Vanish (ONC Finalist)

18. The Wedding

The wedding of High Lady Liviana'de'Angarth and Lord Dale'l'Xandro was promising to be the social event of the decade. The streets were decorated with sheaves of grain and bright blue ribbons fluttered from many windows.

The castle was packed with noble guests so there would be no room for the common folk to attend the ceremony, but Lady Liviana had promised to appear on the castle balcony beforehand to give everyone a glimpse of the happy couple in their finery. Inside, the nobles would be treated to another six course dinner, but the common folk had not been forgotten. Whole sheep were roasting in the courtyard and trestle tables were being set up for the public feast. All the town's bakers had been busy for hours before dawn, working hard to supply enough bread loaves for everyone, and barrels of ale were being rolled out from the taverns.

Everyone agreed the couple made a handsome pair when they eventually appeared on the balcony. Lady Liviana was grave and dignified as a mature bride should be, dressed in an elegant silk gown of the palest blue. More than a few young ladies found themselves on the verge of swooning at the sight of the young groom in his dark blue trousers and shirt, the colour of the sky at midnight. His dark gold hair glinted in the sunlight, and he was as dashing and handsome as a groom should be. If there were fifteen years between them, why then, all the better, chuckled the old women. More chance of a healthy heir.

Lupei stood behind Dax, straight-shouldered and stiff in her new uniform, eyes busy scanning the crowd for potential trouble-makers. As Lupei feared, Marius had failed to make an appearance in time for the ceremony and she'd been obliged to take his place. Her guardsman would not return from Skyber until tomorrow at the earliest. She was dreading the news she expected him to bring—that Marius was severely injured, or worse—but she wanted to know for certain. The uncertainty was hard to endure.

She cast her eyes around the room again. Upward of a hundred people were crammed in to the Great Hall to witness the ceremony, all dressed in their finest clothes. Lady Liviana, Dax, and the celebrant stood on the dais in the centre of the room, head and shoulders above the rest. A small area had been cleared around the dais. Four guards stood at the edge with their backs to the dais and faces to the crowd, making sure no one got too close. Lupei was stationed next to the dais, behind Dax and slightly to his right, her position mirrored by Lady Maya, a cousin of Lady Liviana and one of her few blood relatives.

The celebrant, dressed in a long white tunic and trousers, droned on, as Liviana and Dax stood before him, occasionally shifting from one foot to the other as discreetly as possible. Lupei took a moment to study Dax. He'd surprised her by cutting his hair for the wedding and the new look suited him. His face was composed in an appropriately serious expression, as if he was totally focussed on what the celebrant was saying.

To Lupei's concern, Lady Liviana, on the other hand, looked as if she was half asleep. Couldn't her cousin have tended to her properly? thought Lupei, annoyed. At least made sure she had a good night's rest before the wedding. Still, the formal part of the ceremony was nearly over now. In a few minutes the couple would exchange their vows and then everyone could sit down and eat. The smell of roasting meat wafting in from the courtyard was making Lupei hungry.

"Halt! Stop the wedding!" a loud voice interrupted from just outside the inner doorway.

Lupei's first reaction was annoyance. They had almost got through the ceremony, without any trouble, and now someone was disrupting the event at the last minute. Her head swivelled to locate the intruder. With any luck, the castle guards would hustle him away without too much fuss and they could continue.

But the intruder was not going quietly. There was a scuffle. A guard lost his footing and fell backwards into the Great Hall, followed by a tall man with dark curly hair and what looked like a ten day growth on his chin, pushing his way in through sheer bodily strength. Lupei's mouth fell open in shock. Was that Marius? She spun round to look at Dax. The colour had drained from his face, leaving him white with shock. Marius was still talking loudly, projecting his voice to override the murmurs and protests of the crowd. What in Thera's name was he saying?

"That man is an imposter! I have the real Dax right here." He was pulling another man forward. A man who had hair the same colour as Dax. Lupei found she was craning to see the new-comer, but he was hidden by the crowd. What the frack did Marius think he was doing? Two guards now had him gripped firmly between them, one hanging onto each arm. Lupei couldn't see the new-comer but she could hear cries of astonishment rising from the people nearest. What was happening? The castle guards weren't going to let the intruders anywhere near Lady Liviana, but Lupei had to see for herself.

"Let me through," she called, starting to push her way through the crowd.

She reached Marius in a matter of moments, ready to tear into him, but found herself brought up short by the sight of his companion. It was Dax. Except... it wasn't. Dax was behind her, standing on the dais next to Lady Liviana. She stared, seeking discrepancies. Yes, his hair was shorter, but apart from that, everything else was the same. Eyes, nose, mouth. She could have been looking at Dax's twin. He was even wearing Dax's clothes, his second best sky-blue trousers and white silk shirt, which she could have sworn were packed away in his room upstairs.

"Hullo, Lupei," he said, sounding just like Dax. He looked serious, his eyes meeting hers steadily, awaiting judgement. Lupei found her gaze dipping down to where his hands rested at his sides. They were perfectly still.

"Where did you find him?" she asked Marius, her voice unexpectedly rough.

"I've known him half my life," said Marius, calmly. "This is Dax. I don't know who that man is there, but he tried to murder me." He closed his eyes for a moment, the tiny wounds on the lids still clearly visible. "He sewed my eyes shut and left me to wander in the catacombs below the castle. Dax was a prisoner down there. I heard him calling and we managed to rescue each other. We only just made our way out and came straight here to stop this false marriage."

The hall was suddenly filled with cries, exclamations, and shouts of protest from those who had been near enough to overhear. Lupei could hardly hear herself think.

One of the councillors was shouting "Clear the hall!" but nobody was listening. No-one wanted to leave and miss seeing how this drama played out.

"Follow me," said Lupei, tight-lipped. "Let's see what Dax has to say about all this."