Later,

I was called to attend a meeting concerning the wedding ceremony. This meeting was held in Father's Discussion Chamber, the room from where I overheard the secret of my marriage.

The Discussion Chamber truly was a sort of chamber; it was circular, with a domed ceiling, and sectioned desks that curved along the walls. There were eight desks total, and at each desk sat three or four councilmen - and make note that I emphasize the "men." At the "head" of the room, the place furthest from the door, sat my father and I, in the same positions as we would sit in the throne room. Special guests, today being Chief Hontok and Hahn, sat off-set from me - meaning they were slightly in front of, slightly to the left of, and slightly below me.

"Greetings," my father began, "Councilmen, Family, and, uh, Family-To-Be!" As much as the council was dry and dull, that comment did pry a polite chuckle out of many of the Chamber members. "We thank you all for taking the time to join us. I am sure many of you wonder as to why you have been called here today, and I am here to answer that question. Today will be the first of many meetings to discuss the ceremony of the union between Commander Hahn," he held out his hand to motion to Hahn, who stood up to be recognised, "and my daughter, Princess Yue." As soon as Hahn took his seat and Father motioned to me, I got to my feet as well. I stood tall, proudly, politely, attempting to appear as official, yet as innocent, as possible. This stance was my attempt at being the epitome of what of princess should be, and this is what my father saw it as.

Then he continued, and I took my seat a second time. "Today we shall address the surrounding theme of the ceremony, because from that stems all other details concerning the wedding. Until not less than an hour ago, I have pondered as to how this may be accomplished without speaking over one another in a chaotic chatter, and without the uh, derision of suggestions or the giver of certain suggestions." Another ripple of chuckles rumbled across the room. "So, I propose that you men write your anonymous opinion on the pads in front of you. When you are through, a card collector with come around and you shall place your ideas in the box and I shall read them aloud one by one. Then - although this is not often customary in a chiefdom - we shall take a vote as to which theme would best suit the couple-to-be. But be aware that I shall make the final decision, and may perhaps change my mind at any time." When he had finished, he looked around the room with a generous gaze. "Does anyone require me to repeat my instructions?" A murmmur of no's echoed around the dome. "No? Good. You may begin."

As Father took his seat, I too, wrote down the theme for what I wished my wedding to be - in secret of course. Despite what my father said about him wanting me to be happy, women did not have many - if any - decisions in the planning of her wedding - or of anything following, I'm afraid. After I quickly scrawled my theme, I held the note in my lap and folded it neatly. Then, discreetly, I let it slide down the skirt of my dress and off the tip of my shoe so that it fluttered to the floor. When the card collector passed by moments later, he picked it up thinking it had simply been misplaced. He stuck the note in the box and finished gathering the remaining cards before taking the collection back to father.

Father peered into the box and pulled the first idea off of the top. "A Night Under the Stars," it read. He picked up another card. "The Beauty of a Rose," said this one.

"A Moment of Silence."

"Beneath the Waves."

"In the Desert."

"Lost in Time."

I tried to listen intently, taking into consideration that someone else might have an idea that I liked better than my own, but most of the thirty cards that had been read off were either a tad cliche or just strange.

"Fun at the Circus?"

There were a few modest ones here and there, yet I was incredibly underwhelmed by the overly-open-mindedness displayed by the council. I continued to listen with polite interest, but I uncharacteristically could not restrain my eyes from wandering about the room. And more times than not, they wandered back to Hahn. He was so handsome in his uniform, even if I could only see him from the back. Although, embarrassingly, there was a time when he turned his head around to look at me, and of course he noticed that I was staring. I could feel a soft heat creeping into my cheeks and I smiled a little. He returned my smile and gave a small wave before realizing that we both might get ourselves into trouble for fraternizing for too long during an important session.

"A Traditional Water Tribe Wedding."

This one made my father stop. He leaned back in his chair and cupped his free hand around his chin, then slowly let it fall so as to stroke his beard. "A Traditionaly Water Tribe Wedding..." he repeated thoughtfully. "An interesting suggestion. Simple, yet elegant," he mused. Then, he rose from his seat and held the card above his head. "From whom did this theme come?"

I froze. My blood ran cold. An icy hand seemed to grip my heart. I was not supposed to submit any notion whatsoever, so when Father stood and requested that the author name themself, I did not know what to do. Secretly it was my hope that my theme would be selected, but...not in this manner!

"Whose theme was this?" My father asked again. No one made themselves known. "Will no one claim the honor of creating the theme to which the princess of this nation should be wed under?" Still, no one moved. "Well then," said Father, losing his fervor over learning the identity of the creator. He sat back down, disappointed, and leaned over his desk with a rather vacant look in his eyes. "I suppose this shall indefinitely remain...a mystery."

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Katalana: Okay, nooot my best chapter so far. I knew I wanted for Yue to attend the meetings concerning her wedding, but honestly I don't know all that much about what goes in to planning a wedding, so this was kind of a filler chapter. Despite all of that, I hope y'all enjoyed this segment and continue reading when I update this story!

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And for those of you who wonder about why I write "y'all" all the time, it's...weird. First off, I will say that I'm from Texas, but I don't have that outrageous western accent that movies always seem to make us have. When I write, I'll sometimes say "y'all" just to sound friendly and make my writing go faster. But it's weird because I don't ever say it when I talk to someone. But that's just me! I'm pretty querky. ;)