Of Wars & Weddings

Part IV — The Groom — Side A

The day was here. Thank God.

He thought running a country was hard but planning a wedding had been all sorts of hell. His fiancé felt the same way, much to his relief. In that at least, they found some modicum of joy and laughter together during the sleepless nights and headaches of the preceding weeks. The Groom had had dozens of the men and women under his employ to help plan and prepare the wedding but still he and his soon-to-be wife had an alarming amount of work to do themselves. Much of it was because the people around them had said it was their duty to have a celebration befitting those in high stations. The picture of a fat, squat man crossed his mind – a haughty piece of shit who governed the southern half of his territory, the man all but demanded The Groom and his fiancé throw a lavish wedding celebration. That man spoke with his nose in the air and The Groom had half a mind to nick the tip off of it with a butter knife. He had said as much to his love and she had calmed him down with soothing words and a kiss on the cheek.

The Groom smiled. He loved that woman with all his might and if marrying her was the last thing he’d ever do he’d be okay with that. And all the wedding stuff would be over and done with. Thank God.

The Groom was putting the final touches on his tux when he heard a knock on the door behind him. Without turning he said, “Come in.”The door swung in and a tall, sturdy-looking man walked in. He looked to be his in early to mid forties with hair all black save for a silver streak cutting across the side. But his most striking feature was the deep green of his eyes. Stepping into the room he closed the door and stood there.

Adjusting his tie The Groom asked, “Are all the guests here?”

“Yes, sir,” said the man. His voice was calm and controlled and hinted of deep reservoirs of strength.

The Groom looked at the reflection of the man in the mirror. “My brother? My cousin?”

The man nodded. “Both are in attendance, sir.”

He nodded.

The man quirked his mouth. With some hesitation he said, “That woman from the east is also here, sir.”

The Groom paused for a moment before turning his attention back to the tie. The pause was almost imperceptible. Almost. He said, “Did she bring anyone with her?”

“No, sir…”

Noticing the man had stopped short, he said, “What?”

“According to one of the men, she walked in with your cousin.”

He frowned but wasn’t surprised. As kids those two had always been close. It made sense. Besides, how else was she going to walk in and out of West Maryland alive? He sniffed.

Content with his appearance, he reached for his suit jacket. The man behind him stepped forward to hold the jacket up and over The Groom’s shoulders as he put it on. The Groom thanked the man and adjusted his shirt cuffs so they flared out of the jacket. He was wearing silver cufflinks with navy blue front plates. He turned around and held both arms out to present himself. The Groom said, “What do you think?”

The man took a step forward and looked him over. He noticed something off with The Groom’s collar and started adjusting it.

“Have someone keep an eye on her.”

“Yes, sir.” The man picked a piece of stray lint from his jacket.

“Be discreet. I don’t want to start an incident.”

“Of course, sir. We’ve had word from one our informants in Baltimore that she’ll be staying at the Four Winds for a night.”

The Four Winds Hotel, thought The Groom. Right near the harbor, rumor was that the establishment was run by individuals loyal to his sister. Or at the very least they did business with her on a regular basis. In fact, they had arrested a spy of hers hiding out there but of course the proprietors of the hotel claimed ignorance and innocence.

The man continued. “I still need some more time but I believe I can get one of ours to join the staff. Your wedding has brought people from all over and the local economy is booming — businesses are capitalizing on that. They’re going to need extra hands to work which means inserting one of our men into the hotel will be easy.”

Giving it some thought The Groom said, “Do it.”

The man with green eyes nodded. He took a step back to give his boss one final inspection. He made minor tweaks here and there before giving him the all-clear.

He thanked the man and said, “Time to get married.” The man nodded and opened the door and The Groom walked out of the room.

***

It was a gorgeous summer day.

