Page 6 of The Princess and The Warrior

Trax

After pretending to tuck my manhood away and arranging Althea’s skirts all the way down to her ankles, I untied her wrists. We sat up and removed the sheet as I helped her off the platform.

I’d been so worried about getting through that part of the ceremony that I had no idea what came next.

The elders filed out first, their faces impassive. I instinctively motioned for the Princess to proceed first, but she shook her head. “We’re equals now, Prince Trax.”

She took my arm as we exited the chapel, instantly flanked by seven armed guards who escorted us to the palace.

Strange how my focus has been on Althea so completely that it hadn’t even occurred to me – I was now a Prince of the kingdom of Verdanshire.

In just a few hours, I had gone from being a warrior soldier, born to one of the most impoverished farmers outside of the village, to royalty.

As soon as we were escorted into the dining room hall, the applause was nearly deafening. An assembly five times that size of the one at the church greeted us with smiles and laughter.

Although nobody presumed to touch Althea, wealthy, important men clapped me on the back to congratulate me as if I was an old friend. Older noblewomen offered me their hands carefully as if they were nervous to be in my presence.

Finally we were seated at the table, directly to the King’s left hand, with the Queen on his right.

“I’d like to tell you that you’ll become used to everyone staring at you,” Althea whispered, “But I never have.”

It was true. Every eye in the room was trained on the King, but flickering over to us, the newly married couple.

Althea shifted her chair until she was nearly pressed against me. I realized with delight that she was trying to touch me. Holding my palm open on my leg, I nodded to her. Her hand flashed out to take mine, squeezing warmly.

The food was the best I’d ever tasted in my life. The delicious wine flowed so freely that I had to ask the serving boy to stop refilling my goblet.

Watching Althea carefully, I copied her movements, since I had no idea which spoons and forks to use. Once she realized what I was doing, she tapped my ankle with her foot warningly if I ever started to make a mistake.

This was clearly a stressful event for us both, and it was a great relief that she didn’t seem upset about this sudden marriage. She must be well-accustomed to the mercurial whims of the King. It felt like we were working together to get through this.

The speeches were, thankfully, relatively brief, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that even the Queen, usually so emotionless, seemed to shed a tear for her daughter’s happy nuptials.

The King turned to me and gave me a nod, as if I was expected to do something.

“You must give a toast,” Althea whispered. “Don’t worry, it can be short.”

I stood up slowly, forcing a nervous smile as I looked around the room. The servers even froze in place as every pair of eyes was locked on my rough, scarred face.

With a flash, I realized that anything I said right now would be repeated to the entire kingdom. Perhaps this could be my chance to steal Althea away from the public eye so that we could become better acquainted, and learn how to navigate this tricky forced marriage.

Swallowing hard, I lifted my glass. “Your highnesses, and distinguished guests, I thank you for honoring me with such a warm welcome. My only thoughts in battle were of protecting your lives, and our lands.”

Turning to Althea, she nodded encouragingly, causing me to smile widely. “When I was brought to the throne room to meet the King, I wondered if I might be given a token of gratitude, such as a new sword. Imagine my surprise when I was given the hand of the most beautiful woman in the realm.”

Althea’s eyes shone, and as I glanced around, I saw that even the Queen herself was smiling fondly and clutching at her heart.

“I’d like to thank the royal family for choosing me for the Princess,” I continued. “But to be both a good husband, and a good citizen of the realm, I believe the best course of action is to steal my bride away for a little while.”

A murmur went through the crowd as I held up my hand. “The tiny town of Seaside by the eastern border has had problems with both roving thieves and inconsistent crops. With the King’s blessing, I wish for us to travel there for a short time. We can help out the town, while getting to know each other properly in relative privacy.”

Althea nodded vigorously, smiling brightly, as I turned to the King. He regarded me sternly until his wife patted his hand, leaning over to whisper something in his ear. After a heavy sigh, he nodded. “Yes, we will allow you to help t

he village of Seaside.”

“And have a proper romantic honeymoon,” the Queen added.

I glanced over as Althea nodded to her mother, mouthing the words, “Thank you.”

---