The silvery metal of the altar glowed faintly as the sun's dying rays fell upon it. Stained glass windows threw their colorful scenes across the tiles and some of the High Entia would pause beneath the display, faces awash with golds and blues and greens, awestruck. Melia found herself watching from a distance as her guests freed themselves from the glass's enchantment and took their seats with eager whispers. She herself stood beside the altar, one of the priests close by, preparing his final notes on the ceremony. Aside from him - a balding man with worn out feartures yet lively eyes - she felt alone in the cathedral.
Impatient, anxious, she began tapping her foot against the floor as her heart rate increased to dramatic levels. Tomorrow was her wedding day. The sentiment repeated over and over in her mind, sometimes broken up by thoughts of I am marrying two men at once or I will be forced to...offer my virginity to Dunban after the dinner. She only stated facts, did not dare ask questions for fear that she would lose herself in the endless sea of uncertanties. Perhaps it was not likely, yet she preferred to be cautious.
On the opposite end of the large rectangular chamber, the double doors swung inward, revealing the Emperor and his First Consort. Melia stiffled a sigh as she mentally prepared herself for what she was about to endure. Her stepmother seemed furious, even from a distance, with her body drawn in tense lines and her eyes ablaze. The woman strode forward until she stopped directly in front of the staff of Ministers that stood in the center aisle - Lorithia, Asdis, and Caul. With irritated gestures, she sent them in all different directions. Asdis bounced toward the priest, leaving behind her usual trail of dropped writing utensils and precious documents. Lorithia rolled her eyes then exited the building.
Melia frowned slightly as she noticed Caul marching towards her. The old man paused a respectable distance away and bowed deeply. When he straightened, he fixed her with an uncharacteristic smile - one of warmth rather than bitterness. He had been a soldier, once upon a time, and she supposed that had changed him, made him cold, afraid. In the same way combat had corrupted her. She returned his cheerful expression to the best of her ability, her mood now soured by invading thoughts of the men she had lost.
"Princess, I wished to express my gratitude," he said, voice stiff like his spine, formal. "Not many women would be willing to marry my son due to the rumors that have been circulating as of late. Your kindness is humbling."
"Rumors?" She kept her tone even, resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow at him. Her lips frozen in a cordial smile as she awaited his reply.
He simply nodded, making it clear that he had no intention of going into detail. Neither of them said a word and the tension thickened the air considerably. The Princess shifted a fraction of an inch as she watched his eyes study her. It was not the potential judgement that teased her nerves with uncomfortable jitters. Instead, she found herself wondering at the implications of what was left unsaid. Should she have been concerned that she did not know about the social goings-on in her city? Did her ignorance negatively impact her ability to rule these people? Perhaps, but her ancestor in the Tomb had said...
She shook her head slightly, clearing away the memories that threatened to rush forward. Now was not the time to reflect on what had happened in the sacred place. Turning her full attention back to the Minister of Defense, she cleared her throat. "Yes, well... If you are not inclined to speak, I will not force you."
"Thank you, Your Highness," he said. Then, abruptly, he changed the subject. "The rehearsal will begin the moment your consorts arrive. Lorithia was sent forth to locate them, so I hope that it will not be much longer now. Stay here beside the altar until then."
"Ah, I see..." She wanted to add more to her response, make a remark about how eager she was for the ceremony to begin. However, she knew she had little energy to spare on lies and, in the event of an emergency, she figured there was no harm in saving her deception for when it was truly needed. The wedding night, for instance, when she would be forced to have intimate relations with...Dunban, most likely. He was the First Consort, after all. Although, she could not keep away the nagging doubt, the concern that she might have to consumate both marriages at the same time.
Deep down, she felt herself cringe, but outwardly, her body did not give away even the slightest tremble. She pressed her lips in to a strained smile, hoping that her companion would take no notice of her discomfort. Thankfully, Minister Caul had already begun to retreat and she made no move to prevent him from leaving. Now she was alone, trapped in her thoughts and visualizations of fears.
Yet she did not have the time to dwell on them, for her mind was yanked forcibly towards the entryway as the twin doors burst open. Her lungs froze, her heart raced, his face becoming all that she could focus on. The subject of her nightmares, the uninvited guest in her sweetest dreams... Sensation rushed through her, nameless and overpowering. She bit the inside of her lower lip softly, watched Dunban and Lucio stroll down the aisle to the altar. When they reached her, she gave each man a small curtsey. Although she could not explain it, the movements were graceful in spite of her anxiety.
"Greetings, Your Highness," Lucio mumbled, bowing his head.
Dunban merely smiled at the High Entia girl in front of him. She wondered if there was a purpose behind his decision to not verbally acknowledge her, but she decided to let that line of thought drop. It would do her no good to be upset by such petty slights. Instead, she chose to move on, entering into a rather upbeat conversation with Lucio.
