Even If The Gods Deny Us
“Are you feeling better?” Randy asked, concernedly looking to where Evan was resting on the bed they shared. Evan quirked a small smile in return and nodded; he still looked a little pale, and his droopy eyes told Randy that he had been asleep not too long before. “Did I wake you up? Sorry…” it wasn’t like Evan to sleep during the day so he must have really needed it if he’d been sleeping since Randy had left. Much as the man had liked to spend as much time as he could with Evan, Evan by contrast had insisted that he couldn’t neglect his duties just for his sake; especially since they were intending to integrate themselves into this community more permanently, and they would have a lot of people to impress. Of course… Evan wouldn’t be doing much impressing on the arena front for a good long time yet, something that admittedly did depress him even though he knew he was blessed to even be there to consider joining in the next warrior games.
“I’m fine,” he yawned softly, “Just feeling a little sore.”
“Let me see it.”
“You don’t need to see, Justin tended to me earlier-”
Randy still had the urge to pull a face at the mention of the name but caught himself and instead gently removed Evan’s toga top so he could look for himself; the wound was still a very angry red and the expanse of the bruising that accompanied it never failed to make Randy’s teeth set in sheer disbelief, wishing Brock was alive just so that he could kill him all over again, but at least the stitches that marred the wound with their ugly black threads were missing; Randy had been terrified when the procedure had taken place, so certain that something bad was going to happen to Evan because the gods rarely ever blessed the same person to cheat death twice. Just because the wound had healed didn’t mean Evan might not die from it; he had seen what infection could do to a person, and there was often nothing that could be done to help.
“Did he say things still seemed well?”
“Yes, he thinks if I carry on like this I’ll have barely any ill effects,” Evan said, though a perplexed expression appeared on his face; Justin had warned that it could take months, maybe even a year, before he recovered from this injury, and in the meantime his physical abilities would be slowing down and changing; he could very well drop down below the accepted level of a regular military man, and if that happened… Evan didn’t know what he would do. What could a former slave, with no ability to read and write, do if he couldn’t be in the military? The thoughts had been plaguing him for a while now but he didn’t like to mention such things to Randy; the other worried about him enough as it was without Evan dumping his other worries on him.
“Good,” Randy allowed himself a soft smile of relief and then leant over Evan to kiss him, savouring the sensation of those warm, wicked lips reciprocating his attention. To think he had come so close to losing this…. Randy didn’t like to think of himself as overly sentimental but he knew that things would have been changed dramatically for him had something of a more permanent nature happened to Evan. “Preparations for the wedding are running smoothly I hear, and you and I have been granted guest-status to all of the festivities, should you feel up to it of course,” Brett had come down personally to tell Randy this one night when Evan had been sleeping. Randy had been both flustered and defiant at being caught in the same room as Evan where the beds had been pushed together into one bed, but Brett hadn’t said a word. If anything he had just smiled as though giving them his blessing-and it didn’t seem to be the first time, but it didn’t take a school education to know why that would be.
“Of course,” if anything Evan at least wanted to attend their ceremony and coronation; these matters were special and important and he felt privileged that he had been invited to be a part of it. “I mean, I might not be able to attend all of the parties… but that won’t offend anyone will it?”
“Of course not,” Randy responded, “If anything I think they’ll expect it. What you have to recover from… it merits not having to make excuses to tend to court.”
“Never thought I’d hear that again,” Evan murmured, more to himself than Randy, and not for the first time Randy wondered how much Evan’s mind returned to the family that had sold him on, collateral damage in a war, now that he had had yet another brush with death. Although Randy was inclined to believe that none had been quite as serious as this one.
And hopefully nothing would ever come close again.
~::~
“I wouldn’t have expected that you would request me to help tend to you, your majesty,” Natalya admitted frankly as she helped the other two noblewomen (the former queen, the other a noblewoman who had taken Kaitlyn in as a child and raised her as one of her own) prepare Kaitlyn for the day that was to follow; certain rituals had to be observed, for one, and that included that Kaitlyn should be bathed and dressed a certain way, that she and Brett could not see one another the whole day and night, and that in the morning she would have to endure the last of the cleansing rituals to prepare her to be a bride. It was exhausting and Kaitlyn honestly didn’t understand why there was so much fuss but she would never dream of sullying the traditions; if she did then what kind of message would that send the people about not only what their future queen was like, but also the judgement and practical suitability of the king for choosing such a bride.
