CHAPTER II: BYGONE
We arrive at the wedding rehearsal early and dressed a little too fancy for my tastes. My standard outfit had been coloured black for this occasion while Aura, Shalltear, and Clementine wore full-length white gowns of mirrored design. All of them looked incredibly uncomfortable being dressed this way but they followed the dress code set by Albedo just like everyone else. Albedo is earlier than us and already coordinating all the maids and servants so that every detail and every action is efficient and to her designs. She doesn't deign to notice us enter either by necessity or by choice.
A man dressed in black dress robes of high-quality steps away from one of the crowds towards us. In reply, Aura and Shalltear step a reasonable distance away from Clementine and me as if on cue. They watch our interaction with piqued interest as this new arrival gets within a few steps from me, shaking his head before saying, "Don't be so nervous. I'm just here to say hi."
The man is the mirror image of Clementine in both visage and physique. I look between him and Clementine in confusion, quickly realizing they're almost identical twins. Clementine recovers from her shock and demands from the man, "Where's mom and dad? I thought they would want the glory of representing our house."
"The noble houses, and I quote the words of Lord Momongo, are a bunch of arrogant fools jostling for prestige and power. It was decreed that more important figures, such as notable members of the Scriptures and members of the Supreme Executive Council, would attend. I was deemed important enough to be invited," he replies smoothly, his smile and voice holding no hostility that I could detect. Clementine seems taken aback by this information, asking in a confused tone and expression, "Members of the... the S.E.C. doesn't respond to any summons save their own... is this wedding really that important that they're here in person?"
"To prevent the outbreak of a war that the Slane Theocracy knows it can't win, the Council has agreed to send the requested representation to the Sorcerer Empire," the man says with a knowing smile, my mind starting to become overwhelmed from all the new information. I receive a shallow bow before the man offers me his hand which I graciously accept. He smiles and says, "Quaiesse Hazia Quintia, 5th seat Black Scripture. I've heard a lot about you, Beric Lowarm, but most of the information is skewed due to jealousy. I see you've met my sister and judging from how you stand so casually near each other-"
I look over at Clementine who puts an embarrassed hand to her face as she snaps at him, "Don't say that so casually! Why are you not more shocked that I'm even alive!?"
Quaiesse's face drops from a smile to a concerned expression. He lets go of my hand and quickly closes the distance with his sister, bringing her into a tight embrace. Clementine doesn't respond at first but slowly returns his hugs over time. Suddenly, Quaiesse breaks down into tears with Clementine holding him closer, sharing his tears silently with her own. My illusion of the supposed One-Man Army is broken by his display of humanity, forcing me to accept that despite his reputation, he's still a man who thought he failed to protect his family. Some pains are universal.
Quaiesse collects himself and loosens the embrace, wiping his tears with a handkerchief from his left pocket. He takes a deep breath before saying with a smile, "Sorry for that. I'm just glad that you survived. I couldn't go looking for you officially or unofficially. No one would approve it."
"It's okay. I wasn't trying to be found by the kill teams sent after me," Clementine replies, both of them smiling and bringing their foreheads gently together. Suddenly, Quaiesse releases his hug and reorients himself to face me. He graces me with a cold stare and I smile while taking off my eyepatch to stare at him properly. A hardened stare meets otherworldly eyes but he doesn't show any signs of intimidation or fear. He tells me in a serious tone, "If you let harm come to her again or if you betray her trust in you, I will be the first to hunt you down and kill you myself. I don't care what kind of diplomatic immunity you have nor care what kind of opposition I'll face. If that time ever comes, it will be the one time I forsake my oath of nonviolence."
I continue to smile and offer my left hand to him, his eyes darting down to the gesture. He stares at the hand only for a second then fixes me in a cold stare for a few more seconds longer but when I remain unshaken by his demand, his expression softens. He smiles in reply and takes my hand as I say, "You'll have to get in line. I wouldn't want you to waste a trip coming for me when the problem can be handled locally."
Quaiesse laughs and shakes my hand briefly, bowing shallowly again before saying, "You're an honest man. Very refreshing. We'll talk more after the rehearsal."
