There Is No Me Beyond You

~28~

The chapel was ready at the end of April and the preparations for the first wedding, Clara and Junior's, started immediately.

Making it a grand event was impossible seeing how difficult it was to do even the smallest tasks, like sewing a few new dresses for Clara's friends from the village, preparing rooms for a handful of guests, or ordering extra food for the wedding dinner, while trying to keep the omnipresent, obnoxiously watchful members of the Council ignorant of our intentions.

The castle was buzzing with excitement and feverish activity, just like the village, hushing only during those days when we had to receive and entertain our unwelcome visitors-- we tried to make everything look normal then, as if nothing out of ordinary was happening.

We couldn't fathom if Rareş, who had visited Bran a couple of times in person, or his minions, noticed that something was going on, but they never said anything openly, and so we pushed on with our plans and preparations as well, and as fast, as we could.

As the wedding day drew close, it was decided that it would only be me and Vlad who would accompany the couple from the castle, the rest of those present at the ceremony would be the people from the village, our, and Clara's father's closest friends and relatives. Radu and Lucas would stay behind, with a valid excuse for my and Vlad's absence should anyone from the Council arrive before we returned.

The morning of the wedding was a wonderful, early May day. Little Ioan was entrusted to his great-grandmother and Katerina and I was supposed to help Clara to get dressed and ready.

While Katerina brushed her hair, Clara's eyes met mine in the mirror sitting on my dressing table between the two windows. She looked very serious throughout the preparations, a thing which I considered normal seeing that she was about to be married to the man she loved, who happened to be the future prince. But now I thought I saw tears glisten in her eyes and it worried me.

The moment Katerina finished with her hair, and the only thing left to do was attaching the heavy, richly embroidered sleeves to the dress Clara was wearing, I decided to let Katerina go. I could do that on my own. I felt that Clara needed to talk and she would not say anything while my old nurse was in the room. Our nurse... My subconscious reminded me about mine, and Katerina's connection with Clara.

I took a deep breath, trying to find words which would not offend Katerina, but she curtsied and started walking towards the door even before I opened my mouth.

"I'll help Cook with little Ioan. She must be busy with the lunch... Call me should you need my help, my lady." She said, smiling at me.

She noticed Clara's strange behaviour too. I realised. She... knows, or feels something I don't...

Once we were alone, Clara stood up from the stool she had been sitting on and I pulled her in an embrace before I started with the sleeves. She was like a sister to me, a sister I had never had. And yet I did have her... Don't think about this now. Talk to her. My subconscious scolded me.

"I'm so happy for you and Young Vlad," I said, moving to her side, and making her push her right arm through the first sleeve.

It was a magnificent work of art, the light green, gossamer fabric a shade lighter than the floor-length dress she had on, was covered with fantastical flowers embroidered with a golden thread, Clara's own work. It took her more than a month to finish and she was proud of them... Just what's worrying her now... I mused, not knowing how to ask her.

"I... " Clara spoke suddenly as I took the second sleeve from the table. "I think I'm with child." She said, covering her lips with the palm of her hand.