Realistic or Modern The Moss and the Stones

[Hati]

If she was being honest, seeing the invitations made the whole thing more real to her. Ever since her father had told her about her engagement, Aspen had heard about the various preparations being made, but none of it had made it quite seem real. Not even when she met Duncan. But faced with physical evidence of the event, and holding it in her hand, made her more nervous than she would care to admit.

At least Duncan would be there with her. "My father was never a fan of my vanishing tricks," she remarked, a wry smile on her face. "But thank you. We'll see, maybe it won't be as bad as we imagine it to be." She was immensely grateful towards Duncan for the offer, and felt a rush of fondness for him. The more they talked, the more she was realizing that they weren't too different from each other. It made thinking about their future together a little more bearable.

Aspen took another sip of water. Marriage. It seemed like a foreign word, even if the idea of an arranged marriage hadn't been sprung out of nowhere. Despite her anger when her father told her, he had always hinted at marrying her off, much to her chagrin. "You know," she said quietly, "I always knew this was going to happen." She waved her hand, as if to gesture towards everything. "But I'm glad that... if it was going to be anyone, it ended up being you."

 

[NickNacks]

There were still some aspects of marriage which frightened him. He knew that, as he was soon to be twenty, he would soon be expected to provide a son to secure his lineage. It was an unspoken rule-certainly there were no actual laws requiring such a thing, but the expectation was a heavy one, one that Duncan was keen to avoid. It wasn't an unusual occurrence for him to overhear snatches of muttered conversation doubting his ability to father any children, whether that be due to his health of mannerisms, and the gossip made his cheeks flush with shame and embarrassment.

But the fact remained that he hadn't the faintest idea how to raise a child.

Then again, neither had his own father.

Duncan shook the stray worries from his mind, quick to avoid dwelling on them as they always tended to make him uncomfortable. He much preferred to watch Aspen instead-the slope of her shoulders as she looked over the parchment alongside him, the pitch of her voice when she laughed. He could tell she was still nervous about the wedding itself, but she was doing her best to hide it. He noticed that he was close enough to reach over ant tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

He swallowed. "I hope I don't disappoint you, then."

 

[Hati]

Unbeknownst to Duncan, Aspen's thoughts had strayed to a similar topic. With the wedding ever approaching, so did everything that came after. Including bearing a child. And that scared Aspen more than having to rule the country. Raising a child made her nervous, but her worries stemmed further back than that.

Her mother had died in childbirth. If she remembered correctly, so had Duncan's mother. It was entirely possible that was what fate had in store for her as well. That was what frightened her more than anything, the thought of dying so young. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but she didn't want to leave Duncan alone, either. Not like that. Not when he had already lost so much. But Duncan would need an heir, especially with the political climate after he reclaimed the crown. That was why the wedding was so soon.

She looked up, giving him a small smile as she tried to shove her thoughts aside. Plenty of people had safely given birth. It was just a tragic coincidence. "I don't think you will," she said softly. She meant it, too. "I hope I don't disappoint you either." There were stories of men growing tired of their wives and discarding them like objects, but she didn't think Duncan was like that. At least, she hoped not. But from what she had seen so far, he was incredibly kind. Once again she felt lucky it was him she would be marrying.

 

[NickNacks]

The carved white stone of the statue was cool against his forehead as he knelt in the church, silence pressing down on him like a weight. The murky scent of incense fumes, along with the wine he'd set at the alter, crowded his senses. It was difficult to pray when so many things were burning at once-he'd always thought that.

The Blessed Virgin stands perpetually frozen in time, her arms half outstretched as though to embrace him. Her eyes have been carved so that she is gazing downward. A sharp halo stems from her covered head, signifying the divine. Mary is not the saint closely associated with marriage, but she was his mother's favorite, and so he prays to her.

I don't know this girl, He thinks as he kneels there, still dressed in his green tunic. His crown lies near his feet, a jagged bronze reminder. I do not know this girl, but I would like to.

Preparations for the wedding had began before the sun had rose, with Duncan's servant gently rousing him from sleep. He'd been drawn a path with perfumed, steaming water-symbolically meant to cleanse him of his sins. Soon, he would be met in the main hall by the hundreds of guests who would come to the chapel. Then, Aspen would arrive. He had a few minutes of respite before then.

