Surprise Marriage

Sophia was sitting at Kieran’s bedside. She held his hand in hers and could feel his body warmth. In fact, she could feel even more. His magical energy was much more palatable for her now.

“Seems like we’re even deeper connected now than we were, huh?” she said softly.

Kieran did not react. Sophia brushed a hair strand out of his face.

“Oh… and by the way… we’re kinda married now…” she whispered. “ I hope you don’t mind that… Kieran.”

Sophia suddenly noticed his face muscles twitch. Her eyes widened and she clasped her hand tighter around his. First Kieran scrunched his nose then his eyelids flattered before they opened. He blinked a few times then turned his head and stared at Sophia.

“What did you do to me?” He asked. “Didn’t I kill you?”

“You did… but you also kinda didn’t…” Sophia said softly.

He sat up and looked around confused, before he turned back towards her.

“I had a dream… I saw you fighting… with… Nora,” Kieran mumbled.

“You… saw that?” Sophia asked and went beet red.

Kieran didn’t hear her, he looked around even more confused.

“What happened… Why can I say her name now? What did you do to me?”

Sophia told him everything she knew, but she omitted the part about their marriage.

“I… am free?” Kieran uttered when she was finished.

“Yes, you are…” Sophia whispered.

“And you saw everything … that I did?”

“Yeah…”

Kieran got up from his bed and grabbed his sword that was leaning next to it. He unsheathed it and held it out for the confused looking Sophia.

“Then you can kill me now.” He said, kneeled and lowered his head.

“What? No! Why would I?”

“I killed your father… this is what you wanted, right? To get revenge on the murderer of your father. Then please do it… kill me.”

“You are not the murderer of my father… You were just used to do it… the real murderer of my father is the Grand Dame Inquisitor.”

“That doesn’t matter… It was these two hands that plunged a sword into your father’s chest, and they even nearly killed you… You have every right to exact revenge on me and I beg you… Please grant me final freedom of this nightmare that is my life.”

Kieran looked at her with tears in his eyes.

“Death would be an escape, not freedom, Kieran. I won’t do it. I want you to live and finally feel happiness in your life! And again… I don’t see you as the murderer of my father… In fact, I don’t think you’re guilty of any of those murders you were forced to carry out.” She said with conviction.

“Fine then I’ll do it myself… I finally have the option to do so…” Kieran said and got back up.

“NO stop!”

Sophia yelled as he flipped the sword around and raised it to his throat.

“Goodbye, Baronet Inquisitor Sophia Schwerdtfeger von Oed,” Kieran said calmly.

Sophia raised her hand.

“Stop! I order you to stop!” she yelled.

Nothing happened. Kieran began to grin and closed his eyes.

“Finally free of the chains that bound me…” he mumbled.

“Wait!” Sophia screamed, unsheathed her sword and put it on her throat. “If you do it… I’ll do it as well!”

Kieran opened his eyes and blinked a few times at her.

“You’re bluffing…” he said.

“Wanna try me?” Sophia said and put more pressure on the sword.

Blood began trickling down her throat and she glared determined at Kieran.

“If you kill yourself, I will kill myself as well!” Sophia hissed at him.” And just so you know… this will count as murdering me, so you would be guilt of a murder after all! Do you want that?”

Kieran looked at her unsure of what to do.

“That’s… unfair…” he remarked.

“Better get used to it!” Valeria yelled from the doorframe. “And you have to learn to listen to your wife as well. That’s key in a happy marriage!”

Kieran looked at her, perplexed.

“Marriage? Wife?” he repeated completely in shock.

“Oh yeah… we’re kinda married… surprise I guess.” Sophia said and went red, which caused her bleeding to get a bit stronger.

“What? But I’m the Murderer of you father…”

“How often do I have to say that again? NO, you’re not!”

“But I killed people…”

“Pff… show me someone that hasn’t in this fucked up world…”

“I am a criminal…”

“Oh, for fucks sake… I had enough of you!” Valeria said and stormed inside the room.

She went over to Kieran and extended her arm.

“Sword!” she demanded.

Hesitantly, Kieran lowered his sword and gave it to her.

“Kneel!” Valeria ordered.

