"This is it?" Emily asked, pulling the hood of her capelet securely over her head.
"It must be," Victor said as he glanced around all the tall hedges that appeared to form some sort of maze. It was the most foliage he had seen in the whole town.
The full moon was brightly beaming down on them as Emily took to observing some of the freshly bloomed flowers peeking through the leaves. She hadn't seen any living plants since she had died, and smiled as she felt the velvety petals between her fingertips.
Victor stifled a yawn. It was almost eleven o'clock at night and he couldn't track how many hours it had been since he had slept. Time in the Land of the Dead was quite arbitrary and only vaguely used when gatherings were planned. While the dead enjoyed sleeping and could do it at will, it wasn't a biological need for them. This had made it difficult for Victor to follow when he needed to sleep while down there.
A rustling noise from behind him broke the silence of the night. Hidden under a dark cloak, a man emerged from the shadows and quickly made his way down the path. Emily reached for Victor's coat and was about to pull him behind a hedge when the man removed his hood.
"It's alright!" the man whispered, holding up his hands in a friendly gesture. "I'm Julian. Victoria told me that she had invited you to meet us here."
Julian was almost a head shorter than Victor, making him around the same height as Victoria. He had fluffy brown hair and tan skin with some freckles lightly powdered over his nose.
"I-I'm Victor," Victor stuttered, pausing for a moment before awkwardly offering Julian his hand.
Julian smiled and shook his hand firmly. "It really means a lot to us that you two are willing to help. It's been-" He looked over his shoulder. "Difficult to say the least. Here, let us go closer to the middle."
He led them down the path and to the left, revealing a small circular opening with a fountain in the middle.
"It's much easier to remain undetected from here," Julian explained, walking over to the fountain. "The bushes help muffle sound–and from this point, there are multiple ways to escape if we hear someone coming."
"I didn't even know this place existed," Victor said, eyeing the various paths leading out of the maze.
"It's part of the Everglots property," Julian shrugged. "They own so much land that they never even use. Before Victoria and I started sneaking out here, I think the only people who came to the gardens were the workers to upkeep the place."
Julian turned in a circle, searching for something among the maze. Not finding what he was looking for, he turned his attention to Emily.
"You must be Emily," Julian bowed slightly towards her. "I've certainly heard quite a lot about you this month."
Victor beamed at her. "We're calling her Elizabeth for the time being."
Emily blushed and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I understand that it's been the talk of the town. That most certainly wasn't my intention when I brought Victor down– well, when I first saw him."
"Victoria was only able to convey so much to me in her letter she had Hildegarde deliver to me," Julian said. "But it seems to be certainly an exciting story."
"That's one way of putting it." Victor shook his head, thinking over the journey he and Elder Gudna had taken through the Land of the Dead's Northern Ruins. In any other circumstance he could have described it as an exciting event, but having been forcefully separated from Emily and almost murdered yet again hadn't left the most pleasant taste in his mouth.
"Speaking of, where is Victoria?" Emily quipped.
Julian eyed a particular opening in the maze. "She should be here soon. It's not as easy for her to leave and meet here like before. Now, she has to prevent her husband from getting suspicious if he wakes up to find her missing from their bedroom." He kicked a rock on the ground, his expression turning into a grimace.
Victor understood what Julian must have been feeling. He remembered how insecure and jealous he himself had been when he had learned about Emily's first lover. There had been so much worry that he could never compare to him, but after finding out it was Barkis, those anxieties quickly went away. Having to let your lover sleep with and submit to another man on the other hand was a circumstance Victor knew he would never be able to handle. He had to give credit to Julian for dealing with it in such a composed manner.
After waiting for a few minutes longer, Victoria came bustling through the maze.
"What did you tell him?" Julian asked when she approached them.
"I said that I was feeling ill and was going down to have Hildegarde take care of me," she wheezed, still trying to catch her breath.
"How often are you two able to meet up like this?" Emily asked.
Julian reached into his pocket and pulled out a watch attached to a chain, checking the time. "Not often, but it really depends. Before her parents arranged her marriage, we were able to sneak away much more often."
"In these last few weeks, we've only seen each other twice," Victoria commented sadly, clasping her hands together.
Julian put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "That's why we've been a little desperate to get out of here as soon as possible."
"What do you two have in mind for leaving?" Victor questioned.