“I’m not the queen yet, Natalya,” Kaitly smiled in her mirror at the woman who was currently brushing out her hair. She had always felt a kinship with Natalya once she had gotten past her instinctive jealousy and territoriality about how close she was to the two remaining DiBiase brothers, and having her there alongside her actually made Kaitlyn feel somewhat. Brett’s mother was doing her best to help, and each pearl of wisdom was saved, but at the same moment she wasn’t giving Kaitlyn the kind of inane reassurances that she needed then.
A brief smile appeared though Kaitlyn could see that it didn’t quite meet her tired eyes, “But you will be and that means that I’m going to keep calling you it. Consider it practice, your Highness.” Kaitlyn tried to look stern and reprimanding of Natalya disobeying her and then the pair shared a companionable laugh.
“If you insist… I do appreciate your help though. I still don’t know many women at court…” meaning that mostly whenever she tried to make an effort she was accepted, because of who she was to be but at the same time she was also shunned because she knew most of the court didn’t think her good enough for Brett, or they were envious because they had wanted him for themselves-or for a relative. “It won’t be an imposition to have you spend the night with me, will it?” she added on as an afterthought; most people would go out of their way to bend over backwards to accommodate anything she wanted, but Kaitlyn wasn’t that kind of woman and if there had been a genuine problem then she would have reconsidered her options.
“No your Highness, no problem at all,” Natalya responded and Kaitlyn could have kicked herself; Natalya’s husband was doing manual hard labour, it wasn’t as though she had much reason to return home at the moment. She did feel bad for Natalya in that respect but she wasn’t going to apologise for the decisions that Brett had made; some people had considered him too lenient, so really Tyson owed it to his king, wife and family to keep his head down and just serve his time in prison before then coming back to his family. Somehow Kaitlyn doubted that Tyson would ever become involved in any kind of politics again if he could help it. Maybe this would be a good experience for him; inspire him to do something more with himself than he had been.
“Were you nervous before your wedding?” she found herself blurting out and then could have kicked herself; the last thing she wanted was for someone to overhear and assume that she meant that she was having second thoughts and wanted to call the wedding off, when nothing could be further from the truth. Actually what was really making her nervous was the new level of spectacle that she was going to be experiencing from then on: even the queen was expected to make decisions and actually do more than bear the royal children. Well, at least they would be now: she had told Brett in no uncertain terms that she was not just going to sit there and look nice at his side; she had her own mind and her own life and she wanted to continue to live it as she saw fit;, though obviously there was some compromise about how that would be done before other people, because they did still have to follow tradition, but otherwise Brett had been a blessedly compliant husband.
“I think every woman is,” Natalya smiled and Kaitlyn was relieved to see that she at least seemed to understand where she was coming from.
“I want to marry Brett,” she murmured softly and then laughed wanly, shaking her head, “I suppose it just seems like a shock that it is actually happening, you see?” after all they had been engaged for a good long while now, and the fact that tomorrow after so much waiting she was finally going to be Brett’s wife you could understand where his disconcertion came from.
“I understand; my wedding day was the happiest day of my life, and my love for Tyson is still as strong as it was then how it is now. My married life may not have been a very long one before all of this happened, but I was happy and I hope that we can be happy again once this has all been swept away. Clear slate,” she nodded her head firmly as though to reassure herself.
“Do you miss him?”
“I do, of course… I visited, but I told him: for what he had done he must pay. And, do you know, Tyson told me that he agreed with me. He’s going to repent for what he did. We all are,” even though she had no involvement and no knowledge she still felt somehow responsible for everything that her husband had been involved in.
~~LL~~
Any royal wedding would attract plenty of excitement from the kingdom no matter what the circumstances; this one was even more eagerly anticipated that usual. After the upheaval from the attack, the death of the previous king and his immediate heir, the vanishing of the prince, power plots - there had been enough political upset to last a lifetime and most of the subjects wanted nothing more than to see the kingdom go through a period of rest after so much unease. This particular wedding was to be followed by a coronation and no one in the kingdom could recall a time when that had happened. Usually the heir was married before the king died and as a result there was a festive, expectant atmosphere. There were people awake long before dawn making preparations, decorating the courtyard that Brett had elected to marry in (and there was some disapproval over that from the more traditional quarters who believed that within the walls of the palace was the only place to sanctify such a union), cooking, putting the finishing touches to the coach that would take the newly crowned and newly married king and queen through the streets so that people who weren’t at the ceremonies would see the happy couple in person.