He had woken missing his brother. That was nothing unusual-normally he woke up missing someone, and that person changed from day to day. But today, it had been his brother. Dominic would have teased him non stop about this union, would have waggled his eyebrows at Aspen with all the impudence of a second-born son. But he would've been here with him, helping him prepare. Family was supposed to. Tradition dictated that the son spend time with his father before the marriage took place.

But there was no father, and so Duncan knelt alone.

At length, he rose to his feet, making the sign of the cross over his body, the actions reduced to muscle memory. He'd reluctant to take up the crown again, but does so. There are no mirrors in the church, but he can catch a ghostly reflection of himself within the stained glass, depicting a scene of Christ carrying the crucifix. He looks shadowy and distant. He wonders, as he turns and waits for the others to begin filtering in, if he will eventually grow cold and distant from his wife as so many men before him did.

He decides not to do so.

 

[Hati]

Despite everyone counting down the days until the wedding, Aspen almost can't believe it when the time arrives. Felicia had been the one to wake her, though there was a small team of her maids from the estate that had helped her prepare. It's a small comfort to have familiar faces from home when everything else felt so surreal. It isn't the first time Aspen had attended a wedding, but it is the first time it was hers.

Her stomach turned as she stood in front of the mirror, watching as they did her hair and tightened her dress around her chest. "Can you breathe?" Felicia asked, and Aspen nodded. Even without the corset, breathing was difficult enough as it was. After all, it was her wedding day.

The maids seemed like shapeless blurs around her as they worked, and she only stared at herself in the mirror. It was like watching some magical transformation, though she knew there was hardly anything magical about it. Every strand of hair pinned into place. Every seam and fold of her dress exactly where it should be. Aspen almost doesn't recognize herself in the mirror. She kept looking at her reflection, but a stranger looked back.

It seemed like hours until Felicia announced they were almost done. Aspen was afraid she wouldn't be able to move due to her dress, but she can. "Before you go," Felicia said, holding up a simple ruby necklace. It shone in the lamplight. "Your father wants you to wear this. It was your mother's."

"Where did you get it?" Aspen asked as Felicia clasped it around her neck. It's a beautiful piece, but one she was unfamiliar with. Then again, she knew of few of her mother's possessions. Her father had stored them away when she was young.

Felicia clicked her tongue. "That's not important. What's important is that we get you down to the chapel, dear."

By the time Aspen was led down, most of the guests would have had arrived and been seated. Even from outside, she could hear the low murmur of the crowd inside.

Her father was waiting for her. He would, of course, accompany her down the aisle. Even with their complicated relationship, Aspen was glad to see him there. "You look beautiful," he said with a smile, and it looked genuine. For once, he looked proud of her. She was sure it had partly to do with the fact she was marrying to king, but she let the thought drop. It was her wedding day, and she could allow herself to think he was proud of her. He held his arm out to her. "Are you ready?"

She wasn't, but she nodded anyway. "Yes," she said quietly, taking his arm. The doors opened. The crowd went silent. She put a smile on her face, and they took their first steps down the aisle.

 

[NickNacks]

There was a hush silence as members of the court began to file in, all bowing deeply at Duncan's presence. He gave small, curt nods in recognition, though he had to be careful about tipping his head too far forward-the crown was already heavy on his head, and if he inclined too deeply, it would tumble directly off. The scent of incense grew even stronger as the Archbishop entered carrying the gold-plated casket, swinging it back and forth as the strong smoke of francensence washed over him. Duncan swallowed, struggling to hold back a series of coughs.

She moved like the river when she walked in. Duncan's eyes were immediately drawn to her, lingering on the dark tresses of her hair, the downcast cast. Standing beside her father, he could now see a resemblance between the two of them-they carried the same brow, the same slightly pensive expression. But Aspen didn't not appear disturbed or frightened, which brought Duncan some relief.

A smile, small but still present, lifted the left corner of his mouth in a crooked expression of fondness as Aspen was lead toward him. She would kneel briefly to be blessed by the Bishop with holy water, and then come to join Duncan at the altar. The statue of Christ presided over both of them.

She looked beautiful. He wished he could tell her.

