Sweet Waters Throne

61 Chapter 6The day had arrived, a beautiful Sunday morning filled with a cool breeze and even birds came out to play during this day. It was the royal wedding between Artemis and Aurora, a day which has been in waiting for years.

After suffering great defeat of losing three houses in a row, the king could use a refreshing moment such as his own wedding and the guests showed their support for him. All lords of the seven great houses of Maldonia arrived at the capital with their families in high spirit.

Musicians and acrobats embraced the stage in the gardens early on by playing their pieces while some of the few invited citizens in the capital watched. The so called acrobats showed their skills of using ropes to jump in the air, and there were others who played with fire and surrounded the whole stage.

It was all for the purpose of creating an amusement in lightening up the ceremony. But where was the groom in all this, Artemis was still sleeping after he partied hard last night with his friends. He had a lot to drink and cheer for the new life he was about to embark on with the woman of his desires.

Aurora however was sharp and she was prepared for the duty, she couldn’t even sleep a day before the royal wedding. Her uncle, Sir Maxim was waiting for her at the hall of her castle ready to walk her down the aisle. He was dressed in his full knight red armor with a Maldonian sigil attached to the armor, a black cloak and his curly brown hairs were perfectly combed.

The Kholins are all brown haired and the line goes back to the very first Lord Harren Kholin who was once the hand of the king. Aurora’s father, Harren Kholin second of his name also had brown hairs and so did Aurora.

Aurora adorned her brown hairs with white flowers, she fixed them at the back into a tail like and mingled them together in such a way they fell back effortlessly behind her back. A beautiful brown dress awaited her, she chose to wear brown in the representative of her house.

If it wasn’t for the war and her ancestors who sided with rebellions instead of the crown, then house Kholin wouldn’t have fallen and it was a powerful house. The Kholins were very close to the kings of Maldonia once, but after the downfall which took place one hundred years ago, it’s what led to Aurora being a servant.

The Maldonians still remember how the Kholins sided with the Squires in the fifth rebellion, perhaps that’s what made Princess Aery hating Aurora.

.....

A chosen lady maid Baela was the one who dressed Aurora for her wedding. Baela and Aurora were friends ever since the days Aurora worked in a tavern outside the palace, now they were reunited and Baela couldn’t grasp the fact that her friend was going to be a queen.

“I am still in awe” said Baela.

“Of what?”

“My best friend will sit in the throne beside the king of Maldonia. Your mother will be very proud...”

Aurora reluctantly agreed “I doubt that. She has no idea how I’m doing nor does she care, I sent her a letter and the rider told me he found her with another child” and this made Aurora sad.

“Another child?” Baela was stunned “She was married again?”

“I think so, a Dohan man I presume. The rider said the girl looked Dohan”

“What about your grandmother, Visera?”

“My grandmother kidnapped me and she attempted to take me away, probably to Aylesbury in Dark Town”

“Why?”

Aurora had a lot on her mind during that time and the last thing she needed was explaining things to Baela, but she did promise to tell her everything since Baela was like family to her. They were cut short by Sir Maxim who knocked on Aurora’s chambers asking if she was ready.

A royal carriage was waiting and Aurora boarded inside it while being led by Sir Maxim. Four horses on the front led the carriage, and an army of fifty soldiers dressed in red armors followed at the back on their horseback. From then a march started from Aurora’s castle to the main palace for the wedding.

Lord Balon and Princess Sansa were dressing up and getting ready for the ceremony, their two daughters Leila and Rhaeny joined them from Nemphis. The arrival of their daughters somehow solidified the bond between Balon and Princess Sansa.

Lord Balon had stopped his extra endeavors of visiting the pleasure houses for the sake of his daughters who he loved whole heartedly but the love he had for Princess Sansa was not there anymore. However, they all went out together when their carriage arrived and remained together as a family.

Servants knocked inside Princess Aeryn’s chambers looking to dress her for the occasion, and even though she didn’t want to go to her brother’s wedding, the princess knew the realm would go mad if she misses her own brother’s ceremony. Hence she agreed reluctantly and got dressed.

The princess wore a brown silk dress with a white necklace made of pearls, the necklace belonged to her mother and she intended to represent her during the ceremony. When she was done, three guards escorted her to the throne room where the ceremony was due to take place.

Along the way she collided with Lord Balrus and none of them said anything, their glances towards each other were enough and words were deemed unnecessary. The whole hall was filled with awkward glances and silence, the high septon of the palace’s temple – Balyron was standing beside Artemis ready to wed the two.

In Maldonian traditional style of weddings, Artemis and Aurora were supposed to be united by blood in front of all the witnesses and God. Even though Aurora and Artemis each had their own beliefs and what it means to their faith, this day they intended to stay united together in one faith.

“Are you... nervous, Your Grace?” asked Septor Balyron who seemed concerned about Artemis.

“Do I... look nervous?”

“Calm down Your Grace, take a deep breath”

Artemis slowly breathed and let out his nervousness. Dressed in a red shirt, black trouser and a red cloak on top Artemis looked like a real king with a crown on his head. He smelled so good after a thoroughly shower offered by Selma, his slave. From then onwards the task will fall onto Aurora as per the custom, it was only Artemis’s father who broke the customs by having his slave Jordy bathing him on daily basis.

Princess Aeryn exchanged looks with her brother, Artemis couldn’t keep up with the glancing and looked away. Things weren’t as good between them ever since Aeryn proposed to her brother and offered an incent wedding.

When Aurora entered inside the temple while being led to the altar by her uncle Sir Maxim, chills were all over the temple and even the Father of the faith took a deep breath at how beautiful Aurora was. The match made in heaven, they called it.

After the hurdles and difficulties, this was indeed a match made in heaven and clearly a dream to Artemis who still couldn’t believe the day he was waiting for years had finally arrived. A tear dropped on Artemis’s left eye the moment he saw Aurora walking towards him.

Sir Maxim gave Aurora to Artemis and the guests’ were warmed up just at the glance of these two show of true love. Then Artemis covered Aurora using his cloak fit for the king, and right there he was officially declaring her as his Queen.

The high septon started the ceremony “Let it be known from today, Artemis of House Arteides and Aurora of House Kholin are joined by blood and in the presence of God...” he said.

Aurora was handed a small knife by her uncle and she took it. She cut her right palm, and then cut Artemis’s right palm too softly and slowly. Artemis pretended to be hurt, but he smiled at how it tickled. Then, their hands were joined together “blood by blood” just like the old way of Maldonians.

Lord Balrus’s face enlightened seeing his old friend, Aurora finally marrying the man she was utterly fond of. But he also believed her to be a real spaewife after she once told him about seeing herself with Artemis on the sweet waters throne. At first, Lord Balrus thought Aurora was just having a dream as there was no way the lords of the ten houses would vote for him to wed a servant.

But there he was witnessing all the lords of seven houses all calm and happy, with smiles on their lips while Artemis was breaking hundreds of years of tradition. Aurora’s power were vivid for even a blind man to see, and Balrus was sure that she was destined for more if she only paid more attention to her powers.

It came to his mind that he can actually use Aurora to foresee the wars and events, they may know how to prevent the outcome consequences and even avoid future rebellions.