I hope you guys liked the last chapter! There was a lot of effort put into that one.
Thank you to anyone who reviewed, it's always lovely to have some support.
Things are getting quite mysterious, aren't they? I have added this stuff on purpose, since it all connects to the storyline and how everything will come to an end.. And maybe a sequel depending on how much I want to write, and how long this is going to be.
At this current pace, I feel like this is going to be quite the long book.
I apologize to anyone who likes shorter stories, but I don't think I can compromise on that.
Disclaimer: I do not own J/C/HnKnA.
The Land of Spades
Part 2
Chapter 27:
Crossroads
"Lee."
"What the hell is it, Ace?! We're already standing in front of the damn altar, don't you dare tell me you're having second thoughts!"
Lee hissed, fed up with how many times he would have to answer to the man's goddamn worries. He was done with feeling empathetic. No more, God, please, no more.
"Look."
He looked up with a slight twitch of his perfect smile, the only signal of his smoldering anger, and then his jaw dropped, emerald green eyes widening so much he swore they were popping out of his sockets.
A black-haired young woman with her face covered in white gauze and in the most stunning wedding dress he had ever seen in his entire life appeared as the doors to the church opened.
Her slightly tanned skin glowed under the warm lights of the candles set around the church to make it seem as romantic as possible, and as she took a step, there seemed to some strange innate grace that made her float in mid-air, like a goddess coming down from the heavens for the sole purpose of seeing Ace.
The people awaiting in the pews grew silent, many with wistful smiles, others crying, and Lee faintly heard a magistrate muttering, "Lucky bastard." under his breath, but all of it seemed oddly irrelevant, even the carefully and tastefully decorated church with varying shades of white- Ace had insisted on their being absolutely no red- and the lovely fragrance of water lilies gracing the air with a pure, gentle presence.
By the time Lee realized the priest was saying the most boring and long speech he had ever heard in his life, Allora was breathtakingly close to him, and he had to remind himself he had a wife.
The white gauze removed and put over her head, he saw beautiful violet eyes glowing softly in the half-light, lips spread in an easy smile, looking like the most happiest woman alive.
Noticing his gaze, she winked at him with a slight smirk and pointed at the priest and rolled her eyes. Lee hid a chuckle and remembered who he was facing- his future queen and also the most sarcastic and most hating of traditional ceremonies friend. Allora was a best friend, and someone he could say was more than worthy of Ace.
In fact, he was slightly dubious as to whether or not Ace was worthy of Allora, as he looked in his direction, and saw that Ace was looking at Allora as if he was some starstruck brat, fiery red eyes unusually blank and shocked.
His mouth was gaping open like a fish, and he was staring at Allora as if someone had just given him the most stunning woman in the world with no strings attached.
Though the latter was true, the way he was looking was unfit for the ceremony. Coughing lightly, Lee elbowed Ace hard in the ribs.
He finally snapped his jaw shut and sent a brief glare Lee's way, now looking at Allora with a smoking, sparking gaze that made Lee all the more sure that they were in love. She returned it was a sparkling glow of her violet eyes and the softest, most affectionate smile that Lee had ever seen.
They were so focused on gazing at each other that Lee had to elbow Ace again when the priest asked them for their vows.
"I do." Ace murmured quietly.
"I do," Allora said, but then continued, ignoring the priests confused look. "I will always love Ace, no matter what occurs, will always love him wherever I am, whoever I may be. I will love him for his everything, like he has agreed to love me, and no matter what happens, I shall never doubt in his love, and I hope sincerely that he will never doubt mine."
"To my rival, my best friend, my partner, my savior, my lover, and now my husband, I hope that we will be together forever more, and always."
Lee looked at Ace's face and almost started crying. Almost. Not quite. Ace, however, was a different story, with silent tears dripping down his cheeks, his red eyes quivering with the effort not to just start sobbing.
"And no, folks, that was not planned." She added at the end, and chuckles rippled through the crowd.
The priest coughed, and everyone settled down. Though there may have been more to say in the end, he just sighed and went on with it.
"You may kiss the bride."
There was a beat of no movement.
Then Ace swept Allora into his arms, folded the gauze gently back, and kissed her passionately.
A roar of approval went up from the crowd as people started throwing up hats and cheering, some crying for their new queen, others laughing so brightly it was hard to tell whether or not sad or happy was the ruling emotion.
In their own little world, Lee watched Ace press kiss after kiss on the ravenette's lips, and once Allora started blushing and Ace was going a bit too far for a chaste and pure wedding kiss, Lee did his Fire God a favor and elbowed him in the ribs for the third time.
The darkest glare that the General had ever seen was sent his way, but Ace stopped for modesty's sake, and grinned at the crowd; a true and genuine smile.
Allora wrapped her arms around his neck, and then with a slight blush, probably insisted for her husband to put her down, but of course, Ace did not comply, and with a smirk, walked back down the aisle with a tomato red Allora in his arms.
Lee could safely deduce that this was quite frankly the happiest day of his entire life.
