In Guards We Trust
***
The royal wedding took place on the last Saturday in September 1793. No-one could have summoned better weather. The king and the Council of Six had hoped that the royal wedding would attract some representatives from most of Europe’s royal families. However, Spain, Austria, and Prussia declined their invitations due to the absence of diplomatic relations with Montuga. Some other royal families declined to send representatives out of fear of antagonising the French Republic. Nonetheless, and much to the relief of the king and his council, a few princes and princesses from the Italian republics, Russia and Great Britain did attend. The king hoped that the attendance of these royal families would send a message to France that Montuga continued to be viewed as an independent kingdom by some powerful European monarchies. Clearly, not a single straw which might give France pause for thought before breaching the Treaty of Montuga would remain unclasped.
A lavish royal ball held to welcome and entertain the foreign royal guests on the evening prior to the marriage was well attended and received. Such was the consumption of food and drink at the ball that Jason was amazed to learn that all of the royal guests had managed to survive the festivities without casualties and that they were all ready on time to take their places in the royal procession to the High Cathedral. Indeed, the lack of any absentee guests served as a veritable monument to the commitment of royalty to over indulgence, excess and extravagance.
The Royal Guard was out in force. Armed guards on horseback interspersed with guards on foot were positioned along both sides of the one mile road leading from the Palace gates to the High Cathedral. Jason’s fleet were ordered to maintain a low key state of readiness. Three of the ships were at anchor out in the bay and the remaining four remained in the harbour. Most of Jason’s sailors were disappointed at not playing any role in the wedding. They, however, accepted the need to have additional security options available during the wedding. A French naval attack over this period remained a distinct possibility. They also understood that participation by the sailors in any part of the ceremony would undermine the official Montugan claim that Jason’s fleet remained British and completely unavailable to the Montugan royal family.
‘You do this for me, for Montuga, and of course especially for the princess. I promise, however, that we will hold two extraordinary wedding receptions, one for one half of the fleet while the other is on duty and then a second reception for the other half. Food and drinks will be catered for by the palace. I can assure you all that the Princess has insisted on coming to both functions.’ Jason could see that this more than addressed the concerns of the sailors and the officers.
Crowds cheered as the first armed guards in full ceremonial dress emerged from the palace gates on plumed horses. Carriage after carriage containing members of the Montugan nobility followed. Most of the crowd cheered as the carriages went past. A few boos along the route confirmed that the republicans who were also represented amongst the crowd had not recently developed any new found feelings of fondness for the Montugan nobility. Each of these carriages was followed by the mounted guards of the family concerned. The last five of these carriages contained the members of the Council of Six. Additional mounted royal guards emerged followed by a procession of carriages belonging to several foreign ambassadors. The flags of Great Britain, Russia and Denmark and Naples were amongst the foreign flags adorning these carriages.
The next group of mounted royal guards led the first of five gold enclosed carriages which carried the foreign royal guests. Each of these carriages was both preceded and followed by mounted royal guards in ceremonial dress. Most of the crowds cheered as the carriages went passed and the cheers tended to drown out any boos as the majority of the crowd joined in the spirit of the occasion.
The open gold carriage containing the crown prince, Jason, and Oliver Pemberton emerged to the largest cheer of the afternoon so far. A dozen mounted guards on horseback preceded the carriage and another dozen followed the carriage. The occupants of the carriage waved at the enthusiastic crowds. The next golden carriage was enclosed. It was accompanied by four mounted guards in front and four mounted guards behind it. The king’s royal flags adorned the roof of the golden carriage which conveyed the king and Duke Le Riche. In earlier times the King and the Queen had been the sole occupants of the carriage. Since the Queen’s death, the King had granted his trusted friend the honour of joining him in the carriage on most such occasions.
The nobles, ambassadors and royal guests took their seats in the High Cathedral as they waited for the arrival of the royal family. They were entertained by a boys’ choir accompanied by three harpists. The cathedral boasted seating for three hundred people on either side of the large central isle. The choir was positioned on an elevated platform near the back of the church. The voices of the boys and the music of the harpists refracted against the walls of the massive central dome and carried throughout the church, creating the impression that the music and voices had originated and descended from heaven itself.