"We don't really need to do much," Victoria explained. "It's just difficult without someone's help. We have some money saved up together that Julian has hidden away. Our main issue is just getting out of this town without anyone noticing us."
In any other town, this wouldn't be much of an issue. However, Victor himself knew personally how difficult doing anything unnoticed in their town was. Even when he had first run into Emily in the forest that fateful night, far from anybody, the whole town knew about his "mystery woman" before it had even hit the end of the day.
Julian chimed in. "We were hoping we could use you both as a distraction. With your…pardon if this comes off as insensitive, but with your reputation, it would cause a considerable ruckus among everyone. Victoria and I could ride out in a carriage while their attention was drawn to you."
Victor thought over the idea. Admittedly, if they were going to use anyone to keep their eyes off of them, he and Emily were the perfect pair to do so. They had already caused a decent stir with Victor's return. It wouldn't take much to create a diversion.
"Hmm," Victor pondered, bringing a hand up to his chin. "When would you two be ready to leave?"
Victoria exchanged a glance with Julian. "Well, we already have everything else prepared. I have some bags packed, and Julian's belongings are ready to go at a moment's notice too."
"So you two could escape tonight," Emily concluded.
"Yes," Victoria said. "If you two are up to helping us."
Victor nodded distractedly, deep in thought. He hadn't been mentally prepared to go through with what they were asking at such short notice, and felt anxious about taking action without thinking it over.
"We'll let you two talk about it first in private," Julian decided, noticing Victor's apprehension. Putting an arm around Victoria, the two walked around to the other side of the fountain.
Victor spoke quietly to Emily. "Do you think that this is a good idea? I wish to help them, of course, but I'm not sure how this would impact our chances of getting married."
"What do you mean?"
"The weight of our success might rest on getting the town to forget what happened. Part of the battle is convincing them that I have truly fallen in love with another living woman and am making a return to normalcy. Do you think that this would set us back?"
Emily was quiet for a moment, deep in thought. She drew her eyes over to Victoria and Julian, who were holding hands and speaking softly to one another.
"If we don't succeed, we still have each other, Victor." Emily reached up and gently pressed her warm palm to his cheek. "If they don't…they won't get to be together at all." She frowned.
Victor couldn't help but shake his head in amazement. Emily was always willing to risk her own happiness for the well being of others. It was one of the qualities that made him fall even deeper in love with her. It reminded him of when she had initially refused Elder Gutknechts suggestion that Victor needed to die in order for them to marry. She couldn't even fathom asking someone to do such a thing in order to be with her. It was what had convinced Victor that she did in fact actually love him.
"And there already is going to be a fuss about your return no matter what," Emily pointed out. "Maybe we can use the time to explain our story while they escape."
Victor couldn't argue with her logic. There wasn't much of a way that they could make more of a scene in comparison to the way Victor had behaved previously. Drawing too much attention to the situation after he had been separated from Emily was something he was regretting more each time he thought about it.
Victor turned back towards Victoria and Julian. "How much time do you two would need to do this?" he called over to them.
"Not very long," Julian said. "My whereabouts on the property are not closely monitored unless I'm entering areas at times I'm not supposed to. As long as we are out before anyone has time to realize that we have gone, we'll be fine."
"We're going to take the service workers' carriage as well to draw less attention," Victoria said. "It isn't uncommon for people to still be up late running errands to prepare for the morning. Once we pack our belongings into the storage compartment, Julian is going to guide us out."
"Ideally from the moment we leave the property to exiting the town, we'd be clear within an hour," Julian concluded.
"I think we'd be able to manage that," Victor said.
"So," Victoria sighed. "Are we ready to do this tonight?"
Victor and Emily exchanged glances at one another and nodded.
"I think we are," Emily replied.
The town was almost completely empty at this point besides the town crier, who went on making his usual nightly rounds. Victor stood in the shadows casted from his house, waiting for the cue from Emily that would signal for him to come out of hiding.
The four had come to the conclusion that it would be best to initiate their diversion after Julian had readied the carriage. From then, he and Victoria could determine when the distraction was in full swing and quickly make their escape. Emily was posted as the communicator between them and Victor, as they had decided it would be better if Victor alone carried out the plan.
After a bit of discussion, they settled on going for a more simple idea. When Victor was given the go ahead to step into sight, he'd subtly get the attention of the town crier by walking past him. They didn't want to say or do anything unnecessary for fear it may alienate Victor from the town further, so playing it by ear seemed to be the best option.
