Iko
"Shoot, shoot, shoot, I'm going to be late!" Iko screeched, smoothing down her electric blue hair. Picking up the ends of her gown, she slammed open the door to the room Cinder had so generously gifted her.
And now she was going to be late for Cinder's wedding.
What a great and loyal friend she was.
"Shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot - OOF!" Iko yelped loudly as she slammed into something, toppling backwards. Before she could hit the floor, a hand shot out and grabbed onto her arm, another snaking behind her back, preventing her fall.
Slowly, Iko cracked open her eyes to be met with a pair of chocolate brown ones staring right back at her. The man's face was extremely close to hers, and Iko couldn't help but subtly check him out. There was nothing wrong with appreciating a good looking man.
"Are you hurt?"
Iko was startled back to the present by the sound of his voice - a deep baritone that rippled throughout her entire body. The blush on her face grew immensely. "U-um, no. I'm perfectly fine."
She quickly stood up, detangling herself from the handsome man's arms. A look of amusement played on the stranger's face. Iko quickly straightened her hair, clearing her throat and straightening her spine.
"I-uh, I'll have to get going now. Thanks for… helping me." Iko tried to slip around him, but he grabbed her wrist before she could run too far. She squealed as he twisted her back around to face him. The red blush on her face greatly contrasted the bright blue of her hair.
He raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. "I don't believe I caught your name."
"My n-name?" Iko stuttered. Gosh dang it, Iko! Why do you keep stuttering? He nodded. "Oh. I'm Iko."
"Iko," he said slowly, testing the name. Iko decided that she liked the way her name rolled off of his tongue. She liked it a lot. He flashed her a dazzling smile that had her swooning, bringing her knuckles to his lips in a flirtatious kiss. He winked at her as Iko's face heated once more.
"My name is Liam Kinney. Pleasure to meet you."
Cinder
"Oh my gosh! I cannot believe it! Cinder, you're getting married! Before me! What a surprise!" Scarlet gushed sarcastically. Winter and Cress pretended to wipe away fake tears behind her when Cinder gave a nice twirl, showing off her beautiful wedding dress.
Cinder rolled her eyes at her overly dramatic friends, admiring herself in the mirror. She tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, nervously biting her lip. "I don't know guys," she said hesitantly, tugging down her dress. "Will Kai approve? What if he doesn't like it? What if he thinks that it's-"
"That's enough," Scarlet cut her off, slapping a hand over Cinder's mouth. "If Kai doesn't like it, I will personally see that he gets murdered, because I had to wear this god-forsaken dress for YOUR wedding, and I will NOT let that go to waste." Taking her hand off Cinder's mouth, she added, "And besides," she turned and looked straight into Cinder's eyes, "you look gorgeous, so don't worry about stupid things like that."
"Yeah," Cress nodded, fidgeting with her now-short hair. "I mean, just look at you." She gestured towards the wedding dress, which was all creamy white with rich fabrics all over. It revealed Cinder's shoulders and was low cut. The sleeves that circled her upper arm were lace and the waist was tightly cinched. The gown itself fanned out elegantly behind her.
"You're missing something though, Selene," Winter said thoughtfully. She was the only one that called her Selene, something that Cinder would definitely still have to get used to. Whipping out a diamond encrusted tiara, she gently placed it on top of Cinder's head, flipping the shimmering silk veil over her face.
"A princess always needs a crown," Winter smiled, stepping back and handing Cinder the bouquet of flowers. Cinder felt her eyes filling up with emotional tears.
"OH! NONE OF THAT!" Peony screeched, bursting through the door suddenly, almost knocking over the perfume bottles. Cinder's eyes lit up at the sight of her clumsy beloved step-sister. "THAT WILL RUIN THE MAKEUP! STOP!"
Cinder smiled affectionately towards her maid of honor, but it was cut off by the sound of the organ playing the wedding march loudly. The tune echoed through the now silent room.
"Oh! I got to go! Forgot I was the maid of honor, haha!" Peony laughed awkwardly as she gave Cinder a quick hug, dashing back out the door as fast as she had come. Nervous once again, Cinder's eyes flitted from one bridesmaid to the other.