Kaitlyn was up shortly before first light, she and Natalya having a light breakfast and conversation before the others in the brides entourage arrived to help her prepare.
Brett was also awake before first light although he had not been woken by anyone to begin his preparations. Nerves had stolen his sleep and in the end he gave up trying and simply tried to get on with the day, without worrying about what could possibly go wrong. Much as he tried, his mind kept turning back to the day that his father and brother had been killed and Theodore had been taken. No one had seen it coming, not even Brock who was supposed to be the lookout and the only reason he had escaped injury was thanks to his being elsewhere in the castle and the quick thinking of Sheamus keeping him from danger. He knew that the attacks had left the soldiers with a higher sense of potential danger and that they would be alert, leaving no chance that it could happen again that day, but he still worried. He worried that he would trip, that Kaitlyn wouldn’t show up, that Theodore would suddenly announce he had changed his mind and denounce his brother in favour of the crown. He knew he was being ridiculous but it seemed that his mind was throwing up as many awful possibilities as it could.
The rest of the palace woke when the slaves whose jobs it was made their travels around the rooms to ensure everyone was preparing, every single one of them keyed up. It would take all of them to run around after their masters and mistresses that day and many of them had other duties to attend to as well. While most people were looking forward to something out of the norm, the slaves were dolefully aware that they were likely to be rushed off their feet and small mistakes would cause an otherwise calm owner to lash out. Out of everyone in the kingdom, it was the slaves who had been least looking forward to the event.
No slaves woke Ted and Cody - Ted had insisted he didn’t want the attentions of the slaves any more, something that threw all of them as he’d never minded before he’d been kidnapped. They woke themselves at first light, too filled with anticipation to simply roll over and sleep further as they may otherwise have done. Ted slipped out of bed and although he thought he had not woken his lover, he poured himself a cup of water and turned back to the bed to see blue eyes looking sleepily at him.
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be. It was time I awoke to prepare for the ceremonies.” Cody yawned loudly. “You seem - anxious.”
“I suppose that this is the last chance I shall have to revoke the promises I have made to Brett and become king myself. I know there are those who would support me. Recent events have shown that.”
Cody regarded him expressionlessly. “Is that what you want?”
“No. It’s not.”
“Then why dwell on it? Yes, this is the day you give up your claim to be king but there is no saying that you would be king in any case, that you would not be opposed. You will not be left penniless or powerless. And your brother appears capable of the job that you said you did not wish for. So why wonder what might be when you’re far more content with what is?”
Ted smiled. “You’re right. It’s human nature to wonder though. Shall we bathe and prepare? Brett would never forgive me if I wasn’t ready.”
“I think there is little that Brett would not forgive you,” said Cody affectionately, pushing back the covers and getting out of bed. Getting used to things without having even the palace slaves helping him was new and not wholly welcome but Ted had apparently learned plenty about waiting on him and wasn’t shy about using the knowledge. And for Ted’s sake, he could get used to anything.
Slaves weren’t the ones to wake Randy and Evan either. That particular treat was left to Justin and not one person envied him for it. Randy may try to be well-mannered but it was clear to everyone that he was the jealous type and watched over anyone who went near Evan with hawk eyes. There was some justification after what had happened and how injured he still was, but although no one said it they all knew that a big part of it was to do with him just wanting to ensure no one tried to steal Evan away right under his nose.
Randy didn’t look pleased when he opened the door, alert in spite of the early hour and his state of undress, but stood aside to let Justin in to tend to Evan. Justin bid him good-morning without expecting a reply. He was well used to the soldier’s moods by now and just let it go.
Evan as always seemed the brighter of the two, giving a rather sleepy smile and rubbing his hand through dark hair, mussing it still further. “Morning Justin.”
“Good morning.” Justin set his bag aside and indicated that Evan should push the blanket back. Evan did so, both of them acutely aware that Randy was watching every move. The wound to Evan’s side had begun to heal and heal well, but it hadn’t been long enough to become insignificant.
“You’ve been using the salve I gave you,” commented Justin as he checked the wound.
“Randy helps me with it,” said Evan, rather noncommittally. He would remember but Randy seemed slightly obsessed and applied it twice as much as he probably had to. It was at least a sign that the man wanted him well.