Emily intently watched the Everglot manor from across the street. Her skin reflected the moonlight faintly, her face half hidden from her hood. Victor noticed the difference in how her skin didn't sparkly as much as when it was blue. While he couldn't deny how gorgeous she looked when she was living, he still struggled to connect that this was his same Emily. It forced him to process that she really had been a living human once when his mind always perceived her as someone otherworldly.
He saw her eyes glint and she looked over at him, raising her hand.
Well, here it goes.
Victor slowly stepped out from his spot by the porch. He accidentally tripped on one of the steps by the street, noisily catching himself on a pillar. When he looked up he saw the town crier staring directly at him. Quickly standing back up and dusting himself off, Victor started wandering away from the house.
It didn't take long for him to hear the clanging of the bell as the town crier lifted it to make the announcement.
"Victor Van Dort mysteriously exits his house in the dead of the night! His destination is currently unknown! Unidentified woman seen with Van Dort earlier this morning is not accompanying him!"
Victor turned back to stare at him, but the town crier had moved on to spread the announcement to the rest of the town.
Some lights began to brighten up windows along the street, with a few people peeking out from their homes to catch a glimpse of Victor. He avoided eye contact with them and continued making his way towards the Van Dort merchant shop. If anyone asked where he was going this late at night, he had prepared to tell them that he needed to complete some work for his father. It was still unusual behavior, but then again, he had always had the reputation of being a little odd. He doubted that he could convince them otherwise.
As he got closer to the family shop near the front of town, he spotted a figure making its way across the old stone bridge. Victor squinted his eyes to get a better look and was able to make out a hunched over old man still dressed in his pajamas. The man was moving as fast as he could and fixated his stare directly at Victor.
Pastor Galswells.
"Stop where you are!" the Pastor yelled.
Victor paused in his tracks. He wasn't surprised by the Pastor's appearance at all. After Victor had disappeared to the Land of the Dead the second time around, William had been hounded by Galswells constantly. His father had done his best at appeasing him, but the Pastor had not been convinced of Victor's innocence.
Galswells stormed up to him. "Master Van Dort! Do you have any explanation for where you have been this past month?"
The sheer height of Pastor Galswells was considerably intimidating. Victor remembered how fearful he had been of the man growing up. Along with Victor's general awkwardness, his anxiety around Galswells had been why Victor had made such a fool of himself at the wedding rehearsal. None of that fear remained in him now as he matched his gaze calmly.
"I ran away to a neighboring town," Victor answered, keeping his voice steady.
Pastor Galswells was taken aback. He obviously hadn't been expecting that answer.
"Are you telling me that you haven't been in the presence of the dead since you've left?"
By now, those nearby who could hear the commotion had either stepped outside or opened their windows to hear what was going on.
"I…realized that there was no way I could get back there without ending my life," Victor lied. "I couldn't take the stares and all the attention, so I decided to leave the village for the time being."
Just out of the frame of his vision, Victor could see Julian directing the carriage towards a dirt back road. He could tell that they had avoided the main streets and were retreating down a path that would eventually lead them to the central road. It was a bit of a roundabout way of leaving that would take up more time, but it overall was much more discrete. Victor looked at the group of people that had started gathering around him and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that neither they nor the town crier had noticed the carriage.
"And what about your father? What was the reason he just completely vanished about a week ago?" the Pastor pressed.
Victor tried to remember what he had told Tim earlier that day at the shop. "I had no idea about that until this morning. I saw my father today as well and he seemed in good health and spirits." He shrugged.
Pastor Galswells narrowed his eyes. Victor could tell he wasn't too convinced by Victor's explanation, but knew he had no proof to say that he was lying. He didn't need to be believed though. From where he could see, it looked as if Victoria and Julian had made their escape without anyone realizing.
"I u-understand that I caused quite the concern with e-everything," Victor went on. "But I feel that I have come to my senses these past few weeks."
More murmurs were spread throughout the crowd behind him. He could faintly hear them beginning to accept Victor's story. Theories about whether he had been possessed or not were thrown around, and a general consensus that rose from the discussion was that Victor did appear to act and look better.
"Maybe God has healed him," a lady from behind said.
