Wedding of the Dead

Chapter 7: A Murder Wedding

It didn't take Lucas long to bring Celeste something.

Apparently, Flora - the woman Belvedere had spoken about - had been on her way up to Lucas' quarters when the corpse in question had left Celeste alone for a moment.

Flora was a striking corpse in blacks and reds, reminding Celeste a little of a black widow spider. Her voice was light and airy, with a touch of a teasing tone hidden under her words when her opaque emeralds shifted between the two of them. Her skin was pale gray, slightly sunken, but not nearly as bad as Lucas nor Belvedere - her fox-red hair tumbling around her shoulders in long graceful curls, though a portion of it was pulled back an elaborate clip - gold in color with small rubies embedded. Her lips were painted a pale rose, a smile consistent on her features - all soft edges like a marble statue. The sleeves of her ebony dress stopped at her elbow, revealing a sliver of gray-blue tinted skin before disappearing into silk fingerless gloves. She daintily curtsied at Celeste after a brief conversation, moving quickly from the room.

"She was nice," Celeste commented, taking a small bite from the soup that was served to her - the sweet taste of creamy squash with pepper and chives tickling her tongue as she realized it had been a few hours since she last ate.

"Don't let her mannerisms fool you, though," Lucas crossed his arms over his chest, a hard gaze still on the door as if he sensed Flora was still lingering outside, "There's a reason we nick-named her 'Black Widow'."

"She didn't kill anyone, did she?" Celeste asked, suddenly nervous.

Her companion laughed, "No! Of course not! We call her that because Flora used to stop hearts - figuratively - when she was a breather. But we also gave her the nickname because of her textile creations - Flora is a tailor of sorts and helps with repairs on clothing from time to time. Personally, I don't see the appeal - we're all dead here anyway..." Lucas looked at Celeste, features softening, "except for you of course."

Celeste looked at her half finished bowl, biting her lips nervously, "I suppose we all have our preferences, right?"

"Yes... I suppose so," Lucas nodded, returning to his seat, clasping his hands together - features hardening again, "Are you sure you want to hear about it?"

'He's referring to his death,' Celeste reminded herself as she took another gulp of soup. She couldn't deny she was curious about what happened to Lucas that caused his current predicament - and, to be honest, she was curious to know what it was like when he was alive. It had been nearly a decade since his death, from what it sounded like - meaning she was approximately ten and five years old at the time of his death.

"Of course, I don't blame you if you don't want to hear it," Lucas said, scratching the back of his head, ruffling the short dark hair at the nape of his neck, "It's not exactly a nice story."

"No, I want to hear it, Lucas. I want to know about you - in your previous life and in the afterlife."

Celeste's corpse groom inhaled deeply, nodding before reaching out and taking Celeste's banded hand and kissing the ring again before starting, "It was about ten years ago, around the late summer season when the fields had started to become full with fresh produce that would be my home city's key to a successful winter..."

***

"I now pronounce you, man and wife."

Lucas released the breath he was holding before turning to his bride beside him, gathering her in his arms and leaning down to place a kiss on her lips.

"Not here, Lucas," a long dainty finger pressed to his lips and pushed him away slightly.

He nodded in understanding. His bride, formerly Lady Isabelle Pembroke, was a private woman - preferring to keep personal affairs out of the public eye. During the few months he had courted her, Isabelle made mention that she didn't care for large gatherings and wanted to keep the wedding to a selected few - herself, the pastor, Lucas, her son - Sept, and two or three close friends of theirs. Although it seemed a little odd for the lord to not go all out, Lucas wanted to make sure Isabelle was comfortable - going out of his way to make sure things were perfect for their wedding day down to the last detail.