"By the power invested by me, by the Kingdom of Ixaidel, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride, Your Majesty."
Upon the instructions concluding the rituals, Natalya turned away from the bishop to look at her newlywed husband. Ludwig looked particularly dashing in his dark blue suit, with the Ixaidellian crown adorning his head. He gave her a smile, which she couldn't help but reciprocate, as he leaned in to kiss her on the lips.
It was a chaste and gentle kiss, as they had planned ahead of time, but it was still a perfect moment. As they parted, Ludwig's smile only grew as he offered her his arm. She moved her bouquet into her one arm while linking her open arm with his, before they turned to face the assembled guests.
"All hail King Ludwig and Queen Natalya of Ixaidel!"
In response to the bishop's ending proclamation, the congregation rose for a standing ovation, accompanied by some cheering. Natalya first looked at the front row on the bride's side of the aisle, where Ivan sat with Katerina and Antonio in the first seats. Lovino and Feliciano sat directly behind them in the second row, and the remaining seats in the two rows were taken up by the dwarfs who travelled from Tark for the festivities.
Natalya then shifted her glance to the opposite side of the aisle, and gave her new brother-in-law a nod. Gilbert sat in the first seat on the groom's side, accompanied in the first row by Basch, Lilli and Lenk - no, not Lenka anymore, she had just changed her name to Vlasta. Behind them in the second row were Alfred, Madeline, Tolys, Feliks and Arthur.
After a few moments of adoration from the crowd, Ludwig nudged at her to signal that they were free to move. Watching the edge of her skirt as she stepped down the couple steps from the elevated altar set up by the thrones, Natalya kept her arm linked with Ludwig's as they marched down the aisle to depart the ceremony. As they approached the doors to the throne room, Kiku bowed to them along with the various valets, servants and guards.
Once they emerged into the main hall, Ludwig whisked her left to the side hallways, where they quickly whipped through the corridors in their pre-determined path to the terrace. They had arranged ahead of time to have a swift passage through the palace and an isolated resting area, so that they could have some time privately together following the ceremony. They would join the reception in the gardens afterwards, followed by the evening's feast and wedding ball.
They turned into one of the small parlours, which had been prepared by the servants for their use. While Ludwig stayed back to shut the hallway door behind them, Natalya approached the table and placed her bouquet on it beside the glasses and bottle of champagne. She then went to the second set of doors and opened them wide, revealing the terrace.
Natalya stepped out into the open air, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes for a moment to enjoy the peace and quiet. After a few moments, she heard Ludwig's footsteps approaching behind her, so she opened her eyes and turned to face him. No words were needed as he came close with a soft smile on his face, taking her in his arms and kissing her again.
"You are absolutely beautiful," Ludwig whispered after they broke the kiss, moving his lips towards her jaw, "The dress is perfect, I wasn't expecting you to choose something so elegant."
"I wasn't planning to wear something so luxurious," Natalya chuckled as Ludwig's lips brushed her skin, "Katya insisted my dress be worthy of a proper queen."
"And such a beautiful dress it is too."
Natalya and Ludwig pulled apart as they heard the unfamiliar voice coming from the parlour, and she looked over his shoulder to see who it was. An old crone stood in the doorway, their dark green cloak billowing in fabric that covered them almost entirely. The openings at the front revealed a brown dress underneath, which was visibly tattered, and the face and neck looked wrinkled with age.
"Please forgive my intrusion, your Majesties," the old crone spoke as she stepped forward, "It was a lovely wedding, and I wish you both every happiness that fate can offer you."
"Thank you for your kind words, madam," Ludwig acknowledged, "This is a private area, however, you should not be here."
"I will depart momentarily, your Majesty," the crone promised, "But first, it would do me a great honour if the Queen accepts my most humble gift on her wedding day."
As she spoke, the crone reached into her cloak, and withdrew an item to hold out in her hand. It was an apple, plump with fruit and shining red.
"That is very kind of you," Natalya accepted as the crone passed the apple to her.
"Just one bite, my dear," the crone requested, "For good fortune."
Natalya nodded gently at the request, there was no need to reject the crone over something so simple. After all, this was possibly the most beautiful apple she had ever seen, and could very well be the most delicious as well. Natalya glanced behind her to see that Ludwig had softened to the request as well, before she looked at the apple again and raised it to her lips.
