Between the Veil and Crown

Arvek 29

Cor expected to leave immediately, once the letter was resealed, but Arvek convinced him to leave during the wedding ceremony.

"All eyes will be on the royal families involved," Arvek pointed out. "If there are witnesses who saw you there, no one will mention your absence to Father."

In truth, Arvek had remembered Rovyna's acute observance, and knew that she would be quick to notice that there was not one, but two missing brothers from the ceremony. Reluctantly, Cor agreed to his point.

Another advantage with getting him to stay a little bit longer, Arvek was able to find some of the guards who were willing to accompany Cor down at the direction of the crown prince without word from the king.

After the guard was arranged, all that was left was to wait for the fated day to arrive.

With less than a month left, things only became more and more hectic at the palace. Gifts from Phrompt were sent to the palace, either to be used in the wedding, or intended for the wedded couple to use later. Very few people dared entered the kitchen, and the stockrooms were filled to nearly bursting with all kinds of ales, wines, sweets, and meats, waiting to be prepared and presented. The royal tailors were up to their elbows in luxurious fabrics, all from various parts of Harlofelp.

The capitol of Harlofelp also suffered its pains of the wedding. Guests who intended on attending the wedding came from all parts of Harlofelp as well as many from the court of Phrompt. Lodging was hard to come by, and there were reports of people choosing to hunker down in their own carriages after several fights broke out among nobles of who was more deserving of rooms offered at inns. There were several inns that even went so far as to close their doors to Phrompt guests, no matter how many times they were informed that the visitors were plague-free.

The date drawing ever nearer, Arvek discovered that he was becoming rather nervous. He had attempted, on one occasion, to head to the cathedral and process the big event to come, but found himself hindered by the sheer amount of people present. Unable to relieve himself of the rising emotions not just belonging to him, but of those around him, he found himself more and more irritable. There was more than one hapless person that received a snappish response from him, regardless of its deservedness.

There were times that he truly believed the only thing that brought him through was the knowledge that Cor would be heading to the Veil with the letter that could save Selim the day of the wedding.

After a particularly very stressful day, he collapsed into his bed, ready for sleep to overtake him and for luck to grant him a couple more hours of sleep in the morning.

A wonderful thought until realization hit him so hard and fast it was as though he were doused in ice that it was the eve of his wedding.

He sat bolt upright, sleep now having left him entirely. He hurriedly tried to remember what day it was, vainly hoping that he had perhaps just messed the dates up. That his brain just wanted to give him a cruel shock.

However, there was no getting around it. Time had slipped away from him in the midst of stress and the whirlwind of preparation. Days had blurred together, leaving him unable to separate the memories of each day. Somewhere in there, he vaguely remembered being told that the royal party from Phrompt had arrived, and someone commenting that it was too soon.

Perhaps he had been the one who said it was too soon.

Well, now he really was unable to sleep. He had not mentally prepared himself for the fact that tomorrow was the day that signaled a drastic change in his life. Sleep could not come to him with a mind so unsettled.