Chapter 41: The Journey

 With that out of the way, Edward left the whole matter of reclaiming the moor to Steward Howard, which was his part anyway.

 Edward then departs for Hewdry Castle in Gloucestershire, with twenty more knights, and the two Lucy Luna sisters. And, of course, the silly Arthurian white horse.

 In fact, pre-Edward, Queen Catherine and Thomas Seymour were already betrothed and legally married.

 A month ago, on the twentieth of March, with the sun looking soft in the sky, Catherine arrived wistfully with Baron Seymour at the church at Castle Hewdry. Just as she stepped out of the carriage, she unconsciously took Thomas's hand and held on to it.

 Mind you, she's been married three times, this counts as her fourth, and she came to the church to be betrothed to a baron as the king's queen.

 At Catherine Parr's request, Thomas didn't invite too many people to their betrothal ceremony, just his brother, the Duke of Somerset, and the Duchess, and Catherine's brother, the Duke of Parr.

 By now, under the door of the church, the church priest had long been greeted under the porch in his sash and white vestments.

 There is something to be said for the vestments of the vestments worn by the priests; the color white represents purity and cleanliness.

 After walking into the church, the clergy of the church identify the two people who are to be engaged, record specific personal information about the two of them, and then ask them some questions, still to reconfirm that the two people are marrying of their own free will.

 It was a young lad, who seemed to have seen Queen Catherine, and was still a little surprised at her arrival, and calmed himself by rubbing his hand lightly over his chest

 before asking in a nonchalant tone "Lady Catherine Parr, do you swear to promise to marry Baron Thomas Seymour if the Holy Church agrees?"

 Catherine replied calmly "I promise."

 "Then, Baron Thomas Seymour, do you swear to promise to marry Lady Catherine Parr if the Holy Church agrees?" .

 "I do!" Baron Seymour's voice was sure and loud.

 When it is determined that their will to marry is not wavering, the clergyman blesses them both in Latin "I betroth you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen."

 After the blessing, the unmarried couple will exchange rings.

 Baron Seymour removes the ring from his finger, places it on Catherine's hand and "Lady - with this gold ring you understand that I am yours - my ever-faithful love." Correspondingly, Catherine takes the ring off her own finger and places it on Baron Seymour's hand in the same tone.

 Engagement ceremony is not simply announced to others I want to marry you as a wife on it, it represents a right, both sides of the loyalty to each other and guardianship, the engagement of the agreement is legally binding, not can be arbitrarily suspended.

 Nor were the two engaged to be registered at a marriage registry, as they have to do today, but with the clergy of the local church.

 The church of the time did indeed function as a governmental authority in this regard as well, with the clergy serving as witnesses to the reality of witnessing marriage while also representing God's blessers.

 On the other hand, since the two have made their vows before God, they will not easily violate the promises they made in the later stages of their lives, and the Church is always the witness and defender of the marriage vows.

 What was even more fucked up in the Middle Ages was that once such a betrothal was completed, it didn't signify that the pair could immediately marry right away.

 Such an engagement is in fact only the first guarantee of marriage, but what is the second? The second guarantee is the "marriage announcement period", which lasts for a period of days after the engagement.

 The number of days is a special meaning and a symbol.

 In the Christian Church, Jesus once endured the temptation of the devil's heavenly temptation in the wilderness, and thus, the meaning is derived, that is, people should follow Jesus' example of enduring the heavenly test.

 During the days of the marriage teaser period, the two, as well as their respective families, would announce several times that they were planning to join forces as a way of letting some hidden non-compliance with the Church's rules be revealed, such as the fact that the two were close relatives who belonged to the Church's forbidden family, or the fact that one of the two had a previous engagement that hadn't been broken off, etc.

 These measures, on the one hand, serve to make the marriage relationship more transparent and, on the other hand, to purify the nature of the marriage, avoiding violations of the norms outside the marriage. In addition, it is forbidden for an unmarried couple to live together in the same room during the period of notice of marriage, even if they are engaged.

 These initiatives are still powerful measures to safeguard marriage even today. At least the couple can be more open with each other, they can bring up issues that were not previously noted, and they can open up about things they are hiding from each other, which essentially treats marriage as a sacred matter.

 Our marriages today are too impetuous, and we do not take marriage seriously enough. How many people release their desires under the slogan of liberating human nature, while leaving their responsibilities behind? When we truly recognize our responsibilities and assume the corresponding obligations, we dare to mention the so-called liberation of human nature, otherwise it is debauchery.

 And after the marriage test of days, what comes next is the final step in the process of consummation - marriage.

 Edward had medieval English weddings on his mind, but his body unconsciously swayed as the carriage moved on.

 "Ugh! It's so hard!" Edward lay in the carriage with a lifeless face, his head resting on Luna's rounded thighs, and the girl's scent pounding into Edward's nose couldn't stop the bitterness within him.

 Edward felt like he was falling apart inside; he hadn't felt much like riding in a carriage during the first few days at Windsor Manor.

 And after sitting from morning to afternoon on the road in Gloucestershire, Edward's stomach had begun to churn incessantly and his brain felt like it wasn't his own.

 He hadn't expected that someone who didn't get carsick in his last life would get carsick in this life! Could this be the reason for the physique?

 "Vomit!" Edward uncontrollably threw up into the pre-prepared wooden basin, and instantly, the carriage was filled with the smell of stomach acid.

 "Your Majesty, are you feeling better?" Luna asked with a concerned look on her face as she took a goat towel and wiped Edward's lips, full of abandonment.

 "Yes! Your Majesty, why don't we ask the carriage to stop for a while!" Lucy came up with a good idea and tried to ask Edward.

 "No, it's better to keep going with the long pain than the short pain!"

 "But ..."

 "There's no buts, it's getting dark, we can't spend the night in the field!" Edward's tone was filled with unshakeable emotion.

 Luna shook her head slightly toward Lucy, signaling her to stop.

 Lucy stopped the words that came to her lips and turned around reluctantly.

 Edward reclined on Luna's lap, his eyes gradually narrowing as he watched the two peaches in front of him wiggle and wiggle. Without realizing it, Edward slowly fell asleep.

 Luna and Lucy in the carriage breathed a sigh of relief.