Confused, Kieran did what he was ordered to.

“By the power invested me by the Crown… Yada yada, blab la… nobody cares anyway… I hereby grand you a royal pardon, absolving you of any crimes that you may have committed.”

Sophia stared at her.

“You can just do that?” she asked surprised.

“Sure, I can…” Valeria said shruggingly. “I think…”

She then turned towards Kieran again.

“And you! Now stop worrying your new wife and better treat her wound before she losses too much blood,” Valeria said strictly.

Kieran got up, grabbed a bandage from the bedside table an got closer to Sophia.

“Uhm… could you please explain this … marriage stuff?” he asked as he began to gently treat her minor cut.

Sophia explained everything she had learned about the symbol and the meaning of this ancient wedding ceremony.

“How… do you feel about that?” She asked nervously after she finished explaining

Kieran stared at her chest region.

“Show me.” He said calmly.

“What?” Sophia asked, surprised.

“Show me your symbol… I want to see it…”

“What? Right here? Right now?”

“Please.”

“Argh… fine.”

Sophia pulled up her shirt and laid the symbol bare for him, and everything else in the immediate vicinity.

“Satisfied?” she asked nervously.

“You really have the same symbol… and it really means… what it means…” Kieran uttered.

“It does.”

“Yours aren’t that much bigger like everyone likes to point out… They are shapelier though…” Valeria interjected.

She had also pulled her shirt up and compared hers to Sophia’s.

“I hear Kieran’s voice, is he back awa—AAAH!” Bastian said as he entered the room, but he immediately turned around when he saw Valeria and Sophia. “Why do you always have your tits out when I come in the room, girls?”

“It’s not always!” Sophia corrected.

“And don’t let it get to your head, you old Oaf! It’s certainly not because of you!” Valeria added grinning cheekily.

“Whatever… but could you please put them away for now?” Bastian asked.

Sophia and Valeria both pulled their shirts back down.

“So… now… Kieran… first of all good to have you back under the living… second I have a question that has been burning on my mind.” Bastian began. “You had this connection between yourself and the Grand Dame Inquisitor that is now gone, right?”

“Right.” Kieran confirmed.

“Then as it got severed… did you feel it, and more importantly, would the Grand Dame also be able to feel it?”

“I felt it for sure… I can feel that it’s not there anymore even now… so she should be able to feel it.”

“Okay… that’s… not good. That probably means, that she is aware that something went wrong here… Which means we should not dilly-dally around here but get moving… provided you’re fit to travel, my friend.”

“I feel perfectly fine.”

“Good then I suggest that we get ready to move. We can brainstorm on the way on how we’re gonna approach this whole mess we’re in.”

Everybody agreed. Bastian and Valeria left the room.

“So, uhm… you haven’t answered my question yet…” Sophia reminded him nervously.

“Oh, uhm… sorry what was it? I… this is all just so much all at once.” Kieran said.

“No worries, I understand… I… asked how you feel about… that marriage stuff… about us?”

“I… don’t know… this is all just so sudden…”

“Do you hate it?”

“I definitely don’t dislike it… I think quite the opposite though… but please give me a bit of time to process all that…”

Sophia began to smile in relief.

“I understand… yeah that’s totally fair… we should better think about how we deal with all this mess we’re in right now… we can deal with the… marriage stuff afterwards… right?” she remarked.

“Definitely, “Kieran agreed.

Sophia thought for a moment.

“I have an idea…” she stared.

“Let’s hear it.” Kieran said.

“I feel kinda bad that this all happened without your consent… again… so why don’t we make a deal… After we finished the business with the Grand Dame… You get one wish, or order if you wanna call it… You could make me do one thing for you… Anything you want. Not that whole killing yourself business, of course. But other that that you’re free to do whatever you want with me, or to me… as a sign of equality in a way…”

Kieran thought for a bit and looked at her. Sophia began to fidget around a bit nervously.

“Okay, let’s do that,” he agreed.

Sophia smiled relieved.

“Oh, and just so you know…” she added. “I kinda want you to get ideas this time… and actually do something, okay?”

“I think I’ll think of something” Kieran reassured her smilingly.