As the war scourged Neolandia, the work of the Senate continued and ended. At the same time as Amaya led the final charge of the Battle of Shafiz, King Ezran returned with the court to his capital. With them there was an exceptional guest: nothing less than Rayla, Captain of the Dragon Guard. Or rather, former Captain. The famous warrior had in fact resigned, having to take part in another mission, perhaps even more difficult and dangerous.
Her wedding.
As we all know, both King Ezran and his brother gained power at a very young age. At the time of the Great Senate, the king was only twelve years old, while Callum was sixteen. Now, sixteen is the age at which the Katoleans traditionally reached adulthood and married.
Callum, though not descended in a direct line from King Harrow, remained heir to the throne: at least until Ezran had fathered children of his own. Therefore it is not difficult to understand why the issue of Callum's marriage took away more than a few hours of sleep from the counselors, especially as Ezran had wisely decided not to meddle.
Callum, for his part, was at first quite opposed to the idea. We recall that he was still fondly attached to Rayla of Silvergrove, but that her engagements in the Dragon Guard made her unfit for the role-not to mention the obvious dust that such a union would have caused among the traditionalist nobility of the kingdom. Eventually, the High Wizard succumbed to pressure and agreed to consider a number of proposals.
After months of discussion, the choice fell on a Evenerean noblewoman a couple of years older than the prince, Aviliisa, related to the royal house of the island kingdom. The Councillors were just about to make the appropriate arrangements when the situation in Neolandia precipitated, leading to the convocation of the Grand Senate.
And there something happened that could not be expected by the wise counselors: as we have already written, Callum met Rayla again, and for those weeks the two had a chance to clarify their feelings. Callum's diary is modestly silent about the arguments of their meetings, which we historians can only speculate on: it is a fact howewer that, just before the end of the Senate, the prince made known to the council and the king that he would marry Rayla or that any idea of marriage should be postponed indefinitely. You can imagine the reactions of the other councillors! They objected, cried and shouted, threatened and prayed. It seems that Opeli for a time even proposed excommunication: but there was nothing to do. The only one who enjoyed those days of chaos was Ezran, who found the situation exhilarating: the poor boy had no idea how soon the roles would be reversed.
And Rayla? Apparently, she too did not expect such a stand by Callum. And it may surprise you, but she wasn't particularly happy of it.
It is known that she was not indifferent to the young prince, but she was even more bound to her duty as Dragon Guard. If it was up to her, she would probably have rejected Callum's proposal. He tells us himself in a rather huffy note of his diary.
But where the heart fails, politics can succeed: in particular, it was Janai of Lux Aurea who pointed out that such a union could help to increase the trust that the elves of Xadia put in their new human allies.
Let's break a myth: Rayla and Callum were not the first mixed couple that appeared in those years. Already several of them were born among the people, but they were still viewed with suspicion by both humans and elves. A marriage between two of the most influent figures on the continent would surely have contributed to making such unions accepted. Even Opeli, in the end, had to agree that given the changed political conditions such a marriage would be more advantageous for the kingdom than the one with Aviliisa, no matter how noble the latter might have been.
So, reluctantly, Rayla of Silvergrove renounced her title of Captain of the Dragon Guard to follow King Ezran and his brother to Katolis- although Zubeia gave her permission to continue using the Dragonguard's crest in public, an honor in itself unprecedented.
The following days were hectic. It may seem strange to think about it today, but something as silly as a marriage at the time could have the same importance as a war-even more. The councillors had to work three times as much as usual: more than all Lady Opeli, who had to modify the entire wedding liturgy, and Lord Nissem, who had the task of writing in record time a new marriage law (the famous "Lex de Mixtum Conugium"). Even the two betrothed were forced into a whirlwind of commitments, especially Rayla, who needed to learn in a few weeks much of the customs and laws of Katolis.
The ceremony, due to its symbolic importance, was to be public: a week of festivities was instituted throughout the nation.
The wedding took place on the 20th of July. That morning, a messenger on horseback brought the news of Amaya's victory under the walls of Shafiz: a happy omen that, according to Opeli, was a sure sign of the approval of the gods to the "blessed reign of our beloved King".
Needless to say, it was a moment of great splendour: delegations from all over the continent came bearing gifts and congratulations. Aanya of Duren even came in person, giving Rayla a Durenian composite bow, finely inlaid with precious woods. Janai of Lux Aurea sent through an ambassador a superb sword made at the Sunforge. The most appreciated gifts, however, were the Elven magic tomes from the Dragon Queen herself. Those gifts were worthy of a king more than a half prince: it give us an idea of how much importance the event had. For all intents and purposes it was a watershed: so much so that some historians use that date as the beginning of the modern age.
Further proof that the good of the nation often sacrifices individuals, the only ones not enjoying the general happiness were the spouses. Rayla, although fond of her husband, held him responsible for having made her abandon what she thought was her rightful place. Besides, how to blame her? Elf in a court of humans, she was practically exiled to a foreign land. Callum, who adored his wife, felt guilty for the same reasons, and at the same time he did never forget that, if it had been up to her, she would never have abandoned her position for him.
For the rest of their lives, their relationship would be marred by these misunderstandings. Often they would have regretted the carefree times of their youthful adventures. Callum in this regard has left us pages that do not lack a certain poetic taste: "Now that I'm wearing the finest gold-woven brocades I miss my worn-out red scarf, and on no feathered mattress I slept the blissful sleep of those days, when I had the earth for bed and the sky for roof."
But no matter how serious the moments of crisis that the two found themselves living, they managed to overcome them each time. Rayla, moreover, was not the type to be depressed, and would soon become as important as her husband in the government of the kingdom of Katolis, devoting to politics the energies that she could no longer devote to defend the lord of Dragons. And so, despite the initial difficulties, two months after the wedding the court rejoiced at the news of the pregnancy of what had become in effect a princess of Katolis.
It was a moment of celebration for all... but luck with one hand gives, and with the other takes away. At the same time, hundreds of miles away, Neolandia was burning.
