Fairy Lights

The Wedding

Things happened quickly once we got into the capital.

As soon as we reached the city gates, we were transferred to another carriage. This one was even more ridiculous. It was giant, made of gold with red and white accents, but there was no top. Queen Verona instructed the prince and I to sit next to each other, while she sat across from us.

She plastered on a smile and leaned towards us as the carriage started moving, driving into a crowd of people cheering.

"Smile and wave, hold hands even, just be friendly with each other. We'll be going to the chapel, then after you two are dressed the ceremony will begin." She explained through clenched teeth, then leaned back into her seat and began to wave to the crowd.

We followed suit, and I felt my cheeks burn as I stretched my smile too wide. My eyes blurred and the noise around me muffled as I zoned out.

Soon enough we reached the chapel, and I was ushered away by a crowd of women.

They led me into a large room with a short pedestal and mirror in the center, and helped me stand on it. They undressed me quickly and then helped me step into a large white gown. When I looked at myself in the mirror as they laced up the corset back is that I looked exactly the opposite of how I should.

In my town, in the woods, those getting married wore simple, colorful clothing. They wore no shoes, just skirts and jewelry, and something to cover their chest.

Now, I wore only simple white earrings, and a frilly, idiotic, too-tight dress. They put tall shoes on my feet and made sure my dress was puffed up before sitting me down on a small stool. They began to touch my hair, trying to take my beads and cuffs out.

I whipped my head around, grabbing my hair and pulling it over my shoulder, away from their hands. "I want my hair like this," I said sternly, "Please." The women looked at each other, then back at me as if I was a wild animal. A pitiful wild animal. They stepped back, leaving me to fix my hair.

It was somewhere between orange and blonde, and everyone always said it glowed when the sun hit it just right. I fixed the braided section swiftly, then made sure my cuffs were on display in front and my beads in the back.

"Your Royal Highness, it's time to go." A woman said, standing next to me. I nodded, standing up with an effort and turning around. The women led me to a set of large doors, adjusting my dress after every step I took. I heard muffled music coming through the doors, and was positioned to face them just before they opened.

There were hundreds upon hundreds of spectators, all waiting for me to walk down the aisle. Waiting for me to marry their beloved prince. The prince at the alter who showed no emotion except for a strained smile.

I took a deep breath. I started walking. I made sure not to trip on my dress or shoes. I held my head high. I gripped the bouquet I was given. Roses. I noticed they had no thorns. No time to be upset though. Just walk. Breath.

I reached the alter. A woman quickly came to hold my roses for me. The prince gently took my hands in his, looking at the man beside us as if expecting something. Just then the man spoke. He spoke of eternal love and happiness, about how we will always be by each other's side. I hated it.

He told us to kiss. We did. The prince whispered an apology right after that only I could hear. The crowd clapped and cheered and we walked back down the aisle together. We were led towards a garden, where guests quickly surrounded us. They offered their congratulations. They drank. They ate. The danced. I didn't feel like I should be celebrating.

"This will only last another hour or two." The prince whispered to me. I turned my head towards him, cocking it to the side. Why is he trying to be friendly now? I turn to face forward again. "Alright." I say curtly.

"I apologize for my rudeness. I'm not exactly thrilled about today either, but I realize it isn't fair to you to deal with me being upset." He said, clearing his throat as if the words didn't want to come out. "Don't worry too much. I understand." I answer, smiling at a guest who glanced my way before dropping it. I turn to him, "Where do we go after this?" I ask.
   
"I believe we go to the estate in the countryside I've inherited. I've only been there once or twice, but I'm sure it will be to your liking." He offered me a small smile, but I was still worried.

"How would you know if it would be to my liking? You met me today." I pointed out.

"I... suppose I wouldn't. Sorry. But it is out in the country, very private. There's woods and gardens and whatnot. We'll be far enough away from here that we can do what we please without any trouble." He answered, trying to gauge my reaction.

"Alright..." I nodded, "Do I have to wear this sort of clothing all the time?" I asked, earning a chuckle from the prince. I frowned, "Don't laugh at me, answer."

He cleared his throat, "Well, is that not what you normally wear? Obviously not the wedding gown but you don't dress in something similar to what you were wearing when we came to get you?" He questioned.

"No. Your style of clothing is horrendous. It is limiting. I can't feel the ground under my feet. I can't feel the breeze on my arms. And these dresses are extremely impractical. They are much too long and seemingly very fragile." I point out, annoyed at his lack of knowledge.

