Herald of Shalia 2 Read online

  The four elves wore matching green dresses that Lishri made for the bridesmaids and groom’s women. They looked similar to the dresses that everybody else was wearing except the gold embroidery was much more elaborate. Instead of simply ending at the borders it was like golden vines were swirling up the skirt. Additionally, each dress was custom made for the women to enhance their best features.

  Fayeth’s focused on her chest while Ena’s enhanced everything. The way the gold filigree looped around her hips and beneath her chest reminded him of lingerie. And the way the dresses perfectly conformed to their midsections made them seem almost painted on.

  In fact, Renna’s dress looked entirely painted on. The green strapless dress complimented her tan body and short green hair while leaving little to the imagination. It hugged every inch of her athletic frame and didn’t loosen up until it reached her obscenely high leg slit.

  Shael’s green dress was surprisingly plain compared to the others except for a double slit in the skirt to show off both of the muscular elf’s thick legs. While the top half of Shael’s dress drew as much attention as Fayeth’s, the real showstopper was her long red hair which made the beautiful elf look almost like a rose.

  “Don’t mind Ena,” Renna said in a playful tone. “She’s upset because you turned her down again last night.”

  “Did I?” Frost smirked as the cerulean eyed blonde turned her nose up at him. “I told you that if you want me to join you, just let me know when you’re sober.”

  “I don’t want you to join me,” Ena lied as her face turned red.

  “If you say so,” Frost sighed as he admired the row of gorgeous women.

  “Frost,” Iris hopped excitedly in her spot on Brynn’s side of the altar. The white-haired bunny girl was second in line behind Jasmine who was struggling not to hop herself. “Does my dress look nice?”

  “Madam Gardenia!” Zinnia waved at Madam Gardenia and several jealous looking courtesans. The madam quickly covered her face while trying not to laugh. “We’re in the wedding! See!”

  “Zinnia!” Jasmine turned around and chided the excited Durra. “We’re just supposed to stand here and look pretty!”

  “Sorry,” Zinnia said covering her mouth and attempting to stand still as her tail wagged back and forth. Her dress was surprisingly flowy compared to the others, probably because anything form fitting looked obscene on the curvy dog-eared woman. “I’ll be good.”

  “Everybody looks nice,” Frost said answering Iris’ question. “In fact, you all look absolutely gorgeous.”

  “Even me?” Lishri asked nervously while standing at the tail end of Brynn’s bridesmaids. The nobles shot the redheaded Arachne the dirtiest looks he’d ever seen. Which wasn’t surprising since between the six eyes, fanged mouth, and giant spider body she made most people uncomfortable. “Are you sure it’s okay that I’m up here?”

  “Absolutely,” Frost said while scanning the audience for anybody who might cause trouble later.

  Lishri was probably a shocking choice to the nobles but to Frost it made complete sense. The redheaded Arachne worked tirelessly on ensuring that Brynn had a wedding worthy of her noble status. She created the venue, the dresses, the table clothes, and even napkins. In the end, Brynn insisted that Lishri stand up with her despite the Arachne’s objections.

  “You look beautiful Lishri,” Frost said as the pale Arachne’s face turned pink. The dress she’d tailored for herself was a large green gown that somehow managed to hide most of her spider body. From the front she looked almost like a giant woman. The bustle of the emerald gown was massive and the skirt ended exactly one centimeter off the ground hiding all of her legs while the corset portion showcased her large chest, clearly hoping to draw attention there instead of elsewhere. “Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise.”

  “Herald Frost,” Lishri buried her face in her hands out of embarrassment. “Thank you.”

  Frost looked out at the crowd and it was overwhelmingly made up of irritated humans whispering things while gesturing at the elves and other demihumans. Occasionally, Fiora would fire off a warning glare causing them to be quiet but as soon as she wasn’t looking it started back up again.

  Several nobles were unhappy about the seating arrangements as well as other aspects of the event. They clearly thought the demihumans being given preferential treatment was an insult to their own status and snuck in snide comments whenever they could.