“That’s a good thing, it’s difficult for you to see that you’ve covered it all with your view.” Justin smiled. “I take it you’ll be attending the ceremonies today?”
“We’re looking forward to it,” said Evan, his enthusiasm making up for Randy’s complete lack of reaction. “Will you?”
“Yes, although I’ll be on guard myself.” Justin smirked slightly. “On these occasions, once the formalities are over, drinking and debauchery tend to take over and some people overdo it. I imagine I’ll be helping people who are vomiting and stitching up those that have fallen over their own feet.” He glanced over at Randy. “Will you be one of them?”
“I shall be ensuring Evan keeps his feet and that means not losing my head,” said Randy stiffly.
Evan chuckled. “I shall be fine if you’d care to loosen up for awhile.”
“And I’d be more than happy to help Evan back should you drink too much,” added Justin with a smirk.
Randy made some sound that showed exactly what he thought of that idea and Evan snickered, pretty sure that Randy would be perfectly well behaved if only so that Justin didn’t get the chance to help Evan back - and perhaps that was what Justin had wanted all along. In any case, it was clear that Justin loved to tease Randy and Randy never could resist rising to the bait
~:~
The wedding went without a hitch.
The entire court turned out to witness the event, held in the grounds of the palace rather than in the palace itself. Standing by his brother’s side, it occurred to Ted that Brett looked terrified right up until the moment that Kaitlyn made her appearance, an attractive woman made more so by the clear delight in her face. The expression was mirrored by Brett as soon as he laid eyes on her and although the ceremony seemed to go on for a lot longer than necessary there were no problems, the elderly priest remembering the correct lines and not dying on the spot, something Ted had been mildly concerned about. The man just looked so old.
Once the marriage was done with there was something of a hiatus while congratulations were given, the gathered people applauding the newly married couple. Toasts were made, wine drunk and the atmosphere grew almost festive for a while, until the more solemn business of the crowing ceremony was to take place. The announcement went forth to the people not invited that Brett and Kaitlyn were married and when time enough had passed, the crowning ceremony began. It was Ted who gave the speech that would usually have been recited by the priest but it had been deemed more suitable for him to give it, since he was the one giving up his right to rule the kingdom - but Cody had been right, it wasn’t something that he had ever desired or would truthfully miss. He didn’t feel even a slight pang as he placed the crown on his brother’s head, relinquishing all rights to ever rule. He met Cody’s eyes as he left Brett’s side and gave a slight smile that no one else would understand, but Cody would know how he felt. He was certain of it.
It was only Brett and Kaitlyn who were taken out in the carriage after the coronation, which Ted found rather a relief. It had been relentless and he could see only too clearly that under other circumstances, it may have been him going through it all rather than Brett. And while Brett seemed to take it in his stride with a ruefulness about the crown and a genuine happiness about the wedding, Ted knew he would always have been unhappy had he been in Brett’s place. Being in that position would have meant giving up Cody and he certainly didn’t want that, not then and not ever.
Cody had written his letters home and while it would be some time before a reply arrived, Ted remained hopeful that it would be in their favour, that King Virgil would tell them there was no need for Cody to return when Dustin had the succession taken care of already. There was nothing more that could be done about it right then and the wedding and the coronation had gone perfectly. There had been a huge weight lifted from his shoulders and suddenly there was nothing left to do but enjoy the day and wonder how, in spite of everything, things had actually worked out well.
“Cody?”
Cody glanced over at him, a slight smile on his face. Ted’s voice had been low and he guessed that the prince didn’t wish to be overheard. “Yes?”
“They’re going to be gone awhile, seeing the crowds, throwing money to the children, that kind of thing. Maybe we could uh, go missing for a little while.”
“Go missing?” Cody laughed. “I’ve never heard it called that before. Shouldn’t you be talking to the court, discussing matters of state and being seen to be supportive?”
“I put the crown on his head myself, that’s supportive enough.” Ted looked around at the people talking among themselves, the slaves darting around now that the ceremonies were over and cleaning up a little - when Brett and Kaitlyn returned and the celebrations began in earnest, they would be seated there once more but there would be entertainment and food and things had to be altered somewhat so that it could commence.
“I think we may not be missed,” he added rather slyly. “And if we were to wait, we may have consumed too much wine to be able to perform.”
