Page 85 of Veil of Winter

“I will say a few words, and then Astrid and I wish to be married as soon as possible. You and Sir Gerard and Sir Oswalt can be our witnesses, if you are willing.”

“Tonight?” Elyce asked, joy welling inside her. She remembered the look of love on Astrid’s face when she gazed at Bertold.

“Yes, if Father Johannes will do the honor of officiating. We can have a larger wedding at the cathedral in Valkenfeld later.”

“I am very happy for you,” Sir Gerard said, clapping Bertold on the back.

“Thank you. And I owe this to you and Princess Elyce. If you had not taken shelter in my cabin and forced yourselves onme and my hospitality, I might never have known that Astrid was alive. I never would have come back from the deathlike existence I was living. I owe you a great debt.”

“I am overjoyed that the two of you have found each other again.” Elyce clasped his hand. “And I owe you my thanks, all my people and I. For even though I regret that your brother had to die, and I am very sorry that you have lost your brother and the good man he could have been, he is also no longer a threat to our peace and safety. Thank you for standing up to him.”

“It is a duty I would have liked to forgo. I found no pleasure in killing him, but at the same time, he had allowed himself to become a pawn of evil, and I cannot be sorry for what I did.”

Bertold’s jaw was stony and set, but even that hardness seemed to betray his true feelings of mourning and regret.

Elyce went out to speak to her people, accompanied by Sir Gerard, who stayed behind her, looking watchful, and Bertold, who spoke for a few minutes after she had finished.

It all seemed unreal, like a dream or a hazy memory, though she’d never imagined the things that had taken place today. To take over from her father, while he was still alive, and be crowned queen... She’d never heard of such an event at any time in the history of her beloved country, or in any other country, for that matter. Did she even want to be queen? But she wanted what was best for her people, and she would do her best for them.

Sir Gerard had said he had no plans to go back to England, but what would come next for them? Could she even marry a foreigner as the Queen of Montciel?

She still didn’t know if Sir Gerard might want to marry her.

***

Gerard and Princess Elyce were the happy witnesses of the wedding of Bertold, the new King of Valkenfeld, and his love, Astrid. Throughout the ceremony, Gerard stood quite close to Princess Elyce and kept hold of her hand in the crook of his arm.

Later, they had a small feast for the happy pair in the Great Hall, but Gerard could hardly take his eyes off Princess Elyce. She seemed even more beautiful than ever, more confident, more at peace with herself. But perhaps he was only imagining it. Since their shared kiss in the chapel, he had not been alone with her, even for a moment, but he could think of little else besides kissing her again.

In a few days she would be the Queen of Montciel. Why would she wish to be with a foreign knight who had nothing of his own besides his sword and a modest amount of coin? How would it feel to marry a queen? Would he be respected only as the husband of the monarch?

He couldn’t help loving her. He knew her not as a queen, but as a lovely young woman of passion and true humility, who cared about people for the simple fact that they were human beings and had feelings of their own. And she was humble and aware of her own shortcomings, so devoid of conceit that she seemed to struggle to fathom that he could find her tears anything but loathsome.

But her father, that toad of a man, had done that to her, had disapproved of her whenever she expressed an honest emotion. What an atrocity, to so belittle her in that way. If her feelingshad been selfish and out of control, or cruel, lashing out at those around her, then he could understand why her father would reprimand her, but that was not the case.

When the feast was nearing an end and the newly married bride and groom bid them a good night, the princess smiled at him.

“It is late and I’m tired. I’m going to my room now.”

“May I accompany you to your door?”

“You may.”

The way she smiled at him made his heart beat faster.

They rose from the table as everyone wished them both a good night.

As they left the Great Hall and headed for the stairs, Princess Elyce slipped her hand into his. He squeezed it gently.

“What a strange day it has been,” she said.

“Yes. I hope you are not too fatigued from it all.”

“I just need a good night’s sleep, I think.”

When they reached her door, she faced him and said, “I know you have family in England, but... do you think you could ever make Montciel your home?”

He was not sure how to answer, even though it was the very thing he’d been pondering for days.