***
The Raven laughed as she poured another helping of red wine into the The Prince’s glass. He thanked her and took a sip. She poured some for herself and made an admirable effort to keep up with him. The Raven held this bottle in reserve for times like this in which important company was present. In this broken world none was more deserving than her cousin.
The two had always been close, like brother and sister. She had always admired her “cuz” whom she loved dearly, and he adored her just the same. He had always considered her “the little sister I never had.” And for her part, she looked at him as the older brother she wished she had. It was he who stayed her hand when Maryland was divided between her and her other brother, whose wedding she was going to attend in just a few days. The invitation was an act of courtesy, predicated on the slim familial bond that had tied the two warring siblings in the past and nothing more. It was The Prince who convinced her to attend when a messenger came with an invitation under a banner of truce. Her eldest brother had tried to do the same but she didn’t listen to him. She cared for neither of them. There were only two people who mattered, and one of them was sitting across from her.
“Hey,” said The Prince. “You okay?”
“Yeah, sorry.” She wasn’t aware she had stopped speaking.
Nodding he said, “Kiddo, let me go say hi.”
The Raven smiled. “Sure.” She placed her glass on the table and stood. The Prince did the same and followed her.
Reaching the room with the sliding door she took a key from her pocket and unlocked it. Sliding the door open she turned to her cousin and asked him to wait outside. He nodded. From another pocket she took out a box of matches and walked into the unlit room. Reaching the candle she knelt and pulled a match from the box and struck it. The match head flared and she lit the wick. She blew out the match placed it on the base of the candlestick as she turned and beckoned for her cousin to enter. He shut the door behind him and joined her.
He stood over her and stared at a lone picture frame on the floor.
The picture showed a man in his mid-20s standing in front of a white suburban house - The Prince knew that house. Slim but athletic, he was an attractive man with a great smile. Looking at the picture The Raven thought, I had fallen in love with that smile. She felt her eyes well up but she stamped out the urge to cry like one stamps out a small fire underfoot. Neither said a word as the long minutes passed them by.
The Raven looked up at The Prince and he took that as a sign time was up. He nodded at the man in the picture before his cousin blew out the candle, once more filling the room with darkness. Her cousin walked out and she followed and locked the door behind her. Putting the key away she led the way back to the dining room in silence.
When they reached the dining room The Prince started towards his chair.
The Raven said his name and he stopped. His back was to her. She said, "I didn't ask you to visit me just to catch up."
"No, I didn't expect so."
"My brother...” She paused. “I want to make a deal with you.”
She would venture into a dark place if he didn’t stop her. He said, "We're not discussing this. Don’t say another word and I'll forget this conversation ever happened."
“No, we are, and I won’t.”
“We’re going to your brother’s wedding. Nothing more. There are no deals to be made; there’s nothing you can offer me that I want-”
“Maryland.”
He looked at her. The Raven saw something in the corner of his eye and she pressed on. “All of it, cuz. Not just his territory but mine as well. You can have all of it, if you declare war.”
He said, “You’re asking me to kill him. You’re asking me to murder family.”
He was furious but The Raven could see the gears of his mind turning. He was curious at the very least, and she took advantage of his interest despite how tenuous it was. “Yes.”
“You would trade away everything you have for revenge? The land. The wealth. The power. All of it.”
She made a vague gesture with her hand. “None of this matters to me.” She thought of the man in the picture.
It was The Prince’s turn to read what was in her eyes. Seeing what was there he thought of the past. He said, “When I first found out you and your brothers were still alive, I wept. When we reunited, even under those circumstances, I was never happier. And now you stand there and ask me to do the unthinkable, knowing he would never surrender his half of Maryland to anyone unless it was taken from him.”
She could feel rage fighting to overwhelm her and she didn’t care. “He doesn’t deserve it...”
“What gives you the right to decide—”
“He killed my husband!”
He rounded on her. “You killed his best friend!”
The Raven took a wine glass from a nearby counter and threw it against the wall. It shattered and showered the floor with a thousand crystals. She said, “It’s not enough! It’ll never be enough. He has to die, you have to kill him.”
The Prince walked towards her and she stood her ground. She didn’t think she had it in her to do that. Years later, The Raven would look back at this confrontation as one of the defining moments of her life. He stood so close that she could feel the heat of his breathing. He said, “You don’t get to dictate to me. You forget yourself, you forget had it not been for me your brother would’ve driven you and your army into the Atlantic years ago.”
She lifted her chin and looked straight at him. “I haven’t forgotten that.”