"I cannot run in this. I cannot jump or climb. What do I do in it?" I ask, exasperated.

"Well, I suppose you just look pretty in it." The prince replied. I bit my tongue to stop my outburst. It would not be wise to yell infront of so many people. I took a deep breath.

"I am gorgeous in my own people's attire. I do not need lace and frills and puffs and heels to be pretty. And I can certainly be pretty and practical at the same time." I say, keeping my voice as even as possible. The prince nodded his head in agreement, or apology. Perhaps both.

"I'm sorry. I... I apologize, truly. I agree that our culture is strange, but I believe there will be things you'll learn to enjoy." He said simply, turning his head back to the crowd with a concerned expression on his face.

I turned back to the crowd too, observing the way they mingled with each other as I waited for the minutes to pass. My feet began to hurt, but I was sure it was improper to take off your shoes in the middle of an event. So I continued to stand and ignored the pain. My ribs began to ache next. No doubt due to the corset. I ignored that aswell. I would get strange looks if I were to try to loosen it. I tried to breathe, distracting myself as I waited for the night to finish.
   
"What do you usually wear?" The prince asked suddenly.
   
"What? Oh." I replied, trying to process the question quickly. "We wear mostly skirts, but not like these. Ours only go to our knees. No shoes, of course. We get different hair beads and cuffs for our accomplishments, and we never cut our hair. We don't wear corsets. Or anything tight, actually. The children wear loose fitting tops and the adults wear more form-fitting ones." I explained, noting the big differences between our peoples' clothing.
   
"I see. Thank you." The prince responded softly, then turned back to the party. I did the same.

Eventually the evening did come to a close. People filed past us, congratulating us as they left. I gave them polite smiles and little 'thank you's here and there, and finally the last few people drove off in their carriage.

I sighed, sagging my shoulders as I watched my and my new husband's carriage arrive to take us away. The sun was about to set, and I hoped we would reach the countryside house before it was completely dark. I wanted to be able to enjoy the starlight outside, not from a carriage, and I knew I only had a little bit of energy left in me before I collapsed.

We sat in the carriage facing each other, though neither of us looked in the other's direction. We watched the sun set out the windows as we rumbled along. I closed my eyes, wishing I could stretch, or atleast take the corset off. Even just not having shoes on would be lovely.

"Are you alright?" I heard the prince ask.
"Fine." I replied.
"Are you sure? You look like you're in pain."
"I'm not used to wearing such clothes is all. I'll be fine once I can change and sleep."

The prince looked at my with slight concern, but kept quiet for a while. Then, "I suppose we should talk about tonight." I furrowed my brow.

"Tonight? Why?" I asked.

"Well, for us to be truly married by law here we have to... consummate the marriage." He explained, drawing out his words as if he didn't want to have to explain this further, and just hoped I would understand. Luckily for him I did.

"You mean sex." I said. His face went from worried to horrified, and I almost laughed at the sudden surprise. He recovered fairly quickly, though was still seemingly shaken. "Uh, well yes," he cleared his throat, "Yes, sex. Your people are very open about it then?"

I sighed. "Yes, my community isn't as, well... prudish as yours. Our bodies all came from the same earth, the same evolution, and so we treat all natural processes as just that. They're natural, and shouldn't be surpressed. Or forced." I explained, watching his reaction before continuing. "It's the same reason we don't wear shoes, why we grow our hair long, why we wear, by your standards, such strange clothing. We're connected to each other, and to the world around us."

He stared at me for a moment, then smiled lightly. "Thank you for explaining." He leaned back in his seat and so did I. I hadn't realized we were both leaning towards each other.

We reached the house just after the stars came out, and the prince helped me out of the carriage and into the house. He showed me to a large set of rooms in the west end of the house, calling them 'my quarters'.

"What do you mean, 'my quarters'?" I asked him, confused.

"You sleep here and I sleep over there, in those rooms. Those are my quarters." He points down the hall to another set of doors. I was still confused. Back home couples always slept in the same bed. Always. It was to build a deeper connection. I tried to explain, but he shook his head.

"I'm sorry, I know how you feel about all this. But people will talk if we don't do things a very specific way. We're too high-profile." He told me, an apologetic look on his face. "I'll see you in a bit. Maids will be in to help you change in a few minutes, and I will be in afterwards." He said, turning to walk away.

I watched as he went into his rooms and closed the door. I did the same.