Picking up a ceremonial pin from the dresser, Endymion paused, staring at the emblem thoughtfully.
"Endymion, dear, are you almost ready to go?"
"Nearly there," he replied, turning to the mirror to pin it expertly in place. He straightened his jacket, hooked the collar together, and brushed a stray hair off of his sleeve. He looked regal; tall and well-dressed and stern, just like his father. Reaching down to the dressing table chair, he pulled one edge of his cape into place, locking it in under a shoulder guard, then reached behind his back and fumbled for a moment before he caught hold of the other edge. His mouth turned to a straight scowl for the inconvenience; before he had his valet in to help him dress, or one of his guards, but with his new wife getting dressed in the same room, those times were over. Until the "honeymoon" phase had ended, at least. Breathing out, he clipped the other end to his shirt and adjusted the heavy material to fit his needs. He knew she would be only too happy to help if asked, but while he tried to pretend otherwise in public, he didn't much care for her attentions. This didn't bother him too much – it was his duty to wed her; it was what was good for the Kingdom, and so it was what he need do. In time he would grow to care for her, maybe even love her, but… that time had not yet come to pass.
Her frame passed into his mirror and he immediately busied himself with his ornaments, picking other pins and braids that signified his station.
"Do you need any help?" she asked sincerely, pausing behind him.
"No, but thank you," he replied, his eyes on the trinkets.
She moved to her perfume cabinet. He finished adorning himself, mentally keeping track of time until the feast began. When he had finished with absolutely everything, he finally picked up his crown and placed it on his brow, the circlet of bronze and gold pressing his black hair around his head. "Are you ready to go?" he asked.
She smiled and reached for his elbow to be escorted down to the commons; he offered it to her, and led her down the long hall, nodding at guardsmen as they passed, then down the two flights of stairs to the Great Hall. Nobles of the Golden Kingdom milled about, drinking and visiting with each other. As a lady came forward to speak to his wife he let her go, nodding at her before disappearing towards the courtyard and the large windows that looked into it. There he paused, his gaze moving through the blooming gardens, the couples walking arm and arm, and lingered instead on the quarter moon just above the castle walls. There he stayed, staring, remembering the beautiful girl with the long silver hair who had unknowingly stolen his heart, and wondering what might have been. What would his life be like now if he had pursued her in earnest? What would have changed if he had stood up against Beryl's claims of the Moon Kingdom's treachery, and followed his heart rather than stayed true to his duty as the Crowned Prince of Earth? What if…?
"Endymion!" Nephrite clapped him on the back, startling him out of his musings. "Nice to see you out of your bedchambers," he teased.
"With as pretty a girl as his wife in there it's no wonder he doesn't leave!" Zoisite added, both of them getting a laugh. He just sighed, a permissive half-smile on his face as he let them have their fun, though their claims could not have been more wrong, and they both knew it. "C'mon, it's time for the feast to start," Zoisite nodded towards the doorway, where his wife stood waiting for him, her smile warm. He nodded and walked with them, stopping to offer his arm to her before they walked through the door. They paused before fully entering as the herald announced their entrance.
"Presenting their esteemed royal highnesses, Crowned Prince Endymion and Princess Beryl!"