"We gather here," intoned the robed Bishop, "In the presence of God, of his son, of His Majesty King Duncan Ap Crychan, Firstborn and Williams son, Firstborn of Isabella, to make safe the union between him and Lady Aspen Westbrook, born of Hector, Marquess. Under the eye of the Almighty, we ask that you join hands, so as to signify the bond between you."

Solemn faced now, Duncan held his right hand palm upward to Aspen.

 

[Hati]

It was easier watching Duncan, because she could focus on him as she walked down the aisle. Aspen didn't dare turn her head, not wanting to lose her nerves at the sight of the sheer amount of people attending their wedding. She held her head high, her father's presence beside her a comfort for once. It was like he was grounding her as she walked, though with the way her dress fell around her, it almost appeared like she was gliding across the floor.

As she met Duncan's eyes, she smiled widely.

Her father gently let her go and she continued forward. Slowly she sank to her knees in front of the Archbishop as he blessed her. She stood carefully, not wanting to trip on her dress as she made her way to the altar. The scent of incense was strong throughout the church, but it seemed concentrated at the altar. It tickled her throat but she clamped her mouth shut, determined not to cough. Not in the middle of her wedding.

It was only as the Archbishop was speaking did she allow herself to look out at the crowd out of the corner of her eye. There were many people she recognized, and many she didn't. The amount of people was overwhelming and she quickly looked back at Duncan, though not before she saw her father, sitting in the front row and almost looking on the verge of tears.

Her father, crying. The idea was almost laughable. She found herself wishing her mother was there. Even though she had never known her mother well enough to miss her, she wished she at least had been there to see her get married.

She found herself wishing Duncan's family was there, too. Her smile was tinged with sadness, not due to the wedding but all that had been lost in the past year.

He held out his hand. Slowly and tenderly, she put her hand in his. It felt a bit like a promise.

 

[NickNacks]

Her hand felt small and fragile in his own, like the skeleton of a little bird. He couldn't keep his eyes off her, not even as the hand fasting cords began to be wrapped around their joined hands, signifying their union. Soon, it would be time for Duncan to speak and confirm his intentions to be a dutiful husband to Aspen.

"Do you swear before God, Duncan Ap Brychan, to take this woman unto your own protection, to protect her from all Earthly dangers, whether sickened or healthy, whether wealthy or destitute, till at last you give up your final breath?"

He swallowed. "Aye."

"Do you swear before God, Aspen Westbrook, to fulfill your duties as wife to King Duncan, to serve and honor him, whether sickened or healthy, whether wealthy or destitute, till at last you give up your final breath?"

For a wild moment, as he felt his heart hammering in his chest, Duncan wondered if she would say now, if the smile would melt from her face and she would tear her hand from his, severing the chords and withdrawing whatever arrangement had been made between the two of them. Perhaps he'd asked too much of her, for her to enter this new life which at times could feel so restrictive and inescapable. Perhaps she would meet a different young man, the way Duncan would have wanted to meet her, and move somewhere quiet where you could watch the clouds.

He wouldn't have blamed her. No, he wouldn't have blamed her at all.

 

[Hati]

Aspen had her full attention on Duncan now, who in a few short moments would officially be her husband. She tried to give him a reassuring smile, but she herself was nervous. This was one of the most important days in her life, and the actual ceremony was only the beginning. They still had the socializing afterwards at the reception, and all the attention would be on them of course. Not that it wasn't already as they stood together at the altar, hands bound together.

But she was getting away from herself. As the Archbishop spoke, her heart pounded in her chest, and she wondered if anyone else could hear it. She wondered if it would burst from her chest, ending the wedding in a gruesome manner and Duncan would have to find another bride. And she'd be yet another person he had lost.

Of course, that didn't happen.

"Do you swear before God, Aspen Westbrook, to fulfill your duties as wife to King Duncan, to serve and honor him, whether sickened or healthy, whether wealthy or destitute, till at last you give up your final breath?"

It hardly even occurred to Aspen that she could say no. Facing her betrothed, the question hanging in the air, it felt like there was only one answer. Even though the marriage had been arranged, and she couldn't imagine refusing the ceremony and rejecting Duncan, it still felt like it was ultimately her choice, what to say. And she had had very little choice in the last week, but this one was up to her. If she so wanted, she could turn away. Say no. Run away like she had always wanted, find someone else in a remote village to marry and settle down with.