  Frost figured that would happen and the elves even offered to sit near the back as to not offend the visiting nobles. Frost refused that suggestion. Instead, everything was separated into four sections. The two front sections were devoted to guests of Frost and Brynn respectively. The two rear sections were dedicated to visiting nobles.

  At the insistence of Lady Grey, Commander Grey and his wife were sitting in Frost’s section making them the only humans in a sea of elves and demihumans. The woman was a stickler for propriety and since Commander Grey technically served Frost, she insisted that they should sit in his section. He also noticed that Lady Grey and Madam Gardenia seemed to get along rather swimmingly.

  “Herald Frost,” Lysandra said as she rushed to the stage. The stunning white-haired elf was wearing an elegant white priestess robe with gold accents and carrying a large gold ornamental book he hadn’t seen before. “She’s going to be coming along shortly.”

  Frost noticed the final stragglers rushing to their spots. Several of the courtesans had camped out tables in the rear segment and were openly bartering with nobles to sell them the spots. It wasn’t long before all the tables the courtesans staked out were sold.

  “Let’s get this farce over with,” a Ziran priest said as he climbed up onto the stage. The old man looked at the elves with disgust before shooting Frost a hateful glance. “I’m ashamed to be a part of this display.”

  “You don’t have to be,” Lysandra said cheerfully through clenched teeth. “I’m sure Lady Brynn would be happy to convert if it was required to marry the herald. Then we’d only need the one ceremony.”

  “The only thing more disdainful than a princess of Zira marrying a deviant follower of your cursed goddess is her converting to do so,” the priest sneered. “I’d rather deal with this shame than let that happen.”

  “Good on you for taking one for the team,” Frost chuckled while shaking his head.

  Brynn was surprisingly unmovable on the topic of ceremony and insisted on being married by a priest of Ziralia. It was apparently an important part of being considered a legitimate contender for the crown of Zira and Frost didn’t care enough to argue.

  Technically, Frost wasn’t even a worshipper of Shalia despite being her herald. He didn’t really base any of his decisions on what the so-called goddess might want nor did he care. From the bits and pieces he remembered of their conversations she was a nice, but he wasn’t about to build her a temple or anything.

  The elves though, they took being followers of Shalia seriously and insisted Lysandra perform a ceremony. There was a huge argument until finally an agreement was struck to be married by both a priest of Ziralia and Lysandra.

  “It’s starting!” Renna said excitedly as the courtesans started playing music.

  “I’m so excited!” Iris said while trying so hard not to hop that she started trembling. Jasmine looked like she might pass out and Lishri gently held Zinnia’s tail to prevent it from swatting her. “It’s happening, it’s happening, it’s happening.”

  “Shh,” Lysandra chided as the music played.

  The children of the elf village came rushing down the aisle in brightly colored dresses throwing flowers petals as they went. Brynn clearly couldn’t select a single child and opted to include all of the young elves.

  The nobles distanced themselves from the aisle as if concerned that getting touched by an elf child would give them some disease while all the demihuman women smiled and pointed. Robin and Marina looked like they might stand up and cheer when their daughter Emmy came into view. Several other elf couples had similar reactions when their children came down the aisle.

  “Aww,” Iris said while hopping. “They’re so cute!”

  “Shh,” Lysandra chided again.

  “That sound is louder than she is you deaf old crone,” Renna whispered snidely as Lysandra shot her a murderous glare.

  “All of you,” Frost whispered as he glanced around at the group. “Stop it, now.”

  The group managed to compose themselves before Brynn came down the aisle in a gorgeous strapless white gown with silver and gold highlights. She wore similarly decorated white gloves and around her neck was a silver chain with a blue gemstone at the center. Her hair had a gold butterfly pinned on one side and a silver on the other while her metallic shoes had a similar mismatched theme.

  He’d never seen a wedding dress like it. She looked almost like a dragon’s treasure or some artisan’s masterwork. It was a class above legendary. He would have glanced at Lishri for confirmation of its quality but he found himself completely unable to take his eyes off his bride.

  “Herald Frost,” Brynn said in a tone so sweet he thought she might be an imposter as he helped her onto the podium. “I finally have your exclusive attention. It seems Lishri did a good job.”

