Cten sat up and looked around. She felt like she just had the most awful dream she'd ever had, but she couldn't even remember it for some reason. She rubbed her face and stretched, remembering that she's in her room. She thought for a moment. Why was she in her room? On the massive? What happened… Why couldn't she remember anything? She shot up out of bed and thought hard, the only thing she could remember was Aiden. She didn't remember what about him that she remembered, but she remembered him. She got up and wandered around until she found his room. She knocked on the door, hoping his tattoo wasn't showing. Wait…Aiden has a tattoo? Why was I worried about seeing it? She shrugged it off.
"Come in."
She slowly opened the door, peeking in. Good, he had his jacket on. She ran to him and hugged him, burying her face in his chest and sobbing as she talked. "Aiden, I can't remember anything! I remember you and a few other incomplete things, b-but…" She sobbed even harder, it was a miracle that anyone could understand her.
Aiden patted her back as he thought for a moment. "Maybe you bumped your head and gave yourself a concussion that made you have amnesia…"
She just kept crying. "I don't know…I don't know anything…"
"I bet if you walk around and see things, you'll remember."
She nodded. She got up and walked around. She walked past several rooms, through a garden with a huge man-eating plant and through a lab with a blue-eyed, brown haired Irken with glasses. She didn't even know that Irkens had hair! When she realized she wasn't remembering anything, she just walked back to Aiden's room, trying not to cry.
"It didn't work…" She admitted.
"It's okay Cten…" He said, not really knowing exactly what to say, but didn't want to see her cry. "You'll remember soon…"
"I-I do remember one thing…" She said softly, more to herself than Aiden, but he still listened. "A girl…named Sam. She was my best friend, but she's gone now… I wonder what happened to her…"
"You've never met anyone named Sam before, Princess… Maybe it was a dream." He said quietly.
"It wasn't a dream!" She said, raising her voice. She then looked down again, lowering her voice. "I promise…"
"Then what was it?" He asked, hoping to talk some sense into her.
"I don't know…"
"Well, I have no idea." He said, giving up. "So, are you ready for your wedding?"
"What!" Cten cried in shock. "I can't do that, he's bad!"
Aiden shot her a strange look. "How?"
She realized that she once again did not know the answer to that question. "I don't know…"
"It's because you're scared." Aiden said.
"I am not!"
"You don't even know him and yet you're being forced to marry him." Aiden pointed out.
She looked down, her face heating up with blush. "I know…"
Aiden smiled half-heartedly. "Maybe you'll end up liking him."
She just grumbled. "I doubt it…"
"Well, you can't really change it…" Aiden said, upset that the Princess was unhappy.
"I know…"
"Well, you better go get ready…"
"Okay…"
In her room, Sprint helped her zip up the long dress, flowing with silk and lace. Somehow, Cten remembered Sprint to be vicious, instead of a loving sister like she is now, but somehow that didn't seem right.
"So, are you excited about getting married?" Sprint asked, happily.
"I guess…" Cten sighed.
"It's okay to be nervous, you've never met this guy."
"Yeah, I guess…"
"Well, you better be happy when you're walking down the aisle." Sprint warned. "Everyone wants to see you happy or the whole wedding will be depressing."
Cten sighed. "I know…it's just something I hate about being a princess; I don't get to pick my true love as my husband…"
"It's one of the duties, we have to stay in power and Prince Hunter's planet is becoming powerful."
"Yeah…" She then looked up at her sister. "Have you ever heard of anyone named Sam?"
Sprint thought for a moment. "Uh…I think Hunter has a sister named Sam…Why do you ask?"
Cten shrugged. "Just wondering…" Cten then froze up. Before her eyes, many horrible memories of Hunteria, the slave-driving planet, flashed before her eyes. It was ten times worse than old war footage from the Holocaust. She remembered Sprint and Hunter together, Caed being born, and Cten kissing Aiden and confessing her love.
Cten got startled when she saw Sprint's hand waving in front of her face.
"Don't space out!" Sprint scolded. "It's almost time!"