“I doubt that day will ever come,” said Cody, then smirked a little when he saw Ted’s crestfallen expression. “It is perhaps bad form for you to talk me into bed on your brother’s wedding day and very bad form for me to listen to you. But I shall do so anyway. Is there some way back inside that we won’t be seen entering?”
“I know all of them,” said Ted confidently, taking one last look around and then hustling Cody away from prying eyes. They would have to be back before Brett and Kaitlyn and that left little time... but Ted thought there was no point in wasting any opportunity that came their way.
“I’m fine,” he yawned softly, “Just feeling a little sore.”
“Let me see it.”
“You don’t need to see, Justin tended to me earlier-”
Randy still had the urge to pull a face at the mention of the name but caught himself and instead gently removed Evan’s toga top so he could look for himself; the wound was still a very angry red and the expanse of the bruising that accompanied it never failed to make Randy’s teeth set in sheer disbelief, wishing Brock was alive just so that he could kill him all over again, but at least the stitches that marred the wound with their ugly black threads were missing; Randy had been terrified when the procedure had taken place, so certain that something bad was going to happen to Evan because the gods rarely ever blessed the same person to cheat death twice. Just because the wound had healed didn’t mean Evan might not die from it; he had seen what infection could do to a person, and there was often nothing that could be done to help.
“Did he say things still seemed well?”
“Yes, he thinks if I carry on like this I’ll have barely any ill effects,” Evan said, though a perplexed expression appeared on his face; Justin had warned that it could take months, maybe even a year, before he recovered from this injury, and in the meantime his physical abilities would be slowing down and changing; he could very well drop down below the accepted level of a regular military man, and if that happened… Evan didn’t know what he would do. What could a former slave, with no ability to read and write, do if he couldn’t be in the military? The thoughts had been plaguing him for a while now but he didn’t like to mention such things to Randy; the other worried about him enough as it was without Evan dumping his other worries on him.
“Good,” Randy allowed himself a soft smile of relief and then leant over Evan to kiss him, savouring the sensation of those warm, wicked lips reciprocating his attention. To think he had come so close to losing this…. Randy didn’t like to think of himself as overly sentimental but he knew that things would have been changed dramatically for him had something of a more permanent nature happened to Evan. “Preparations for the wedding are running smoothly I hear, and you and I have been granted guest-status to all of the festivities, should you feel up to it of course,” Brett had come down personally to tell Randy this one night when Evan had been sleeping. Randy had been both flustered and defiant at being caught in the same room as Evan where the beds had been pushed together into one bed, but Brett hadn’t said a word. If anything he had just smiled as though giving them his blessing-and it didn’t seem to be the first time, but it didn’t take a school education to know why that would be.
“Of course,” if anything Evan at least wanted to attend their ceremony and coronation; these matters were special and important and he felt privileged that he had been invited to be a part of it. “I mean, I might not be able to attend all of the parties… but that won’t offend anyone will it?”
“Of course not,” Randy responded, “If anything I think they’ll expect it. What you have to recover from… it merits not having to make excuses to tend to court.”
“Never thought I’d hear that again,” Evan murmured, more to himself than Randy, and not for the first time Randy wondered how much Evan’s mind returned to the family that had sold him on, collateral damage in a war, now that he had had yet another brush with death. Although Randy was inclined to believe that none had been quite as serious as this one.
And hopefully nothing would ever come close again.
~::~
“I wouldn’t have expected that you would request me to help tend to you, your majesty,” Natalya admitted frankly as she helped the other two noblewomen (the former queen, the other a noblewoman who had taken Kaitlyn in as a child and raised her as one of her own) prepare Kaitlyn for the day that was to follow; certain rituals had to be observed, for one, and that included that Kaitlyn should be bathed and dressed a certain way, that she and Brett could not see one another the whole day and night, and that in the morning she would have to endure the last of the cleansing rituals to prepare her to be a bride. It was exhausting and Kaitlyn honestly didn’t understand why there was so much fuss but she would never dream of sullying the traditions; if she did then what kind of message would that send the people about not only what their future queen was like, but also the judgement and practical suitability of the king for choosing such a bride.
“I’m not the queen yet, Natalya,” Kaitly smiled in her mirror at the woman who was currently brushing out her hair. She had always felt a kinship with Natalya once she had gotten past her instinctive jealousy and territoriality about how close she was to the two remaining DiBiase brothers, and having her there alongside her actually made Kaitlyn feel somewhat. Brett’s mother was doing her best to help, and each pearl of wisdom was saved, but at the same moment she wasn’t giving Kaitlyn the kind of inane reassurances that she needed then.
