Chapter Nine
Binding Light
Being caught up in a whirlwind wedding was not something that Richard ever thought he would be a part of, and he honestly wasn't prepared for any of it. There was no way he could have been prepared for it.
Everything began the night the he and Daiya told King Dycoz and Queen Reiea that they would get married next week. King Dycoz was ecstatic by their decision, and he immediately signed his support to Alysia without even waiting for his request to be met completely. Queen Reiea, on the other hand, didn't seem to be quite as excited about the marriage as her Dark Elf counterpart; but she did hide it pretty well. She simply excused herself after King Dycoz pledged his support, saying a quick congratulations with a monotone voice.
Once it was all said and done everyone retired for the night, and Aura decided to play her motherly role and walk Richard back to his room. For a few minutes they walked through the dark halls in relative silence, the sound of their feet falling on the smooth stone floor echoing off the walls and high ceiling. It wasn't until they reached his room that Aura finally spoke, her voice stopping him just as he was about to open his door and get some much needed rest.
“I'm proud of you, Richard,” she said softly, leaning up against the frame of his door slightly with her shoulder. “I know this wasn't an easy decision for you and Daiya to come to; especially considering how you told me that the world you come from doesn't have arranged marriages. In fact, I was already coming up with other offers for King Dycoz, should you have made the other choice.”
“Daiya was pretty much doing and thinking the same thing,” Richard sighed in response, turning to face his mother as the emotions from the day were finally starting to take their toll on him. “She was even going to do what her dad asked her and stay here in Elothia, as long as he joined the fighting.”
“Is that so? She will make a great Queen one day.” Aura mused softly, and the smile on her face grew a little. “So, am I to understand this to be the reason you ultimately chose to marry her sooner?”
“Yea... yeah, I guess so. She shouldn't be the only one willing to make a sacrifice.”
“Right, a sacrifice,” Aura now chuckled, waving her hand in the air gently. “I am sure this will be a terrible sacrifice for you, Richard. The Gods sure have made your life hard; even going so far as to force you into a marriage with such a beautiful and talented woman. Will things ever go well for you, for once?”
“Your sarcasm is noted,” Richard now groaned, forcing Aura to laugh at him. “I'm gonna get some sleep though; so I'll see you tomorrow. Good night.”
“Sleep well.”
*
It was amazing how fast time could move when there was a massive life changing event just on the horizon; and here Richard had thought it had been bad the days leading up to the tournament. No, this was a whole lot worse. The near two weeks he thought he would have before his wedding suddenly evaporated in what felt like an instant, and it felt like there weren't enough hours in the day anymore. What made it even worse was the fact that he really didn't have a lot to do during that time.
