Forced Royal

Hopeless

Chapter 38- Hopeless

As I stop in front of the man I am to marry, we lock eyes. His eyes plead and hope that what he is seeing is wrong. That everything is only a dream and he will awake from it, but we can't even believe the lie that we create to comfort ourselves. Someone takes my bouquet from my hands, and Charlie gently takes my hands in his.

If I was marrying the man of my life, I probably would be describing how endlessly perfect this critical moment is. Like how my hands fit right in his like a puzzle piece. How he looks flawless like our shining diamond rings that we place on each other's fingers. How his eyes sparkle like stars on a clear summer night. How just the sight of him makes me feel like I am walking on air.

But that isn't the case. This moment isn't perfect. Our hands don't fit like a puzzle piece. He looks as if he is going to cry. His eyes sparkle, but not with life; they sparkle with unshed tears about to slip out. The sight of him standing in front of me makes me feel like I am falling off a cliff -- a sickening feeling that consumes me.

A weak smile comes across my face, and Charlie returns it with a sad smile. A tear slips out of his eye that I wipe away for him. To everyone watching, it just looks like we are happy, but only the people in the castle know how it really is.

Charlie can't help but let out a hint of his emotions. Tear after tear slips but he covers it up with a smile. Seeing his actions forces the sickening feeling to grow.

We are in a temple section of the castle, where every Royal gets married. It is tradition...

"Here, we have all come together to witness the love of two individuals coming together as one." The priest announces. He speaks of a fake love story of how we met just to cover up that it is an arranged marriage.

As he speaks, thoughts zoom through my mind: How am I going to get out of this? That was my last hope, right? What is going to happen now?

Then, not one, but two ideas pop in my head, but they are risky. What if someone objects against the marriage? Also, what would happen if I say 'I Don't'?

My answers are clear to me, though: Chances of someone objecting are slim, and the kingdom would never respect the Royals ever again if I didn't agree to the marriage since it is arranged. Everyone, including Charlie, would be ridiculed and teased and disrespected no matter what. No solutions seem to work out.

"Now, if there are any people who object this marriage, speak now or forever hold your peace."

Our hands grip tighter at his words. My eyes shift to the ground as I wait, wait for a single voice to speak up and save us.

Nothing. Not a word. The bare silence is stomach-churning.

The priest continues, "Alright, let's get to the vows." He speaks through all the promises that Charlie will pledge to me, but it is a muffled sound. The words mean nothing special to me.

"...for as long as you both shall live?"

Charlie takes a deep breath, "I do..."

"And Arizona Touris..." My mind blocks him out, and I stare blankly at a flower pot in the distance behind Charlie. "...as long as you both shall live?"

I imagine the look on his face when he smiled and encouraged me to eat not proper and to jump off the ledge of the waterfall. Then, I never understood what he was doing, but now I know exactly what he was doing -- urging me on to not do what his parents preferred me to do.

I imagine his facial expressions and how happy he was when he was around Emerald. Charlie's smile is contagious when it is a real smile. Now, that smile that he gets when he is around Emerald won't be there anymore. He deserves more than this.