Page 52 of Fractured Empire

Standing to my left, Apollo has his shoulders pulled back tight, and his eyes scanning the rows of guests with practiced ease. Everyone in the crowd was invited on mine or Katya’s behalf, and no one has been deemed a security risk. It’s a small audience too, only close family, guards, and men who have been deemed high ranking enough to attend as guests.

In the closest seats to Apollo and me, Rayna sits serenely with my sons and hers. Baby Vaughn in her lap, with Leo and Bastian on either side of them. Right behind her, my father sits tall and forbearing, like a God watching over them, ready to strike down anyone who dares step too close. I wouldn’t trust anyone more than I trust him to keep them safe, save for Apollo himself.

Noticing me looking at them, Leo shoots me a big, goofy grin. “Hi, Daddy,” he whisper-shouts, waving his little hand excitedly.

A small ripple of amusement chimes through the crowd as they hear his soft greeting, laughter and giggles being poorly muffled by our family and Katya’s alike. Having just walked down the long, white aisle herself, Katya’s mother stands across from me in her maid of honor spot hiding a laugh into her little bouquet of flowers.

Waving back to my son with a nod, I watch as he reacts. His large smile lifts even more, and he doesn’t pay any mind to the people laughing around him. Instead, he spins around in his little tuxedo and says hello to his grandfather too.

“He’s so cute I just want to bite his little cheeks,” Jade tells Dmitri with a pout, her muffled declaration just loud enough to reach my ears. She’s in the front row as well, blending into the tens of seats left for our family.

Rayna, Ana, Anya, and Jade all coordinated dresses for the day. Though Anya hasn’t spent much time being inducted into the family as she lives all the way in California with her family and now Matteo, she clearly got added into some kind of girls group chat, judging by their attire. Each of them is sporting a long-sleeved, flowy gown that hugs their waists while flaring at the skirt, only differing in their color. Emerald green for Jade, light blue for Ana, blush pink for Rayna, and lilac purple for Anya.

The rest of my brothers are facing me in the front and second row as well, all of them wearing black suits like Apollo. Although, for all I know, none of them could be new. We typically keep our closets stocked with whatever we may need at all times, but if Armani thought I might wear a suit I already own for my wedding, he’d throw a proper fit. Maybe even punch me.

My eyes lift as I hear the back doors open again, the soft but upbeat violin tune isn’t quite loud enough to disguise it. Gaia steps forward with unrivaled confidence. Her head is held high, and her hands are sure as she slips into her role, reaching into her basket of flower petals. She sprinkles the crimson flower clippings over the floor like she’s been practicing for ages to perfect her tosses. Like her mother, she’s wearing a dress that’s somewhere on the scale of dark pink to maroon red. The same shade as Ares’ tie, if I’m not mistaken.

Speaking of Ares, as soon as Gaia gets to the end of the aisle, she takes her seat at his side happily. Since it’s empty and no longer of use to her, she hands her basket off to him and crosses her ankles like a young lady at high tea. She doesn’t wave to anyone or smile brightly, but she looks proud all the same. There’s little time to look at her mother’s reaction to her as the music shifts, and a collective breath is taken in the room. My heartbeat immediately picks up, hammering harder as the doors to the decorated ballroom swish open for the last time of the evening.

White floods my vision first, and then the cool tone of her pale skin, and eventually, all I can see is just her. My throat seems to swell as I take Katya in, going tight as her beauty washes over me. Her dress is modern and bright, with a tight corset around her waist but loose white fabric everywhere else. It’s off the shoulder, with thick white straps hanging off her biceps, and crystal-like lace falling down the rest of her arms. The lace continues too, in the skirt. With a slit on one side clean up to her hip, it fills in the space to show off her leg without bearing it fully.