The carriage containing the prince, Jason and Oliver arrived without incident at the High Cathedral to the cheers of the crowd gathered there. They alighted from the carriage. Each of them was dressed in identical ceremonial military uniforms of the royal guard. The prince’s crown adorned his head and the left hand side of his jacket revealed the royal emblem. Jason’s and Oliver’s uniforms bore their respective family’s coat of arms on the left hand side of their jackets. Their hats were identical to the navy blue ones worn by officers of the royal guard. The three of them proceeded down the main isle to the three empty seats at the front left of the hall.
The king and the duke arrived to the sound of a massive trumpet salute. The salute ended with several cannon shots. The king wore his royal robe of state and his crown. The duke was dressed in his ceremonial military dress. They greeted the armed guards aligning the steps of the church. When they reached the massive doors the king stood near the left door and the duke near the right door and they turned to face the crowd. An orchestra outside played the national anthem of Montuga.
The arrival of the Princesses’ carriage as the anthem ended was marked by an enormous cheer from the crowds. She was seated in an enclosed golden carriage together with her two ladies in waiting. The ladies in waiting were the first to emerge from the door facing the crowds. They approached the carriage door facing the Cathedral. A footman opened the door and the ladies approached the entrance to the carriage to assist the princess as she alighted from the carriage in a magnificent white gown festooned with hundreds of shiny diamond like gemstones. The elegant dress was slightly smaller than a full ball room gown. The princess moved forward slowly followed by a train which was longer than usual. The ladies in waiting allowed the train to flow through their fingers until it reached its end. They then allowed the train to fall to the red carpet which adorned the steps leading up to the entrance of the cathedral.
As the princess reached the top of the stairs she was met by her father the king, who stood proudly at the entrance to the cathedral. She turned to wave at the crowds which prompted a substantial cheer. She took her father’s arm as they slowly proceeded down the aisle to the tune of the wedding march played by the organist. The duke followed shortly behind. Everyone rose as the bride and the king approached. The Cardinal and two bishops awaited the arrival of the bride at the front of the church. Jason and the Prince stood facing the bride.
The wedding ceremony was concluded without incident and, mercifully, without objection. It was followed shortly afterwards by a coronation ceremony in which Jason was crowned as a prince of Montuga. After the ceremony the Cardinal announced:
‘Your Majesty, your Royal Highnesses, your Excellency’s, my Lords and my Ladies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you their royal highnesses, Prince Jason and Princess Renate of Montuga. The applause of the guests in the church was followed by applause from the crowds outside. After a brief trumpet salute the sound of the cathedral bells rang to announce to the cit
y of Monte Vista that the royal couple were now married.
The royal couple were afforded a few moments alone in one of the lounges after they returned to the palace.
‘I want you now,’ Jason said and he gently lifted her onto a large couch.
‘We can’t,’ Renate whispered unconvincingly. The tension became unbearable. He raised her dress and gently removed part of her undergarment. His trousers fell to his knees. She gasped as he gently brushed against her.
‘I am ready. Don’t wait. Hurry before they return for us.’
Jason required no further invitation. She gasped again as he entered her carefully and began to move inside her, slowly and gently at first. She groaned in pain initially and he kissed her forcefully to divert her attention. Her mouth responded with equal urgency and her body started to gyrate in response to his. Her eyes began to roll a little. He tried to feel for her breasts but the tight corset like design of the upper portion of the gown barred his access. He placed his mouth over hers to cover her quiet groans of ecstasy as the pressure intensified. Her breathing and his became one and this sent him over the edge and he felt himself explode within her. As the reality dawned on him that anyone could walk in he shifted to withdraw. However she pulled him closer and she clasped her legs tightly around him. He continued moving inside her. Then she shuddered again and again, forcing him to cover the gasps emanating from her mouth with his. He had never seen her looking that blissful. She could see him staring at the shape of her breasts as she regained her composure and poise. ‘There will be time for those later,’ she remarked with a glint in her eye.
‘Did I hurt you at all?’
‘A little at first. But if you end it like that again, I won’t care.’