Chapter One

Victor stared nervously at the church door, waiting for the arrival of his bride to be, Victoria. He scanned the guests seated in the church pews. He saw his mother, who smiled at him, tears of joy in her eyes. This was the day that Victor was to be married. His father beamed with pride. For although Victor’s was an arranged marriage, he was very much in love with his bride.

As if on cue, his thoughts strayed to the last few days. The events had unfolded so quickly, his head spun trying to remember everything. He remembered practicing his vows in the forest just outside of town, placing a ring on a stick poking out of the ground, which was really a corpse’s exposed digit! He thought of the Corpse Bride, Emily, whom he had been married to briefly. She had been appalled upon discovering that her ‘true love’ was to be wed to Victoria, whom she had called ‘Little Miss Living.’

He remembered the hurt in her eyes after they had traveled back to the living world from the afterlife. He was ashamed of himself for lying to her; he had said how wanted to show her his parents when, in truth, he had gone back for Victoria. He remembered when they returned, how Emily had discovered death had already parted them and that in order for her to be married to victor, he had to die for her. He recalled the ceremony, her acknowledgement of Victoria. Then there was Victoria’s brief marriage to Lord Barkis, who had killed Emily! He remembered the cold look in Barkis’s eyes when he asked Emily, “Can a heart still break after its stopped beating?” Then Barkis had drunk poison and died. Then Emily had said she had been set free, then turning into hundreds of butterflies. He smiled, knowing that now she could rest in peace.

His attention returned to searching for Victoria, who had still not arrived. He turned to view the rear of the church, and there he saw her in all of her beauty. Her blond hair was pinned on top of her head in a bun. He blushed and looked at her body. She was wearing a marvelous white wedding dress, trimmed in lace from neckline to the floor. Her face radiated a sunny glow, instead of its normal pale white complexion. She turned her head in Victor’s direction and smiled.

Victor blushed again and mouthed, You look like an angel. Now it was Victoria’s turn to blush, but before she could reply, she was whisked away by her mother, who wore a permanent scowl. She shot Victor a look that said, She’s only marrying you because I know you have money. While this would normally cause Victor to become nervous, today he smiled at her. After the last few days, he learned that life is short, and if you don’t tell someone how you feel, they’ll never know. He had changed so much over the past week. Even his nervous traits, such as dropping things and stuttering had lessened in occurrence.

“Victor,” said Pastor Galswells, “the ceremony is to begin soon.”

“O-o-okay,” Victor said. So much for abated nervous traits.

Victor walked to the back of the church, eager for the ceremony to begin.

~

Victoria inhaled, but couldn’t get as much air into her lungs as usual, due to the backbreaking tightness of her corset. She leaned to the left to get a better view of her future husband, only to be shoved back to her original position by her mother.

“This is a wedding, not a sideshow display at a carnival,” hissed Mrs. Everglot in Victoria’s ear. “No child of mine will be caught gawking at someone like they’re a freak on display on her wedding day, even if he is a freak,” the last part whispered almost inaudibly.

Victoria sighed. Her mother would think it would be that of regret for moving, but it was a sigh of contentment. She had seen her future husband, and he looked simply ravishing. His usual black ensemble was replaced with a white tuxedo. His shirt pocket held a single red rose. Not one black hair was out of place.

Something was whispered at the front of the throng of people in the rear of the church. Suddenly, Victor’s best man, a cousin from a nearby town, walked down the aisle, arm linked with Victoria’s maid of honor, a distant relative of Victoria’s mother, whom Victoria had no voice in choosing. As they reached the altar, they separated on to separate ends. Next came the ring bearer, a small boy from the town. Now came the nerve-racking part for Victoria.

Music erupted from the church’s organ, signifying the bride. The flower girl, a child no older than four, walked down the aisle of the church throwing flower petals everywhere. Ready or not, here comes the bride, thought Victoria.

She began walking down the aisle with her father, a pudgy old bald man. Everyone stood up in their pews and turned around to get a better look at the bride. Victoria managed a weak smile, contrast to her father’s neutral frown. As they walked down the aisle, the people they passed turned around. After what seemed like an eternity, they reached the altar.

“Who gives this woman to this man?” asked Pastor Galswells.

“Her father,” said Mr. Everglot. He turned to face Victoria. She smiled at him, and he lifted her veil from her face, letting it fall behind her, connected at the base of the bun in her hair. Before she could say anything, he left and returned to his seat next to her mother.

Victoria frowned but knew her father was just overwhelmed with emotion; that was why he didn’t say anything to her. She walked onto the altar, meeting Victor’s smile with one of her own. She stood between him and her maid of honor as the ceremony began.

The ceremony passed without hesitation until it came time for the vows. Victor had managed to perfect his vows, or so he thought. Regardless of whether or not he did, the wedding would go on.

Victor cleared his throat. “With this hand, I will l-l-lift your sorrows.”
Victoria stared lovingly into his eyes. She repeated, “With this hand I will lift your sorrows.”

