The King with Six Friends

Part Three: The Wedding in the Walls

"Kiera?" whispered a familiar voice from the other side.

"Zar?" she said, crossing the room to open it. Alone in the corridor, Zar stood barefoot in his nightclothes with a candle in his hand. He had dark circles under his eyes and his hair was bedraggled. "What are you doing awake?" Kiera asked. As if she had room to speak.

"Can I stay up with you? I need to talk to you about something." Zar went in and Kiera shut the door behind him. She lit another candle on the bedside table and sat cross-legged on the bed. Zar sat across from her. For a minute or two, they watched the candles waver in the room's drafts.

"We need to get married," Zar muttered under his breath.

Kiera thought she'd misheard him. "I'm sorry, what?"

Zar made a face like he didn't realize he was talking out loud. He put a hand to his temple. "I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry." He slowly sighed and brought his fingers down over his mouth. "I was just thinking, and I think you should know what I've been thinking about." He rubbed his eyes. He looked like he hadn't seen sleep in days; he likely hadn't.

"War isn't something to be taken lightly, people are going to die. A lot of people died in the last battle I was in. Some of them were my friends. I'm probably going to die-"

"Don't say that, you're not going to die," Kiera sharply chided. She twisted the bed sheets around her hand.

"If Erik wants me dead, and I'm sure he does, I might very well be dead within the next month. The point is, Kiera-" Zar sighed with somberness- "In the case that I die, Erik would legally be the next heir in line for the throne, and then where would we be? If anyone deserves to rule the South Kingdom, it's you. I wanted to change some of those laws about the inheriting, but that takes time I don't have."

"I don't want to talk about you dying," Kiera muttered. "I don't even want to think about it."

"Fine then. But tonight's my last night before the legions leave, so I need to get a few more things off my chest."

Kiera felt a lump tighten in her throat. "Zar, please-"

"I love you, Kiera," Zar rambled. "I didn't know it until the party, but I know it now more than ever. And I'm sorry I didn't say anything before now. If you don't feel the same, then please tell me. I don't usually say my mind very often, so I want-"

Kiera silenced him with a kiss on the mouth. She took his face in her cold hands. "Of course I love you, you fool." She pulled him into a tight hug. Zar held so still she thought he had fallen asleep on her shoulder.

Zar stirred and gazed at her with his tired eyes alight. "Now I know this isn't a dream, because that felt real." He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his palms. "God, I'm so tired. I can't think straight."

"Then let's get married before reason comes again," Kiera said, hopping off the bed "Right now."

Zar raised his eyebrows with surprise. "Right now?" A lop-sided grin spread across his face.

"Right now," she affirmed, "I'll wake the priest." She opened the door and glanced around the empty hallway.

"I could find some rings." Zar walked with her down the corridor. "Where are we going to do it?"

"I think-" Kiera started, "I think we should do it in the walls. That's where we were first truly alone with each other. And it'd be ironic, I think, to have it in secret. Every other part of our lives has been so open and public."

"It sounds perfect." Zar gave her a short peck on the lips. "I'll meet you there." He jogged off into the dark corridor.

She felt her throat tighten again. Zar was going off to war, possibly never coming back again, and all he was thinking about was her. And they were getting married.

She'd always imagined her father walking her down the aisle, but he wasn't here. She'd always thought she was going to marry a greasy, foreign prince whose only interest was in the treasury. In reality, she was marrying an honest, steady, ridiculously handsome man.

She couldn't imagine herself being with anyone else than Zar. He was the only one who hadn't left her yet.

Yet.

He was leaving her in the morning. Years of anticipated happiness could be snuffed out in a moment and she would be alone again. Was this what love felt like? Was this what it felt like to be loved? It was wonderful and terrible all at the same time.

~   ~   ~

The priest dusted plaster off his robes. "Are you sure you want to do this? Here and now?" He glanced warily at a spiderweb on the ceiling.

"Yes. Here and now," Kiera affirmed.

"Perhaps it'd be better if-" The priest trailed off but didn't finish. It was late and it didn't look like the couple was about to change their minds. "Oh, all right then." He opened his book and began reading the rituals and rites.

Zar stood facing Kiera between the musty inner walls. He was so tired his eyes kept drifting into empty space. He repeatedly saw Kiera's head gradually fall and then snap back up again. They were both beyond exhausted, but they were here together. Her hands were cold in his.

As the priest droned away, Zar pondered about what would come of this marriage. Children, possibly. That was a scary thought. Maybe people would hate him for marrying the princess in secrecy. It would be nothing new if they hated him. He would be spending a lifetime with an interesting, funny, beautiful woman as his wife. It felt right.

For just a moment, Zar forgot where he was going in the morning. He wasn't thinking about the war ahead. Then, a sickening remembrance came back to him.

Kiera saw his posture slump and his eyes dim. She put a hand against his face.

"Zar, what's wrong?" she whispered.

"I'm scared," Zar muttered hollowly.

Kiera's brows drew together. "Me too."

The priest still recited the text. ". . . 'will you honor your husband, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?'" the priest asked Kiera.

"No," she said bluntly. The priest did a double-take. "I want it to be forever. I'm not sure how much time we'll have 'until death do we part.' Death seems too soon." Zar nodded.

"Erm," The priest hurriedly skimmed over his book. "'til. . . the end of times?" he said, hesitantly glancing at the two of them.

"I do," Kiera said. The priest looked to Zar.

"I do," Zar said.