Chapter 285 - Before the Marriage Ritual (Part 2)

Although it was called the side room, it was actually located across the main room. Vaughn walked to that room without looking back. He knew that Zenia was looking at his back. He was afraid that he might run back to where Zenia was when he turned around to look at her.

When he reached the side room, he entered it and closed the door quickly behind him. He sighed and walked slowly to the bed where he lied down for a while. He closed his eyes and tried to visualize the sword dance that Zander did on his wedding day.

The moves were not complicated, and he knew how to dance anyway. It was mandatory that every member of the Royal Family of Tissuria should learn to dance. There were lots of traditions and celebrations in Tissuria and dancing had always been a part of their culture.

Back at the temple, the people were busy preparing the venue for the marriage ritual. The Chief Elder ordered the young steward to prepare his new robe for the ceremony.

"I have a feeling that this day is going to be special indeed."

"Yes, Chief Elder. I will make sure that everything is prepared well."

It had been so long since they last held such a wedding. To be precise, the last marriage ritual that the Chief Elder had officiated was the wedding of the King and Queen of Shadora. However, the blissful union soon went awry when the King began accepting the women that some kingdoms and tribes in Shadora had offered to be his concubines. Ever since that day, everything started to fall apart. The Chief Elder was hoping that the marriage ritual of Vaughn and Zenia would bring back the sanctity of marriage in their kingdom.

The Chief Elder had already warned the King of Shadora that great disaster would befall them if the King would continue accepting concubines. The King kept refusing to heed the Chief Elder's warning and indulged himself in the company of different beauties almost every day.

The King had totally forgotten that their Kingdom was prosperous because they never ceased to receive the blessings from heaven. Since ancient times, the people of Shadora put great importance on love and marriage. The Elder Chief always had a feeling that their kingdom had always been under the protection of a divine power that relied on the people's enormous belief in love and marriage. 

They received a huge blessing when the King and Queen got married. They were deeply in love and nothing seemed to separate them. The first fifteen years of their marriage brought Shadora its abundant wealth. Everything started to decline when the King was forced to receive his first concubine. Soon, hordes of women fought for the King's affection.

The Chief Elder and the rest of the elders tried to find out where the rumor had started regarding the disappearance of divorced couples who got married in Shadora. They had no evidence that it was true, but the people already believed it. Instead of doing everything they could to make the marriage work, the younger generation had decided that cohabitation was a better choice. They could do what married couples do and just separate when they no longer feel like spending their lives with each other. They moved out, moved on, and moved into the arms of the new lover.              

The Queen grew weary and no longer cared about the King's affairs. Her position as Queen was the only reason she was able to stay with the King. She did not want anyone to snatch that position from her. They could snatch her husband but not her position, and she made it clear with the King. They arrived at a mutual agreement to co-exist as rulers of Shadora.

The Queen was an intelligent, sensible woman. She was not someone who would let her emotions get in her way when making decisions. The King did not want to lose such an ally. It was the Queen who always came up with great ideas regarding Shadora's welfare.

All the good things in Shadora were all because of the Queen. Only the King, Queen, Chief Elder, and a few trusted advisors knew that for a fact. It was also the reason why the King would always refuse his current favorite's request for changing the Queen. They all thought that it was the King who made the good things in Shadora possible. The Kingdom of Shadora was no longer receiving the same amount of blessings from heaven. They only continued to prosper because they learned how to manage their economy through the Queen's effort, and many old families still believe in familial love.

The Chief Elder sighed when he recalled those times. Shadora was a wealthy and rich Kingdom, but their morals were slowly declining. Chief Elder knew that if the younger generation would believe in the sanctity of marriage once more, they could still have hope for the future. Their wealth meant nothing if people's morals would keep declining. They might be enjoying a prosperous life now, but it would soon perish when heaven had decided to let them disappear due to their low morals.

The Chief Elder was counting on Vaughn and Zenia's marriage ritual to spark the interest of the young people to believe in love and the sanctity of marriage once more. He was hoping to receive heaven's blessings once more.

Vaughn did not go out of the room even when some maids arrived at their temporary home.

"Madam, Chief Elder sent us to help you with your preparation," the Lead Maid then beckoned the servant girls behind her to bring in the wedding suit and dress, and continued, "These are the clothes that you must wear in the marriage ritual. We will come back together with some stewards later to help you two to dress-up."

Zenia shook her head, "Please don't bother. We can manage. We only want something simple. We don't even need to wear accessories."

Zenia gave the Lead Maid a warm smile, and they no longer insisted.

"As you wish, Madam. The ritual will start an hour after sunset. We will come to fetch the two of you and bring you the venue."

The servants left, and Zenia looked at the closed door where Vaughn was staying. She could hear the sound of a sword hitting something. She just hoped that he would not take the whole room apart when he finished practicing the sword dance. She wanted to ask him if he would like some assistance, but she also thought that it might hurt his pride. She smiled. No matter what his sword dance would look like, she would still love him nonetheless.

Zenia looked out the window and estimated that the sun would set in a few hours. Vaughn should present his sword dance before that. In a little while, the side room went silent. She did not think that something must've happened to him. She was certain that he was already satisfied with his moves.

Zenia laid the wedding suit and dress on the bed and smiled.

A few hours from now they would be wearing them. She changed into a more formal dress to witness the sword dance. She put some of her hair up in a bun and let some of it cascade down her back. She just put powder on her face to keep it smooth and to take away the shine. She did not wear any makeup.

She went out of the room without closing it and then went out of the house. She walked the path leading to the designated place where they agreed to perform the sword dance. She sat on a chair and waited while looking at the orange-colored sky. The sun would be setting soon.

Vaughn changed into the suit that Zander had suggested when doing the sword dance. The suit would not hinder his movements. He looked at himself before a mirror and was satisfied. He sheathed his sword and walked out of the room.

The first thing he noticed was the opened door of the main room. He smiled and did not check whether Zenia was still inside the room. He understood that Zenia left it open to tell him that she was already waiting in their rendezvous.

He went out of the house and trod the same path that Zenia did a while ago. He saw his wife looking at the direction of the sea. She looked calm while he was feeling very nervous at the moment.

Zenia noticed his presence and looked at him. The sun was beginning to go down behind her. She looked so beautiful, and Vaughn held his breath. She did not say anything and just waited for him patiently.

Zenia knew that it would be quite difficult to do the dance since there wouldn't be accompanying music. They agreed to play the music in their mind and imagine that there was one.

Vaughn bowed his head and began to move. Zenia knew that the music had begun playing in Vaughn's mind. She was able to synchronize with his thoughts and a beautiful tune filled the air.

Vaughn's dance was enchantingly beautiful. It was unrefined and sometimes clumsy, but in Zenia's eyes, it made the sword dance lovelier than it should. He was not from Ishelon where men had been practicing it ever since they were young. He just recently learned it, but he was able to convey his innermost feelings and affection to his wife.

A tear began to form at the corner of Zenia's eye. She could feel how he was trying his best to give her a beautiful sword dance that she wanted. He nearly lost his sword when he turned but was able to improvise and caught the sword once more. It was well and good.

The dance ended at the same time that the music stopped playing in Zenia's mind. Vaughn stood there panting. He was watching Zenia and was waiting for her response.

She stood up and walked to where he was. She put her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her face and kissed his lips. Vaughn let go of the sword and put his arms around Zenia's waist. They shared a passionate kiss while the sun was beginning to set.