I would have said Yes
"Do you love me?" She asked.
"Why do you ask?" He answered.
The young woman looked like an angel, she was standing on an empty stage. Her dress, a pure white, was trailing behind her, and you could tell by the leaves and dirt that clung to the ends of the fabric, that she had been outside for a while. Her skin was pale as porcelain, her hair raven black. She looked like an angel, a broken angel, cast out from the heavens above.
The man standing behind her looked regal, he looked like a King. His hair, a wild golden mane, gave him an exotic expression, and he stared at her with his mismatched eyes, one blue as the sky on a midsummer's day, the other brown with a golden hue, promising the deepest treasures. A King he was, in all his glory, yet exhausted as if he had been defeated one last time.
The young woman didn't turn to face him, she simply stared in the black void in front of her. His eyes were on her, searching, but not finding. Looking, but not seeing. Cruelty in it's purest form, he knew the torture he put her through, for it was never more, and never less than the pain she brought him.
"I've acted for too long, I think. Now I wonder, who I was beneath the act. Beneath the act of the damsel in distress, the poor princess, the mystic, the queen, the witch, the maid. Beneath every act was another, the famous actress, the perfect bride. It tires, after all these years."
He stepped closer to her, still tormenting her with his eyes from behind.
"I know. I always saw you, who you were… and who you were supposed to be. I saw the damsel in distress being rescued, but had to stay and sit. I saw the poor princess becoming a Queen, but could not be the King by her side. The mystic who used her magic, the Queen who was bewitched, the witch that was defeated, the maid that got her glass slippers and went to the ball. I saw the actress, the perfect bride. And most of all, I saw you, and the fire inside of you. I was always there, in the shadows."
She took on step back, causing their proximity to grow. She laughed, humourlessly, the sound of it echoing through the empty theatre.
"I guess that the perfect bride act wasn't a big hit. It could've been though."
"Yes," He agreed. "It could've been."
"I was standing there on the altar, and next to me was one perfect gentleman. He earned enough money, he was sweet, intelligent, he gave into my needs, demands and desires. He was everything I could've wished for, and more. And yet…"
She fell silent, not able to find the words to continue.
"And yet?" He whispered, taking the last step, standing right behind her, his breath against her neck.
"And yet… I couldn't do it. I stood there, on the altar, the perfect husband-to-be right next to me, and I suddenly remembered something from another life, another love. And I couldn't take that last step."
"You never desired sweetness, my little raven. You needed fire, something to fight against. Passion."
"Yes," She agreed. "And he was the sweetest guy ever. I feel sorry for him. And you know what? If it wasn't for that one moment, that one memory of a dance long ago, where I wore a white dress, I would have said yes."
She looked at her dress, taking her eyes off the empty void for the first time.
"It's less poofy, at least."
"You wanted it to be poofy."
"That I did. But then again, I also wanted a white horse with prince included. Never got that one, though."
"You never got a prince. You got a King."
"Do you love me?"
"Yes, I love you. Since the first glance I got, I loved you. Not the perfect bride or the famous actress. Just you. Only you."
She turned around, and their lips almost touched due to their closeness. She waited for him to take the last step, the last leap."
"I've already made my leap of faith. Now it's time for yours."
He kissed her, not soft, not sweet, but full of passion and desire. He kissed her full of love. When he pulled back, he looked into her eyes.
"Let's go home."
She nodded, not trusting her voice at the moment.
They disappeared forever, the runaway bride and the King.
Sarah Williams was never found again after she ran away from her own wedding. The acting world mourned for her and moved on. Her brother, her only living relative never looked sad when the topic came up though. He would only mutter something about her finally realising her desire. The Underground now has not only a King, but also a Queen.
The End.
A Christmas gift to all of you, thankies to everyone
Be happy that it's almost Christmas, because I got into the holiday spirit and gave it a somewhat happy ending after all. I was going for tragic at first. If anyone's interested I'll post the tragic version one day. Now I wish you all a merry Christmas, a happy Yule, and an mystical new year.
-M.