The next two days went by without any mishaps, and soon, it was the day before the wedding. Philippa and Bardulf were each doing their part to prepare: Bardulf checking off the final details with Lynn who had recovered from her ordeal faster than he could have hoped and Philippa finishing the cake and having the dress fitter look at a few minor details with her in the dress.
Usual tradition would be to have the wedding couple to sleep in separate quarters, but as of recent events, neither wanted Philippa to be alone. The men argued they would be able to take care of the Luna, but the only one to have been possessed was Seth, and the poor man still wasn't sure if he was the right one to protect the Luna alone. So, it was settled that they would sleep together and Bardulf would be awoken extra early so Philippa could get dressed without his eyes.
At evening meal that night, Bardulf took his Luna into a private room where they ate and danced to soft music. Philippa was delighted with this and had a wonderful time alone with him. After the dancing, they went for a walk outside where Philippa remembered how cold it was in Ciza and was woken up by a chilly wind that was not the possessor.
The morning of the wedding, Bardulf left his Luna sleeping and went into another chamber where he was surprised to see Chef Roberts waiting for him. "What's up?" he asked as he went to his armoire for the outfit he'd be wearing.
"Please, don't tell the Luna!" Chef Roberts pleaded.
Bardulf turned to the man to see panic in his eyes. "What's wrong?"
"The cake..."
"What about it?"
Roberts fidgeted. "Well, somehow, I don't know how, and neither do my staff, or the maids..."
"Get to the point."
Chef Roberts swallowed hard. "Well, it is crawling with worms."
"What?" Bardulf was a bit surprised and not amused.
Roberts gestured for the King to follow him and started heading towards the kitchen where one of the staff members waited with trembling hands. "Chef!" the boy called.
"Calm yourself, Tyson."
Bardulf moved passed them into the kitchen and nearly slipped on frosting and little slimy critters with slender bodies. He shook his head, hardly able to believe his eyes. "This can't be happening!" he growled. He turned to Roberts. "How long will it take to make another?"
"Days!"
Bardulf cursed then kicked some worms away from him to watch them fly into some boiling water. He cursed again. "What about a small one? Just for us?"
"I can do that!" Roberts said with newfound hope.
"Decorate it as close to the original as possible. I will explain to Philippa something was wrong with cake you two made and that it wasn't your fault."
"Thank you!" Chef Roberts cried then snapped his fingers. "Alright! Tyson and Brianna, make the frosting. Bernard, make the fondant. I will start on the batter."
Bardulf left them to their work and went back to his temporary chamber. He sighed as soon as he entered it, running his hands through his hair. He hoped nothing else would go wrong.
Philippa woke to Lynn and Dezra shaking her happily. She opened her bleary eyes to the two women and smiled at them. They shoved the covers off and pulled her to her feet. "Come on now!" Dezra exclaimed. "Don't want to be late, do you?"
Philippa shook her head and followed Lynn quickly into the bath chambers. Poor Lynn, hesitated for a moment before Philippa smiled at her, then began helping her Luna into the bath. Dezra, meanwhile set out hair supplies and undergarments and shoes. The dress would be last.
Once Philippa was out of the bath, she was wrapped in Bardulf's robe that was much too large for her, but she wore anyways while Dezra did her hair and Lynn did her fingernails and makeup.
Two hours later, it was time to put on the dress.
Dezra opened the armoire where the dress waited and gasped in horror. Philippa tried to see what was wrong, but the woman blocked the view of the ruined gown. "Lynn, will you please go get Flik or one of the other men?" she asked in as calm of a voice as possible.
"Of course," the girl said with worried eyes and left.
Dezra turned to Philippa. "My Luna. Why don't you go sit down while I have one of the men come in here?"
Philippa gestured with her hands in question as to what was wrong.
"Nothing. I just need one of the men to look at something."
Philippa narrowed her eyes and told the woman she didn't believe her.
Dezra's eyes turned glassy. "But I can't let you see! It will ruin the happiness on your face!"
Philippa huffed and gestured for her to open the armoire. Sighing, Dezra did reluctantly. Philippa's eyes widened in horror at what was once a beautiful dress and was now shreds and stains. Slowly, Philippa shook her head, closing her eyes as if that would take reality away. She mouthed the word 'no' repeatedly, as she backed away. She opened her eyes, hoping it was some fabrication of her imagination, but no...the ruined dress was still there.