The ceremony was held at what was once the largest convention center in Baltimore. Since that time it had seen worse and required quite the undertaking to make it suitable for this very occasion. No expense was spared as the venue was adorned with decorations of all kinds. But there was one thing that would be the talk of the town for months and years to come: the hall in which the ceremony was to take place was lit using a genius combination of natural and artificial lighting. To many, the latter had a mystical flare to it because electricity was so rare, even in West Maryland where a quarter of the population — the highest number in any of the major territories — had access to it for only a few hours a day. And of that already small number most of it was used by The Groom’s government. For outsiders and passersby, seeing light bulbs being used in such an extravagant way was amazing. And for many these were somber and painful reminders of a world that had slipped through their fingers.

The ceremony began as many had since time out of mind, with music. A large grand piano accompanied by violins and other instruments played as the attendees turned to watch little girls shower the center aisle with a variety of flowers. The crowd smiled and cheered as they reached the podium and split off in either direction.

Then, the crowd turned once again to the entrance of the hall as the great doors opened to reveal The Groom. Wearing a fine black suit he strolled down the aisle with a fantastic grin in his face. From the corners of his eyes he could see his friends, some of his officers, and the three remaining members of his family. Rather, the two remaining members of his family. His cousin and older brother had taken their spots on his side of the aisle along with their cadre of bodyguards. Both men were standing and cheering wildly. He laughed.

Sitting on the bride’s side by herself was his sister. She showed no emotion whatsoever. She just stared at him with cold eyes. He didn’t acknowledge her, and he passed her by like one passes a stranger in the street. Reaching the podium he nodded at the officiant who nodded back at him. The man was the current mayor of Baltimore. Next came the groomsmen decked in similar suits of a more subdued shade of black. They were officers of various ranks and each cut a striking figure as they positioned themselves to the left of the groom.

The bridesmaids came next and they walked down the aisle with grace and pizzazz in their striking navy blue dresses. Reaching the podium they positioned themselves parallel and opposite to the groomsmen.

And at last, The Bride walked in. She was magnificent. Radiant like the sun, her white gown shone as the light reflected off the crystals sown into her silk dress. She sparkled, and everyone who attended would recall how beautiful she was for years to come. They would recall her vividly as the most beautiful bride they’d ever seen. Trailed by two teenage girls, they held up the wagon of her dress as she made her way to her future husband. They followed her until she reached the podium and she turned to face The Groom. The two girls bowed to The Bride and then took their seats. The Groom smiled and winked at the lovely woman in front of him who smiled and winked back.

Looking at her he noticed she was wearing her favorite necklace, the one he had acquired for her some years ago. A thin but solid chain of pure silver, hanging from it was a sapphire so brilliant a blue you could get lost in it if you gazed at it for far too long. The jewel was two inches in length and half as wide. When he had first given it to her she had remarked that it was beautiful and she’d look great with it on. He had responded that had it not been for her, the chain and jewel would’ve been ordinary, even plain. The Groom said that it was she who gave the jewel its worth and beauty.

And he looked at her now and realized how true it really was. He felt a lump in his throat and fought to keep it down. Oh hell no, he thought, we can do that shit in a minute.

The officiant motioned everyone to sit down. When everyone was seated the ceremony began. “In this year, X a.t.c., we come together to see these two joined in matrimony. They join in love and solidarity as only these two can. For the world has changed and society has turned to chaos.” He paused for effect, and then pointed a finger at The Groom and at The Bride. “But not for the two who stand here today. They didn’t succumb as many of us have. They found the strength and joy and hope in one another to triumph through these dark times. And in doing so, they have brought much of that happiness to their people.”