At the party afterwards, I tried multiple times to sneak away from the banquet after eating a little bit of everything, but Ace would not let me get away.
He didn't actually set me down until we had to cut the cake together, and I got him back for not listening to me by throwing cake in his face. He promptly threw some icing at me that I dodged and hit General Lee.
Before things escalated into a full-fledged food fight, Karina came in and calmly removed Lee from the premises and sternly and shortly lectured Ace, who got off with just a slight tap to his forehead.
With a beaming grin, he led me through many dances to the very end, and though I found it invigorating, fun, and slightly alluring- because let's be real, a tangoing Ace will be hot no matter what- I had to excuse myself with the classic bathroom trick.
Looking down at the beautiful after party dress in it's silvers and blues, I sighed heavily and leaned against the wall for support. Looking up at the sky, I saw the beautiful night so clear, like any other, and the full moon glowing with such radiance it might as well have been married as well.
The smell of wonderful food and the sound of laughter and conversation drifted to this distant hallway in the castle, as the heaviness of what had occurred right after the kiss at the wedding crashed down on me.
Time froze as Ace's lips came apart from mine, and I started to shake in fear.
This was so similar to what had happened to me before that I just had to.
"Allora."
The voice was different, not child-like and creepy, not horrifying and torturous. It actually sounded like.. It was coughing?
"Cough- Allora- Hack- I need to- Gah!" I turned in the direction of the strange voice to see Nightmare hacking and coughing blood up on the floor.
"Nightmare?" I asked tentatively, and slid away from Ace's grasp, walking towards where the role-holder looked like he was dying.
"Are you alright?"
"Does it LOOK like I'm alright?!" He snapped at me, which sent another full wave of coughing. I waited for his spasm to pass before he finally got up and looked at me.
"Alright, Allora, you just got married. I suppose I should say congratulations before breaking the bad news to you."
The strange way of congratulating me and appearing out of nowhere still had me half confused. "Uh.. Thank you?"
He glared at me for no real reason.
"Anyway, let me get straight to the chase here. The reason why I am in Ace's territory is because your friends are in danger, and you are the only damn one who can save them."
My confusion cleared as the warning set in. Stiffening my shoulders and listening carefully, I eyed Nightmare to make sure he wasn't lying before gesturing him to continue.
"Currently, they're in the fourth Ring, which the Mad Hatter rules over."
I groaned. I could already tell where this was going.
"Basically, Lucian is trapped in the castle because she thinks she has found the fourth Spader- and Blood will not let her go until Mythia comes and saves her, but that will be kind of difficult because Blood cheated and put an illusion spell to make sure that she will stay in a never ending cycle of landscape, so that she will never reach Lucian."
I swallowed the information all at once, and then wondered if, for the first time in my life, I was going to faint.
"But I can't just LEAVE, Nightmare, you know that! I just got married! If I at least don't go through the honeymoon, Ace is going to be devastated! No, not even that, he'll revert back to his insane and maniac self!"
Snapping at him, I recovered my good sense and softly added, "I can't let him do that to himself."
Nightmare regarded me with a silent expression, before just nodding and handing me a bracelet.
"If you change your mind, then this bracelet will take you to a ship heading towards my Ring if you pour water over it. I know that you're conflicted, but I'm sorry to say that you don't have time. Mythia will die soon. The latest she can hold up is probably at best two days."
I swallowed heavily as Nightmare vanished and I appeared right where I was before, in Ace's arms.
The decision was so harsh I felt as if my own body was being torn apart at the very core.
I kicked off my shoes. In all of their beauty, my feet were starting to hurt. The after party dress was another jaw-dropping dark blue and snowy white masterpiece, a kimono with a white background, blue camellias and cranes embroidered into the fabric.
It was really tight. I unwound my obi and the glamorous outer layer to stretch out in the simple black old ninja outfit that Lee had suggested I wear under it, knowing quite well that I wouldn't stand for something like this for too long.
It was light and airy, but also made no sound when I waved my arms around. Lying back down, I sank into the floor with a heavy sigh, moon beams shifting over my figure.
The silvery light of the moon and the slight breeze that made the hot temperature seem cool was so familiar to me it brang a tear to my eye. I didn't want to leave, and that was truth.
I wanted to save my friends, and that was also truth.
The wind whispered at me as it tickled my skin, making my hair waft up in the air. The laughing sounds from the party and happy, festive music was such a heavy presence.
I loved Ace. Truth.
In the end, it didn't even matter which was more important than the other, because it wasn't something that was comparable. Even if I leave, Ace would not be harmed, maimed, or killed.
He'd be safe, here, in the Fire Ring, where he cannot leave and holds ultimate power.
Death is final. Truth.
I had made my choice.
My, I hope that I wrote most of this pretty alright.
The last part was a little rushed-sorry-but I hope that you guys like it!
You can expect the next chapter anywhere between September-October.
Yeah, that's a pretty broad range, but my writing skills are feeling a bit whimsical.
See ya later,
Allora
