On the same day that Miriam and Haku tied the knot, another wedding took place, one continent away and although this wedding was not as joyful as the one that brought the two long separate lovers together, it outshone that one in terms of splendor. For it was a royal wedding, binding two separate kingdoms together.
When King Faljan announced that he was going to wed the Queen of Vinoli, his declaration was met with shock and outrage from almost everyone who heard it; foreigners and Guanacans alike. For as long anyone could remember, it had been tradition for the Kings of Guanaca to marry only local women, in order to ensure that their kingdom retained its neutrality. The Other nations of the Western Continent knew this and so, they had come together and agreed to not send any envoys to ask the Guanacan Kings for their paw in marriage, on behalf of their own Queens and Princesses. This, to make sure that no single nation would gain control over the desert-Kingdom and thereby all the trade coming from and going to the East.
This agreement had been made almost two centuries ago. As a matter of fact, it was King Sharan who had suggested it and now, his own daughter had basically trampled all over it. Not that anyone had excepted Argath to help Faljan regain his throne out of the goodness of her heart, but they had assumed that the reward for her assistance would come in the form of all goods coming to, or from Vinoli, would be exempt from the usual tolls and taxes for a set period of time, or something similar. But marriage? Was there no end to this woman's audacity? They asked themselves.
Of course, many of those who now gnashed their teeth in dismay upon receiving this piece of news, secretly wished that King Faljan had come to one of their nations for help. Particularly those whose royal houses still counted unwed princesses among their numbers.
Still, the wedding-day arrived, regardless of anyone's opinion. On the day, the flags of both Guanaca and Vinoli waved from the battlements. The King and Queen traveled through the streets in an open carriage, waving to their subjects, whose loud cheers were encouraged by the presence of the Vinolian soldiers in their midst.
The Carriage made halt outside the temple dedicated to the royal family's patron-deity. Inside, five-hundred of the most prominent people living in Guanaca, including foreign diplomats and merchants, were waiting for the ceremony to begin. Argath and Faljan stepped out of the carriage and climbed the stairs, from somewhere within the temple, music began to play.
Among those present at the wedding ceremony were Felix and Lucinda. The Two of them had travelled to Guanaca in the Queen's company and had arrived one day after her, along with the rest of her entourage. It should be mentioned that the Councillor and his wife were not just there for the wedding: Felix had been chosen by Argath to be the Queen's representative in Guanca, once she had returned home to Vinoli.
"The Posting will last for five years and may be extended, depending on how the Queen feels about how I've carried out my tasks," Felix had told Lucinda on the day he had been informed of his newly appointed position. "I should like to have you by my side,during that time, but I understand if you do not wish to leave Vinoli and everyone we know behind for so long."
"Of course I'll come with you" Lucinda had replied. "Although, there is one thing that I'm wondering about."
"What is it?"
"Well, Guanaca is where your father died. Are you sure that going there won't bring back sorrowful memories?"
"That is one of the reasons I decided to accept this assignment" Felix had said. "I feel that I need to see the place where he spent his final hours with my own eyes."
That was the reason Felix had given to his spouse, but the truth was that he had another motive for taking on this job, as well. One that he had not shared with anyone, not even Lucinda. For some time now, the iguana had felt an increasingly stronger desire to get away from the royal court and especially from the person who ruled over it.
All his life, Felix had believed what he had been told regarding the circumstances surrounding the death of his father, Manfred; that it had been an unfortunate accident, nothing more. Lately, however, feelings of doubt had begun to make cracks in this version of events. It had been told by the current Queen, after all.
Felix did not want to believe that Argath had had anything to do with his father's death, since he was a child, she had always shown him considerate kindness. In fact, when Felix first got his seat on the King's Council, wicked tongues had whispered that he owed his position primarily to his mother being the Crown-Princess' lover. Later, when he got a family of his own, that kindness had extended to them. Still, when he looked at the way she had run her kingdom since she came to power, not to mention anything else she may or may not have had a hand in, Felix had to ask himself: Would Argath be capable of assassinating someone she saw as romantic rival? And he had to admit to himself that the answer to that question was most likely a 'yes'.
Had he been the hero of a melodramatic play or novel, Felix would not have hesitated to avenge the murder of his father. But of course, he was not and besides real life was generally more messy and complicated.Felix had only been a small child when his father had died and while he remembered being sad when he realized he would never see his 'papa' again, that sadness had gradually faded over the years, only returning on certain occasions; such as when the twins were born and Felix had realized that his children would never meet their grand-father. If he was honest with himself, Felix had been more broken up about his mother's passing, which had happened during his adult years.
Besides, the possibility existed that the Queen had told the truth. Maja, Felix' mother had believed in her version of the events and surely, not even Argath would lie to the one person she had claimed to love romantically? Such were the thoughts that swirled through Felix' brain, and with this in mind, its not surprising that he did not pay as much attention to the main event.
The Wedding ceremony had almost reached its conclusion. The Vows had been said and now the groom and the High-Priest, a sad-faced basset, were looking at the bride; waiting for her to make the excepted gesture.
It was tradition that a Guanacan wedding ceremony would conclude with the bride kneeling in front of the groom, as a sign of submission. In return, the groom would place his paw on her head and tell her to rise. Argath had known about this custom and although she had shrugged it off at first (after all, she had bowed plenty of times to her father, without meaning it), now that the time had come to perform this act though, her ego rebelled against the idea. Why should she, the older and more accomplished ruler, kneel before Faljan? If it had not been for her, he would not even be King. He should be the one getting down on his knees.
Argath looked at Faljan.In his paws he held a silver tiara, signifying her status as his Queen-Consort, which he was to put on her head. The Look in his eyes was almost pathetic. Please, it seemed to plead. My people are watching, let me have this.
To those assembled, it seemed at first that the Queen had swallowed her pride and the Vinolian guests watched in astonishment, as their monarch began to, with almost deliberate slowness, lower her massive body to the floor. Then, just before her knee touched the stones, Argath rose and with one quick gesture, snatched the tiara from Faljan's hands and crowned herself with it.
The Guanacans in the audience were astonished; they had never seen anything like this before and it was then, that it truly dawned on most of them, that Guanaca's days as a sovereign kingdom had come to an end. That foreign soldiers currently marching through its streets were here to stay. True, most of them would go away, but they would never disappear entirely.
For a moment, they could do nothing but stare in silence and then, from among them, a voice could be heard, singing. It was faint at first, but gradually grew in strength. Then, it was joined by another voice and another, until the temple was filled with the sound of Guanaca's national anthem.
Naturally, the Vinolians were not about to let such an act of defiance go unchallenged and soon, there were two anthems battling for supremacy. As he stood up singing with his fellow countrymen, Felix noticed that there were two among them that had not joined in: One was Nasari, who was standing a bit further away, with the Queen's bridesmaids. The Other was her husband, Jeraddin remained seated, arms crossed over his chest and a scowl on his face.