The attendees clapped. The Groom and The Bride looked at one another and felt the pride each felt in themselves and in the other. In the din of the applaud The Groom turned to thoughts of the past. The chaos immediately following the collapse of the government and dissolution of the United States. The lean years to come. The war with his sister… He was close to annihilating her until his older brother and cousin seemed to come out of nowhere to stop his march. They had told him it was for everyone’s sake as it was for just hers. He had been furious with them but learning they had survived the collapse had blunted some of his bloodthirst. He didn’t have the manpower to refuse either of them let alone both, and so he and that woman met at Annapolis and signed their peace accord, forever dividing Maryland between his land in the west and hers in the east. The so-called peace between the two of them hadn’t been absolute: there were border skirmishes here and there. Spies from both sides had infiltrated the other with a few losing their lives over the years. In the end, she dealt an unexpected but heavy blow to him when she created a navy large enough to take control over Chesapeake Bay and enforce heavy tariffs on shipments to and from his territory. He’d never gotten over that loss. But more than that, worse than that, what he’d never forgive or forget, was that she’d gotten away with murder…

He felt a soft hand touch his hand and he glanced at The Bride. There was a question in her eyes but he shook his head, indicating he was fine. She smiled. He then turned his attention to the officiant who had just finished the introductions. Looking at The Groom he said, “Sir, do you have your vows prepared?” The Groom nodded and looked straight into her eyes.
“I owe everything to you. If I didn’t have you, I wouldn’t have anything at all. You are my light. You are my love. It’s because of you we were able to build the life that we have now. It’s because of you I’ve become who I’ve become. I guess, who I was meant to be. None of what I’ve achieved wouldn’t have been possible if you weren’t there with me. My achievements are yours. You’re the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me, and if you’ll have me, I promise to love you until the end of my days.”

He could see clearly the tears in The Bride’s eyes. Without looking back she held out a hand to one of her bridesmaids and she handed her a tissue. She dabbed at her tears and gave the napkin back to the bridesmaid. The Groom chuckled and leaned in to kiss her. The officiant thanked The Groom. Smiling, he beckoned The Bride to share her vows.

She began by saying his name. “You are my strength. You are my heart. You are everything to me.” She looked askance, and when she spoke, her small voice sounded smaller. “When my family died, I thought, so did the best part of me. I was lost and felt so alone, but you were there with me the entire time. Even when I yelled and screamed and was unfair to you, you were patient with me. Then, one day, I realized I wrong; I hadn’t lost the best part of me. Because I had you. I have you. I miss my family and they’ll always be in my heart but being with you has helped me endure and grow and become strong. You’re everything to me, and if you’ll have me, I promise to love you until the end of my days.”

This time, The Groom allowed tears to fall and he leaned in to kiss her. She accepted it and wiped away his tears with a hand.

They released one another and waited for the officiant to conclude the ceremony. Seeing his cue, the officiant looked at The Groom, said his name, and asked him a simple question. “Do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, ‘till death do you part?”

The Groom looked into the eyes of the woman in front of him and said, “I do.”

The officiant turned and asked the same of her. “Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, ‘till death do you part?”

The Bride looked into the eyes of the man in front of her and said, “I do.”

The officiant smiled. “Then by the powers vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife…” He motioned with his hands. “Ya’ll can kiss now.”

The couple laughed and wasted no time as they kissed. The crowd cheered and applauded and went wild as the music blared. But to The Groom and The Bride the people and the music and the fluff of the ceremony had disappeared. It was just the two of them in the new life they had just created together. They let go and looked at one another. He winked and she winked back, adding a smile to the exchange. He took her arm in his and proceeded down the aisle. Rows and rows of people congratulated the passing couple. Some patted The Groom on the back, others kissed The Bride on the cheek.

The Groom couldn’t help the grin on his face. But as he was looking around his eyes locked on to something that sent a terrible chill down his spine and made his heart lose a step. His eyes stopped but for a moment at his sister, sitting by herself. He had seen that look before and it unnerved him to the point of fright because it spelled something unknown but horrendous.

She was smiling. She showed teeth, white as the sharks that hunted the oceans of the world for the unwary and the weak. He couldn’t find happiness in those eyes – not for him, his wife, or for anyone or anything at all. Her eyes were devoid of all things except the hate and madness that looked back at him. But what haunted him the most, that day and for a long time after, was the sound of her clapping, its slow and heavy cadence reminiscent of a bell striking at midnight.

To be continued in Part V – The Adder…