I was happy that we would get to see a beautiful double marriage. Even though it was arranged and agreed to on both sides, it had not been made official that Alane had married Johna. The same thing was true for both Lennox and Nota. It would be good for all 4 of them to be married by a bishop of the dominant religion in the cathedral still under construction. I sent a letter over to Gerald about the circumstances at hand. He was fine with it. Being friends with the bishop was great. We were not worthy of such an honor. Neither Lennox nor I had the same faith as him. He sent me a letter saying the preparations were being made. We could go at our earliest convenience. I wanted it to be done as soon as possible. Alane and Betan felt the same way. We got everyone fancy clothes and got our families together to make the journey. Alane was all Betan had. The trip was a day and a half via the large wagons. When we first got there, we were directed to the site where the big cathedral was being built. The main church and one of the auxiliary chapels had been completed already. More to go.
Gerald welcomed us. We told him that we would like to have the married right away. Gerald nodded his head. "The Mass will be done in the morning. You all must be so very tired by now. Come stay at my home for the night." he insisted. As a man of his high station, he did have a nice home. It was an episcopal palace. It was smaller than the huge White Estate home. It was smaller than the palace in the capitol as well. This was still bigger than either of my homes by at least triple. The designers were amazing, but they were also very cruel. There was no hint of color to be found in the original design. It was all polished stone and ivory. Bleached white furs and leathers covered the furniture. The sheets and linen were pure white. Even the wood of the beds were painted the color of snow. I knew Gerald and his families were albinos, but this was a bit much. "Are you really going to take this insult laying down?" I asked him. He just looked at me in surprise. "Excuse me?" he asked. "They can't keep on mocking you for being Colorless. This is messed up." I said. He smiled very warmly.
His smile was kind, but his eyes were really sharp. He came from a family of shrewd merchants. "My friend, you must underestimate me. Why should I get angry with them? Their whole company has gone bankrupt. Having a record of displeasing clients tends to lead to that outcome." he said coyly. I got the message loud and clear. He ruined them. "But, still! You must have some color in here. Depriving one of color like this is a verifiable form of torture." I said in concern. Everyone looked at me, making it awkward. I chuckled nervously. "You'll be fine as you leave and see the real world everyday. Promise me you'll keep some colored sheets for your bedroom at least." I begged. He just smiled wider. "I do enjoy the purity of white things. I might as well live up to the image they have made of me in their minds. It keeps the people in my court at bay." That was right. He was a full bishop now. He was vested with the authority over all the faithful in this county. Gerald would need a court and small council to help him govern the large area. Many probably resented serving under an albino bishop.
