, did it?" When Barkis didn't respond, Victor got right in his face. "Did it?"

"Oh, but... see here!" he protested. "That's not what she meant when she made me that promise!"

"Shall we talk about the promises you made to me, and what you really meant?" Emily demanded. Her shocked expression had give way to the same death-scowl she'd given Barkis when she took his sword in her ribs, now that she realized she might not be subject to his whims after all.

"Yes, I think the young man is quite correct," Gutknecht decided with a nod. "Emily has not broken her promise, and the disgraced Lord has no place in this wedding. Lord Barkis, you may return to the South Side now."

"I defy you to make me go there, old man," the Lord said haughtily.

"We'd be happy to drag you there," Bonesapart threatened.

"But den ve'll miss de rest of de vedding!" General von Kavitty protested.

"That won't be necessary," Victor said. He gestured to the town park, of which Lookout Point was a part, and the ceremonial cannon parked nearby. General von Kavitty's skeletal face broke into a vicious smile – he'd always had a special affinity for artillery.

In spite of being dead and being burnt nearly black, Lord Barkis Bittern somehow managed to turn pale. "Oh, no! Not that!"

"Oh, yes! Please!" giggled Maggot, who was perched on the Elder's shoulder bone. "I've always wanted to see someone get cannonized!"

The two soldiers dragged the struggling nobleman to the cannon, stuffed him in feet-first, and plucked out one of his smoldering hairs. Bonesapart pulled the sword out of his chest and swung it downward with a shout of "Fire!" That was General von Kavitty's cue to put the smoldering hair to the touch-hole and fire the cannon. With a bang and a scream, Lord Barkis Bittern went flying across the town, leaving a black smoke trail behind him, to make a hard landing somewhere in the South Side. The crowd exclaimed, "Ooh!" as though they were watching a fireworks display.

"Will there be any more interruptions?" the Elder asked. Emily held her breath, such as it was. After a count of five, Gutknecht went on. "Very well, then. Let us continue... now, where we? Oh, yes. Victor, do you take Emily as your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, for better or for worse, in freshness and in decay, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall exist?"

"I do," he answered firmly and without hesitation.

"Emily, do you take Victor as your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, for better or for worse, in freshness and in decay, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall exist?"

"I do," she said confidently as she gazed into Victor's eyes.

"Victor, please speak your vows." She held her breath again (metaphorically speaking). He'd had trouble with his vows in the past; in fact, that was how they'd met. But he had no troubles today.

"With this hand, I will lift your sorrows.
"Your cup will never empty, for I will be your wine." He took the Elder's goblet in his right hand.
"With this candle, I will light your way in darkness." He nodded at the candle that the Elder held in his hand, since there was no altar here for him to put it on.
"With this ring, I ask you to be mine." With his left hand, he held out the ring that had already had more than one owner, and was about to return to its first owner.

She smiled. "With this hand, I will lift your sorrows.
"Your cup will never empty, as long as time endures." She took the wine bottle and poured a splash of wine into the goblet; he offered her a sip, then took one himself.
"With this candle, I will light your way in darkness.
"With this ring, please take me – I am yours." She daintily held out her skeletal left hand, and he slid the ring onto her ring finger.

Gutknecht nodded. "By the power vested in me by the Land of the Dead, I pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride." Victor did so. It was quite a kiss; two of the adults covered the eyes of the kids so they wouldn't see. It was a good thing Emily didn't breathe anymore, or he would have left her breathless. But she would have been breathless anyway – they'd done it! They were married! Really, truly, no-turning-back married!

The Elder nodded, satisfied. "Well, it looks like you finally did it. Perhaps you might even keep each other out of trouble for a while. Let's return to the Ball and Socket for a reception party, shall we?" That suggestion was met with universal acclaim. Two of the skeletons linked their arms together into a seat of sorts, and they carried the Elder so the procession wouldn't take all night.

It took the happy couple longer to reach their destination than they'd expected, because the bride kept tripping over things in her path. She wasn't even trying to watch where she was going; her eyes were focused entirely on Victor. "Are we really married, darling?" she asked earnestly.

"It certainly wasn't a storybook wedding, but I think it did the job," he nodded. "I'm just sad that, whenever you remember our wedding day, you'll have to remember that beast of a man who tried to ruin it for us."

"I'll also remember how you came to my rescue and saved my wedding," she smiled. "Our wedding. But is that the reason you don't look happy?"

"I suppose the main reason is that I was unhappy for so long, my face has forgotten how to look happy," he answered. He certainly felt happy, and he didn't want to upset his bride on her wedding day, but his face refused to cooperate. It was as though he'd forgotten how to smile. She looked happy, and no one could mistake it; she was as radiant as any living bride. She began to dance while watching him, and tripped again, leaving the lower half of her skeletal leg behind. She hopped and managed to keep her balance. He reached for the leg, then pulled his hands back, looking very embarrassed. "Is it all right if I...?"