Later on, when asked about what they had talked about, she would not have an answer. All she could do was explain what it felt like. The words themselves were lost to her, yet she remembered the exact course of the discussion. Cheerful at first then dissolving into something else entirely. Of course, they still spoke in lighthearted tones, but the difference could not be questioned. It seemed fake - empty words that were veiled by transparent pleasantries. On his side, she sensed a bitterness beneath his replies, as if he thought she had purposefully put him into this situation.
She wished she could have explained, though she knew there was not enough time to do so. From the far end of the chamber, she heard Asdis's voice ringing out, giving instructions related to positioning as well as etiquette. Those in attendance shifted about in loose groups as they followed the Minister's directions. Melia slipped into uneasy silence.
The moon had nearly reached its highest point by the end of the rehearsal. Alcamoth's Princess dragged her feet as she made the long trek back to the Imperial Villa. Her only goal right then was to rest, give her sore eyes a short respite before they would be forced to open once more. In her exhaustion, she felt numb, unable to access her reservoir of emotions. The fear, the defiance, the warmth that radiated out from her body when she had looked at Dunban... All were gone and she found she could not determine if she was happier without them. Maybe that was just the emptiness.
"Melia." It was Dunban's voice and she instinctively turned to face him. He lengthened his strides to catch up with her. "I'd hoped we could speak in private."
"What about?" she asked, regarding him with an inquisitive expression.
"Sorean's First Consort."
She felt her blood cool as her mind flooded her with thoughts of Yumea. This was a woman who has presumably attempted to murder her. What could she say about someone who had hurt her so terribly? And, more important, why did Dunban want to know? Without a conscious thought, she tensed her shoulders, prepared herself for an unwelcome onslaught of questions. She gave him a slight nod in spite of her reluctance, signalling for him to continue.
He did not answer immediately and instead studied her reaction. But soon, he seemed to decide that he could proceed. Although she was distracted by her wandering thoughts - the ones that strayed toward tomorrow - she tried to listen.
"As you've been told, Yumea has been locked in the Tower of Investigation due to her involvement in your... incident," he began, strolling along beside her as she made her way toward the Imperial Villa. "I think it may be possible to have her released on account of insufficient evidence. But I'll need you to vouch for her good character."
"And you believe my word will be enough?" she asked then glanced in his direction. His face lay half in shadow and she found it difficult to read his emotions. "The Ministry might not have much in regards to proof, however, what they do have is damning."
"But it isn't," he insisted, placing the emphasis on his last word. With an even expression, he met her curious teal eyes. "I paid them a visit earlier in the day and the only piece of evidence they have is an eyewitness testimony. From Kallian. He saw Yumea in conversation with a masked woman. That isn't exactly enough to condemn her to life imprisonment."
"Then I shall assist you," she said with a decisive nod of her head. It seemed as if ages had passed since she last felt so confident. Perhaps, something about Dunban made her feel... lighter, as if she had relinquished a vast majority of her burdens. And, with that mental block removed, she could finally make her own choices. The thought nearly forced her to leap up and down in excitement, but nagging suspicion kept her grounded. Where were her troubles now? If she did not bear them, then someone else would have to...
Shaking her head to clear away those thoughts, she turned her body towards the Homs man. "By doing this... Would we be able to postpone the wedding?" A hopeful tone crept into her voice despite her best efforts to keep it down. It would not be silenced.
"No." The gravity of his answer left the air dry and stifling. "Not ours, anyway. Although, I think they would at least consider removing Lucio from our ceremony."
A wave of heat rolled through her body, along with confusion. Was that an undertone of protectiveness she detected? That slight growl beneath his voice sent shivers down her spine and, to her surprise, they were not the unpleasant kind of tremors. Her heart raced as she replayed his last statements in her mind; the way he said 'our' made her body ache strangely. She tried not to focus on how possessive of her he was, fearing that her own body would begin feel odd, perhaps reciprocating those emotions - whatever they were.
She shoved herself out of her thoughts before they could turn more intimate and suggestive. As it was, Dunban already seemed to be staring at her, most likely concerned with her well-being. With a sheepish smile, she cleared her throat.
"Well then... Thank you," she said, increasing the pace of her walking, trying to put some distance between herself and Dunban. All she wanted to do now was curl up in bed with a cup of tea and perhaps forget about what awaited her the next morning. Those thoughts pulling her along, she managed to maintain her speed until the transporter that led to the Villa. She paused to look around, see if her Homs companion had followed.
But he was gone.
Heart seemingly heavier than before, she crept onto the teleporter platform and flashed upward in a burst of pale blue-green light.
A/N - Hey guys. I'm so sorry that I took so long to update. School has kept me really busy and I've had little inspiration to help me stay awake to write. Trust me, if I didn't feel so tired all the time (as I have been recently), I would've been staying up late and writing hundreds of words every day. Instead of a hundred or less. Anyway, thank you so much for reading and reviewing this. I know it's a short chapter, but I promise the next one will be back to its usual length, if not longer. And it'll definitely be out much sooner than this one. Thanks for understanding!
