The Wedding

Alexander spent the entire morning with his master, Mr. Cook and Herman. These three men about to be married, a man of forty-five years and a man of forty-seven years both marrying a second time and a young man of nineteen marrying for the first and hopefully only time. Seeing Captain Smith outside of his uniform from the Second Boer War was most unusual for Alexander, for seeing his master in a black suit was completely atypical.

Sitting in the parlour outside of Captain Smith's bedroom, Alexander looked over at Cnut laying upon a couch while Herod was contently perched upon the chair that Captain Smith was sitting in. Sighing, Captain Smith uttered: "As if two pm couldn't get here faster. I am so excited, me and the second love of my life are getting married and may she be with me until my dying day!"

"Captain, I say hear-hear to that!" added Mr. Cook, staring out the window. "You and Igraine are going away for your honeymoon, are you not?"

"Yes, Robert." Captain Smith answered. "And I assure you, you and Eleanor will enjoy yours. Nova Scotia is very beautiful this time of year, why I remember when Captain Thorsen dragged me there to work as a fisherman! As Spartan as he was in his decoration, he did have his eccentric side." Looking over to Herman pacing back and forth, Captain Smith said: "Calm yourself, Herman. Everything will be fine."

"I've never been married before, sir." Herman said, looking first to the ceiling, then to an old painting on the wall. "What if I get cold feet? What if I find myself unable to speak?"

"You'll be fine, son." Captain Smith assured him. "Timothy went through the same thing you are now and his wedding to Collette was a great success." Hearing a knocking at the door, Captain Smith asked: "Who is it?"

From the other side came: "It's Alan, Uncle Kull!"

Captain Smith said: "Come on in, Alan!"

Alexander watched as Alan entered the room. Dressed like he was about to go to church, Alan was looking nervous in his own right. Alexander could not understand wherefore, his master's nephew just had to stand there next to Captain Smith, Mr. Cook and Herman.

Turning to look at his employer's nephew, Mr. Cook asked: "What's the matter, son? You'd think this was your wedding!"

With no hesitation, Alan replied: "I just saw Gemma in her bridesmaid dress."

Smiling at Alan, Mr. Cook walked over to the redheaded adolescent and said: "She looks radiant, doesn't she?"

Slowly nodding, Alan uttered: "Oh, she is like a goddess come to earth! I can imagine that she would make me immortal with a k—" Realizing who he was speaking to, Alan closed his mouth and looked away from his uncle's head gardener with a look of embarrassment.

Mr. Cook could only laugh: "It is alright, Alan. I approve of you and more importantly, I know that Gemma feels the same way about you. Go on! Profess your love to her!" Turning around and returning to the window, Captain Smith's head gardener stopped and turned once more to look at Alan. "Just not during the wedding ceremony."

Taking a moment to groom himself, Alexander continued to listen to the conversations. He heard Captain Smith speak of his first wedding, with Mr. Cook and Herman pointing out they had been present for it. Mr. Cook had spoken of his first wedding, the wedding of his elder daughter and wondered how long he would have to wait until Gemma was the one getting married. Herman spoke of being a member of wedding parties, but now being one of three grooms was very much different for him.

When it was time for the three grooms to go down to the ballroom, Cnut and Herod both followed after them, as did Alan, whom Alexander in turn followed. Down in the ballroom where many people, many of them the previous batch of students, some of them the family of those getting married, some of them friends. Recognizing Inspector Colm Thompson from Toronto, who was attending with his family, Alexander immediately approached and rubbed against the man's legs as he sat in his chair.

Give a small chuckle, Inspector Thompson leaned forward and gave the Northern Caracal a scratch on the head, saying to him: "Hello, me old mucker!"

Continuing down the aisle, taking time to look at who was there it seemed, Alexander sat himself down before Alan. Cnut was sitting down between their master and Reverend Adams while Herod had a perch prepared next to the statue of Isis, on the groom's side.

When the brides came down the aisle with Miss Lombard being walked down by her father, Miss Armstrong by hers and Verna by her Uncle Ross, Alexander watched with wide eyes as he took notice of Roxana. Someone had tied a white ribbon about her neck so it was in the shape of a bow. Now who had done that? The previous night she had hissed in objection when Captain Smith had asked. Captain Smith even looked astonished, staring down at Roxana with the widest eyes Alexander had ever seen upon his master's countenance.

Three brides and twenty-three bridesmaids… Unless Alexander was miscounting. There was Gemma, Hippolyta, Olga and then all twenty of the current female students. What bride had ever had so many bridesmaids?

Turning his head to look at the groomsmen, Alexander noticed that there was an even amount. There was Alan, Young Cortes and then all twenty of the current male students. What groom had ever had this many groomsmen?

Monarchs, royal consorts, had there ever been a wedding in the entirety of history with as many bridesmaids and groomsmen as this? Alas, Alexander knew not.