"Of course it is, darling – we're married!" she exclaimed, holding back a giggle. He was more nervous about touching her leg than the fact that it was skeletal! He picked up the leg and reattached it, still looking quite embarrassed. She resumed her dance; he just watched, mesmerized.

When they finally got to the club, the party was going full-blast. Paul, the head waiter, was in his element, giving orders of all kinds – drinks, snacks, extra chairs, even how loudly the jazz band should be playing. The room was decorated in white silhouettes of a bride and groom, with a centerpiece of dried red roses at every table. Everyone cheered when the guests of honor arrived and took their seats at the head table. A hush fell over the room as Bonejangles stood to offer the toast to the new couple.

"We all have seen some crazy things since each of us has died,
"But nothing like the tale I'll tell – the tale of our corpse bride.
"She had a man and loved him good, but he just did her wrong;
"He took her jewels and left her dead, but that's another song."

"For years, she waited for a man who'd come and treat her good.
"Then Victor came and married her, just like a husband should.
"But then, things turned out real confused; they had to do it o'er,
"And Emily, she let him go for one who loved him more."

"You're thinkin' that would be the end, but my song isn't done.
"That fine young man came back to us and proved that he's the one.
"He's sitting here beside our girl, and she has got his ring.
"He's finally made her dream come true! O Death, where is your sting?"

"So, Emily, today's your day, and all your tears are dried.
"Enjoy your marriage evermore! We love you, our corpse bride."

All the women wiped tears away from their eyes, even the skeletal ones whose eyes didn't cry anymore and who wiped as a matter of reflex. Then Mrs. Plum and her assistants brought out the meal. The dead didn't eat because they needed sustenance, but simply to enjoy the flavor of the food. Unfortunately, the longer one stayed dead, the deader one's sense of taste became, so Mrs. Plum's job was to add ever more exotic ingredients to the food so her patrons could taste something. Tonight, her secret ingredient was dried chili peppers, flavored with the worms from the bottoms of tequila bottles. More than one skeleton was seen to take a bite, breathe out fire, quickly guzzle whatever beverage was near to hand, and exclaim, "Nice!"

Once the meal was finished, the floor was cleared for dancing. Of course, the newlyweds had to take their first dance together; everybody knew that. The only problem was that Victor didn't know how to dance. "I promise I won't make you look bad," Emily whispered.

"You're so graceful, you'll make me look bad if you just bat an eyelash," he answered nervously. She batted her eyes at him and smiled mischievously. Then the music started. He focused on not stepping on her toes, and just followed her lead. She somehow led them without making it look like she was leading, and while Victor remained tense until the music stopped, the guests were pleased at what they saw. They all clapped; then the happy couple sat down while everyone else got up for a more energetic number.

When it was time to serve the wedding cake, a few of the guests held their breath (not literally). Would the bride or the groom mush the cake in each other's faces? Those who knew Emily were confident that she wouldn't, but they didn't know Victor that well. The children were hoping one of them would put on a messy show, and Bonesapart was almost leaping up and down so he could see the spectacle. Emily served her husband his cake delicately. He cut a slice with mischief in his eye, served it to his bride with all politeness and respect... and then spun and mushed it in Bonesapart's face. The crowd cheered.

At last, Bonejangles dismissed the band and announced, "It's time for the happy couple to retire for the night! You know what I mean?" As Victor and Emily rose, they were startled to watch all the other guests rise as well.

"Uhh… isn't this supposed to be a private moment?" Victor stammered.

"We all chipped in to get you two a wedding present," explained Arthur, the skeleton with the handlebar moustache. "We want to see your reaction to it. Then we'll leave you alone." Everyone followed the newlyweds to Emily's chamber, a shabby room with cobwebs on the ceiling and virtually nothing in the way of furniture. But at some point during the day, that had changed. The room had been scrubbed clean (except for Mrs. Black Widow's current web) and was now partially filled with an almost-new-looking baby grand piano.

Emily was speechless. Victor walked around it, appreciating the quality. "Nice. Very, very nice. It's a Bönesendorfer – that's one of the best. I think."

"Nothing but the best for you two!" Bonejangles stated. "Now, play us a song!" Victor nodded, sat down at the piano, and began playing a familiar melody by Beethoven.

"Für Elise," Emily nodded.

"Actually, it's für Emily," he said as he played, without looking up.

"It's beautiful," she agreed as she sat next to him, "but how about something we can play together?"

"Something that moves!" Bonejangles added.

Victor stopped, thought for a moment, and launched into the most energetic piece he knew – the third movement from Mozart's 23rd piano concerto. As soon as he finished the first notes of the piano part, Emily skillfully added the orchestra's echoing parts on the lower keys. When she ran out of hands to play all the notes, he reached across both her hands to add the bassoon part. Soon, their four hands were all over the keyboard, alternating between the piano solos and the other instruments' parts as they played. They frequently crossed and recrossed their hands, but never collided or got tangled. It was an amazing performance, done without a score and without a rehearsal; it was as though one musical mind was controlling all four of their hands at once. The guests stood silently, drinking in the torrent of notes that poured out of the piano. Even the jazz musicians, who didn't care much for Mozart, realized they were seeing and hearing something special.