The two took a few steps toward the table. Victor nearly stumbled, but Victoria steadied him by holding onto his arm. Once she let go, he opened the bottle of wind. While pouring it into her cup, he recited, “Your cup will never empty for I shall be your wine.” He put the bottle back on the table.

Victoria picked up the bottle and poured wine into Victor’s cup. “Your cup will never empty, for I shall be your wine.” She placed the bottle back on the table and closed it.

Each of them took a small candlestick from the table and lit them from a small tea candle that had already been lit. As they moved their candles toward their marriage candle they said in unison, “With this candle, I will light your way in darkness.” The fire caught, and they put their lit candles in holders to the left and right of their marriage candle.

“The rings, please,” said Pastor Galswells to the ring bearer. The small boy clumsily stepped onto the altar and thrust out the pillow with the rings on it. Victor took Victoria’s ring, while Victoria took Victor’s ring. Job complete, the boy returned to his spot.

Victor turned to face Victoria. He looked into her eyes and saw a happiness that he’d never seen before. He placed her ring between his finger and his thumb. “With this ring,” he said, slipping it onto her ring finger tenderly, “I do thee wed.”
Victoria looked into Victor’s eyes with love; his eyes reflected hers. She took back her hand, looked at the ring and smiled. She placed his ring between her finger and her thumb. Eyes shining, she said, “With this ring, I do thee wed.” she slipped the ring onto Victor’s finger and took his hand in hers, much to her mother’s dismay.
“I now pronounce you man and wife,” said Pastor Galswells in a bored voice. “You may kiss the bride.”

Victor hadn’t prepared for this part; he had just sort of hoped nature would take its course. That seemed to work well enough, for he put his hands under Victoria’s chin. Victoria took things from there. She put her arms around Victor’s neck and leaned in. Their lips met, and the church hall exploded in applause. After all the setbacks, they were finally married.

<3

After a few seconds, the couple separated. They linked hands, and Victoria held her bouquet in her other hand. They walked down the aisle, blushing and smiling. Everyone in the pews was either standing or crying from joy. Everyone, that is, except the Everglots. They had remained seated throughout the entire ceremony, even the end. If anything, they looked more miserable now than they did in the beginning of the wedding. Amidst the cheers, Mr. Everglot, whose name was Finnis, said to his wife, “This peasant boy will be the end of us.”

“I agree,” said Mrs. Everglot, whose name was Maudeline. “The only benefit to this marriage is the money that comes with it.”

Meanwhile, the newlyweds went outside, greeted by the glow of the afternoon sun. After throwing the bouquet to some excited young girls, Victoria sought out Victor’s mother.

“Mrs. Van Dort, where are Victor and I to go now?” Victoria asked.
“Well, you two should head over to the reception hall in about ten minutes…” Here Mrs. Van Dort winked at Victoria.

“No, no, I mean, well…” Victoria blushed slightly. “Now that we are married, what will happen next?” You see, Victoria had only just met Victor a few days previously. She knew nothing of their futures, which had become intertwined.

“Well,” said Mrs. Van Dort, looking thoughtful, “I suppose you two will go on a honeymoon for a month or so, possibly in one of our manors…” Mrs. Van Dort walked away, plotting and planning the honeymoon, which had been overlooked somehow.

Victoria shrugged and began searching for Victor, who had remained sitting on the chapel’s steps. She would cross the bridge of a honeymoon when it presented itself. “Ah, there you are,” she said upon her return to the church stairs.
“Victoria,” whispered Victor. “We are married.”

She sat down next to him. “I know, Victor dear.” She took his hand and held it in her lap. His cheeks turned pink at Victoria’s gesture. “It’s okay,” she said, stroking his cheek with her free hand. “I’m yours now.”

He continued blushing with vigor. “In the ceremony, the k-k-k- it was—”

“Magical,” she finished for him. “I look forward…to many more.” She let go of his hand, and they embraced, her cheeks matching Victor’s in color. Today was a very emotional day.

Unwillingly, it was Victor who broke their warm embrace. He asked her, “What are we to do now?”

Rather than teasing him like his mother had to done to Victoria, she merely said, “We’re to go to the reception hall I believe; I expect everyone else is there already.” She looked around the grounds. “Would you know where that is?”
Victor rose from the steps where they were seated and provided Victoria a sturdy helping hand getting up. “Yes. It’s down the road from here, but it’s shorter to go through…the forest,” he said, recalling that his last excursion in the forest hadn’t ended particularly well.

Victoria noticed Victor’s discontent. She looked at his face and asked, “Which way is better for you to take? I don’t mind the longer walk…”

“Are you sure?” he asked. He was thankful for Victoria’s straightforward nature, or at least her ability of knowing what he was thinking without asking.
“Yes, it’s fine,” she said with a smile. She linked arms with her new husband and said, “Let’s go!”