The Prince’s eyes bore upon her and in that instance she wasn’t sure what he’d do. The Raven thought he wouldn’t hurt her, but she had just asked him to kill her own brother. All bets were off. Silence filled the distance between them as both measured the stakes involved. They were still for a time until The Prince turned and walked towards the table. Feeling the tension gradually fade she sighed in relief. She’d live to see another day.
Lifting his wineglass he chugged what was left of it. He didn’t look at her as he spoke. “Even if I were to do this, to invade Maryland, your eldest brother would never stand for it.”
She felt hope touch her heart. "He's tied up with North Carolina. The campaign will last the summer and will no doubt go throughout the fall and winter.”
The Raven knew her cousin had already come to this conclusion. Even if her eldest brother were able to drive through North Carolina, the Virginias stood in his way. The Prince had armies stationed there. And if her eldest brother were to try and circumvent North Carolina and the Virginias by the sea, she had total control of Chesapeake Bay and most of its ports. Her heart beat faster as she began tying all the threads together. It could all work out for her. The Raven would let her cousin have all of Maryland, as long as her other brother wasn’t alive to see it. She cared not for what might happen after.
She cared not.
The Prince leaned with fists on the table. The Raven waited for him to speak, but when he didn’t she walked over to a cupboard and pulled out a wineglass to replace the one she had thrown. She walked over to the table and placed it alongside The Prince’s glass. She looked at him but he didn’t respond. She then picked up a bottle of red wine and poured some into both glasses. She picked them up and held one out to him. The Prince closed his eyes and took a cleansing breath before standing to his full height and looked at her. She gestured for him to take the wine glass from her hand. She gazed into his eyes and found what she was looking for.
The Raven smiled.
The Groom
Side A
The day was here. Thank God.
Running a country was hard but planning a wedding had been hell. His fiancé felt the same way. In that at least they found some joy and laughter together during the sleepless nights and headaches of the preceding weeks. The Groom’s people had helped plan and prepare but he and his fiancé still had an alarming amount of work to do themselves. Much of it was because the people around them had
said it was their duty to have a grand celebration. The picture of a fat, squat man crossed his mind – a haughty piece of shit who governed the southern half of his territory. The man had all but demanded The Groom and his fiancé throw a lavish wedding. That man spoke with his nose in the air and The Groom had half a mind to nick the tip off with a butter knife. He had said as much to his love and she had calmed him down with soothing words and a kiss on the cheek.
The Groom smiled. He loved that woman with all his might and if marrying her was the last thing he’d ever do he’d be okay with that. And all the wedding stuff would be over and done with. Thank God.
He was putting the final touches on his tux when he heard a knock on the door behind him. Without turning he said, “Enter.” The door swung open and a tall, sturdy-looking man walked in. He was in his early to mid-forties with hair all black save for a silver streak cutting across one side. However his most striking feature was the deep green of his eyes. Stepping into the room he closed the door and stood there.
Adjusting his tie The Groom asked, “Are all the guests here?”
“Yes, sir,” said the man. His voice was controlled and hinted of deep reservoirs of strength.
The Groom looked at the reflection of the man in the mirror. “My brother? My cousin?”
“Both here, sir.”
He nodded.
The man quirked his mouth. With some hesitation he said, “That woman from the east is also here.”
The Groom paused before turning his attention back to his tie. The pause was almost imperceptible. Almost. “Did she bring anyone with her?”
“No, sir...”
The Groom noticed he had stopped short. “What?”
“She walked in with your cousin.”
He frowned, but he wasn’t surprised. Those two had always been close. Besides, how else was she going to walk in and out of West Maryland alive?
He reached for his suit jacket and the man behind him stepped forward to hold it up and over The Groom’s shoulders as he inserted his arms. The Groom thanked him and adjusted his cuffs. He was wearing silver cufflinks with navy blue front plates. He turned around and held both arms out to present himself. “What do you think?” he said.
The man took a step forward, looked The Groom over, and adjusted his collar.
"Keep an eye on her."
"Yes, sir."
"Be discreet. I don't want to start an incident."
"Of course, sir. We've had word from our informants that she'll be staying at the Four Winds Hotel in Baltimore. I still need more time but I believe I can get one of ours to join the staff. Your wedding has brought people from all over and business is booming. They're going to need extra hands to work which means inserting one of ours into the hotel will be easy."
The Groom thought about it and said, "Do it."
The man with deep green eyes nodded. Stepping back he gave his boss one final inspection before giving him the all clear.
The Groom thanked him and said, "Time to get married." The man nodded and opened the door and The Groom walked out of the room.
Of Wars and Weddings Page 4
