Too soon, it was the day of the Christening. Maidservants came bustling in at an unholy hour, rousing Medusa from a gloriously deep sleep. Despite her protests, they insisted on combing her hair for her, and she had to bear the painful tugging and pulling as three of them set about removing the snarls from the red mass.
Finally when her hair was done, she was fitted into a dress, though the maidservants actually listened when she requested purple. They decided in a lavender off-the-shoulder, so long it dragged on the floor. Golden thread was sewn into the sleeves, hem, waistline and neckline, making every move shimmer. Medusa like it; it was far less constricting than the dress she had worn to Blackagar's first appearance.
Red lipstick and a large amount of eyeshadow were applied to her face, and a sparkling gem that matched the color of her eyes. She faced herself in the mirror, and smiled at what she saw.
"You truly do look like a princess, my lady," said Marista, one of her maidservants.
"I think so too." She liked what they had done to her this time. At Blackagar's presentation, they were clearly over accentuating her appearance and her body, perhaps to make her more appealing in her "first appearance" to the Crown Prince, but now that she had met him they toned it down considerably.
A few moments later, another maidservant stuck her head in the door. "The Crown Prince awaits you, Lady Medusalith."
She grinned to herself, rising from the vanity. Slipping her feet into her shoes, she hurried out the door. Blackagar, clad in his usual bodysuit, greeted her with a smile. She smiled back, only just in time remembering her formalities amidst the watchful eyes of the servants.
"Prince Blackagar," said she, curtsying low.
Lady Medusalith. He bowed, drinking in her appearance at the same time. Every time he saw her dressed for an occasion, her beauty never ceased to stun him.
"Your Majesties," said Marista, "the ceremony will begin shortly."
Blackagar nodded and extended his hand—woefully gloved due to the occasion—and Medusa took. They walked hand in hand as they followed Marista towards the Throne Room.
Agon, Rynda, and Maximus already stood waiting in a small antechamber off the side of the Throne Room. The buzz of conversation and the wails and babbles of small children could be heard through the door, and it set both their hearts pounding. Blackagar squeezed Medusa's hand, a solid reminder of how far they had come and the affection that bloomed between them.
As they approached, Agon's face broke into a grin. "You look every inch the queen you will one day be, dear lady," he told Medusa.
She curtsied. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Agon turned to Blackagar, his chest swelling with pride as he regarded his son. "I am so proud of you, Blackagar. I hope you realize that."
He nodded, a smile on his lips.
Medusa glanced at Rynda from in between her hair. The queen made no move to compliment her son, much less even speak to him. She remained as cold and still as ever, and Maximus stood next to her looking disinterested in whatever Agon was saying to Blackagar.
"It is time we must go out," said Agon at last, stepping back from the two of them. "We will call Maximus first, then the two of you."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Medusa answered for the both of them.
Agon took Rynda's hand and they walked out the door. Immediately the murmuring of the people ceased as the king and queen stepped before them.
"Lady Medusalith," said Maximus, breaking the awkward silence. "You are a vision."
"Thank you, my lord," she murmured, curtsying lightly. "You befit the nobility of a prince."
"Thank you." Maximus gave her an appraising look with his strange, glittering eyes.
Before more could be said, Maximus was called by Agon's voice out in the Throne Room. "…but of course no ceremony is complete without Prince Maximus."
Maximus straightened the collar of his royal garb. With a final curt nod in their direction, he strode out to meet his parents.
Medusa turned her head to look at Blackagar. "This is it. This is when we are no longer just Medusalith and Blackagar. The people will see us as their future rulers."
And they will fear me, signed Blackagar.
"They might," said Medusa, touching his arm with her hair. "But they do not know you as I do. Not yet. They do not know your softness, your compassion, your control."
Blackagar nodded hesitantly. There was no doubt in his mind the great queen she would be.
"…but today there are two members of the Royal Family I wish to introduce to you for the first time." Agon's voice drifted to them. "The heirs to the throne of Attilan and your future king and queen."
The people murmured with anticipation, and Medusa gripped Blackagar's hand tightly.
"I present to you, Crown Prince Blackagar Boltagon and his betrothed, Lady Medusalith Amaquelin!"
They stepped out together.
A sea of expectant faces of all shapes, sizes, and colors greeted them. Murmurs from the adults mingled with shushes directed towards the loud, curious questions from children. Newborns babbled and squealed, but all eyes were trained on them.
Blackagar held Medusa's hand as they ascended the dais together, coming to stand to the left of the king and queen. They both studied the people—their people—but no one seemed to be fearful. Just surprised, observant, as they had every right to be.
