The wedding procession entered the main hall where Gorsep and Hadbel had been welcomed just three days ago. There was not much left of Latamor's initial joy, he sat sourly, avoiding talking and looking at Hadbel, while the Equerds weren't hiding their satisfaction, loudly complimenting the food and the ceremony. Gorsep and Dagrana sat in the center at the main table. The matchmakers sat on their right and left side. A band of five musicians was playing on the side of the room. A line of servants appeared from the entrance carrying still steaming dishes. There were vegetable pâtés, roasted poultry and wild birds, as well as goulash and smoked pork legs. Fish covered with herbs and fried with lots of onions were also served.
The guests eagerly ate and drank to the health of the young couple. Gorsep looked at Dagrana, who sat with pursed lips, clutching the full glass of wine she hadn't touched.
Her pallor, it was explained to him, was dictated by local custom. Only girls from the best families could afford such fair skin. In Prenian people worked mainly in the fields, their faces and arms were weather-beaten. Fair complexion was therefore a privilege of the aristocracy and distinguished them from commoners. She almost fainted during the ceremony, good thing he held her up. It would be a bad start to a marriage where the bride fell during the ceremony. He leaned over her and whispered into her ear.
"Eat something, you must have a lot of strength, we still have half a day of fun and a whole night ahead of us." He added that last one just to see her blush. She didn't look at him, but drank a good sip of wine.
"Don't get drunk too quickly, wine on an empty stomach will deprive me of the long-awaited pleasure." Gorsep smiled almost sincerely, deriving some wild satisfaction from the girl's terror. He wanted to say something more dirty to her, but his father interrupted him. Hadbel rose from his seat, looked imperiously around the room, and waited a moment until the voices of the revelers quieted down.
"Son - as he said this, he looked at Gorsep - in the future, you will rule the entire southern Hadgard - Gorsep only heard the air escape from Latamora's wife, apparently her husband did not mention to her about the failed negotiations and the disinheritance of their possible children - to become a good ruler in the future, you must start preparing for it today. After the wedding celebrations are over, you will live in Kanror and rule Middle Hadgard."
There was applause and loud congratulations for the young couple in the hall. Gorsep nodded in thanks for the trust and then raised his cup and made a toast
"For the joint reign of Prenian and Gardynia throughout Hadgard!!"
"For mutual ruling!" The revelers replied in unison.
In the evening, the young couple was escorted to the marriage chamber, amid shouts of praise for Dagrana's beauty and Gorsep's strength, there was no shortage of others wishing them a large group of children and giving them advice on how best to go about it. On the threshold, Ledwira whispered in her son's ear .
"Be understanding towards her, you will be her first man."
The door to the bridal chamber closed, leaving Dagrana and Gorsep alone for the first time. Gorsep slowly began to undress his wife. Dagrana was standing by the bed with her back to him. At first he wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible, but his mother's words didn't give him peace.
He flipped aside her long hair and placed a kiss on her neck. The girl was trembling. Gorsep was wondering for a moment how old she was. Yes, seventeen, he was twenty-six and had many love conquests under his belt.
"Don't be afraid," he said gently, then slowly unlaced her dress. Dagrana stood stiff and was breathing rapidly. He took off her dress and caressed her almost flat chest. Her skin was soft and warm; he could feel her shivering under his touch.
Even during the feast, he wondered whether he would be able to fulfill his marital obligation, but his body reacted to the naked woman in the right way. He turned her around and kissed, first gently and then more intense.
"Touch me." Gorsep demanded grabbing her hand and placing it right between his legs. She flinched a bit but did what he asked her to do. Her touch was clumsy yet it made Gorsep more excited. He placed her on the bed and touched her most private part. Dagrana gasped as he was rubbing her to feel the wetness on his fingers, then slowly but with a little force he entered her virgin womb. Dagrana held her breath and tightened her fingers on Gorsep's shoulders as he moved first slowly to show her that he was considerate and then faster feeling his climax approaching. When he came, he slipped off his wife without a word. It wasn't a passionate sex. He simply did what was expected of him. She was lying quietly next to him, he wondered if she would start crying in a moment, but there was silence from her side.
***
Red's horse shuffled slower and slower, and he himself had been in the saddle for two days, taking only short breaks. At noon he passed the border between Kanror and Gemor. In front of him, the Perian Forest stretched as far as the eye could see, and to the north, in the distance, swamps loomed. The heat was slowly taking its toll on him, and large beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. The road he rode on led straight from Kanror to Fenifrid. The road here was wide and steady. After talking to the hunchbacked Morid, Red learned many interesting things about his former leader. He was on the trail and had a good chance of finding her, he just had to drive around the fucking swamps and find the place where Setia had gotten out onto dry land after killing Nagor. Unluckily, while asking for the language at the last inn, he played cards with passing merchants. He failed and now his purse has become very thin. He had to hurry and find out more so that Gorsep would fill his pockets again. The steady step of the horse had a soothing effect, Red was slowly falling asleep in the saddle, when suddenly the horse stumbled and he fell straight onto the rocky road. This successfully woke him up, he bruised his forehead and blood was flowing down his right cheek.
"Fuck, that was the last thing I needed." He muttered to himself, wiping the blood from his cheek and forehead with the back of his hand. The wound wasn't deep, but his horse went lame. Red noticed the lack of a horseshoe. He cursed in a fit of helpless anger, wondering where he could get a blacksmith. On the entire route leading between the forest and the swamps there was one well-known inn "Under the Green Oak". It was run by an old friend of Red. A woman in her early forties, well built with green eyes and long brown hair. She cooked the best wild boar stew. Red, pulling his horse behind him, moved quickly. If she wanted to get there before dark, he had to hurry. It was a trade route, travelers often came here, but they always tried to stay at a safe inn at night and follow the route through the forest during the day. Sometimes there were attacks and robberies in this place, so no one risked crossing the forrest at night.
There was an evening silence in the forest, broken only by the shuffling of Red and his horse. The crowns of trees growing on both sides of the road connected above it, creating a green tunnel. There must have been a light breeze as the leaves rustled softly. A twig snapped from the side, Red turned quickly and saw only the tawny shadow of a deer running swiftly into the forest. It was already dark when Red knocked on the inn's gate.