Our eyes meet as she starts to walk forward, Linus holding her arm within his. My knees feel tight and weak all at once, and I have to blink to snap myself into consciousness. Her hand seems to tremble around her bouquet, the little bundle of white and red roses shaking in her hand. It’s so slight that I doubt anyone else notices it, but Katya is all that I can see, so every single detail is categorizing itself, burning a place into my memory, never to be erased.

In a matter of moments that seem too fast to comprehend, my soon-to-be wife is inches away from me. The priest behind me says something that I don’t catch, and Linus kisses the back of Katya’s hand before passing it to me. The handoff, I realize. I must have missed the instruction to pass the bride into the care of her groom.

“Please be seated.”

That, I don’t miss.

“You okay?” I mouth, not letting the words make sound, but making sure they meet Katya all the same.

“Yes,” she whispers in return, squeezing my hand softly.

The sound of shuffling indicates the direction is being followed, but I can’t even bother to check my peripheral vision to be sure. All my focus is stolen by the angel in white in front of me. Her long blonde hair that’s been spun into bouncy, loose curls, her fair skin that has been airbrushed with natural but glowing makeup, and her eyes that hold a quiet confidence. There’s no fear to be found when I look into her gaze, and only the barest hint of eagerness.

She’s ready to be wed, that much is clear. And fuck if that doesn’t make my heart race.

“Dearly beloved, we’re gathered here today to witness and celebrate the union of two souls. We find ourselves joined in one room, eyes wide to bear witness to the joining of two houses. The vows of marriage are a sacred and long-standing tradition, not to be entered into lightly, but thoughtfully, with a deep realization of their commitment. Today, we will watch on as Leon Moretti and Katya Lukáčová not only take these vows, but swear to uphold them before the eyes of God.”

The weight of his words doesn’t pull me down, but rather, lifts me up. The responsibility of being a husband is something that I’ve always been prepared for. I don’t fear being beholden to vows, despite how horribly my first marriage turned out. All I can do is hope that this marriage will be lighter on my heart than the last. That alone will keep me strong.

Our priest says more words that float around in the back of my mind as unimportant. Nothing matters quite like the vows, and within a few breaths, a few moments of staring into the endless sea of Katya’s eyes, it’s time to say them.

My voice comes out without struggle, despite my mind’s wandering thoughts of the future.

“I, Leon Moretti, take thee, Katya Lukáčová, to be my lawfully wedded wife. To have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish. I vow to honor you, to be faithful to you, and to protect you, till death do us part.”

Katya takes in a short, almost surprised breath, feeling the weight of my words sink in. Her plump lips part into a small smile and she rubs her thumb over my knuckles where our hands are still bound.

“I, Katya Lukáčová, take you, Leon Moretti, to be my lawfully wedded husband. To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish. I vow to honor you, to be faithful to you, and to protect our children, till death do us part.”

Hearing her vow to protect our children, I know that she means Leo and Bastian as much as she means any future children that we may have together. The earnestness in her gaze is all I need to see to know that her words are true. And though we’ve both vowed to love and cherish one another, as tradition dictates, love is not the thing that we’ve promised each other here today.

I hope it is an eventuality, but our promises of honor, faithfulness and protection are what we’ve sworn above all else. It’s what’s going to bring us together and keep our marriage safe in the years to come. We’ve vowed to become a family, and that’s exactly what the both of us need.

Rings are exchanged, and for the first time, Katya sees the diamond that will sit on her left hand for decades to come. It’s an oval cut white diamond, with a band of smaller, just as sparkly diamonds filling all around. It’s four carats, not too large for her delicate hand size, and has flawless clarity according to Jade, who helped me pick it out. Her wedding band, by contrast, is a simple silver band with more tiny diamonds surrounding the hoop.

When I slide both rings into place, Katya stares at her hand for a solid five seconds before remembering that she needs to place my wedding band into place as well. The thick, white gold band is much less flashy than hers, just the way I prefer it. I have a plastic, stretchy black ring to take its place when I’m going to be getting my hands dirty too, preventing me from losing this one while dealing with less than savory business.