As they played, Emily kept stealing glances at Victor. She couldn't keep the smile off her face as she remembered another piano duet, seemingly such a long time ago, that had begun to bring the two of them together. He was playing as well as ever, but very seriously. Again she smiled at him, and this time she held the smile until he made eye contact in return. He gazed at her.

Slowly, almost agonizingly, he smiled back.

Emily's cup of joy overflowed at last. She forgot all about Mozart and threw her arms around her husband, right in the middle of his cadenza. Victor was startled for a moment; then he returned the embrace. The music was over for now. They heard, rather than saw, the wedding guests file out of the room and leave them alone.

"It's just the two of us now," she whispered.

"Do we... uhh... do we do what living people do on their wedding night?" he asked nervously. He'd already experienced such things with Victoria, of course, but Emily was just so beautiful to him, he couldn't help feeling a bit anxious.

"No, I'm sorry, we can't," she answered regretfully. "That sort of thing doesn't work, now that we're dead – we don't feel pain, but we don't feel pleasure, either. And I can't offer you children; the dead can't bring forth life." She looked sad for a moment. "I hope you aren't too disappointed, Victor darling."

"Disappointed?" he echoed her. "I'm married to you! How could that be a disappointment?" His smile was unforced and genuine now. "I can still hug you, can't I?"

"Yes," she smiled back.

"And I can still kiss you, can't I?" he went on, stroking her cheek with his fingertips.

"Yes, for as long as we have lips," she answered. She liked where this conversation was going.

"And we can cuddle together all night long, can't we?"

"Yes, we can," she sighed eagerly.

"Then I think we're going to have a perfectly wonderful wedding night," he decided. They did, too. But they didn't stop after that first night. In fact, for the next few years, when they weren't playing the piano together or learning to dance together, they spent an extraordinary amount of time hugging and kissing and cuddling together.

No one objected. After all, they were newlyweds, and they were in love. Besides, for Emily, the simple joys of love and marriage were long overdue. She had a lot of catching-up to do, and she only had until the end of time to do it. She couldn't wait to get started.

The man she could finally call "husband" couldn't wait, either. Perhaps, in love, they were perfectly matched.

The End

o

A/N
This story had a rather remarkable genesis. I started writing it in my head before I saw the movie! I'd seen some clips on YouTube, I had a pretty good idea of what the movie was about, and I quickly realized I had one strong desire – to see Emily get a happier ending than the one Tim Burton gave her. Once I got the DVD and watched it a few times, I knew I had to finish this tale. This story concept is probably old and moldy; I haven't had the chance to go through all the fanfics on this site, even though the fandom for "Corpse Bride" is so much smaller than the fandoms I usually write for, namely "How to Train Your Dragon" and "Frozen." I don't know how many similar stories are out there, or whether any of my ideas are original. But this is my version, and I hope you liked it.

I like Emily. A lot. She is so kind and unselfish throughout the film; she deserves better than oblivion, even if oblivion is an improvement on her previous fate. Unfortunately, that means I had to move Victoria out of the picture somehow, since neither of them is the polygamous type. Fortunately for her, "Corpse Bride" isn't like most other fandoms. Unlike stories in those other fandoms, death is not the end here. It can even be a new beginning. I think long and hard before killing a beloved character in my other chosen fandoms; here, it's more of a transition than an ending, and it can be a useful plot device.

As I usually do, I threw in a few references to other stories, including "The Court Jester" and Disney's "Robin Hood," and I rewrote a song from the movie with new lyrics ("Tears to Shed"). Victor's wine in Chapter 6 is called "Mort Lô," a play on the French words "merlot" (a kind of wine) and "mort" (death). The piano's name is a play on "Bösendorfer," an Austrian company which is a highly-regarded maker of pianos. If you aren't familiar with the pieces of classical music that Victor and Emily play, they're easy to find on YouTube.

At some point on June 2, 2017, this story received its 10,000th hit. For a short story in a small fandom, I'm happy about that.

o

A final ficlet: what happened to Victoria?

A few months after the wedding, Victoria and Bonejangles went out on a date, with Emily as a chaperone. (Bonejangles didn't like the idea of a chaperone, but those were Victoria's terms, take it or leave it.) They found that there was no chemistry at all between them; they thanked each other for a fairly pleasant evening, and that was that. The evening was not wasted, though – not even close. It helped Victoria realize that no man could ever take Victor's place in her heart, so she didn't try to find another man after that. But she and Emily frequently took a girls' night out together, and began to rebuild their relationship as sisters. That relationship was precious to both of them, but especially to Victoria. After all that she had lost, it was good to gain something.