A brief smile appeared though Kaitlyn could see that it didn’t quite meet her tired eyes, “But you will be and that means that I’m going to keep calling you it. Consider it practice, your Highness.” Kaitlyn tried to look stern and reprimanding of Natalya disobeying her and then the pair shared a companionable laugh.
“If you insist… I do appreciate your help though. I still don’t know many women at court…” meaning that mostly whenever she tried to make an effort she was accepted, because of who she was to be but at the same time she was also shunned because she knew most of the court didn’t think her good enough for Brett, or they were envious because they had wanted him for themselves-or for a relative. “It won’t be an imposition to have you spend the night with me, will it?” she added on as an afterthought; most people would go out of their way to bend over backwards to accommodate anything she wanted, but Kaitlyn wasn’t that kind of woman and if there had been a genuine problem then she would have reconsidered her options.
“No your Highness, no problem at all,” Natalya responded and Kaitlyn could have kicked herself; Natalya’s husband was doing manual hard labour, it wasn’t as though she had much reason to return home at the moment. She did feel bad for Natalya in that respect but she wasn’t going to apologise for the decisions that Brett had made; some people had considered him too lenient, so really Tyson owed it to his king, wife and family to keep his head down and just serve his time in prison before then coming back to his family. Somehow Kaitlyn doubted that Tyson would ever become involved in any kind of politics again if he could help it. Maybe this would be a good experience for him; inspire him to do something more with himself than he had been.
“Were you nervous before your wedding?” she found herself blurting out and then could have kicked herself; the last thing she wanted was for someone to overhear and assume that she meant that she was having second thoughts and wanted to call the wedding off, when nothing could be further from the truth. Actually what was really making her nervous was the new level of spectacle that she was going to be experiencing from then on: even the queen was expected to make decisions and actually do more than bear the royal children. Well, at least they would be now: she had told Brett in no uncertain terms that she was not just going to sit there and look nice at his side; she had her own mind and her own life and she wanted to continue to live it as she saw fit;, though obviously there was some compromise about how that would be done before other people, because they did still have to follow tradition, but otherwise Brett had been a blessedly compliant husband.
“I think every woman is,” Natalya smiled and Kaitlyn was relieved to see that she at least seemed to understand where she was coming from.
“I want to marry Brett,” she murmured softly and then laughed wanly, shaking her head, “I suppose it just seems like a shock that it is actually happening, you see?” after all they had been engaged for a good long while now, and the fact that tomorrow after so much waiting she was finally going to be Brett’s wife you could understand where his disconcertion came from.
“I understand; my wedding day was the happiest day of my life, and my love for Tyson is still as strong as it was then how it is now. My married life may not have been a very long one before all of this happened, but I was happy and I hope that we can be happy again once this has all been swept away. Clear slate,” she nodded her head firmly as though to reassure herself.
“Do you miss him?”
“I do, of course… I visited, but I told him: for what he had done he must pay. And, do you know, Tyson told me that he agreed with me. He’s going to repent for what he did. We all are,” even though she had no involvement and no knowledge she still felt somehow responsible for everything that her husband had been involved in.
~~LL~~
Any royal wedding would attract plenty of excitement from the kingdom no matter what the circumstances; this one was even more eagerly anticipated that usual. After the upheaval from the attack, the death of the previous king and his immediate heir, the vanishing of the prince, power plots - there had been enough political upset to last a lifetime and most of the subjects wanted nothing more than to see the kingdom go through a period of rest after so much unease. This particular wedding was to be followed by a coronation and no one in the kingdom could recall a time when that had happened. Usually the heir was married before the king died and as a result there was a festive, expectant atmosphere. There were people awake long before dawn making preparations, decorating the courtyard that Brett had elected to marry in (and there was some disapproval over that from the more traditional quarters who believed that within the walls of the palace was the only place to sanctify such a union), cooking, putting the finishing touches to the coach that would take the newly crowned and newly married king and queen through the streets so that people who weren’t at the ceremonies would see the happy couple in person.
Kaitlyn was up shortly before first light, she and Natalya having a light breakfast and conversation before the others in the brides entourage arrived to help her prepare.
