Vows

The maiden froze for a moment.

Klaus was imposing in a velvet garment of sober lines, black with details embroidered in silver. The First Prince was waiting for her with an unreadable expression, in place of his younger brother.

They exchanged a brief look before Alexa reached the altar, and the Prince's eyes seemed tense and anguished. Alexa needed Father Gianpietro's firm hand on her back to remember to bow to the Highnesses and the Bishop, before kneeling beside Klaus in front of the altar.

The priest's words ran through her ears without being heard. The maiden stared at the saints at the altar, but her view was again becoming blurred.

At the most critical moment of her life, Alexa's empty stomach wastwirling and making funny noises, preparing for a rumble of protest. The maiden was still thinking about the amazing sight she had before entering the church. Was it a delusion caused by fasting and tiredness? Or a real vision?