"A pastor from a different village could have properly prayed over him," a middle aged man added. He looked over at Pastor Galswells disapprovingly and shook his head. "Our pastor couldn't even keep the demons out of the church," he mumbled to the rest of the townspeople.
Looking back and forth between Victor and the crowd, Galswells clamped up in embarrassment. It wasn't hard to see that he felt shame over the whole incident.
"Perhaps the boy has come to a holy revelation," Galswells grumbled through gritted teeth. "In that case, I hope the Lord continues to bless you."
"I appreciate your blessing." Victor nodded respectfully.
With that, the Pastor turned away from him and retreated back to the church, his sleeping cap bouncing swiftly behind him. Having witnessed everything that they had come out for, the rest of the town dispersed off into their own homes. One by one, the yellow glow that had lit up the windows started to disappear until the only remaining light left was from the moon.
Victor was surprised at how well that had gone. Not only had he managed to ensure a good enough distraction for Victoria and Julian, but he had also persuaded the others to believe that he no longer had ties to the Land of the Dead.
Footsteps clinked delicately on cobblestone, bringing his attention back to Emily. She leaned into the street and looked both ways before rushing across to the Van Dort mansion. Reaching the wall, she beckoned for him to follow.
Once they had made it back to their cottage, Emily threw her arms around his neck.
"Oh, Victor! I'm so happy! They made it out of town perfectly," she sighed happily.
Victor twirled her around once before setting her down. "I saw," he said. "They should be able to reach a neighboring village before sunrise if all goes well."
Emily plopped down on one of the plush chairs in the room. "That's such a relief."
"I also think our mission won't be as difficult as I had previously thought. Pastor Galswells stood down fairly easily and hopefully won't cause us any further issues." Victor sat down and started to remove his shoes. After such a day, his whole body ached and he wanted nothing more than to lay down. The wound in his back had also started to stiffen up again.
"Oh, I forgot. Victoria handed this to me before she left." Emily held out an envelope with a red wax seal stamped on the back.
"What is it?" Victor took it from her and tried to rip it open, cutting his finger in the process.
"She said it was information about a man who could officiate our marriage." Emily gently removed the envelope from his hands and opened it with ease. "Apparently she already did us the favor of having her maid pass on a message to him. He will be expecting to hear from us soon."
They read over the letter together, which contained basic information such as the name and location of the officiant. He was from a village about an hour's ride from town. Victoria had also noted that he was well versed in partaking in secret marriages. Victor figured that she had become aware of him when researching options for her and Julian.
"Well, this makes things pretty easy for us now. If it all goes well." Victor placed the parchment down on the dresser. "I can make a trip out of town right at dawn."
"Perfect." Emily smiled, pulling him into her arms.
He held her tightly, and as he settled deeper into her embrace, he noticed a light tapping sound coming from the outside of the cottage. Following the source of the sound to the window, he made out the silhouette of Dearil perched by the glass. When Victor's sight adjusted to the darkness, he found the bird nodding slowly towards them. A gesture he couldn't help but feel was meant as a good omen for the days to come.
The sun had yet to break when they were awoken by the news.
"Hear ye! Hear ye! Lower class gentleman was found attempting to sneak off with Lady Victoria late in the night!"
Victor hadn't fully fallen asleep due to the fear that he wouldn't awake at sunrise. Cursing himself for not getting a proper sleep before they had arrived, he had simply tossed and turned the rest of the night to prepare himself for the trip in the morning.
Hearing the obnoxious bell of the town crier, Victor shot up in bed and strained to get the rest of the headline.
"Master Edmund became aware of his wife's disappearance around midnight. Quickly alerting the rest of the staff, they were able to find Lady Victoria after following fresh tracks found leading away from the property and out of the village. No other information is currently known at this time."
Swearing loudly, Victor got up and quickly threw some clothes on. Emily sleepily lifted her head from the pillow and started untangling herself from the duvet.
"What happened? They went after Victoria and Julian?" she stifled a yawn.
Victor pulled the curtains aside. The sky was just starting to turn from black to dark blue, and people had not started heading to work just yet. Birds flew between rooftops and chirped rhythmically, however, the rest of the town remained silent.
"They must have already suspected something in order to find them that fast." Victor pressed a hand to his head. "It will be almost impossible for them to get away now."
"What do we do?" Emily came up behind him and grasped his hand.
