Red maids surround me in a whirlwind, doing my hair, my makeup, adjusting my dress and just generally making me look pretty. After all, it's my big day. My wedding. I peer at myself in the mirror. I am stunning. But no silver paint covers me today, making me look like them. I am red. I am powerful. And I will be queen. My dress is not white, like a customary wedding dress in the stilts if it can be afforded. Neither is it the colors of house titanos, purple and silver. It is red. Long, flowing, and vibrant, and displaying who I am, if it wasn't already obvious.
Even the reds will see this. All of Norta will see my wedding, live, or through video screens, they will witness my marriage with Maven. I don't know how I should feel. Nervous? Exited? Disgusted? Or just terrified. After all, Elara is still watching my every move. And although she can't kill me, she can still make me suffer.
"Mare!" Elara's awful piercing voice cuts through the flurry of activity. Although she tries to hide it, she hates me even more now. It was not part of her evil scheme to have me live. Maven defied her. And just that alone makes me think that he might still be the boy I love.
"Yes, your majesty?" I respond, hoping that if I keep her satisfied she won't go prying into my head.
"You're fiance is waiting." The maids add a final touch of blush, and to Elara's dismay, I thank them each, then follow her out the door.
Maven is nervous. To anyone else maybe, he looks like the king he pretends to be, but I can see the small cracks in his mask. But his eyes sparkle with joy. He is marrying the girl he loves. Although that girl can't decide if she can love him back. When he see's his mother, he stiffens, and turns back into the cold, emotionless, boy-king. He reaches for my hand. And, after a moment of hesitation, I take it.
We walk like that, until we reach the ballroom, where my fate lies. He releases my hand. Most siver marriages are not about love. They are about strength, and power, the things silver's value. They could care less about love.
Suddenly I'm hyperaware of my surroundings. It's all I can do to put one foot in front of the other. Before, walking in the dress seems easy, but with every step I feel as if I might trip. I feel blood rush to my face with all eyes on me and Maven. A part of me wishes for the silver paint. But Maven's words come back to me. The time for lies is over.
Somehow, I've made it to the alter. A silver I don't recognise stands there, ready to wed us. I spare a glance at Maven. He shows no emotion. He's better at hiding his heart than me. The silver turns to me first.
"In the eyes of the country of Norta, do you, Mare Barrow, take Maven Calore as your husband?" As the man speaks I study him. He has no features of the other houses. His eyes are red, and his long grey hair is slicked back. His skin has a strange sheen to it. Then, I realized, it's because he's not silver. The silver paint they painted me with when I was Mareena made you look like a silver, and if you didn't know what it looked like, you'd never tell. But I know what it looks like.
"I do." I say. The man's red eyes twinkle, as if he knows something I don't.
Then he turns to Maven. "In the eyes of the country of Norta, do you, King Maven Calore, Flame of Norta, take Mare Barrow as your wife?"
"I do." Maven sounds like he's at his funeral, not getting married.
"I proclaim you husband and wife, King and Queen of Norta." Then he looks at Maven. "Your majesty?"
Maven smiles at me, a small, secret smile. Then he kisses me. And his fire fills me, knocks my defences away. I kiss him back. I assume he feels my electricity, like I feel his flame. What must be only ten seconds, feels like and hour. Then he pulls away. To my surprise, Elara stands, raising a glass of champagne, and says, "To the new queen, and my son!" But her smile at me is anything but proud. It takes a lot not to sneer at her.
During the celebrations, I walk through the crowd, talking to random silvers, and searching for the red eyed man. Despite my best efforts, I run into Evangeline.
"Hello Mare," She says my name like it's something dirty. I guess that's what I am to her. A filthy, lowly red. "You're a red, huh. Well I never liked you, I guess know I know why." She flicks her hair over her shoulder, and smirks. Then she actually smiles at me. "But… you're different than the other red rats. See you around, Mare." She stalks off. Wow though. I think that was the closest thing to a compliment she's ever given me. I'm different. Duh.
While I'm mulling over Evangeline's words, I catch a glimpse of grey hair and red eyes in the crowd. Trying my best not bump into any important silvers, I dash over to him.
"Who are you?" I say, sounding anything but polite. But he doesn't seem to care.
"Jon. Pleasure to meet you." He doe snot sound pleased at all though.
"Why are you here?"
"This is starting to seem a bit like an interrogation, isn't it? No matter, I know every question you are going to ask."
"Are you-" I start, but he cuts me off.
"A red? Yes, as a matter of fact I am. And no, you won't find me on your friend's list of people like you, I'm not from around here. But I am like you." What's his ability? Can he read minds? Is that how he knew what question I was going to ask? "Before you ask, no, I can't read your mind. But I can tell the future. Good luck, Mare Barrow. We will meet again soon."