Keys to the Kingdom (14 page)

"Very well, sisters," she said. "Let us get to the businesses of deciding what we can do without..."

Chapter Ten

Wedding Day

The day of the royal wedding dawned sunny and splendid. The sun hung like a perfect jewel in the sky - a simply perfect jewel. That was appropriate since the wedding ceremony itself had been scaled back to something quite simple. The joint wedding that would have outshone the sun itself had the five daughters of Elgar gotten their way was not much more modest, although modest by Princess Standards was still luxurious enough to have the subjects sighing in admiration and envy.

A huge feast had been prepared, but instead of the extravagant being confined to the castle, cooks had been called in to set up tables outside the castle as well, and in other villages for those who could not travel beyond their own village. The food served to the subjects was the same as what was being served to the guests - roasted goose filled with chestnut stuffing, beef from the finest cattle in the royal herds, piping hot bread made of the finest grains, cakes and pies so sweet they melted on the tongue, and tankards and tankards of wine.

This inclusive celebration had been Kier's idea; why not make the wedding day a celebration for All? This decision had impressed the villagers, and his future father-in-law. The young man who would be king was already proving to be fine, fair and good.

Even the princesses had seen the wisdom in this idea. Well, all except for Lark who threw a royal tantrum so violent over this diversion of nuptial resources that her betrothed, Leo, was forced to remove her from the room and spank her until she promised to calm down. She returned to the others sniffing pitifully and rubbing her sore bum through the satin of her gown and looking adorably well-spanked.

It had been a hard adjustment for the princesses to realize that the days of getting just what they wanted when they wanted it was over. The wedding marked a new life for them in more ways than one; they would have to exercise restraint and make choices. And as they planned the wedding under the influence of this newfound restraint, they found to their surprise that they could still have a very nice affair fit for a princess or five. In fact, when the planning was over and they compared what they'd been forced to settle for with what they'd originally wanted, those initial plans seemed downright gaudy.

Each princess would wear an elegant but simple gown bearing a slightly different cut and trim. Simple white coaches would carry each couple to the huge chapel on the castle grounds where they would be wed. The castle itself was festooned with decorations inside. Silver ribbons and white roses were in abundance, but there would be no jewel encrusted dove release. In lieu of a jewel encrusted dove release, rose petals would rein down upon the couples as they left the church after their vows had been said.

As the princesses were helped into their gowns, however, the details of the event were nearly forgotten. The princes they were to marry had won their respect and even sparked the first stirrings of love, which was unusual in even one royal marriage - let alone five.

"Within hours we'll all be wives!" Fiona said, looking at her reflection in the mirror. "Won't that be grand?"

"Grand indeed!" exclaimed Angelica. And this time she actually spoke the truth.

"How do I look?" Luna spun around the room in her gown, the hem sparkling with its flash of silvery trim.

"Lovely," her sisters said, but they all looked gorgeous. In the other wing of the castle, their future husbands were dressed in matching waistcoats and breeches, not caring to stand out one from the other. The continuity of their clothing represented the united front they continued to show. Like the princesses, they were pleased to have finally made it to the wedding day. But they were under no delusion that married life to the daughters of Elgar would be easy.

The night before the princes had engaged in a long discussion about how their lives were about to change. They were about to marry, a milestone that would place them in line to inherit King Elgar's kingdom. The king was not a young man, which meant there would be a great deal to learn and prepare for. Kier warned his brothers that while they may have tamed the princesses enough to get them to the altar, they were not tamed entirely.

"I fear after the wedding we will again find our hands quite full," he said, staring thoughtfully into the fire that warmed their quarters. "Eruptions of temper, fits of jealousy, general defiance - these will all be the enemies of order in our households. They will serve as distractions to the work that lies ahead of us unless we continue to establish our authority. It will never be more important to be firm than in the wake of the wedding."

"So what are we to do?" Quentin asked. "Beat them daily to remind them?"

"No, not daily," Kier said. "But I think a good sound spanking on their wedding night will do them good."

"And for what reason will we be spanking them?" asked Leo.

"To show them that we can spank them not just because they deserve it, but because we have the power at any time to do so." He paused. "And because I've been told by wiser men that a good, sound spanking for no reason can prevent tensions by relieving women of pent-up guilt and emotion that may manifest itself later in unsavory ways."

"You mean giving them a good cry by spanking them can prevent the behaviors that might earn them a more serious one later?" Quentin asked.

Kier pointed at him. "Exactly, brother."

But will it not cause resentment? Ivan asked, thinking of his wedding night with Luna and what he'd hoped to be doing instead of spanking. They might withhold....favors from us if we spank them.

"Brother," Kier said assuredly. "Reminding your bride that she is under your control will also remind her that she is a woman, and make her see you more as a man. Remember, a woman responds most passionately to the man claims and tames her. We claim them today, but we will be taking these women the rest of their lives. I think that is why they challenge us so; I think they want us to meet that challenge with a firm hand placed hard upon their bottoms."

The brothers mulled this, discussed it some more and decided that the eldest - again - was right. Once the nuptials were over, the celebrations had ended and they were in the privacy of their individual wedding chambers, the men would begin their lives as husbands by spanking their brides soundly simply to prove that they could.

As the sun crept higher on their wedding day, trumpets began to sound, announcing to the kingdom that very soon the five princesses would wed the five princes who would one day serve as the rulers of Ardonia.

