Reign and Rivers

vi. Blue

"It is time, My Lady," Jana announced, opening the door to the small chamber. "Remember not to get overwhelmed, under any circumstance."

Princess Lysandra nodded, exhaling through her mouth. She knew it would be difficult to rein in her annoyance from seeing Prince Iyan again, but she would do her best.

She turned to stare in the mirror, electric-blue eyes making contact as the river burbled outside. The girl in the mirror was wearing a traditional wedding dress, blue water lillies woven elegantly into raven black hair. Her eyes flitted to the small dagger tied to the waist of the dress, and wondered if people would know that it wasn't the only one on her person.

The dagger was jewelled and much less sharp than Lysandra preferred, but it matched the dress. The dress was blue; blue like the river flowing outside, blue like the sky looming above.

Her cheeks were flushed pink, and again, Lysandra wondered if people would know it was because of the cold inside her.

The girl in the mirror looked beautiful, the blue in her eyes shining due to the blue in her dress. She looked naïve, and innocent, and all the things Lysandra wasn't. 

Turning to face Jana again, Lysandra's lips curled up slightly. "Let's have some fun, yes?"

                                                                                                             ~~~

Prince Iyan shifted nervously in his place. Even the Holy River, Katharos, flowing beside them, didn't help calm his mind. 

"Stop fidgeting," Darius muttered from beside him. "Grooms aren't supposed to do that."

"If you know so much about what grooms do and don't, why don't you take my place at the altar?" Iyan hissed under his breath.

They were standing near said altar, waiting for Princess Lysandra to join them. The harpist was playing the tune to a song, that Iyan was pretty sure, was about one of the early Princes of Thessalia snatching his father's position for power.

Iyan frowned. Was that song really appropriate for a wedding ceremony?

He looked around and caught sight of several Thessalians nodding along to the music.

His frown deepened. Thessalians were strange people.

The ceremony would be short, unlike the festivities that would take place at the castle grounds later. Which was why, the Royal Families of Tibur and Thessalia, and other dignitaries were the only ones attending it. 

There were guards stationed around them. That didn't stop Iyan's eyes from roaming above the small crowd; surveying the area for any threats. It was a habit that came with being the Commander.

He patted at the jewelled dagger at his waist, as if to reassure himself that he had at least one weapon at hand. Iyan wondered if anyone knew it wasn't the only weapon with him. Though, it would not have been particularly odd for him to have his sword at the altar, his mother had decided against it. According to her, it wouldn't match with his traditional, blue tunic and trousers.

Looking at the crowd again, his gaze landed on Princess Olympia, the youngest royal of Thessalia. She was smiling at him, which caught him off-guard. Though she had been perfectly civil when greeting him and his family yesterday, he had thought it to be a lie. He'd learnt his lesson with Princess Lysandra, and he wasn't taking any chances with Thessalians. 

But, Princess Olympia didn't seem as dreadful as her step-sister; so, he offered her a polite smile. She was just a child after all, same as his little sister, who was standing beside Princess Olympia with a bored expression. That changed though, as soon as her eyes met his, and her lips lifted up in a teasing smile, wiggling her eyebrows. She'd been like that ever since she had met his bride last night.