I watch the man leave with a confident stride, feeling confused but hopeful that he meant what he said. I look to my right to see Aura rush towards Clementine in exasperation and exclaim, "You're royalty!? I thought you were just a mercenary!"
"I was royalty... well Slane Theocracy royalty equivalent... I'm royalty for the Sorcerer Empire now... I think..." she explains with a growing sense of apprehension. I'm still processing all the information but ask aloud, "So if our holdings are large enough to be considered an empire... does that make Lord Momongo an emperor?... and Albedo an empress?..."
Before we can speculate more, Albedo calls us to attention.
The first stage of the rehearsal was to introduce ourselves to each other and I quickly found out that Quaiesse Quintia was only the first of many high-profile introductions. Forcing his way towards us before anyone else was Lord General Climb Vaiself, current commander of the Re-Estize knights, along with Queen Renner Vaiself, the current monarch of the Re-Estize kingdom. Both of them bore the mark of the heteromorphic with Queen Renner having black wings sprouting from her back and Lord Climb having a pair of tiny black horns sprouting from his head. They seemed happy to be here for such a historic moment but Climb demanded that, at a later date, we have a combat duel to see who is stronger in battle. Despite my misgivings, I grudgingly accepted the offer and gave him a date and time for our trial. Then they left as if nothing happened, leaving me confused and wondering.
Next to approach us was a regal man and what I perceived as a female centaur with broad wings. The man gave me a hearty smile and introduced themself as Captain Gazef Stronoff and his partner as Captain Altheia Semotis. I never met a centaur in person so finding out that they did exist along with their winged sub-species made me pause for a little too long. They both offered their hands in unison and with equal friendliness to break the tension and I shook both hands at the same time, feeling the terrible strength in both warrior leaders' grip. Gazef was extra ecstatic to be here because the Sorcerer Empire had finally decided to support his movement against the Slane Theocracy, providing much-needed logistical support for their ongoing liberation campaign. I try to remain neutral on the topic and not reveal any information that would upset such a fragile alliance, thanking them for their time and wishing them well as they move on.
I had to approach the twelve members of the Supreme Executive Council and quickly found out that each of them was less than thrilled to see some of their greater enemies alive and attending this ceremony. None of them left a lasting impression on me because they reminded me of old men clinging to beliefs that no longer applied to the current age. None of them wanted to share much about themselves either and simply did the bare minimum to move events along.
One of the stranger couples that approached us was Enri Emmot and Nfirea Bareare, the married couple that managed Carne Village. They both looked completely out of their depth and almost shocked to have been included in such an elaborate ceremony. With them is their goblin general named Jugem who also looked out of his depth among so many humans. It was the first time I'd met a goblin that wasn't feral and to my shame, I learned how biased I was towards goblins because of my limited exposure to civilized races. They offered us their village's hospitality and I endeavoured to try and make time in the future. Jugem added once the couple had moved on that there are plenty of goblin women in the village who would be more than willing to be with me but I simply told him that I was happily married with a daughter. Though he looked disappointed, he accepted my explanation and moved on.
What Quaiesse had said about the Scripture's attendance was an understatement. Some of the scriptures had been invited in their entirety and I quickly found myself meeting with every member of the Black Scripture. All of them were unique and noteworthy but the last one introduced stood out the most. Their captain didn't have a name but as we both stood a few paces from each other, I felt like I was staring into a distorted mirror. Though he had long black hair and two crimson eyes, there's no mistaking that we shared a similar face and physique. Our moment drew the attention of most of the guests and we both moved closer to each other. Up close, there's no mistaking that we looked the same and I offered my right hand, his right hand moving forward in unison with my actions and taking my hand. I felt a shiver of apprehension and dread when he rubbed his thumb against the face of my hand and I did the same, both actions mirrored perfectly and felt so familiar that it made me uneasy. No words were exchanged initially and we didn't properly shake hands but the captain eventually asked for my name and I told him.
Then he nodded and turned away, saying that we would talk more after the rehearsal.
