The next day, Connie received news that the candy-blooded Vantas boy had been captured by the Empress's forces. She knew if he wasn't immediately executed, he would be sent into the Arena. The idea of the Arena was very simple. A suspected criminal would choose from one of two doors, instead of having a true trial, while a coliseum full of onlookers- and the Alternia royalty- watched on. Behind those doors, two things await, with the suspect only choosing one. If the suspected criminal is guilty as charged, he will choose the door with a vicious, hungry stripe-beast behind it, which will then proceed to maul him to death in a great deal of blood. If he is innocent, he will open the other door, which contains the fairest maiden that could be chosen, being appropriate with his caste. He will then be promptly married to her, and sent home to live in peace with his new bride.
Connie did not want her lover to die under any circumstances. She may not agree with his views, but she didn't want him to be in pain. So, she did what was thought impossible. She found out which door was which, and she knew what she would do. She helped in the choosing of the maiden, knowing exactly who he should get married to, should he pick that door. She was horribly jealous of the woman she had chosen, but convinced herself she was doing what was best.
Approximately a week after his capture, Karmene was brought into the Arena, with the crowd awaiting him. He stood in front of the Empress and Heiress, and bowed deeply with respect. When he straightened, he looked Connie in the eyes. The look she gave him told him she had discovered what lay behind each door. She gives him the slightest of motions, telling him without notice by others to pick the door on the right. He slowly walks over, and the crowd grows silent. He unlatches the door, and when it swings open...
Out walks Dianne in a beautiful wedding dress, with olive green flowers braided into her long hair, with a bouquet to match. Connie smiles sadly, but knows he will be happy with her. A priest comes out and marries them before the crowd, a simple Alternian ritual. There are two short, blunt, wooden handled blades. Each lover carves their symbol into the other's chest, other their hearts, then recites, "I am eternally flushed for you." They hug to mix the blood on their chests, getting a bit of each other's in their own veins. After, they will be sent home to fill their quadrant. Usually this all is done as a quiet ceremony, one with no witnesses. An act done in the privacy of one's hive, a quiet decision in the night. Impossible to know of unless the couple tells someone directly.
Karmene is very stunned as he and Dianne go through the ritual, then are sent home. It is a bit awkward for them at first, but they had loved each other for several months. They ended up successfully filling their quadrant together, while Connie drowned her sorrows in drink.
Connie could not understand how her lover had been caught in the first place, let alone how someone knew he was a mutant. She blamed herself, for being so selfish as to desire him. But then, as the soporific effects consumed her mind, she became angry. What right did he have to dare to love her, the Heiress of Alternia? How dare such a filthy lowblood- no, mutant!- think he had a right to her! A war was raging in her mind, and she was powerless to stop it. Eventually, she passes out and a dedicated friend takes her to her room and settles her in bed.
"Sleep well, my Empress." Damien speaks softly. "I'm so sorry for hurting you... But I had to do what was best. For you, and for Alternia." He kisses her forehead before absconding to his own room, worrying over what he'd done, and whether he'd been wrong to make the choice.