But that wasn't what she wanted. When she spoke, her voice was steady, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I do."

 

[NickNacks]

The words were spoken, and their futures were sealed.

"You may kiss your bride, if you wish to."

He'd forgotten about this part. Duncan had never actually had his first kiss before. He'd come close, at one point, when he was still a resident in England. There had been a girl with yellow hair who had liked him, and had been under the impression he was a simple scholar's son with good manners, who had offered to kiss him one evening. He'd been tempted-he could still remember the ruddy light of the tavern, his tongue feeling heavy and coated in his throat after too much cider. He had refused, though. It had felt too much like lying.

This did not.

Duncan inclined his head forward enough to press his lips tentatively to Aspen's. It was hardly even a kiss, more a brushing of mouths-Duncan wasn't entirely certain of what to do-and his free hand remained stiff at his side. Dimly, he could hear the sound of cheering around them as his subjects celebrated the solidified future of the country at Duncan's hand. His stomach swooped and fe felt half like joining him, half like dashing up to his room, never to be seen again.

 

[Hati]

Just like that, it seemed, and they were married. It wasn't like she was expecting more, or less, but the whole ceremony had happened in what felt like the blink of an eye. There was still the reception obviously, but the main even that actually bound them together was already over.

It was almost a small relief.

Aspen momentarily panicked about the kiss, as she was never experienced with that. She had hardly been allowed to see other people, much less go out with them. Suffice to say, she had never had her first kiss. But Duncan dipped his head down, and she closed the rest of the distance, though it was barely a proper kiss. She didn't mind though-she didn't want to embarrass herself or him if she somehow didn't do it right. Everyone else, at least, seemed satisfied. Aspen glanced back at the crowd again, seeing everyone's smiling faces. Including her father's.

She didn't think she had ever seen him look so genuinely proud in his life. The expression looked downright foreign on his face. Instead, she looked back at Duncan. "So, we're married now," she said quietly, with a small smile. Somehow, with him, the concept seemed almost bearable. The handfasting cords were unwound, though she was hesitant to take her hand out of his. In the end, she left it, giving his hand a light squeeze. They were married now.

 

[NickNacks]

"So we are."

For being in the presence of so many people, it feels like a strangely quiet moment. The hand fasting chords were removed from their hands, draped around Duncan's neck instead-this would signify his devotion to his new bride, similar to the rings exchanged by the English. He had a ring he wanted to give to her, but it was far up amongst his belongings, and there was no practical means of getting to it right now. Instead, Duncan smiled at her and left their hands joined.

The procession was lead to the dining hall, with no wasted time-by now it was well past seven, and the guests, along with Duncan himself, were quite hungry. The dancing would happen after everyone had toasted and begun to eat. The tables stretched the full length of the hall, which was impressive on it's own, turned downright outlandish when one saw the extravagant amounts of food laden onto the table-meats, soups, potatoes, things of all shapes and sizes-roast hams, chocolate creams for later, flagons of ale or juiced pears and apples. There was even the mint water Duncan was so partial too.

With some relief, he took a seat at the head, along with Aspen, quickly leaning over to speak with her.

"I thought the incense was going to trigger a fit. Did you notice how strong it was?"

 

[Hati]

It was only when they were close to the dining hall, and she could smell the food coming from within, did Aspen realize how hungry she was. All day her stomach had been a tight ball of nerves, but now that she had a moment of peace, she was eager to eat. Her father and Lennox hadn't been kidding when they said the feast would be grand: it took up almost the entirety of the tables. Of course, it had to, with the amount of guests. Some faces she could put to names, others she only knew because they visited the estate to speak to her father, or had attended events she had been to. Others she didn't know at all.

She took her seat next to Duncan, and she laughed when he spoke. "I did! It was almost like they were trying to smother us." Though the social aspect of the ceremony still had yet to pass, it felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders for the moment. She was relaxed, feeling more like herself than she had in what felt like ages. Even her father, sitting near, looked less stern than he usually did. He even laughed at something another man across from him said. "Everyone looks so happy," she murmured. And they had a reason to, considering the wedding was a symbol of Scotland herself uniting after the war.

What that meant for her and Duncan in the future, she wasn't sure. But for now at least, she could celebrate. "Dancing soon," she said, turning to Duncan with a grin. "I hope you practiced more."