"That went much smoother than I expected," I admit to Shalltear once Albedo finally dismisses everyone until tomorrow. She immediately replies with amusement, "I can't believe you were selected as groomsman and I was the bridesmaid in all this. I thought the obvious choice was Sebas and Aureole."
"And I'm more surprised that Lord Momongo wore something other than a robe," I reply with a chuckle as I remember the hushed silence from seeing the Lord of Nazarick dressed like a man instead of a lord. If not for everyone present knowing his true nature, he could've easily passed as another young man. Our conversation dies when Albedo makes her way towards us brusquely, displaying a neutral expression and saying in annoyance to me once she gets close enough, "You're lucky that the other guests were willing to postpone a day but I'll have to think up some punishment for your dereliction of duty-"
I quickly take her right hand with my left hand and turn it palm upwards, hovering my right hand over it. I try to be subtle with the use of magic but from the glowing channels of magic on my arm and the slight surge of power that anyone with enough magical talent can feel, I still draw the attention of a few people lingering nearby. Albedo quickly pockets the data crystal in her personal inventory and turns away without another word, heading back towards Lord Momongo with grace and a positive attitude. I'm unsure if that means she accepts the bribe or not.
Something lands on my shoulders lightly and presses against the back of my head. I don't have to wonder long because Clementine lays her arms on my head and says casually, "Six more days to go. It feels good to get out of that dress."
Aura walks in front of me wearing her usual white suit and takes my hands, leaning in close and kissing my lips innocently. Though she's trying to hide it behind her grin, there's a crazed need deep down that she wanted me to fulfil. Shalltear appears on my left and shakes her head at our display, crossing her arms and saying with censure, "I hope you're prepared for our early relationship two more times. The only solace I can give you is that you won't die... but there are far worse things than death."
"I'll make time for you too, Shalltear... and thank you for everything you do for me," I reply with a smile but as I speak, calves hug my neck slightly. Clementine chuckles as she replies with amusement, "You really can't turn that off, can you? I'd heard stories that those that court darkness are magnetic to their preferred gender but I never thought I'd see it for real."
"Shalltear set the groundwork and I did what was required afterwards. Nothing special," I say but my attention is drawn to my right as two figures approach us. Clementine tenses and slides herself downwards, winding her body around my torso so that most of her is behind my back. Aura slowly moves out of the way to stand on my right and Shalltear does the same to stand on my left. Quiaesse and his captain quickly close the distance as the captain states to me, "I need to talk with you, Beric Lowarm, but somewhere more private. There is much to discuss and I only want a few people witnessing."
"Surprised to see me?" Clementine states as she climbs high enough to display her torso, her words coloured by an evil smile. The captain doesn't seem concerned but surprises me by saying, "It's good to see you, Clementine Quintia. Your brother didn't hide his concern for you very well and asked me to help keep track of you. You were very hard to keep track of."
Quiaesse looks surprised and stares at his captain who smiles and shrugs at him before turning his attention back to me. I wait until Clementine finds a comfortable position on my back before saying, "We can head to our estate to talk. It's secluded and offers sufficient-"
Shalltear coughs and nudges me, my head nodding as I continue with, "It's secluded and will provide an excellent stay. If I remember correctly, the guests have all been given accommodations for your stay?"
"I'm not too keen on so much finery but I accept your offer nonetheless," the captain replies with a smile. Aura flicks her hand to the right to open a gate for travel, the captain entering without hesitation while Quiaesse looks at me and asks, "So you two are... close?"
"We're getting married," we both say without hesitation. Quiaesse smiles widely and takes my hand in both of his, shaking it vigorously as he says, "Thank you. I really mean it. You don't know how worried I was that Clem drove away most men with her bad attitude and remained unmarried for so long. I'm glad she finally found someone."
"Don't give me that, Quia. We both know why we joined the Black Scripture against Mom and Dad's wishes," Clementine retorts in good humour, Quiaesse still smiling as he counters with, "Well some of us actually wanted to do some good in the world, Clem. You just wanted to get out of that arranged marriage that our parents kept hounding you with."
I smile as I walk towards the gate, the two reunited siblings still arguing along the way.
