Tyranny of Steel

Days had passed since Berengar began to draft up new designs for fashion, and as they passed, his wedding rapidly approached. Eventually, the day of his marriage to Adela had arrived. This was a day he had been looking forward to for close to five years now. It just so happened to be the day of Christmas Eve.

Snow was falling outside of the Grand Cathedral where Berengar now stood within. All eyes were gazing upon him as he was dressed in far more exquisite attire than that of anyone else. He was equipped with a luxurious new style of fashion that made every man in the room seethe with envy.

Berengar was dressed in a white tunic based upon his military uniforms, the difference being the colors being reversed. The tunic was white with gold embroidery; on the collar and cuffs, this took the form of oak leaves. The trimming of the tunic was golden, with golden buttons in a single line down the middle.

Atop his shoulders were a pair of golden epaulets, with a golden shoulder cord on his right side, he also wore a golden sash. This sash was the symbol of the Grand Cross of the Order of Saint George, a Chivalric Order of Austria that he had recently established. It was considered one of the highest military honors, one that he had awarded himself for his various means of valor on the battlefield.

The sash had a medal tied to the end in the form of a white maltese cross with golden edges. In the center of this cross was a black circle; in this circle was a golden symbol of Saint George slaying the dragon from horseback.

Two breast stars on the left side of his tunic were pinned vertically to the jacket. The top star belonged to the Star of the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross, while the Bottom Star belonged to the First Class of the Order of Saint George. It looked nearly identical to the Star of the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross, but instead of the Iron Cross in the center, there was the Maltese Cross of the Order of Saint George.

Above these two breast stars were two horizontal medals; these medals were awarded for some of Berengar's other feats in the battle. For example, on the right side was the Austrian Wound Medal, on the left side was the medal that accompanied the sash for the First Class of the Order of Saint George.

Hanging from his collar were two exceptional medals. One was the Austrian Military Merit Order, which was the single highest honor of bravery a Commissioned Officer could receive. The other was a Grand Cross of the Iron Cross. Both of their ribbons were concealed beneath the collar itself.

Over his right eye was a new eyepatch; it was black with a golden lining much like the last one. However, in the center was an Iron Cross, unlike the previous filigree. He felt that this new eyepatch gave him a more militaristic appearance.

He wore a golden sash belt across his waist, followed by a pair of white trousers that were perfectly straight in design. These trousers had a golden stripe on the sides of the pant legs. At the same time, he wore a pair of knee-high, polished black leather officer boots.

His hair, as usual, was slicked back with pomade and glistened under the light of day shining through the stained glass windows of the cathedral. In a way, Berengar was the physical incarnation of regal authority as he stood at the altar waiting for his bride to arrive with a pleasant smile on his face.

At the head of the Altar was Ludolf, the German Reformist Church; he was dressed in white and gold vestments that were almost as embellished as Berengar's attire. Ludolf was a modest man and felt slightly out of place wearing such luxurious clothing.

Beside these two men was the best man of Berengar, who Berengar had a difficult time choosing. Because Eckhard was off at war in Bohemia, Arnulf was also at war in Granada. Berengar had slim picking in terms of friends to choose from. Usually, he would choose one of the comrades he had shed blood and tears with on the battlefield to accompany him on this day. Yet, he was severely lacking in that regard at the moment.

As such, the man standing next to him was none other than Ludwig Schmidt, a man who had helped Berengar usher in all of his technological reforms and had earned himself a rank of minor nobility. The man was dressed in victorian style civilian formal wear. He had also groomed his hair and beard so much so that Berengar could hardly contain his laughter.

It was not that Ludwig looked goofy; on quite the contrary, he looked exceptional for his age. He was Kaiser Franz Joseph I's spitting image from Berengar's previous life. It was just that Berengar could never picture the older man so well-groomed and looking like a proper member of the aristocracy.

To avoid laughing at Ludwig's appearance Berengar began to gaze around the magnificent baroque-style cathedral created within Kufstein. After several years of development, the Grand Cathedral of Kufstein was finally completed, and it was beautiful beyond comprehension. It truly put any Catholic place of worship to shame. It was also the perfect place to host Berengar and Adela's wedding.

In the crowd within the front row seats were Adela's and Berengar's families and the other significant noblemen of the Kingdom of Austria and the various monarchs of other Kingdoms who had come to visit. Due to the recent crusade declared against Berengar by the Pope, the only diplomats who had bothered to visit were either Reformist, Muslim, or Orthodox.

After some time, the doors to the cathedral opened, and Adela von Graz and her father, Chancellor Otto von Graz; he was holding onto her arm as he walked the young bride down the aisle to give away her husband. The sound of the traditional music that Berengar had introduced into his society played in the background.

A veil covered Adela's face, but one look at her exquisite dress made Berengar's heart pump rapidly. It was an ivory silk dress with a floral pattern on it. The sleeves went from the top of the wrist until the bottom of the shoulder. The young woman's neckline was visible through a thin layer of gossamer which ended at the neck where a choker-like collar of floral pattern silk wrapped around her graceful neck.

The bodice itself was cut in a v-neck pattern, which had an exceptionally frilly layer that extended to the sleeves. Below the torso was an extravagant pleated skirt embroidered in the same floral pattern as the rest of the dress. Though Berengar could not see it due to the length of the dress, Adela was wearing white leather slippers, and of course, her bridal lingerie underneath.

After arriving at the altar, Adela noticed that her bridesmaids were none other than Linde, Honoria, and her two sisters, who though stunning, paled in comparison to the beauty Adela herself was exuding on this day. As such, she smirked beneath her veil as she thought about how she had beaten Berengar's lovers on the day of her wedding.

After stepping up at the altar, Ludolf began his speech. After some time, Ludolf finally got to the vows where Berengar was the first to speak the traditional Catholic Vows from his previous life. He felt it was best to steal from Catholics when he could to add further insult to injury.

Not that the Catholics of this world would know what he was doing. Still, it was a moral victory for himself. As such, Berengar smiled as he grasped ahold of Adela's dainty hands before speaking the word's from his memory.

"I, Berengar von Kufstein, take you, Adela von Graz, to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part."

After Berengar had said his vows, Adela said her own, virtually identical aside from a few minor differences.

"I, Adela von Graz, take you, Berengar von Kufstein, to be my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part."

Having said this, Ludolf Looked at Berengar with a smile on his face before saying the words that would seal Berengar and Adela in marriage for life.

"You may now kiss the bride."

With this said, Berengar lifted Adela's veil and grabbed ahold of her before kissing her passionately. As he did so, the crowd that had gathered erupted into cheers. While Berengar was kissing Adela, a single train of thought crossed his mind.

I did it, mom and dad! Your son has finally gotten married, if only you were here to see it...

Berengar referred to his parents from his previous life back when he was known as Julian Webber. Luckily for him, the parents of his current life were here to witness the event, and they were gazing at him with proud smiles on their faces.

Adela herself had a pretty smile on her exquisite face as her heath thumped spectacularly. She clutched onto Berengar's hand tightly as she asked the question on her mind in a timid voice.

"So what now?"

Berengar gazed down at his loving wife with a cheery smile as he replied to her question with great anticipation in his heart.

"Now we host the reception!"