He exhaled in defeat and brought her in close. "I don't think there is much we can do right at this very moment. They probably are keeping close watch of both of them. It's doubtful that we'd even be able to get in contact. I remember how furious Mr. Everglot was when I had run out of the wedding rehearsal."
He shuddered at the thought of Victoria's father. Despite his appearance, he was an intimidating and unpleasant man to be in the presence of. Victor didn't even want to think of what poor Julian was going through right about now.
"We can't waste even a moment of our time here." Victor turned to face Emily. "I want to help them as well, but not at the risk of what we came here to do or possibly losing you."
Emily frowned. "But we promised we would help."
Victor rested his hands comfortingly on her shoulders. "We'll help them as much as we are able to. How about I still go out to meet up with the officiant and you stay to monitor the situation here. That way if they need help, you'll be right where they need you." Victor smiled at her.
"Alright." Emily nodded, her spirits lifting. "That sounds like a good plan."
Victor finished dressing himself and packed a bag for the trip. He hoped that he would be back by nightfall, but he had no way of predicting how the meeting would go. If the man was as specialized in private weddings as Victoria's note implied, there shouldn't be too many questions asked.
The new carriage driver for the Van Dorts was as quiet as Mayhew had been, and didn't ask any questions as Victor loaded his bag into the storage compartment. Victor still made a point to make up an excuse about having to go out of town to meet up with his father for a business related assignment. The driver simply shrugged and readied the horses.
Victor gripped onto the door handles and was about to lift himself into the carriage when a man placed a hand on Victor's shoulder.
"Sorry to bother you young man, but would you happen to be Victor Van Dort?" he asked.
"Yes, that is me."
The man had feathery black hair and a pointed nose. His eyes were a dark brown that almost appeared to be black in the dimness of the morning. Victor didn't recognize him, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. He had never been very social.
"Nice to meet you," the man said, removing his hat and using it to gesture his greeting. "I know we've never been properly introduced. I'm Charles Corvus. I've been in town for a few days visiting a relative."
"A pleasure to meet you as well. I apologize, I have to leave for a meeting with my father-"
"I have something to warn you about," Charles whispered to him frantically. "A lot of the town believed you last night about your story, but Pastor Galswells did not. He still believes that you are in love with…that corpse bride."
Dearil flew down onto the roof of the carriage and began squawking at Victor.
Victor waved them both off. "I wasn't under the impression that he believed anything else. He'll always be set in his ways. What he thinks doesn't bother me, but I appreciate the concern."
"I don't think you understand. He isn't leaving the matter alone. I overheard a troubling rumor the other night."
"What do you mean?"
Dearil's cawing became louder. Charles twitched and turned his attention to something out of Victor's field of vision.
"You don't have much time," Charles lowered his voice even further. "The Pastor has become increasingly exasperated by his inability to put an end to the "evilness" he is so convinced has consumed you. He decided to declare you as insane and has sent for you to be forcefully taken to the asylum."
"What!?" Victor exclaimed, jerking back so hard that he almost lost his balance.
"Precisely. It's very unsettling, isn't it? I don't really know you that well, but from my short time visiting this town, I feel that there is too much obsession and delusion with death. I heard your story last night and believe they are unfairly targeting you. You appear absolutely sensible and polite to me."
Tires suddenly screeched beside the Van Dorts carriage. Behind the horses that had just halted in front of the mansion was a frightful picture.
"I-I don't have t-time for this!" Victor stuttered.
Three men in uniform exited the purposefully restraining carriage and promptly came at him.
Charles' face wrinkled in apprehension. "If there is anything I can do for you-"
Victor shoved the paper Victoria had given to him into Charles' hand. He knew there was no way he'd be able to fight off three individuals much stronger than him. It was pure desperation, but someone showing kindness to him in this town was a rarity, and he was out of options.
"I know we just met, but I beg of you, please find this officiant and bring him to my fiance."
Charles eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Fiance?"
One of the men ripped Victor away from the carriage.
"I don't have time to explain fully, but her name is Elizabeth Beckwith. If you can, please go now and bring him to her!"
Victor was violently thrown into the back seat of the asylum carriage and locked in. His head smacked against the opposite door painfully. Ignoring the searing burn, he lurched upright and grasped onto the barred windows as the carriage took off.
Charles stood examining the paper Victor had given him. He looked up in alarm and made eye contact with Victor. A silent agreement passed between the two, and Charles nodded at him earnestly.