Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass or any of the characters created by Clamp/Sunrise.
Britannia's Ladies
Prologue: The Day the Wedding Bells Ring
The nation's anthem rang out of the palace on the breath of the imperial buglers on this day. Witnesses lined both sides of the deep blue carpet that led from the cobbled street to the dais at the other end. Flower petals fell from the sky, carried away from the witnesses' hands on the wind.
And at the center of everyone's attention was the woman wearing a beautiful satin gown that glimmered in the afternoon sun. She had been helped from the carriage by her attendants, who wore gowns that complemented her own, and all three women walked with her--one in front, two in back--keeping her train from catching on a stray rock or someone's shoe.
Soon, the walk to the palace doors was over, and the wedding march was played on the grand organ next to the dais. The bride could feel every note vibrating in her chest, closing off her lungs so she couldn't breathe. How amazing, she thought as she walking behind her attendant. All of the empire's barons, duchesses, earls, and countesses were clapping for her, happy to see her here on this day. She, who would be the newest member of the Britannian Imperial family, was receiving a standing ovation.
The walk to the dais, too, ended quickly, and the bride found herself standing next to her soon-to-be-husband, who looked incredible in his breeches and dress coat. His sword gleamed in the light spilling in from the windows. Was she really here?
The minister began to lead the ceremony, his voice echoing in the silent and still grand hall. The bride was overwhelmed and struggling to pay attention to the man. Her fiancé looked over at her and grinned a little, and she felt her heartbeat quicken.
At length, she was asked to face her fiancé.
"My Lady," he said, "you are here because the Prince has whole-heartedly decided to take you into his life and into his home, so that you may help further the Britannian Imperial bloodline. Do you refuse this man's offer?"
"I do not," said she.
"And you, My Lord, are here because this Lady has accepted your loving proposal of matrimony, and has offered to aid you in whatever way she can in life and in law. Do you not accept this woman's offer?"
"I do not," he replied.
"Then, by the power and authority invested in me by His Majesty the Holy Britannian Emperor, I hereby pronounce you husband and wife. May you find fortune and success in your life together."
The newlyweds turned to the witnesses gathered in the hall with them. They looked at them eagerly and expectantly. Some of the ladies wiped a tear away.
"Behold the union of the Prince and his Princess!" At that, the entire room rocked from the witnesses' cheers and laughs, and their clapping was almost deafening as the couple acknowledged their happiness with a bow (or a curtsy, in her case). When they straightened, the groom held his wife around the waist and smiled at her, and then drew her in for a kiss. If it were possible, the clapping became louder than before.
The life of a Britannian consort is full of luxury and decadence, to be sure. But it is also full of twists and turns, and a strict system of hierarchy among them threatens to tear apart the peace in the palace.
For the wives of Charles Di Britannia, 98th Emperor of Britannia, competition, rivalry, and hatred play a larger role in life than in centuries gone by.
