Merry Christmas, Allie! I hope that you like this lengthier oneshot that I wrote you. I remembered that you liked the description I wrote in my Soulmate AU, so I figured I should try to write a story for you that is chock full of hopefully beautiful description. (Wedding fics are some of the hardest things to write for me, so hopefully I did okay, writing their wedding!) I wasn't sure what pairing to write for you, but I decided on ZenYuki, since you've loved ZenYuki and Zen in particular since you first discovered Snow White With The Red Hair. (I wasn't sure what to write, because I did get you into liking ObiYuki as well.) Thank you so much for introducing me to Snow White With The Red Hair; it's a very lovely series. After about a month of debating what to write you for Christmas, this thankfully came to mind. Merry Christmas! I hope that you like this story, and that you have a wonderful day! Also, Happy New Year!
Her dress is the color of shimmering pearls under the bright sun of the beach, so pale and so beautiful against her skin, that it seems to make her glow. Her long red hair is pulled back into an elaborate braid overtop of her head, that loops and loops around and around, until it finally settles delicately in place, pinned with a Clarinesian blue shell pin.
Her long sleeves fill up her arms, going from her shoulders down to her wrists, light fabric brightening up even when it thins by her wrists. The light material seems to hug her wrists, crafting a beautiful unity right there. Her dress flows down with layer upon layer, a bow tightens it right around her waist, to let the fabric fall uniformly down to her feet, almost concealing the pretty silver heels that took practice to walk in.
She would have worn her work boots, but that she knew would have looked a little informal, despite their white simplicity. The bodice of the dress hugs her torso, making her seem both fuller in a gentle womanly way, and almost smaller in frame. Yet there is nothing delicate about the strength she's built up and maintained all of these years. No one can even picture this maiden crumbling at the blow of the wind.
She's worked tirelessly, toil after toil, long pharmaceutical hours, political meetings, dancing lessons. Shirayuki has never been a quitter; she's too much of a hard worker, too determined and too full of grit to ever back down. She's stood up to swords and arrows; she's argued with the princes of other kingdoms.
Truly, she feels sort of like a princess to Clarines, despite her foreign birth, because this kingdom has become a second home to her, one that she loves so resolutely that she could never turn her back on it or let it crumble. She loves it fiercely, like Izana and Zen do.
As she walks closer, balanced steadily on her heels, the hard work of learning to balance in the small shoes had paid off. She looks up to meet Zen's eyes, to see the way he looks at her, as if she were the cause of his kingdom, as if she lovingly made all of this possible. It's odd, because for Zen, all she has is herself to offer. Of course, she has her pharmaceutical work to offer, but she can't offer him a kingdom or anything. It feels almost as if she hasn't brought enough to him, even as she steps up to meet him there.
His eyes stare into hers, as if the veil is merely something see through between them. He sees her entirely; he always has. Shirayuki feels warm, even though she feels almost too seen before all of these people. She's learned over the years that people staring at her often leads to bad things, or at least it had when people seen her for her hair, even though they are not looking at her for the hair atop her head, but for the man that she's just met at the altar.
Most of the people behind her she knows, and even with that reassurance, she still feels nervous. But, Zen's looking at her the way he does when no one can see him, the way he does when he can't help but feel overwhelmed with love for her. It's the very look that shatters her and leaves her gasping for air.
It's only after they finally make it through their vows, nervous despite themselves, that she feels the relief to every nerve jittering throughout her system. Zen kisses her, as if he has forever to do so, makes her feel loved and appreciated with just a moment between them, and she longs to stay up here with him. She's dreading the ball and the dancing that she's practiced that comes with, dreading parting from Zen for even a moment.
It's the first time that he's ever kissed her in front of people, but he kisses her as if there is no audience behind them, as if this moment is just between them and will always be a well bloomed and cared for garden between them, as if he could never stop, even if he needed air. Thankfully, no one clears their throat, not even Izana interrupts them, though the quiet of the kingdom makes it feel as if they are perfectly alone.
It's only as the kiss is drawing to a close, that applause picks up around them, spontaneous and perfectly timed, as if everyone can't help but adore them, support them, after a kiss like that. Shirayuki's still breathless when they pull apart and look to the crowd, and nearly tears up seeing the grin on Raji's face, the way he claps so energetically for them, the way he supports them as a close friend, a fact that would have been impossible shortly after they met.
Kiki's eyes even look a little watery, and though she stands with Mitsuhide and Hisame, both, there is a certain softness to her tonight. Mitsuhide is openly weeping, hiding it in his arms, trying to maintain composure; he looks as if he's fought every trial beside them for years and still can't believe this is happening.
Her dad is crying not far from her, but his wide smile shows that it isn't a sad set of tears. Everyone here to support them makes it feel so surreal, almost dizzying; she can barely stand under the love that she sees in this room, love from both people of great power and authority, princes and kings and princesses, nobility of all kinds, and naturally, from people that live within the walls of obscurity, like she has spent most of her life living.
It's hard to not be noticed now, after her hard work rather than her apple red hair, but today it's a different reason that eyes have barely left her, and that is because the man that she loves with all of her being, the one that she just married, he is a prince, and she is now the princess that he's just happily married. She has as much authority as other princesses, and that's surreal despite the fact that people have responded and listened to her for years as if she'd already had that authority.
There are few dry eyes today, and she needs to look away from Kazuki, from Mitsuhide, and from her dad or else she'll openly weep before all of these people, though her eyes haven't been exactly dry in a while anyway. Zen's hand slips into hers, and the reassurance makes her forest green eyes peek up at him, just to spot the warmth and love in his blue eyes that was present even before they kissed.
It's as if the whole world can see their love now, and it's so surreal, so practically unbelievable, just as it is so long anticipated. Shirayuki just wishes that she could lean up and steal another kiss, feel Zen's kiss relieve any last nerves today, but she knows that eventually they will have to step down from here, eventually the rest of their wedding has to happen, but she also knows that now she definitely has the rest of her life to show Zen just how much she loves him.