Traitor's Masque (57 page)

 
Epilogue
 

It was not a lavish wedding, at least not by the usual standards of the nobility. The bride wore simple white satin, which made her look washed out and did nothing for her long, unbound chestnut hair. There were roses, but only because it was summer and they were easy to come by. The bride did not particularly like roses.

There were very few guests in attendance. Not because no one wished to be there, but because the groom had not bothered to invite very many people. The king, of course, sat in the front row, the suspicious glint of pride in his eyes not quite masked by his unwavering expression of kingly dignity. The bride’s grandmother did not appear to smile either, though the people who knew her best would have asserted that she was dangerously close to tears. Next to her, looking severely uncomfortable, was a bearded, gray-haired man with his arm in a sling. Several parties speculated that his disgruntlement may have arisen from a dispute about the necessity of weapons at a royal wedding. The groom’s aunt also sat close at hand, shedding copious tears and clinging to the arm of her beaming husband, while the groom’s cousin was observed putting something unpleasant down the back of his sister’s dress, the nature of which has yet to be discovered.

There were a few other guests, relatives of the groom and friends of the bride, many of whom it was rumored were no more than servants, although this was never actually confirmed. And far to the back of the modest hall where the ceremony was performed, one might have even seen a small woman veiled heavily in black. Though it was popularly believed that she was in fact the bride’s stepmother, the woman would never admit to having been present, thereby forcing interested parties to gossip endlessly about the matter whenever she was absent.

The bridesmaid, a stout, dark-haired young woman with a pronounced tendency to giggle nervously at every turn, appeared to approve of the proceedings, though in truth, she generally appeared to approve of everything. Especially the groomsman. That young, blond nobleman took great pains to avoid his female counterpart and seemed, though not overflowing with congratulations, grudgingly pleased with the groom’s choice and perhaps, it must be said, a trifle jealous.

After the ceremony, the clearly happy royal couple rode away together on a singularly fine bay horse, if only as far as the royal coach waiting for them on the outskirts of town. The groom admitted sheepishly to having given instructions for the second horse to be returned to the stable, as the ruse seemed to have worked so well for him on the occasion of his proposal. His princess scowled with no conviction whatsoever at his temerity and promised retribution, even as she admitted to herself that she had no actual objection to sharing a horse.

Predictably, their next few months were not so simple as fairy tales would make them. There were plenty of protests, complaints and dissenting opinions. There were even those who speculated that such a marriage, founded upon such strange circumstances, could never last. These obstreperous persons were quite studiously ignored by anyone intimately familiar with the events that had brought the prince and his princess together. No matter how strange or how brief their courtship, they had learned the hardest lessons of love long before they said their vows. And though their ever-afters would bring them both happiness and tears, they would choose to face those moments together. Which, in the end, is all that even a fairy tale could ask.

 
Thank you
 

Thank you for reading! I hope Traitor’s Masque was a satisfying journey and that you enjoyed getting to know these characters as much as I enjoyed writing them. If you have any comments or feedback, good or bad, please consider writing a review on Amazon or Goodreads. I love to hear from readers, and reviews are a super important part of planning the future of the series! For a sneak peek at other books in the Andari Chronicles, visit:
http://kenleydavidson.com/books

Coming soon…

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Goldheart

(The Andari Chronicles — Book 2)

Elaine Westover is no one’s idea of a heroine, least of all her own. As a talented artist, she is hired to paint the final portrait of wealthy banker Torbert Melling’s dying wife. When the task he has in mind proves far beyond her skill, he imprisons the timid Elaine in his palatial house until she agrees to attempt it anyway. With her freedom and her livelihood at stake, Elaine has no choice but to accept the aid of a mysterious benefactor who may or may not have her best interests at heart.

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http://KenleyDavidson.com

 
About the Author
 

Kenley Davidson is a story-lover, word-nerd and incurable introvert who is most likely to be found either writing or hiding somewhere with a book. A native Oregonian, Kenley now resides in Oklahoma, where she persists in remaining a devoted pluviophile. Addictions include coffee, roller coasters, more coffee, researching random facts, and reading the dictionary (which is way more fun than it sounds). A majority of her time is spent being mom to two kids and two dogs while inventing reasons not to do laundry (most of which seem to involve books).

 
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