The next day, their wedding day, came in the blink of an eye. It was noon, and the sun hovered directly over the castle. Hundreds gathered in the castle courtyard, while thousands in the surrounding cities waited to celebrate the union of their King and soon to be Queen.
Thaddeus stood tall with his chest sticking out and a smile from ear to ear on the landing atop the steps that led to the castle. He wore his ancestral white gold suit of armor. Upon his head sat a crown of gold and precious jewels. His long hair was braided and pulled back behind his head. For most of the people in his court this marked the first time they had ever seen their King cleanly shaven since he was a boy.
Thaddeus's entire body seemed to pulse with electricity. Sweat ran from his brow and he felt his morning meal coming up in this throat.
The trumpets blared and everyone stood up at once, turning to the entrance to the courtyard as Emilia began to make her way toward the steps.
One look at his beautiful bride eased Thaddeus's nervousness.
The trumpets ceased and the harps began to sing their beautiful melody as Emilia made her way up the steps to the landing where her King awaited.
It was like a fairy tale. Emilia could not believe this day had finally arrived. It was the happiest day of her life. The harps, the instruments and her King, caused her smile to widen, and the butterflies in her stomach to flutter once more.
Emilia had on a long white dress with a train that trailed fifteen feet behind her. It was carried by five small girls, Emilia’s sisters. She arrived at the top of the steps and turned to face the man of her dreams. He could not see the entirety of her face due to the veil that only exposed her plump, healthy, pink lips. His smile grew even larger. As the joiner, the name for a person who oversees a marriage, made his way over to the soon to be husband and wife, the crowd fell silent and took their seats.
Fisk, the local produce dealer, took his seat at the back of the courtyard. He looked over to his left and noticed three peculiar individuals, two of whom he had never laid eyes upon. One, the female, he was sure he had seen her before, but where? A thought fell into his head. It couldn't be! Was she one of the mages that had escaped from the hanging post a few days ago? Nah, it couldn't be. He slowly turned his attention back to the ceremony.
“Welcome Lords, Ladies, and beloved citizens of Galdarath! We are gathered here today for a most special occasion, the joining of our beloved King Thaddeus, and his beautiful bride, Emilia, our future Queen,” the joiner said as he began the ceremony.
The crowd erupted in cheers.
“Let us begin,” he said as he bowed his head. The rest of the crowd did the same, and the ceremony began with a short, but purposeful, blessing. He raised his head and spoke again reciting the traditional words of matrimonial union. Thaddeus and Emilia took turns reciting their vows, both with the most genuine look of love in their eyes. Thaddeus placed the large diamond ring on Emilia's finger; she slipped a sleek gold band on his. The moment was here. Thaddeus took the crown from the pillar which stood next to him. He placed the gold, jeweled crown on his Queen's head, and he slowly advanced in for the kiss that was to bind their eternal commitment to one another. Their lips were about to lock when the blissful moment came to an abrupt halt as screams erupted from the crowd. The guests in the courtyard began to stampede toward the exit, running and screaming at the top of their lungs. Suddenly, Thaddeus saw the origin of the commotion. He hoisted his large axe up from the floor next to where he stood.
He turned to Emilia, put his large hands on her shoulders, and calmly said, “You must flee from this place. Do not ask questions, but make haste. Go inside the castle and bar the doors.”
“I love you,” Emilia said as her panic stricken eyes frantically surveyed the disturbance.
He paused for a moment with a look of concern and said, “I love you, too.”
He bolted down the steps toward the center of the courtyard. Emilia stood frozen in horror as the events below unfolded before her eyes. A large hole had emerged from the ground below, spewing out a black mist that crept through the courtyard. The stench of rotten flesh quickly overtook the fragrance of roses. Creatures started to pour out of the black abyss, one after another. Only one person in attendance, an old man dressed in a black robe and cowl that covered most of his face, knew what the hellish creatures were. The uninvited guests were unmistakably the Breathless, Hasbarie's most numerous and faithful abominations.
Within a matter of seconds, hundreds of Breathless had filled the courtyard, slaughtering the guests who were unfortunate enough to be at the back of the fleeing human wall. They attacked with a heartlessness that no living being could mimic. Their long claws and sharp teeth tore and ripped the flesh from their victims. Heartlessly and without discrimination, they massacred women, men, and children alike. Two small girls, with baskets of flowers in their hands, lay at the bottom of the steps in a pool of warm blood. Loud cries of unearthly pain overpowered the screams of the guests.