"Well?" Scarlet asked, eyebrow cocked. "Come on. You're keeping the entire kingdom waiting." She gave her no time to prepare before she called for the guards to push the doors open. And before she knew it, the organ's volume increased as the large double doors swung open to reveal the red carpet that seemed endless, which she was supposed to walk on.
Wolf sidled up next to her. He took the place of her ever-absent father. Quirking up an eyebrow, he smirked as he offered an arm for Cinder to take. Smiling gratefully at it, Cinder slipped her arm through his.
Her eyes passed by the scattered flower petals and the crowd standing, eyes trained on her; they passed over the excited Peony standing on the sidelines. The only person she saw was Kai, smiling lovingly down at her from the podium, and without knowing, she and Wolf started forward.
Everything else faded away as she slowly walked forward to the tune of the wedding march, her arm tightly grasping Wolf's while her other hand was clutching a beautiful bouquet of flowers. When they had finally made it to the front, Wolf and Cinder calmly parted ways. Cinder startled when Cress peeled the bouquet away from her hands, placing it in Kai's. The feeling of her warm hand in his triggered a light pink blush to spread across her cheeks.
Noticing, Kai chuckled lightly, sending a playful wink Cinder's way. "Hello, beautiful," he whispered.
"H-Hi," she stuttered back, but smiling.
The priest suddenly started to speak. "We are gathered here today to witness the joining of Emperor Kai and the soon to be Empress, Princess Selene Channary Jannali Blackburn of Luna." As he started speaking, his voice faded into a distant drone.
"Don't be nervous," Kai whispered to Cinder.
Her eyebrows creased as she glared at him, then back at the huge crowd. "How can I? The entire kingdom is watching our wedding, Kai. What-what if I mess up?"
Kai chuckled slightly. "This isn't the Cinder I'm used to."
"Shut up," she hissed. Kai chuckled again.
"Don't worry. It will all be over before you know it." Sure enough, the priest turned to them.
"Emperor Kaito. Do you take Selene Blackburn to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for rich or for poor, in sickness and health, to love and cherish, until death do you part?"
"I do," he replied with no hesitation, smiling down at Cinder.
"Now, do you, Selene Blackburn, take Kaito to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for rich or for poor, in sickness and health, to love and cherish, until death do you part?"
Cinder swallowed when the priest finished speaking. Go on, Kai mouthed.
"...I do," she answered after a pause.
They watched as a little boy holding a velvet cushion nestled with two beautiful diamond rings and a little girl dressed in a miniature version of Cinder's gown while holding a basket of flowers waddled down the red carpet, arm in arm, trying to match each other's pace.
When they reached the front, the girl stood to the side, smiling brightly at Cinder, as the boy offered them the velvet cushion. Nodding in dismissal at the boy, the priest plucked the rings from the velvet and handed them both to Kai and Cinder. Smiling, Kai watched as he slipped the beautiful ring onto Cinder's fourth finger.
Cinder admired the way the jewel gleamed in the light, smiling so widely that she was sure her cheeks would break.
Now it was her turn. She took Kai's hand in hers and pushed the ring onto his fourth finger.
Both grinning at each other like teenagers in love, they reconnected their hands.
"Wonderful. I now present you as husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." But the priest was ignored, because Kai had already thrown the veil to the side and dipped Cinder into a long kiss. The crowd erupted in loud cheers and whistles - the loudest coming from Captain Thorne himself.
Soon, they had to break apart for the sake of breathing, and they both straightened. "See?" Kai asked, pressing his forehead gently to Cinder's. "Everything went just as planned."
"You know, your father would be really proud of you," she whispered. A flash of sadness flickered across Kai's gaze, but it disappeared as quickly as it had come.
"I suppose he would be," Kai answered. "After all, I am marrying the woman of my dreams."
Laughing, Cinder pressed another soft kiss to his lips and smiled. "I love you."
"Don't worry," Kai grinned. "I love you too."
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