History Has Its Eyes On You ~ A Hamilton Fanfiction (Book 1, Act 1)

The Wedding

°~14th December, 1780~°

(Y/N POV)

"I just thought that... maybe it would get your mind off of things." I implored Charles.

It was Alexander and Eliza's wedding day, and like all the other members of the Schuyler family, they were to be wed at Schuyler Mansion.

But Charles had been secluding himself away, just like he did when we first met. I visited far more frequently than usual, just to persuade him to eat and take care of himself. Whatever contents were within that book he spoke of, it had mortified him. He ranted that I was "in danger", and that he couldn't do anything about it. I reassured him, but nothing could surpass. He denied any word that I was safe.

"...I haven't been invited." claimed Charles, his eyelids slowly dropping.
"Alexander won't mind, he likes you."
He gulped. "And you suspect I won't fall ill again."
"Charles." -I sat on the bed- "You've been cooped up in here for two weeks. All I ask is that you come with us, even if it's only for an hour. Please, I hate seeing you like this."

"...If it makes you happy, then I'll go." he confirmed. "Just... no dancing."
"No dancing." I shook his limp hand, trampling over to the boys' wardrobe.
"What are you...?"
I opened it up, scanning the multiple shelves of neatly folded clothes. "Which one's yours?" I asked.
"Uh... Top shelf, far right."

His clothing pile was much larger than the others, which actually made a lot of sense. He was a tailor's apprentice, after all. I rummaged through, picking out a random outfit for him to wear.

"What about this?" I presented it to him.
"Why must you go through my clothing? I'm not a child, thank you very much." It was the first time I'd seen him smile in what felt like forever. "And since when did you have such taste in men's fashion?" He stood up to take the outfit from me.
"Probably since I became a soldier." I assumed. "And since when did you have such taste in women's fashion?"
"Hm?"
"The ball."

"Probably since I became a tailor's apprentice." Charles smirked, quickly checking over it again. He slipped behind the dressing screen. "You know, Y/N, there's much you have to learn in order to carry out a job as such."
"How should I know? I'll never get the chance." I joked.
"Isn't it obvious? Tailors are specialised in it."
"You want to become a tailor someday?"
He didn't respond.

After minutes of dressing, he revealed himself. "Charming." I complimented.
"Rather... vibrant." He looked at himself in the mirror, adjusting his collar.
"You'll stand out, won't you?"
"Is that really what I want?"
I giggled. "Maybe not at someone else's wedding," -I stood beside him- "But it'll make you look remarkable."

~

Emily, of course, had brought John along with her. She surely became scarily attached to him as they talked more. Soon, the two were going out alone, whilst I tended to our new family member, Sally. She wasn't quite the dog I'd expected, for all she did was sleep.

Nevertheless, on secretly opening one of her many letters to John for the fun of it, I'd found that her use of language had drastically changed. She was beginning to speak much more formally, even addressing him by "sir" at certain points. The letter wasn't of any interest to me, for she only ranted about how grateful she was to have him in her life. Though of course, I put it back where it originated, pretending that I hadn't seen anything.

Angelica greeted us at the door, hustling Emily and I both off to the right. Alexander, John and Charles were all escorted to the left. "What's going on?" I chuckled, leaping into a room. Angelica swiftly closed the door.

Eliza was being tended to by three other women, wearing a glamorous white dress. "You two made it just in time! Here!" She pointed to two bouquets of flowers, sitting within equal pots of water. "They're for you. I was wondering if the both of you would accompany me down the aisle? Alexander will also be joined by two of his best men, so..."
"Gladly!!" Emily exclaimed.
"Of course!" I inspected the room, discovering Hercules in the corner. He held a basket of petals.

"Why is... Why is Hercules in here...?" I asked with confusion.
"He insisted he be our flower girl." Angelica sighed. He gazed up, grinning innocently.

"We'll be starting soon." Eliza informed us. "My father has set up a venue in our garden, a-"
"Miss Schuyler?" A servant woman entered the room. "Master Schuyler is patiently waiting."
"So soon? Oh, what does it matter. Thank you, Gertrude." The three concluded with Eliza's makeup, making her appear much more astonishing than she already did.

She scuttled away from them, passing the bouquets to Emily and me. She took our hand. "Come!" Eliza enthusiastically pulled us away: down the hall and to the back door. A crowd of eager guests sat, gossiping in exhilaration. Mr Schuyler bowed his head to us, kissing Eliza's hand. He hooked her arm with hers. "Are you ready?"
"Of course, father." She smiled with bright confidence.

I held the flowers up against my chest, peeking out to the reef. Alexander already stood next to the priest, with John and Charles to back him up. They held similar flowers to us. I took one deep breath, leading Emily out. The crowd didn't rise, but were silenced by our entrance. The three men beamed down upon us, especially Charles. He was entranced. It wasn't long before we'd reached the priest, standing opposite of Alexander. I'd made sure to leave space for Eliza to soon make her way in.

The ring bearer, proudly picked to be John (Schuyler), followed, presenting the rings to the priest. They were organised on a small, red pillow, with Alexander and Eliza's names engraved onto them. Next up was Hercules, acting like a ray of sunshine as he scattered petals across the ground. And finally, the crowd rose as our bride entered.

Alexander was in awe, witnessing the love of his life dance down the aisle. Mr Schuyler kept his posture held high, thrilled to present his daughter to a man of trust. Eventually, Mr Schuyler handed Eliza over to the groom. Alexander gracefully kissed her hand, helping her up on the podium.

As the crowd was seated and the vows exchanged, I caught a glimmer of Charles staring at me. I didn't want to take my eyes from the ceremony, but he was too much of a distraction. I briskly twitched the corner of my mouth, hoping he would notice. And so he did, imitating the same.

He flickered his eyesight over to John, gesturing for me to concentrate on them. I peeked at John, and Charles was right. He bared the biggest smile imaginable, studying Emily. I lightly nudged her with my elbow, making her recognise his obsessive staring. Right now, it was as though there were no wedding, and it was just the four of us being awkward.

Except no one knew it.

The rings were on; the ceremony was coming to a sudden end.

"I now pronounce you man and wife."

"You may kiss your bride."