Five coaches with silver streamers waving behind pulled up to the castle and the five princes assembled in the hall to wait for their princesses. When the young women began to make their way down the stairs, the princes were stunned by the vision they presented. Never had the daughters of Elgar looked more exquisite. Never had dresses framed shapely bodies so deliciously. Each prince was suddenly thinking ahead to the evening, when they would enjoy the delights hidden under all that silk.

"My prince." Lenora curtsied prettily and the other princesses, standing now before their men, did the same. Each prince offered his princess an arm and escorted them to the waiting carriages. The day was cool and brisk, the sun bright. Beyond the castle grounds they could hear the sounds of flutes and pipes and laughter from subjects already in celebration mode.

Those subjects lined the road from the castle to the chapel, yelling good wishes and blessing and singing songs of love. Parents held children aloft so that they could one day say they caught a glimpse of at least one bride and bridegroom through the glass windows of the royal coach. Women cried from the emotion of the day; men nodded in approval as they spoke of the good character of the sons of Salazar.

The crowds thickened as they approached the chapel. As the carriages pulled up to the stone steps, the king's guard lined either side of the steps, ensuring safe passage from the throng eager to touch the five couples. As each princess and her betrothed exited the carriage, the well-wishers cried out messages of support and expressions of admiration.

Only royals and dignitaries were allowed inside the chapel. But even the eyes of the rich opened wider in appreciation for the handsome vision the couples represented. Heads nodded approvingly at how demure King Elgar's notoriously spiky daughters looked on the arms of their handsome, self-assured escorts. At the head of the church, the priest was the only one who would not allow himself to look impressed, for he was too busy hoping he would get the long ceremony exactly right for his God and his king.

When the five couples were assembled before him, he looked them over and then launched into the explanation about the holy duties of marriage between a man and a woman. He spoke of children and the added responsibilities of royal couples to their subjects.

"You are shining examples," he said, "chosen by God to rule, protect and inspire. God has touched your life with his hand and expects you to extend that touch in his name."

The princesses all kept passive faces, but inside they were thinking the same thing: "Hurry already!" There was dancing to be done and food to be consumed and wine to be tasted. The castle would be full of people they'd not seen since they were children, men and women who would look on them not with the admiration of the subjects who were impressed by almost anything, but by peers whose envy would be something to be savored.

As the priest droned on, a couple of the princesses began to fidget, and were reminded to stay still be a warning squeeze on the arm by their mates.

Finally the vows began. The priest approached the eldest couple first.

"Prince Kier, son of Salazar and now heir to Ardonia, do you take this woman, Lenora, daughter of Elgar to be your wife? Do you promise to love her, protect her, cherish her, love her, train her and guide her all the days of your life together?"

"I do," Kier said.

"Princess Lenora, daughter of Elgar. You are joining in matrimony with Prince Kier, son of Salazar who now will hold in trust the fate of Ardonia. Do you promise to love him, serve him with loyalty and faithfulness, submit to him, obey him honor him all the days of your life together?"

Lenora thought about that for a moment. It was just words. She would try, but she knew it would not be possible to honor Kier every day. However, she could not say that, so she simply said, "I do."

The other princesses following suit answered in kind. Each one had the same problem answering the question with certainty, except for Angelica, who always lied sweetly and easily. After the Leo and Lark had taken their vows, they couples were given permission to kiss and were pronounced man and wife. Then all five couples turned to face the guests, and were then presented as the Princesses and Princes of Ardonia. The guests cheered with happiness, and outside the crowd, hearing that the nuptials had been completed, roared in unison, the sound growing and spreading like a wave through the kingdom.

Getting out of the church was not as easy as getting in. The crowds pressed closer now, giddy with excitement. More guards were stationed outside to hold back the wall of admirers. The couples were hustled to the coaches, where the princes stood outside each door of each coach for a moment to throw gold coins to the assembled masses.

The princesses were relieved when they finally headed back to the castle. The princesses were ready for the festivities, and were more focused on being fawned over and admired than they were on their husbands. But the princes still could not stop looking at their mates, or congratulating themselves on their good fortune.

Kier crossed his long legs and smiled complacently to himself as he looked out the window at the throngs that lined the road to the castle. Subjects, his subjects one day. He thought back to how stubborn his beautiful Lenora and her sisters had been when he and his brothers had laid eyes on them. He and his brothers had tamed them, won them as wives and had won something else along with it - a new homeland, respectability, power.

"I suppose the festivities will last all night," Lenora said, interrupting his thoughts.

"For the subjects, beyond that," he said. "But we will not celebrate all night, at least not with everyone else. We shall take our leave early enough, for I should enjoy my victory in private."

Lenora looked at him angrily. "Victory?" she asked.

Kier fumbled. He'd not meant to say that, or at least not out loud.

"I mean victory in the sense that this occasion spent so much planning..."

"Liar," she hissed. "You still see me as a prize that was won," she said.

"Lenora.." he began, feeling suddenly defensive. "That's not what I.."

"Don't even try to explain," she said. "I see you look at the kingdom beyond these windows as a cat looks at cream. But let me warn you, husband. You are not king yet, and I can still embarrass you and hurt your reputation."

"He leaned forward. And I can still spank your bottom until you scream for mercy. Would you like me to do that now, sweet princess? Would you like me to upend you across my lap in this coach and give the subjects a real show? Imagine your distress at knowing that everyone along this road can see your fair, royal bottom reddening under my hand as we travel to the castle. News of that would not take long to spread. It would travel like a blaze."