My Mom is wearing a beige gown embroidered with red flowers, her shoulders are bare and skin glow a bronze tan. Her hair is pinned up in elaborate curls.
Quite the contrast to her appearance on Earth.
"Mom!" I exclaim, "I'm so glad to see you!" I rush into her arms and hug her like I'm a child again.
Finally someone familiar.
"Lucy," Mom says, returning my embrace. "Leeza told me you already ate, so let's get you in your wedding gown."
Leeza lays out my gown, the one I tried on in Chicago. "Alvar got this for you. He said he wanted something from Earth to help you feel as if something were familiar tonight."
"Everyone in the city is attending," Mom says. "Isn't that great?"
"Everyone in the city?" I squeak.
"Let's get you ready, Princess! We've got a lot of work to do," Leeza interrupts, as if sensing my mother is making me uncomfortable and I'm in need of diversion. "So little time!"
Another sylph woman with blue feathers enters the room. She and Leeza brush my hair, and fuss with my eyebrows and make-up.
The blue-feathered sylph says something in a thickly accented voice that I don't understand.
"I'm sorry, I don't understand you," I tell her.
The blue sylph looks to Leeza.
"You must undress," Leeza says, translating for her. "We must give you a bath with arlite."
"Undress?" I furrow my brow.
Crap. I'm a really modest girl, even when around other people of the same gender.
"It's okay, Lucy," Mom assures. "I'm over here." As if she's taking me to a doctor appointment and I'm five.
I don't want to get naked in front of all these people.
"I think I'll take my bath alone," I say.
"You're so lovely," Mom praises embarrassing me further as she always has. "You have nothing to be ashamed of, sweetie."
I wish she wouldn't have said that. It only makes my cheeks burn all the more.
"Come back in like five minutes?" I say hopefully.
"Very well," Leeza says, bowing her head at me politely. She, blue, and Mom leave the room. Modesty must not be a big deal here in Underland.
I remove my nightdress and my trusty rubber band. Setting it on ledge of the tub.
I get a glance in the mirror after my bath and realize whatever they put in my bath makes my skin glow like the arlite gems I see everywhere here.
Great, I'm radioactive now. That's got to be healthy, I think sarcastically.
After I'm dressed up in my gown, and they've delicately braided and adorned my hair with pearls and glittering white crystals, I quite literally am a glowing bride.
"You like what see?" The blue sylph asks in her thickly accented, broken English.
Why do people speak English here?
"I do," I murmur. "It's magical."
"It's arlite on skin," the blue sylph clucks, referring to my glow.
"Arlite," I repeat back at myself in the mirror. "Will it wear off?"
"Yes, just beauty treatment. It stop shining in few days," blue sylph explains.
"You look so beautiful, Lucy," Mom gushes. She starts wiping her eyes and sniffling. "Oh, honey, I'm so happy for you. My daughter, the queen."
I wonder at her for saying it because if I ever had a daughter I would hate it if she married a man she'd just met out of obligation.
We have different priorities, Mom.
I think of Mike while taking one last glance in the mirror. He was the one who was supposed to see me in this dress walking down the aisle.
I hope I can somehow let him know I'm okay.
Tears brim over my eyes and trickle down my cheeks.
I can't believe I'm doing this.
"She's so happy she's crying," Mom says to Leeza. "Get it out now, honey."
I cry harder. Years of pent up emotion gushing out.
I should have at least told Mike goodbye. I owed him that.
Someone knocks on my quarters' door and interrupts my sob fest.
"Come in," Leeza says.
It's Fletch. He's dressed in gold silk and wearing a holster with what appears to be a gun-like weapon.
I'm confused about the technology here. Some things are advanced and other things—say, consummating marriages—stuck in what would be archaic history to my western world.
Still in tears I throw the veil over my head to cover my face from Fletch.
"The groom awaits," Fletch says with a chuckle, offering an arm to me. As we walk together down a stairs and up a hall, he adds, "You know, my friend, Alvar, he may not believe it, but he's a damn good one. You're a lucky lady, Lucy... if you don't mind my saying."
I don't reply, I don't have time, although his words stay with me.
I hear music and as we near, I put a hand over my mouth.
It's the music made by hundreds of voices.
Thankfully, I've stopped crying and a numbness from the flood of anxiety sets in to protect me.
Mom holds my wedding dress train as Fletch leads me to stairs going into—what appears to be—a chapel.