With Emma sitting between Miss Lombard and Reverend Adams, Cleopatra upon a perch on the brides' side of the statue of Isis and Roxana sitting before Gemma, it seemed almost a mirror image.

When Reverend Adams was about to speak, Cleopatra hooted causing the Man of the Cloth to turn to the female great horned owl and say: "Thank you for asking everyone to remain silent."

Thus did, the marriage ceremony begin. Alexander listened patiently, looking up at the couples as their "I dos" were said and ultimately, Miss Lombard became Mrs. Smith, Miss Armstrong became Mrs. Cook and Verna became Mrs. Verna Petit. Then did Captain Smith kiss Mrs. Smith, Mr. Cook kiss Mrs. Cook and Herman kiss Verna.

What followed was the happy couples making their way to the marriage carriages. As Cnut and Emma had seniority, they accompanied Captain and Mrs. Smith in their carriage pulled by Peter and Catherine while Herod and Cleopatra accompanied Mr. and Mrs. Cook. Thus did Alexander and Roxana accompany Herman and Verna.

Alexander was very much excited for the carriage ride. Jumping next to the driver, he looked back and forth, wondering what the hold up was. Why weren't the carriages moving?

What next happened confused Alexander. The brides were throwing away their bouquets and multiple female wedding guests were seeking to catch them. Wherefore? If they wanted flowers so badly, they could just go and pick some.

When the carriage ride finally began, Alexander noticed that Gemma had caught one of the bouquets. It seemed she had gotten her flowers, but why they were so important the Northern Caracal had no idea. Gemma lived on the estate she could go flower picking whenever she liked. Why did Mr. Cook's sixteen-year-old daughter look so overjoyed? Alexander wished to know the answer!

The carriage ride took the couples with them their animal companions around Oshawa where they were greeted by waving crowds that probably seemed larger to Alexander than they actually were. Regardless, there were still a fair number of people waving at them.

When the carriage ride was over, Alexander hopped out of the carriage and looked at the sky. Wherefore? What was he expecting to see when he looked up?

There was a crowd waiting for them all and upon seeing Alan and Gemma, Alexander wondered if the former had confessed his love to the latter. How was he to know? He was merely a caracal.

As Roxana landed next to him, Alexander immediately looked at his mate and made a chirping sound. Roxana made a chirping noise of her own and rubbed her head against Alexander's. It was a tender moment, but one that was interrupted by the entrance of the couples into Quebec Castle with Cnut, Emma, Herod and Cleopatra following after them. They quickly followed by the crowd of those living on the estate and those invited to the wedding, resulting in the two caracals having to go around back to where the window to Captain Smith's office was open and jump on through.

From there, Alexander and Roxana made their way to the ballroom. They had seen dance lessons being given here to the students so they would be used to it the day of the wedding and sure enough while musicians played their music, people were dancing, six people in fact: Captain Smith with Mrs. Smith, Mr. Cook with Mrs. Cook and Herman with Verna.

When the dance was all over, there was an applause and more people were allowed to dance alongside the couples, such as Agatha and Julius while an unlucky Burton Marx had been assigned as the dance partner of Mr. Dupont's daughter Elizabeth. Neither Alexander nor Roxana had ever seen feet stepped upon more times than when Burton and Elizabeth danced together.

Eventually the festivities came to an end and with them, quiet had come to Quebec Castle. Sitting at an open window staring out at the setting sun, Alexander thought of all that had changed. Miss Lombard and Miss Armstrong were now Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Cook and they would be living here at Quebec Castle. Verna had become Mrs. Verna Petit and with Captain Smith offering Herman a job as his assistant, the young couple would be living at Quebec Castle as well, as would Captain Smith's brother and his family. Outside of new residents, Alexander had seen Alan and Gemma dancing together and so the Northern Caracal once more wondered if his master's elder nephew had confessed his love to the gardener's daughter.

Continuing to look out at the setting sun, Alexander thought of Miltiades laying dead out by the river. It was truly over. One enemy dead and yet Alexander wondered what had ever happened to Ahab, Caligula Filcher's dog? What had ever happened to Filcher and his uncle Skinner? He knew not, but what he did know was that Herr Ludwig von Fell, the very Devil himself as far as Alexander was concerned, was still out there, him and his albino chimpanzee Beelzebub, a very monster out of nightmare, were still out there, not on the estate, but out there still.

Whatever the case, Alexander looked out upon the estate. There was peace once more, that annoyance of a goose Lucifer aside, all in all he thought it a fine day.

Hearing a sound, Alexander turned his head. Entering the room were Alan and Gemma, not quite hand in hand, still the Northern Caracal could tell they were a little bit closer. Maybe, just maybe, the next wedding at Quebec Castle would be theirs. Would that be a triple wedding as well? How was Alexander to know? All he knew was that he had heard Mrs. Dupont telling Gemma and the other two who had caught the bouquets that they would be the next ones to marry.