A movement off to the side caught her eye. She looked over and saw none other than her little sister waving wildly to catch her attention, seated on Quelin's shoulders with her mother next to them. She bit back a tremendous grin and nodded in acknowledgment. Crystal knew that she had been seen and bobbed up and down in excitement.
Blackagar tilted his head, noticing Medusa's attention was diverted. He followed her line of sight to the trio of Inhumans in the corner, all smiles and happiness. He smiled to himself. So that was her family.
He squeezed Medusa's hand in reminder to begin speaking. She cleared her throat and spoke, reluctantly diverting her attention to the whole of the crowd. "Crown Prince Blackagar would like to speak with you." She winced internally at the terminology but it was ignored.
Blackagar drew his hand from hers and began to sign.
"I know this is the first time you have seen me," Medusa translated. "I know I have not been like past Crown Princes, always in the eye of the people, but that does not change the love I have for Attilan and its inhabitants. I have no voice, which some may view as weakness, but my queen is my voice and she speaks better for me than I think I ever could if I had a voice of my own." She flushed at the unexpected compliment in his signs but continued to translate.
"This is the first time you have seen me, but it is also the first time I have seen you. I ask you to be fair with your judgements and take me and my betrothed as we are. That being said, I am happy to finally see all of you, and I hope you take kindly to me tenure as your king and advocate for your wellbeing."
His hands stilled, and moments later her voice ceased. For a long moment there was only silence, then the hall erupted into thunderous applause.
Blackagar blinked, taken aback by the reception. He glanced at Medusa, who grinned back at him.
"Let the Christening begin!" Agon announced.
All the mothers with their newborns and their families lined up to the right of the dais, while those who had come to spectate remained in the middle of the room. One by one, each family walked across the dais, presenting their child to the king and queen, and then to the future rulers.
The first mother that approached Blackagar looked apprehensive, and Medusa gave her the best we-know-what-we're-doing smile. Finally she handed her child over and Blackagar took the squirming bundle, awkward and cautious as if he feared the child was made of fragile glass. Once the child was safely in his arms, he relaxed, a smile of adoration appearing on his face.
"Crown Prince Blackagar wishes a happy life for your child," Medusa told the mother through a smile of her own, not needing signs to translate his thoughts.
After that, things went smoothly. Each family would come and offer their child to Blackagar, and Medusa would offer words of blessing. Some families were large extended, with aunts and uncles and cousins and first cousins, and some were small, consisting of a mother, a father, and the occasional sibling. However, all regarded Blackagar and Medusa with curiosity and wonderment.
"Can you weawwy not talk?" one small sibling asked of Blackagar, regarding him with huge eyes.
"Hush!" said the mother with a sharp glare towards the child, but fell silent when Blackagar raised a hand. He smiled and shook his head at the child, his hands moving with signs.
"Though not every gift is convenient, it is what the Terrigen Mists chooses, and it is meant for the Inhuman who receives it," Medusa translated.
The family moved on.
Throughout it all, Medusa kept an eye on her family. They looked like they were about to explode with pride and happiness, and she couldn't wait for the ceremony to be over so she could speak with them.
Blackagar was confident. The people did not look upon him with fear; they saw him as Inhuman just like them. His voice was to be feared, but his control was not doubted. All his apprehensions about this moment he had carried with him for years were gone.
Another large family came by, the mother bearing twin children in her arms. Blackagar smiled at the wide-eyed children and Medusa translated his signed blessings.
As the family moved on, an odd feeling washed over Blackagar. It suddenly felt as if his body were not his own, being controlled by some other entity.
Another family passed in front of him, but he found he could not make his hands move. The Inhumans looked at him expectantly, but he couldn't move. He couldn't do anything.
"Blackagar?" Medusa's voice broke through the strange haze. "Blackagar, are you alright?"
A gentle hand touched his shoulder—hers, obviously—but he felt he couldn't turn his head to her, much less sign to her.
Then suddenly his voice was rising in his throat. He tried to force it down, but he couldn't. He was fighting, but it seemed that some power greater than he was forcing his voice to come forth.
"Blackagar?"
With all his might, he turned his head to look at Medusa. She was looking at him, her beautiful eyes so full of concern and care for him…
His voice was rising, and he was unable to stop it. Using all his might, he pushed Medusa, sending her tumbling from the dais. He did not have time to see what became of her, for he had to unleash his voice somewhere, somewhere where the many people in the room would be safe. He saw the stained glass window behind the dais, and he knew it was his only option. He let it a loud grunt between gritted teeth, and the glass shattered into a million pieces, the sound of breaking mingling with the screams.