Flame Paladin's Wedding Day
Wedding Day
-Everyone gathers in the castle walls
-All dressed up like they're going to a ball.
-And indeed, they meet in the ballroom
-Awaiting the arrival of the bride and the groom.
-Trumpets and horns a-sound in the air
-Preparing the way with royal fanfare.
-The King, the groom, the husband-to-be
-Wears a green robe embroidered with leaves.
-Accompanied by an array of knights,
-He marches in with a confident stride.
-Then arrives the strange new bride
-From a foreign land across the tide.
--
-Her entrance, entranced them
-More than an enchantress.
-Enthralled, flabbergasted
-The band stopped, breathless.
-Her dress was gnarled, twisted and curled.
-And smelled of sulfur bequeathed of flame.
-Her hair singed and frayed; her skin, withered.
-A scroll smudged with ash read her name.
-"Introducing Clarissa of De-Wah."
-"She hails from that island nation."
-"She brings..." then he trailed off.
-Somehow, the temperature's risen.
--
-The gaze of the crowd lingered over her eyes,
-Dead, without passion.
-No color in her face, no hint of surprise.
-Her face displayed no emotion.
-This woman, this bride, may not seem very nice,
-But the people considered her attractive.
-Her temperature’s hot, her temperament not—she seemed cold and lifeless.
-The contrast between her appearance and apparel drew interest—though she was inactive.
-She sat in a chair held in the air by servants.
-A parasoul held over her glows with inner heat.
-It’s a personal radiator. She shivers while others sweat.
-Behind her trails great waves of hair and her cape.
--
-Her grand arrival was more a parade
-Which consisted of her personal entourage.
-They swung her robes in ripples and waves
-Causing the creases to wriggle, alive without pause.
-Then a traitor gave up his charade.
-A man burst from the crowd planning things worse than espionage.
-Charging towards who would soon be queen,
-The man drew a shield and a sword from his sheath.
-Emblazoned and bold, to the bride he drew close,
-Who was stoick and still, and white as a ghost.
-The man, unashamed, slashed his sword with a scream,
-But to everyone’s surprise, the bride dodged the swing.
-Terror in his eyes, the man watched in horror.
-The bride pulled the top off her parasoul.
-The woman of flame held her own sword before her..
-Her shield, red hot, shook with ripples.
--
-A battle commenced.
-An one-on-one duel.
-As experts, they fenced.
-But it was a ruse.
-Behind the king crept
-A traitorous guard
-To stab him to death.
-He wanted his blood.
-A glimmer of light.
-A metallic shard.
-The blur of a knife
-Caught the king off-guard.
-A clink of metal.
-He didn’t hit flesh.
-It was plate chainmail.
-King took off his dress.
--
-Under robes of decorum
-He hid his identity.
-Not the king they knew and loved,
-But the queen he would marry.
-The crowd was stunned to silence.
-The sounds of the battle ceased.
-The clone queens faced assassins.
-The first queen put sword to sheath.
-In a single swift motion
-She threw her sheath in the air
-And dropped her plate, exposing
-Her as king, causing much fear.
--
-The bride caught the flailing sword
-And cut down the man she distracted.
-The king shook hands with whom he warred,
-Who was not really an assassin.
-The crowd was uneasy, unsure and confused.
-And honestly, can you really blame them?
-The king and queen spent time in each others’ shoes.
-All to kill an assassin.
-The man with whom the king had fought
-The man who was still alive,
-Gave a speech to clear everything up.
-This is how he summarized.
--
-“We intercepted a conspiracy,”
-“A plan to kill the king.”
-“On the wedding day, one would make a scene.”
-“During the distraction,”
-“A guard would go and stab him.”
-“We could not let this be.”
-“We disguised the bride and the groom as each other.”
-“The ‘bride’ would fight the squire.”
-“The real queen is whom the assassin would go after.”
- “She is is talented with greater marital prowess”
- “She’d survive and save her husband.”
-“This is what we desire.”
--
-“Any questions?” asked the squire, a young man with such potential.
-But before any could respond, a blizzard crashed through the window.
-This was strange indeed,
-For storms shouldn’t shatter glass.
-But what was more concerning
-Was the booming sound of a crash.
-Curiosity got the best of the crowd as they peeped through the crater,
-For gale force gusts with tons of snow tore down the walls like paper.
--
-Clarissa De-Wah strode out of the room,
-The snow around her melting away.
-And though she smelled strongly of sulfurous fumes,
-She was going to save the day.