Just before her lips or teeth could touch the apple, however, an impulse triggered every nerve in Natalya's body and urged her to stop. Knowing all too well that her birth spell was trying to tell her something very important, Natalya paused and moved the apple back an inch to where she could look at it properly. Although it looked beautiful, her birth spell was telling her the truth.
The apple was poisoned.
Natalya did her best to maintain her composure and expression as she looked past the apple. The crone was watching her very closely, a glint in her green eyes as she waited for Natalya to bite. Now that Natalya looked closely, the crone had not become old with age, but as the effects of backfiring magic. No matter what disguise may be conjured, those green eyes gave everything away.
"Natalya! Your Majesties!"
Natalya smirked as she lowered the apple from her face, looking behind the disguised witch as her suspicions were confirmed. The hallway doors into the parlour burst open with Feliks barreling through, followed closely by Tolys and Madeline.
"Your Majesties," Feliks called out as he rushed over to the terrace, "The Queen is in mortal danger!"
"It's quite alright, Feliks," Natalya dismissed, "I've already discovered the peril. Haven't I, Erzsébet?"
The glint disappeared from those green eyes as the crone moved aside, clearly not happy at having her identity exposed. It did Erzsébet no good to move away, as Madeline immediately cast her ice magic to freeze the crone's feet in place. Natalya only chuckled as she reached into the pocket of her wedding dress, knowing exactly what she needed to do.
"I don't understand," Ludwig remarked, "Natalya, how did you know?"
"I have my ways," Natalya inferred as she pulled her brother's dagger from the pocket, "Don't I, Erzsébet?"
"Well, it's not like I can run off now," Erzsébet complained, tossing an annoyed glare at the newcomers now encircling them on the terrace, "Not with the murderous Ice Princess freezing me here."
Natalya ignored the sass in favour of bringing the dagger's blade to the apple, making two swift slices into the fruit. She then gently stabbed the dagger between the two cuts, and removed the slice so that it remained impaled on the dagger. Finally, Natalya held out the dagger, and the slice of apple, to Erzsébet.
"Age before beauty," Natalya quipped.
Erzsébet looked at the apple slice in disdain, before looking at her with the same glare. They both knew that she was in no position to refuse the offer of a first bite. Natalya ignored Feliks's knowing chuckle from the side as she leaned in closer to Erzsébet.
"It's important to know when you've been beaten, yes?" Natalya whispered.
A grimace formed on Erzsébet's face, making Natalya sweetly smirk as she finally earned her long-awaited victory. Erzsébet took the apple slice off the dagger and held it in her hand pensively. Natalya withdrew the dagger and gave Erzsébet an upward nod, instructing her to get it over with, accept her fate and take a bite.
Erzsébet looked down to the ground as she rose the apple slice to her lips and bit into it. Within seconds, the witch collapsed to the ground, and grey wisps of magic surrounded her on the ground as the cloak obscured Erzsébet entirely. After a few more waves of magic, the cloak lay empty on the ground and no longer contained a human body.
"Is that it?" Tolys asked as Madeline approached the railing of the balcony, "Is she gone?"
"Yes, she's dead and gone," Feliks confirmed, "Natalya, how did you know the apple was poisoned?"
"My birth spell told me," Natalya revealed, gently tossing the apple to him, "Just in time too, I nearly took a bite."
"I see Lilli down in the crowds," Madeline reported, "Her spell has been lifted as well."
"Does that mean this is Arthur's enchanted apple?" Ludwig identified, "The one that lost its poison?"
"We have a way to find out," Feliks suggested as he and Tolys joined Madeline at the railing, "Do you see the twins down there?"
"I see them," Tolys confirmed.
As the others called for the twins, Natalya and Ludwig joined their hands and walked over to the railing themselves. The wedding reception had begun below in the gardens, and Natalya could see where Lilli was now talking to Basch and Ivan in her human form. Much closer to them, Lovino and Feliciano were approaching the railing, with Arthur following behind them in the crowds.
"Here, catch," Feliks shouted down as he tossed the apple to them.
Lovino caught the apple from its drop, and visibly freaked out as he held it in his grasp. He then passed it to Feliciano, who reacted the same way.
"It's the apple!" Lovino shouted back to them, just as Arthur moved in to join the twins.
"Arthur, they found your apple!" Feliciano excitedly informed the otherworldly man as he reached them.
"What's all this about it being Arthur's apple?" Natalya asked, "What exactly does that mean?"
"It means that Arthur has fulfilled his purpose in this world," Madeline answered, "He can finally return home."