  “A great job,” Frost said while giving the blushing Arachne and approving nod. Even the nobles found themselves unable to comment after seeing Brynn standing in front of him. Frost noticed Fiora out of the corner of his eye glaring at Lishri like she intended to kidnap the seamstress. “You look amazing.”

  “So do you handsome,” Brynn said while playfully poking one of the buttons of his coat. She wasn’t wrong, his coat was a matching white, gold, and silver but his wasn’t nearly as amazing as hers. It was a basic suit with a long coat and the e
dges were highlighted in either gold or silver. Brynn though, the way she sparkled was like a living treasure. “Are you going to look at me like that the entire time?”

  “Ahem,” the priest cleared his throat while glaring at the two. Brynn took a couple steps backward to create some distance. “We are here today, under the eyes of Ziralia, to witness the union between Princess Brynn Hilde Leaucault and Herald Sebastian Frost. Let us begin with a prayer to thank Ziralia for the just world she provides us.”

  Frost and the elves looked around awkwardly as the humans closed their eyes and began reciting a shockingly long prayer. Brynn smiled and shrugged before closing her eyes to join them. After about two straight minutes of prayer, it was finally over.

  “And now, we’ll begin with a passage from…”

  Frost realized too late that Ziran weddings made catholic weddings look like a commercial break. As it turned out, they were like zero to zero with extra innings baseball game. By the third inning he found himself wishing that he was blackout drunk and by the eighth inning he was praying for it to end.

  Finally, after a nightmarish finish discussing the importance of laws, order, and obedience, they’d reached the important part.

  “To be married is to be bound for life by the most sacred of laws,” the priest paused as Brynn held out her hands for Frost to hold. Once he took them in the priest continued. “To break a vow to each other is to break a vow with Ziralia herself. So, I ask of you both, do you wish to be bound together under the laws of Ziralia?”

  “I do,” Brynn nodded as she stared up at Frost. “Hmm?”

  “Right,” Frost said as he realized the priest wasn’t going to ask him directly. “I do.”

  “Let all here bear witness that these two are bound by Ziralia’s laws,” the priest announced as the crowd of humans excitedly clapped. The elves looked confused as they slowly joined in on the clapping.

  “Ahem,” Lysandra glared at the audience of humans as they started to get up to stretch. They reluctantly sat down as they realized the wedding wasn’t over. “Thank you. Shalia welcomes you as she welcomes all. She gives you her love.”

  “As if we want it,” the priest said under his breath.

  “Whether you like it or not!” Lysandra added loudly. “Even if you hate her, even if you are broken, even if the entire world wants you dead, she loves you. And there’s nothing you can do about it, so there!”

  “Wha,” Frost had to stop himself from laughing as Brynn glared at them both. He tried to maintain his composure as the snowy-haired elf priestess opened her book. She made a face at the two of them and set her giant tome down. Frost leaned toward her and whispered. “Lysandra?”

  “This isn’t right,” Lysandra stepped forward and pushed Brynn and Frost so close together that Brynn’s face was practically in his chest. The humans in the audience murmured as Lysandra grabbed Brynn’s arms and put them around Frost’s neck while adjusting his to be around her waist like they were going to perform a slow dance. “That’s better. Now we can do this right.”

  “Princess Brynn Hilde Leaucault,” Lysandra said cheerfully. “Do you love this man?”

  “Yes,” Brynn said without hesitation.

  “Herald Sebastian Frost,” Lysandra smiled while staring at him. “Do you love this woman?”

  “Yes,” Frost answered.

  “Then demonstrate your love and if it’s sincere let your union be blessed,” Lysandra said while glancing suggestively at Brynn’s lips.

  “Huh?” Brynn said as Frost leaned down and kissed her passionately on the lips. The elves stood up and cheered loudly shocking almost all of the humans in the tent. Lysandra wrapped her arms around them both and moments later Renna, Ena, and everybody else on the podium joined in the hug.

  “Um,” Lishri awkwardly wrapped her arms around them before quickly moving out of the way as other elves come up on the stage. “Congratulations.”

