Trumpets blared into the air as the excited crowd cheered and tossed the confetti they were handed into the air. Even the weather was cooperating. The sun hung high in the sky, the light wind causing the brightly coloured flags decorating the castle to flutter gaily. The atmosphere in Camelot hummed with barely tempered excitement.
Special guests from the neighbouring kingdoms streamed out of the Grand Hall, decked in their most lavish wear, marking the end of the ceremony. The crowd in the courtyard pushed and shoved. Children sat on the shoulders of their parents as necks craned to see inside the castle. In moments, the newly wed Crown Prince of Camelot and Princess of Acirith would emerge to greet their people.
Amid loud cheers, the doors to the castle eased open. Flanked by the Camelot knights, the Prince and Princess stepped out. The Princess was decked in the most gorgeous red dress, clearly hand stitched by the finest seamstresses in Camelot, and dripped with jewellery from the crown treasury. The Prince looked handsome in his formal wear, his ceremonial sword swinging from his hip. He raised a hand to wave while she bowed her head. The crowd surged forward, pushing and shoving to get a better glimpse of the royal couple.
For many, in the wake of a devastating war, this marked a new beginning. It was a time for celebration, for joy and a time for them to forget, if only for a moment, about the houses that needed rebuilding and the lives lost. And so it was probably not surprising that, engrossed in the superficiality of the ceremony, none of them noticed the strain on the young couple's faces and the tension that shimmered between them.