Brett was also awake before first light although he had not been woken by anyone to begin his preparations. Nerves had stolen his sleep and in the end he gave up trying and simply tried to get on with the day, without worrying about what could possibly go wrong. Much as he tried, his mind kept turning back to the day that his father and brother had been killed and Theodore had been taken. No one had seen it coming, not even Brock who was supposed to be the lookout and the only reason he had escaped injury was thanks to his being elsewhere in the castle and the quick thinking of Sheamus keeping him from danger. He knew that the attacks had left the soldiers with a higher sense of potential danger and that they would be alert, leaving no chance that it could happen again that day, but he still worried. He worried that he would trip, that Kaitlyn wouldn’t show up, that Theodore would suddenly announce he had changed his mind and denounce his brother in favour of the crown. He knew he was being ridiculous but it seemed that his mind was throwing up as many awful possibilities as it could.
The rest of the palace woke when the slaves whose jobs it was made their travels around the rooms to ensure everyone was preparing, every single one of them keyed up. It would take all of them to run around after their masters and mistresses that day and many of them had other duties to attend to as well. While most people were looking forward to something out of the norm, the slaves were dolefully aware that they were likely to be rushed off their feet and small mistakes would cause an otherwise calm owner to lash out. Out of everyone in the kingdom, it was the slaves who had been least looking forward to the event.
No slaves woke Ted and Cody - Ted had insisted he didn’t want the attentions of the slaves any more, something that threw all of them as he’d never minded before he’d been kidnapped. They woke themselves at first light, too filled with anticipation to simply roll over and sleep further as they may otherwise have done. Ted slipped out of bed and although he thought he had not woken his lover, he poured himself a cup of water and turned back to the bed to see blue eyes looking sleepily at him.
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be. It was time I awoke to prepare for the ceremonies.” Cody yawned loudly. “You seem - anxious.”
“I suppose that this is the last chance I shall have to revoke the promises I have made to Brett and become king myself. I know there are those who would support me. Recent events have shown that.”
Cody regarded him expressionlessly. “Is that what you want?”
“No. It’s not.”
“Then why dwell on it? Yes, this is the day you give up your claim to be king but there is no saying that you would be king in any case, that you would not be opposed. You will not be left penniless or powerless. And your brother appears capable of the job that you said you did not wish for. So why wonder what might be when you’re far more content with what is?”
Ted smiled. “You’re right. It’s human nature to wonder though. Shall we bathe and prepare? Brett would never forgive me if I wasn’t ready.”
“I think there is little that Brett would not forgive you,” said Cody affectionately, pushing back the covers and getting out of bed. Getting used to things without having even the palace slaves helping him was new and not wholly welcome but Ted had apparently learned plenty about waiting on him and wasn’t shy about using the knowledge. And for Ted’s sake, he could get used to anything.
Slaves weren’t the ones to wake Randy and Evan either. That particular treat was left to Justin and not one person envied him for it. Randy may try to be well-mannered but it was clear to everyone that he was the jealous type and watched over anyone who went near Evan with hawk eyes. There was some justification after what had happened and how injured he still was, but although no one said it they all knew that a big part of it was to do with him just wanting to ensure no one tried to steal Evan away right under his nose.
Randy didn’t look pleased when he opened the door, alert in spite of the early hour and his state of undress, but stood aside to let Justin in to tend to Evan. Justin bid him good-morning without expecting a reply. He was well used to the soldier’s moods by now and just let it go.
Evan as always seemed the brighter of the two, giving a rather sleepy smile and rubbing his hand through dark hair, mussing it still further. “Morning Justin.”
“Good morning.” Justin set his bag aside and indicated that Evan should push the blanket back. Evan did so, both of them acutely aware that Randy was watching every move. The wound to Evan’s side had begun to heal and heal well, but it hadn’t been long enough to become insignificant.
“You’ve been using the salve I gave you,” commented Justin as he checked the wound.
“Randy helps me with it,” said Evan, rather noncommittally. He would remember but Randy seemed slightly obsessed and applied it twice as much as he probably had to. It was at least a sign that the man wanted him well.
“That’s a good thing, it’s difficult for you to see that you’ve covered it all with your view.” Justin smiled. “I take it you’ll be attending the ceremonies today?”
“We’re looking forward to it,” said Evan, his enthusiasm making up for Randy’s complete lack of reaction. “Will you?”