  It was a strange cycle of elves hugging them and moving out of the way so new elves could take their place. At one point he tried to pull away from Brynn to catch his breath only for Lysandra to push them back together as if they were supposed to wait it out. So, Frost continued kissing and hugging Brynn until the entire village had made their rounds.

  “Congratulations,” Lysandra said cheerfully as she finally released them. “You are loved!”

  The elves burst out in another celebratory cheer as the humans looked around more confused than the elves had been during their ceremony. It wasn’t until Fiora began slowly clapping that the rest of the nobles joined in.

  “Hear that handsome?” Brynn laughed while giving him another playful peck on the lips. “You’re loved.”

  “So are you,” Frost teased back while breaking away from the petite bard. “Now for the reception.”

  Almost immediately the courtesans changed to more upbeat music and various scantily clad demihumans came walking out of the dining room carrying large trays of vegetables for the elves and combination platters for the humans. The bottles of wine also started flowing.

  At first the nobles were reluctant to touch anything but once Fiora ate some of her food and drank some of the wine they had no choice but to join in. The last thing they wanted to do was imply that food good enough for a princess wasn’t good enough for them.

  “It was a wonderful ceremony,” Lady Grey said bowing politely as Frost and Brynn made their way past. “Wasn’t it, William?”

  “It was nice,” Commander Grey nodded while glaring at a few nobles becoming belligerent. He nodded in their direction and immediately Sir Adamus and Sir Isaac were in motion. “And we’ll make sure the rest of it is nice as well.”

  “Thank you,” Brynn said cheerfully while hanging from Frost’s arm. She glanced at a pair of elves attempting to flirt with a large Durra male that obviously wanted nothing to do with them. “Although the nobles aren’t the only troublemakers here. I’m just happy to finally be married.”

  “Not just them,” Frost gestured at Slade flirting with four different noble women who appeared ready to fight for the foul-mouthed Baron. “Even with the way he talks, the man can pull can’t it?”

  “Oh,” Brynn shook her head. “Slade won’t be taking any of those women to bed. Their families would disinherit them if they slept with somebody like Slade. They’ll flirt all night, but the poor bastard is going home alone.”

  “Lady Brynn,” Lady Grey said in an authoritative tone. “You should always endeavor to speak like a lady. Especially if you wish to become queen someday. You should also be making rounds.”

  “Right,” Brynn stifled a laugh while gauging where to go next. “We’ll do that.”

  Frost and Brynn wandered the party greeting various nobles who couldn’t care less about meeting either of them. Once the mandatory greetings were finished Frost and Brynn were able to engage the guests they actually enjoyed like the soldiers, courtesans, and most importantly the elves.

  Most of the guests still avoided the elves like they’d catch something if they were around them too long but Frost’s villagers still seemed happy. Especially the ones flirting with the male courtesans hoping to find themselves a husband, even though it quickly became apparent that none of the males had any intention of sleeping with cursed followers of Shalia.

  “You want to say that again?” Ena drunkenly growled at a small Myrran male as he timidly backed away. “For your information I don’t want to sleep with you either. You want to call me cursed? If you ask me Myrran women are cursed to be stuck with tiny cowardly men like you. Run a long little kitty, maybe you can find a mouse to satisfy somewhere.”

  “Ena,” Fayeth pulled away the irritable blonde as Frost and Brynn approached. “There’s no reason to be upset, he’s not worth it, and you have me.”

  “He called us cursed,” Ena pouted while turning to face Frost. “One of your guests called us cursed!”

  “Ahem,” Madam Gardenia politely came up behind them. “I apologize for Coal. He’s tired after a long day and his manners weren’t where they should be.”

  “You can just say he’s a jerk,” Jasmine said as she approached with Iris, Zinnia, and Lishri following behind. “Just because he was requested by a noblewoman once he acts all high and mighty. Well I fucked a herald!” Jasmine pointed at several of the courtesans. “And I was in a royal wedding! How many of you can say that! You all said my shows were stupid but Herald Frost loves my shows! Just last week...”