A low rumble sounds and I discover the source to be hundreds of people, seated whispering, and muttering in wait for the wedding to start.
How did everyone get here so fast? Such short notice, you'd think no one would make it!
It makes me suspicious as whether Alvar premeditated everything, but I think of Emily and regain my determination at getting through it.
This is for you, Em.
The people seated are a variety of human people, the bird people--or sylphs, a few gobli, and people that appear like fauns from mythology on two cloven toed feet, except instead of goat horns their features are more like that of a deer.
Alvar stands, a master of the room, at the front of the chapel. He is dressed in white and glowing in Arlite too.
The voices start a lovely melody I am inclined to float off too.
Mom and the sylph attendants motion for me to walk down the aisle.
The aisle might as well be a mile long.
All eyes are on me and I try not to think about it. Instead I focus on my glowing groom.
My throat is tight. I can hardly breath. This is my wedding.
My wedding.
I sneak a peek at Alvar and he smiles at me.
Wow. He's got a great smile, straight white teeth, dimples on his sculpted cheeks even... It lights up his face. So genuine I almost believe it.
A priest, a human man standing above Alvar on a small platform, raises his arms and blesses us, then he hands Alvar a gold goblet and Alvar drinks from it. The goblet is traded to my hands.
"Drink the rest of it," Alvar whispers.
With no other choice, I take the goblet and drink from it.
The sweet liquid trickles down my throat and the rich scent fills my nostrils as I tip the cup and empty it.
Definitely some kind of desert wine.
I hand the goblet back to the priest who takes it from me with a smile.
He's a good-looking man, the priest. Well built, kind eyes, hair cut short on his scalp, and wearing gold robes.
The priest raises his arms again and shouts something at the wedding-goers. They shout another word back at him. The music starts again. He motions for Alvar to take my hands.
Was that it?
Was that all my wedding entails?
I can't believe it.
Alvar leans in to kiss me softly on the lips. I meet him with it. Not on purpose. I just want to appear legit to these people in case any of them are spies for Remora.
"Now, we will eat together for the first time as man and wife," Alvar whispers in my ear after the kiss ends. "They will follow us to the dining hall."
"I'm sorry I must have missed the rehearsal," I say dryly. "Lead the way."
We exit through grand doors at the back of the chapel and enter into an immense dinning hall. There are tables and chairs set everywhere. At the front of the room is a long gold table. Alvar takes me to sit at the gold table.
Fletch sits next to me. I don't know what to say to him, but apparently he and my new husband are close friends so I begin with a question that comes out more awkward than I intend, "Why did Alvar choose me to marry?" I immediately regret saying it.
"Because you are the one he chose," Fletch shrugs.
"Excuse me, your majesty, but I must say your brother would loath to know this day came," Fletch whispers over me toward Alvar. "You've sealed out the fate he predicted."
"My brother is dead," Alvar says, his tone dark, and expression warning at Fletch. "This is a wedding feast, friend. Do not bring up talk of the wicked at a wedding feast."
"Yes, your excellency," Fletch says, the words drip with sarcasm.
"Fletch," Alvar warns, but I notice the corners of his mouth twitch in a smile.
Fletch says smiling brilliantly. "Forgive me, I just can't help feeling immensely pleased at our triumph over Ashtar and Saul. After everything, finally we can breathe."
"You're forgiven as always," Alvar mutters, taking a drink from his goblet.
I don't understand what they are referencing, but my curiosity is piqued.
The priest stands.
"My king, shall I bless your wedding feast?"
"Of course, good Father Ryland," Alvar says with a grin. "I am so glad you made it tonight."
"Anything for the man who restored peace and light to Axus," Father Ryland replies.
All of the guests bow their heads and I follow suit. I can't understand the priest's words, but I respectfully keep my hands folded until the prayer ends.
The food is served soon after and again, it is delicious.
"What of Emily?" I whisper across to Alvar as we eat. "Is it public? The law that Earth humans cannot be killed?"
"Yes," Alvar says quietly. His voice is low and his eyes for a brief moment glimmer that red hue. He coughs. "If you'll excuse me, I must see Fletch about something. I will meet you tonight in your bedchamber."
"Sure," I mumble.
Alvar gets up with a hand over his eyes, motions his head at Fletch, and both of them leave.
Is it just me who finds it odd that Alvar is leaving his own wedding feast?
Thank you for reading! Please vote!