"I'm so sorry!" Dezra whispered hurriedly. "We can fix it!"
Philippa shook her head, faster now, then turned away. Just then, Varge entered the chamber with Lynn. "What is wrong, Dezra?"
Dezra showed him the dress. "What are going to do?"
Varg stared at the ruined dress for a long moment, then turned to Philippa, gauging her size. "Wait here. I might have an idea." With that, he quickly disappeared.
Lynn and Dezra comforted Philippa while they waited, keeping the ruined dress out of sight. It took a few long minutes before a light knock was heard. Dezra went to answer it.
A woman stood there with beautiful strawberry blonde hair and green eyes. "Hello, Dezra."
"Marlene. What are you doing here?"
Marlene held up a large bundle wrapped in leather. "Varg thought my dress might fit the Luna. Shall we?"
Dezra smiled and ushered her inside. Philippa looked up at the approaching woman and furrowed her brows. Marlene set the dress beside her on the bed and opened the bundle. Philippa gasped and shook her head, rejecting the offer.
"Don't be silly, dear. It's the least I could do!" Marlene said and cupped Philippa's cheek. "We can't have you go out there naked, can we?"
Philippa shook her head, then nodded to the dress, telling herself she'd repay this debt later somehow.
Bardulf had just entered the chapel around noon when Seth strode up to him with a grim expression. The King sighed. "What now?"
"We have a problem."
"If you tell me another cake has been turned to worms or the ball room is destroyed or..." he trailed off, unsure of what else could go wrong.
"The priest is dead."
"Please tell me we have back up?"
"The only other person who can do it is Leon."
"Then make it happen."
Seth nodded and went away. Bardulf went to the front of the chapel and studied the alter where he and Philippa would soon be standing together, hopefully without any other disruptions.
A few minutes later, people started trickling in, murmuring as they found a seat. Bardulf stood where he was, but turned to the crowd, waiting for the moment he'd see his Luna walk down the aisle.
Philippa walked down the steps to greet Flik who would be the one to walk her down the aisle. He smiled up at her as she approached, then furrowed his brows. "Luna, I do not believe that is your dress."
Philippa's eyes turned teary as she shook her head then she explained what Dezra discovered.
Flik was aghast. "We will figure out who did this to you, okay?" She nodded and took his arm.
Flik led her outside and thanks to the fur lined boots that somehow went with the dress, Philippa wasn't freezing her toes. She also had on a heavy cape, also fur-lined, that kept the rest of her warm.
The chapel wasn't far from the castle and their path was sprinkled with pink and red petals. This made Philippa smile, for now she would be married and even though she had to borrow a dress, the day could still end happily.
At the chapel entrance, four men awaited them, all dressed their best and all smiling at Philippa. They bowed and the two in the middle spread open the doors as Flik took off the cape and draped it over one of the men's arms before holding out his arm again. Philippa took it and glanced towards the other end of the chapel where Bardulf was waiting. She smiled brighter than she had all morning and he returned the gesture.
Bardulf watched his bride walk down the aisle with Flik, the four guarding the chapel entrance following behind before taking positions on either side wall. He did not miss the fact that her dress was the same one Varg's female wore on their wedding day but did not let his confusion show. He would ask someone about it later.
Flik handed Philippa over to Bardulf who squeezed her hand gently before turning to the substitute priest. Leon smiled at Philippa and Bardulf as he asked everyone to be seated. The King looked over to Philippa who had tears staining her cheeks and felt his heart race. He leaned towards her and made her look at him. "What's wrong?"
She smiled and shook her head. With a few hand movements, he understood that she was happy and couldn't believe she was being married.
He relaxed and smiled, wiping away her tears. "Believe it, my sweet. It's happening."
When the ceremony was finished, everyone cheered and Bardulf swept Philippa into his arms and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed back, butterflies in her stomach as he spun them around. She forgot all about her worries and lived in the moment. Stephan handed the cape to Bardulf, who draped it around Philippa's shoulders then led her outside. He glanced down at her to see excitement lighting her eyes for what was to come next and felt proud of himself for making her happy.
When they got to the entrance that led straight into the ball room, he turned to her. "Close your eyes."
