Age of War: Book One - Alliance of Wolves

Chapter Twenty Six - The Wedding

Drew had never dreaded a day so much in his life. His remaining time as an unmarried, living, man was slipping away like sand. And no matter how he filled his time, he couldn't stop thinking about the wedding either. He'd barely slept and drank far too much and would rather gouge his eyes out with a spoon than see Amber.

But the wedding still grew closer, closer, closer. It would be a small event, and there would be no celebration of any sort. After all, what did they have to celebrate? The ceremony wouldn't even take place in a temple, as was traditional. There was no way Drew would go into one.

The day of the tragedy dawned cold and wet, truly a fall day. The darkened pallor of the angry clouds reflected the storm in Drew's mind as he slogged through his work. He was able to train that morning and took on Marty. The two of them raged up and down the courtyard, no noise issuing from them but grunts and heavy breathing. Drew slashed away with a fury, paying no mind to the bystanders or the worry in Marty's eyes.

Again and again he brought his sword down, the clang of metal on metal ringing through the whole courtyard. He struck and swung and stabbed, speeding up with each move, putting more force behind each blow. Marty began moving back, alarmed, but Drew didn't notice.

Again and again and again, the force the force of the impact running up his arms, his hands slowly going numb. Sweat ran down into his eyes, blinding him as effectively as his rage was.

Again and again and again- until Marty's sword shattered.

The pieces flew everywhere- including Marty's face. For a moment, they stood in open-mouthed shock, both breathing hard, the blood running down Marty's cheek and neck.

"Crows!" Drew disappeared his sword. "Are you okay? By the gods- I'm so sorry. How deep is that?" Marty grabbed the small piece embedded in his face, gritting his teeth and pulling it out in one go.

"No too bad." He gave the shard a look before tossing it aside. "I'll be fine." Already the wound was beginning to heal over. Yet another thing Drew had stopped asking about. "I think you need to find a new form of stress relief though. Ever tried punching a wall?"

"Yes; I broke it."

"Well, never mind then." Marty wiped at his face. "You should probably go. It's getting close to evening, and you need a bath."

A knot twisted itself in Drew's stomach. It'd been there all week, but it'd been growing more tangled with each day. "I know." He dropped his sword into his pocket, turning towards the castle doors.

Marty walked beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It won't be as bad as you think."

"Says the one not being forced into marriage."

"Just remember, as scared as you are-"

"I didn't say I was-" Marty gave him a look. "Alright, fine. I'm scared. I've never done anything like this! I never had a sweetheart, hell, I've never even held hands with someone! And now this?"

"Just remember Drew," he softened his voice as they entered the cast;e, wary of echoey halls. "As scared as you are, Amber is ten times more so. And you already know how she deals with fear." Damn right I do. "Don't let her words get to you. She doesn't mean them."

"I'm pretty sure she meant every single one the other night." Marty pressed his lips together in a narrow line. Thought he hadn't witnessed Amber's tirade, he'd heard about it from both Drew and Blaze.

"Give her some grace. Her whole world has been turned upside down."

They stopped outside Drew's door. "But what good does it do if she doesn't give me any grace in return?"