Chapter 18: The short-sword wedding.
A royal wedding was always cause for celebration and in the grand chapel, there were many smiles, only few were real, most were duplicitous.
Many young ladies in attendance had come overdressed as if it was their intention to overshadow the bride. They reeked of floral scents and were decked out in extravagant jewelry.
More than a few older men were bitter faced, unhappy with the fact that their families had missed a great chance to be tied to royalty.
For the Thorin's and the royal's, it was a mixture of happiness and unhappiness, on one hand the eldest son of the king, the crown prince was finally marrying, there was hope for an heir if he laid with his wife and this would ensure the longevity of the throne.
But on the other hand, there were those that hoped the wedding fell through and ended in ruins because they hoped for a turn at the throne.
Who did not want an opportunity to be King?
At the very front where the royals were sitting, the queen was shooting smirks at the secondary consort, now that her son was getting married, the chances of the third prince taking the throne were slimmer.
Who did not know that the third prince had a litter of bastards on his estate born from lowly maids? The secondary consort's supporters had been whispering that he was more worthy of the throne than the crown prince that showed no intentions of wedding or bearing heirs.
Even though Sigrid would not have been her first choice of a wife for her son, the power her family held was too great to ignore.
The Ye family were supporters of the secondary consort, if Sigrid married Oliver Ye, the Thorin's would naturally become affiliated. If that happened, where would the crown prince be left?
The battle for the throne was a long one which did not end even after crowning of the king. The contenders did not rest, they just retreated and made preparations for the next generation.