She obeyed immediately and Bardulf took her hands in his. Flik opened the door and Bardulf guided her inside where everything was perfect. He took her to the very middle of the floor and went behind her, putting his hands over her eyes.
"Ready?" he whispered in her ear. Smiling, she nodded. "Alright. Open." He took away his hands.
Philippa opened and sucked in a breath. Flowers colored the walls in columns, tables covered in white cloth were lined up against the walls with gold plates glittering and vases of more flowers. The wood floor gleamed beneath her feet and was dusted with something that glinted off the chandelier candles that hung from the ceiling. She spun and saw people trickling inside underneath a massive window that let in sunlight. If she could speak, she would have been speechless.
Bardulf watched the play of emotions run across his wife's face and chuckled a little, pleased with Lynn's work. He decided to ask, even though he knew the answer, "Do you like it?"
She turned to him and smiled, nodding. Running up to him, she hugged him tight.
He chuckled. "Good. Now, do you want to dance, or eat first?"
She pointed to the table and he took her over, seating her right beside his chair. He tilted her face up and kissed her. She smiled and kissed back before he pulled away and sat down. Bardulf nodded to someone to he left, and a bell chimed. Philippa gasped as servants hurried in with plates of food and goblets filled with sweet drink.
She clapped as one servant set a plate between her and Bardulf, then moved away. Bardulf took a fork and picked up some smoked venison, putting it to her lips. "Here," he said. She opened her mouth and he smiled, putting the food on her tongue. Philippa closed her eyes as she chewed, leaning back in her chair to savor the taste.
When she swallowed, she picked up her own fork and skewed some meat, imitating his movements and watched as he took the bite she offered. She smiled when he chewed and swallowed the bite, then kissed her.
"Eat, so I may dance with you," he whispered and she nodded and obeyed.
Bardulf watched his wife eat much that was on the plate before them. He glanced to the people about and was happy to see everything was now going smoothly. His men were keeping an eye out but still mingling and laughing. People were either talking, eating, or dancing. It was a delightful scene in which he was proud of.
A tug on his arm and he looked to his wife. She gestured to the floor and smiled. He stood and held out his hand. She took it and followed him onto the dance floor. Once in the middle, they faced each other and Bardulf put one hand on her waist and held one of her hands with the other while she put her free hand on his shoulder. They swayed to the music, and Bardulf surprised her by spinning her around and around, always keeping her close.
Afternoon turned to evening and Philippa was exhausted. She was sitting in her chair watching her new husband talk with a few of his men when Chef Roberts appeared beside her. She glanced up and smiled before noticing the huge knife in his hand and the blankness of his eyes. She stood up abruptly and her chair made a loud crash.
Bardulf looked to where the loud noise was and saw Philippa backing away from the Chef, who was aiming a knife towards her. Behind the Chef, Seth lunged and took the man down, leaving Philippa to turn and run towards Bardulf. He caught her and held her close, feeling the shudders that racked her body. He watched as Seth and Flik took the Chef and disappeared behind a door.
Looking around, Bardulf was glad to know no one else noticed the slight disruption and turned his attention back to his wife.
Ernest was standing beside him and was now on a fuller alert than before, scanning the people. To Bardulf's dismay, he pointed towards Varg. "He's looking straight at her, Sir."
"Damn it!" Bardulf muttered. He leaned down close to Philippa's ear. "Follow me."
She nodded and he took her hand and pulled her into the crowd of people while occasionally glancing back to see Ernest and Leon handling Varg.
Philippa half tapped his arm, half pulled it. He looked at her and she pointed to Stephan who was running towards them. Thankfully, Brian and Jared caught him and pulled him away. "Come on!" Bardulf hissed to her and continued to pull her away.
For the first time, he felt the chill run through his body and paused, shocked at the sensation. He cursed under his breath and tried to keep moving, only to find his body turning towards Philippa. Struggling, he willed himself to stop, to back away from her, to tell her to run. Anything but what was happening.
"Luna!"
Philippa turned to see Seth running towards her. He looked panicked and she searched for the person who was possessed.
"Luna, run!" Seth cried.
She looked back at him and felt a sharp pain in her back as claws dug into her skin. She opened her mouth in a silent scream and felt herself crumple to the ground. She turned her head just in time to see Bardulf's blood hand before she passed out.