Road to the Crown

15th April 1574

"You look incredibly well, my lord!"

Standing in the middle of the spacious room in one of the taverns inside the Pilzno, I was watching myself in the mirror, as a crowd of maidservants along with my oldest retainers were making sure that all parts of my official dress were in place.

With no suits or anything similar that could serve as the universal wedding dress, most of the nobles would choose either their best kontus along with the best quality of the secondary clothes, but in my case, my position as the titular officer in the crown's army, allowed me to wear my military suit, far more comfortable and suited for the proceedings.

Similar to the kontus in its look, it was actually made with far more reasonable thinking, aimed to not hinder anyone in battle, while retaining its looks. And just like kontus would be held by the sizeable kontus belt, every single part of my clothing was capable of supporting itself on my body, rather than relying on additions to stay in place.

"So it really came to this…"

Looking at the brownish tone of my armless jacket, I couldn't help but think about the future. Since I never married in my life on earth, I wasn't really sure what to expect from how my life as a husband would change, now that I was about to tie the know.

With the brewing line for the premium beer finished right on time, not only did I manage to go back to the Pilzno in time to ensure Elia wouldn't panic just before the ceremony, worried I decided to ditch her in the last moment, but even the new batch of beer, created fully by my brewery rather than the system, managed to find its way to the kitchen where the feast would soon take place on time.

"Sir, do you think you are ready? While we still have some time, it would be proper for you to show up beforehand, in order to cleanse your mind with a prayer!"

As opposed to my direct retainers, a priest that was in charge of the entire ceremony spoke from the corner of the room. Considering how religious this age was, it was only to be expected that I would be pressured to spend even more time in the church than necessary, so I had no way of avoiding this boring duty.

"I wish my father could see me now…"

Instead of replying, I threw the last glance at my reflection in the huge mirror brought here all the way from the capital city of Krakow, before throwing a short cape to the back and turning on the heel of my shoe. Stepping forward, I pushed the doors open and lead the sizeable entourage that would escort me to the doorstep of the church outside of the inn.

While it was still kind of a novel tradition, rather than reaching for the church together, I decided to separate from Elia, as if only willing to see her at the threshold of the sanctuary where we would exchange our vows. Even if not yet as popular as it would become in later ages, it was already well-known enough for people to understand the meaning behind this symbolic move, aimed to claim that from now on, I was only willing to see Elia as my wife, rather than my fiancee.

As soon as we get out of the inn, a row of horses decorated with all sorts of flowers attached to their hair and saddles were already waiting for us. Mounting my trusty Helga, I could tell that even this smart animal was enjoying the moment, as her hoves picked up a slow, majestic pace, starting the glorious march towards the central point of the town.

Looking around, I could see how much effort all the townsmen did in decorating their homes. Those who were of too low status to fit in the chapel were already hanging their upper bodies from the windows while cheering on my conduct.

But while this was in itself quite a loud set of actions, when a few moments later I heard a wave of insane cheers coming from the other side of the Town, I realised how beautiful Elia had to look for the townsmen to react in this way!

Even though I was quite eager to see her with my own eyes, the grandeur of this ceremony would be spat at if I dared to hurry my horse, subjecting me to the cruel fate of holding myself back.

Thankfully, the city was too small to make this ordeal last longer than my self-restraint could hold, bringing me towards the main doors of the local church in a matter of just a few minutes.

At this point, there was no longer a reason to stay on the back of my horse. Throwing my leg over Helga's head, I jumped off onto the street, with my landing softened by a thick layer of flower petals dressing the street itself. Just a few moments later, I could finally feast my eyes on Elia, as her carriage took the last turn before the church, revealing her in the dress that I especially ordered for this very day.

To be honest, seeing it on the paper, and seeing it on her own flesh, was a completely different experience. While there was no rule ordering the bride to wear herself in white, by combining the slight blue hue obtained from some exotic dyes, with the whiteness of the purest wool that we could find in the entire region, embroiled with the thin, golden threads holding the entire one-piece together, the group of craftsmen I tasked with creating this masterpiece really outdid themselves!

As soon as the carriage reached the point where Elia would depart from it, I instantly approached it and helped her out.

"You… I don't even have proper words to express how beautiful you look right now."

Looking her directly in the eyes, I ignored how light her skin was, how her hair, allowed to flow freely down her back for the very first time since I met her, contrasted with the whiteness of the dress. At this moment, I couldn't help but just be ensnared by her eyes, deeper than the greatest ravine existing in this poor world.

"Thanks."

While I could see her lips moving slightly, as if she wanted to kiss me right here and now, doing so in front of the immense crowd gathered around, especially when the tradition set the time for it at the very last moment of the ceremony would be simply improper. With no other choice than to hold ourselves back, I took her hand, and lead her to the doors of the chapel.

With Al instantly passing a small box to my free hand, I momentarily freed my own palm from Elia's grasp, and opened a small, decorated container and showed it to the head priest of the church.

With both of the priest's hands busy, as he held a holy bible in his right one and the wedding ring in his left one, his simply raised his left palm above the box, and closed his eyes as his lips silently recited the words of a blessing.

"Mike Terrna of Tarnow, are you of age?"

Despite my looks clearly enough to answer this question, I simply put the box to my left hand, grabbing Elia's with my right one before raising my head and replying confidently.

"Yes."

"Mike Terrna of Tarnow, are you connected by blood to the Elia Pekta of Pilzno?"

"No, I'm not."

"Mike Terrna of Tarnow, did your guardians and family allowed this marriage?"

"Yes, they did."

With the priest's head now turning to Elia, he asked her exactly the same questions, not because there was any doubt about any of the answers, but simply because that's what the tradition made him do.

"Then. Mike Terrna of Tarnow and Elia Pekta of Pilzno, are you entering this sacred bond willfully, with no external pressure forcing you to do it?"

This time, the priest turned to the two of us, only to hear the word 'yes' coming out of our mouths at the same time.

"Good. You can say your vows then."