Thaddeus plowed into the middle of the Breathless horde, making a large powerful swipe with his axe, cutting down six of the creatures with one swing. At once, the entire horde turned on him. Thaddeus quickly realized that they had found the object they were looking for . . . him. Thaddeus's guards joined in the fight, but they were no match for the overwhelming numbers they faced. They had fallen as quickly as they jumped into battle to aid their King.
The mighty warrior swung his axe at speeds so high it became a blur to onlookers, each time cutting the creatures down as a crew of woodsmen would do to a young forest of half-grown pines. Once, he was almost over ran by the Breathless, but he turned his axe sideways using it as a battling ram, effortlessly clearing himself a lane through the middle of the assemblage of corpses. He killed at least twenty more of the dark abominations before he finally became surrounded. His fate was certain, but he would not go gently. He would fight for as long as he could, giving the love of his life time to escape to safety.
As the horde began to advance, a red flash of light erupted from somewhere behind him. A ball of fire tore through the Breathless, creating an opening through the wall of corpses. Thaddeus looked through the opening and saw three figures standing in front of the courtyard exit. It happened again, but this time the flash came from the female of the group. A large blue wave fell from the end of her staff that crashed down upon another group of the attackers. The spell crushed the Breathless, sending black blood spewing. The first robed figure flung another ball of fire, exploding another dozen of the horde. The third man, with two swords drawn, came rushing toward Thaddeus, slicing through all of the creatures in his path. He moved with a speed and technique that was unknown to Thaddeus. The King was impressed with the way this long haired warrior fought. Even more impressive was the unknown weapon that he pulled from his britches. Whatever it was, it was effective. As he pointed the short piece of wood at his attackers, a loud boom and small flash of light bloomed from the end of the device, collapsing his targets to the ground. He did not know who these three strangers were, but he was glad they had come to his aid. The other two robed figures plunged forward to the center of the fight, right beside Thaddeus and the nimble warrior. Spells and sharp edges tore through the remaining creatures, until at last, only the four warriors remained standing.
The courtyard was like a river of red and black blood. Pieces of flesh and coagulated blood were pasted to Thaddeus's armor. He was breathing heavily, as he had just been in the fight of his life, still unharmed.
“Friends, I know not who you are, but I owe you my life,” he took a deep breath. “The King of Galdarath is forever in your debt.”
“I thank you for you kind gesture, but no debt is owed. This threat is why we are here. Let me introduce ourselves,” he removed the hood from his face. “My name is Locmire of Fogarth. These are my companions, Cap'n Red Maher and River Tolcutt. I suppose you have many questions about-” Locmire noticed that all of the color had left from Thaddeus's face and he stopped
speaking.
Thaddeus looked up toward the entrance to the castle. His knees gave out from under him. He dropped his axe and began to drag himself forward, eventually pulling himself back to his feet and sprinting toward the steps. Locmire turned toward the steps of the castle and saw what it was that troubled Thaddeus. A few steps from the top of the landing lay a lifeless figure wearing what once was a white wedding gown, now dyed red from blood.
Thaddeus scrambled toward Emilia. He plunged to his knees and scooped her up in his arms in one swift motion. He supported her upper back with one arm, her limp neck with the other. Her face was masked with dried blood. A large gaping wound on the side of her neck was pumping out the last drops of her warm life force. He was silent for a moment. Tears fell down his cheek
“Emilia . . . Emilia . . . No! By the gods, no! Emilia . . . wake up. Wake up! You can't be. You mustn’t be!” Thaddeus cried as he pulled her limp body closer to his, burying her face in his chest.
His voice became louder, “Emilia! Wake up! Wake up! Someone help us! Help us!” he screamed.
Thaddeus was now crying uncontrollably. The only woman he had ever loved, the only family he had known since the death of his parents, lay still in his arms.
His voice lowered to a whisper, “Emilia, it is I, Thaddeus. Your husband! Please wake up. You mustn't be! Please wake up, My Queen!”
Thaddeus held her close to his chest and rocked her back and forth for a moment. The tears, as quickly as they came, suddenly stopped flowing from his eyes. He stood up with Emilia dangling in his arms. He carried her limp body to the top of the steps and laid her on the landing, where only minutes ago they were sharing the most important event of their lives together. He picked up the crown and placed it on her head. He tore the only unsoiled piece of fabric from her once white dress and gently wiped the dried blood, which had been moistened by his tears, from her face. Carefully, he emptied a large vase containing the reddest roses anyone had ever seen, placed the symbols of love upon her chest, and slowly descended the stairs.