“Yes, although I’ll be on guard myself.” Justin smirked slightly. “On these occasions, once the formalities are over, drinking and debauchery tend to take over and some people overdo it. I imagine I’ll be helping people who are vomiting and stitching up those that have fallen over their own feet.” He glanced over at Randy. “Will you be one of them?”
“I shall be ensuring Evan keeps his feet and that means not losing my head,” said Randy stiffly.
Evan chuckled. “I shall be fine if you’d care to loosen up for awhile.”
“And I’d be more than happy to help Evan back should you drink too much,” added Justin with a smirk.
Randy made some sound that showed exactly what he thought of that idea and Evan snickered, pretty sure that Randy would be perfectly well behaved if only so that Justin didn’t get the chance to help Evan back - and perhaps that was what Justin had wanted all along. In any case, it was clear that Justin loved to tease Randy and Randy never could resist rising to the bait
~:~
The wedding went without a hitch.
The entire court turned out to witness the event, held in the grounds of the palace rather than in the palace itself. Standing by his brother’s side, it occurred to Ted that Brett looked terrified right up until the moment that Kaitlyn made her appearance, an attractive woman made more so by the clear delight in her face. The expression was mirrored by Brett as soon as he laid eyes on her and although the ceremony seemed to go on for a lot longer than necessary there were no problems, the elderly priest remembering the correct lines and not dying on the spot, something Ted had been mildly concerned about. The man just looked so old.
Once the marriage was done with there was something of a hiatus while congratulations were given, the gathered people applauding the newly married couple. Toasts were made, wine drunk and the atmosphere grew almost festive for a while, until the more solemn business of the crowing ceremony was to take place. The announcement went forth to the people not invited that Brett and Kaitlyn were married and when time enough had passed, the crowning ceremony began. It was Ted who gave the speech that would usually have been recited by the priest but it had been deemed more suitable for him to give it, since he was the one giving up his right to rule the kingdom - but Cody had been right, it wasn’t something that he had ever desired or would truthfully miss. He didn’t feel even a slight pang as he placed the crown on his brother’s head, relinquishing all rights to ever rule. He met Cody’s eyes as he left Brett’s side and gave a slight smile that no one else would understand, but Cody would know how he felt. He was certain of it.
It was only Brett and Kaitlyn who were taken out in the carriage after the coronation, which Ted found rather a relief. It had been relentless and he could see only too clearly that under other circumstances, it may have been him going through it all rather than Brett. And while Brett seemed to take it in his stride with a ruefulness about the crown and a genuine happiness about the wedding, Ted knew he would always have been unhappy had he been in Brett’s place. Being in that position would have meant giving up Cody and he certainly didn’t want that, not then and not ever.
Cody had written his letters home and while it would be some time before a reply arrived, Ted remained hopeful that it would be in their favour, that King Virgil would tell them there was no need for Cody to return when Dustin had the succession taken care of already. There was nothing more that could be done about it right then and the wedding and the coronation had gone perfectly. There had been a huge weight lifted from his shoulders and suddenly there was nothing left to do but enjoy the day and wonder how, in spite of everything, things had actually worked out well.
“Cody?”
Cody glanced over at him, a slight smile on his face. Ted’s voice had been low and he guessed that the prince didn’t wish to be overheard. “Yes?”
“They’re going to be gone awhile, seeing the crowds, throwing money to the children, that kind of thing. Maybe we could uh, go missing for a little while.”
“Go missing?” Cody laughed. “I’ve never heard it called that before. Shouldn’t you be talking to the court, discussing matters of state and being seen to be supportive?”
“I put the crown on his head myself, that’s supportive enough.” Ted looked around at the people talking among themselves, the slaves darting around now that the ceremonies were over and cleaning up a little - when Brett and Kaitlyn returned and the celebrations began in earnest, they would be seated there once more but there would be entertainment and food and things had to be altered somewhat so that it could commence.
“I think we may not be missed,” he added rather slyly. “And if we were to wait, we may have consumed too much wine to be able to perform.”
“I doubt that day will ever come,” said Cody, then smirked a little when he saw Ted’s crestfallen expression. “It is perhaps bad form for you to talk me into bed on your brother’s wedding day and very bad form for me to listen to you. But I shall do so anyway. Is there some way back inside that we won’t be seen entering?”
“I know all of them,” said Ted confidently, taking one last look around and then hustling Cody away from prying eyes. They would have to be back before Brett and Kaitlyn and that left little time... but Ted thought there was no point in wasting any opportunity that came their way.