Cten rubbed her face. "Oh yeah…"
Sprint then handed Cten the bouquet of flowers. "Better get ready to walk."
Cten nodded and hugged her sister before getting ready to go down the aisle.
"Good luck!" Sprint called after her.
"Thanks!" Cten replied. Soon the wedding started and Cten walked down he aisle, standing next to Hunter. She looked up at him, his eyes were powerful and forest green, his arm was strong and muscular, his voice when he spoke was deep and strong. It brought back bad feelings of déjà vu that sent chills down her spine.
The Priestess who was marrying them was odd looking, with blue skin, inverse colored eyes, and long swirling antennae that looked almost like black lace. "We are here today to marry Princess Cten of Irk and Prince Hunter of Hunteria."
Cten felt a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, but decided to ignore it since it was probably a normal feeling when you're about to spend the rest of your life with a total stranger.
"May their marriage bring them the peace, joy, comfort, and commitment that all of God's children have. May the seasons of their marriage bring moments and memories. To truly love another person is to be willing to accept both their weak points, with equal measures of understanding and respect, for it is not the words you say that bond you together; but the strength found deep within your soul…" She nodded toward Hunter. "Hunter, will you take Cten to be your wife? Will you trust and honor her, as long as you both shall live?"
"I do."
The priestess turned to Cten. "Cten, will you take Hunter as your husband, to honor and trust as long as you both shall live?"
"I do…"
"Then as we come to a close, you shall share a kiss of both bonding and happiness."
Hunter turned to Cten and leaned forward, hesitating a moment before giving her a light kiss on the lips. He then took her hand as they walked back down the aisle, faking smiles as everyone cheered.
The dining hall had been set up to where half of the large room was filled with tables, enough for every guest, and the other half was cleared to make way for dancing. Soft classic music was playing throughout the room. Cten and Hunter sat at a table separate from everyone else.
Hunter turned to Cten and hesitated awkwardly before speaking. "…It's good to finally meet you…"
"Yes, it is a pleasure to finally meet you too." Cten said, her voice full of respect.
"I hope that we can become close." He said.
"I do too…"
The music soon changed to a different tempo, slightly faster than the other songs. Hunter stood up and extended his hand toward her. "May I have this dance?"
She took his hand gently. "Yes, you may."
They went to the middle of the dance area and began to dance gracefully, as if they knew the dance by heart.
When the song ended, they sat back down at their seats. Cten smiled over at her dad, who seemed to be crying.
"My baby's growing up…" He said through his tears as he held onto Sapphire's hand.
Cten looked at Sapphire in shock. "…Mom…" Then she realized that her mom's been there the whole time, why was she feeling lonely now?
Sprint waved at Cten and Cten smiled, waving back. Cten then saw Sam, sitting between her parents, but tried not to react, though inside she was filled with happiness.
Soon the food is passed out, but Cten didn't eat hers at all and Hunter just picked at his food. Cten made sure to sit up straight, like a proper princess, and when she's not messing with her food she kept her hands in her lap.
"You don't have to act so proper." Hunter said.
"Huh?" That was something she never expected anyone to say. "Of course I do, I'm a princess…"
"But you don't have to act like one all the time."
"Why not…?" Cten looked down, her cheeks were slightly flushed pink.
"You should be able to be yourself and still be a Princess."
"Maybe on Hunteria, but on Irk the princesses must act like princesses, especially in public…"
"Oh…on Hunteria, that doesn't matter."
"Well we're not on Hunteria yet."
"Yes, but soon we will be."
"Then, I can relax when we get to Hunteria…"
Hunter nodded.
Purple stood up to make a toast, but ended up breaking down crying and couldn't say anything but "my baby's grown up".
Soon the wedding was over. "You may want to go say goodbye before we leave." Hunter suggested.
Cten nodded and said goodbye to everyone. She went up to Aiden and gave him a tight hug. "Goodbye Aiden…"
"Goodbye Princess." As usual, his expression didn't show his emotions.
"I'll try to come visit you all sometime…" Cten said to everyone, but was looking directly at Aiden, though she knew she may not be able to do that.