Disclaimer: I own nothing that is not mine. Seriously – I own a small Hello Kitty figurine and a tower of Dr. Pepper cans.
A Brief Author's Note: We're halfway through the LJ 10_prompts community's Table 11! The idea for this fic is how I might like my own wedding to go if, heaven forbid, I should ever get married!
5 - Give
Who would give the bride away? The question buzzed through Castle Marmoreal for weeks. Courtiers of any world never minded their own business and weddings were always splendid topics for juicy gossip. It had started amongst the flowers – mouthy little weeds, the lot of them, Alice thought uncharitably when a giggling Daisy hid its face as she walked past. Unlike most girls where she came from, her wedding had not been at the forefront of her mind since day one. She preferred to dream of things like pirates, princes, and evaporating pussycats. When the question of who would "give her away" confronted her, she wasn't sure what to say.
In the Upperlands, girls belonged to their fathers until they were passed along in a ceremony that seemed more like a business transaction. They called that marriage – some poor, empty-headed lass traded to some man in exchange for something her father wanted. And as horrible as some husbands could be, better a horrible husband than none at all. She thought of Aunt Imogen, waiting for a fiancée who would never come. The old woman was held up to Alice every time marriage got mentioned as a prime example of the "or else" factor.
Very vaguely, she remembered Father and Mummy talking about her future. Mummy planned from the very start that Alice should marry well. The discussions never sat well with Father, who insisted that those things came in due time. What did "marry well" mean? The young Alice had wondered – did that mean she should be good at getting married? From the weddings she remembered going to as a child, she hadn't thought it should be very hard. The bride walked down a long aisle, smiled, and said "I do" after listening to an old church-man waffle on for a while. She supposed it must have been easy, since nearly everyone did it.
She tilted her head, and then snapped from thought as Mallymkun fussed at her to hold still, stamping a tiny foot on her head. The swordsmouse concentrated, struggling with Alice's hair. Queen Mirana glided across the room to assist, her larger hands more adept at braiding. The wedding was due to start and here sat the bride, still in her slip and with only half her hair done! Alice squirmed uncomfortably, her left buttock asleep, as Mallymkun pulled another strand into place…
As the Queen helped her into her dress, she sank into reverie once more, still thinking on who would "give her away." She frowned as she thought of Father, and discreetly pinched herself – maybe if she woke up for just a moment, he would be there to see her wed… But no, even in Wonderland, that impossibility remained impossible… A delicate White hand wiped away the tear she didn't even notice had fallen.
"Now, Alice," Queen Mirana chided gently. "Now is not the time for wedding-day tears – you'll ruin all of Mallymkun's hard work!"
Alice smiled – yes, the little mouse had done an expert job applying the proper cosmetics, just enough to make her natural beauty "pop" a bit more. Her eyes still looked a little moist, but she held it together while Mallymkun and the White Queen laced her corset. She never thought the day would come when she willingly let herself be strapped into one… But she supposed, just for today, it couldn't be that bad. After all, it was her "something borrowed", from Queen Mirana herself!
"Are you ready, Alice?" the gentle voice inquired. "The music has started."
Alice nodded, smiling in a manner no one had seen before – a combination of serenity and determination, with a touch of inscrutability. The Queen smiled back in mysterious understanding and picked up the bride's veil, examining it closely. Easily his finest work, she thought before carefully sliding the hat-band onto the crown of Alice's head, draping the front of the veil forward and adjusting the rest. She stepped back and smiled brilliantly.
"Many blessings to you, Champion of Underland," she proclaimed, sweeping from the bridal dressing-chamber.
A moment passed. The music changed.
"It's time to go," Mallymkun informed her unnecessarily.
The double-doors to the grandest assembly-room in the palace opened and Alice was nearly blinded by the explosion of white before her. Then she blinked and her eyes adjusted to the very white candlelight. There was no pipe-organ, nor any familiar bridal march, just a collective of string and wind instruments playing a gorgeous processional. Mallymkun started in front of her, combination flower girl and maid of honor, carrying one very large yellow marigold. The mouse stopped at the third row forward and tapped her tiny foot.
Queen Mirana extended a graceful hand, gesturing for Tarrant to look over his shoulder. Quite slowly, he turned around. The rest of the congregation – indeed, the whole kingdom – turned with him, eager to see the bride. Every eye went wide. As Tarrant could think of nothing but the beauty of his bride, courtiers began to whisper: the bride stood alone in the doorway! However, the White Queen's leveling stare silenced them, and then she smiled at Alice.
The bride at last stepped forward, processing up the aisle as regally as the Queen ever could, with her head up proudly. Her fingers clutched nervously at her bouquet of white roses, but the butterflies in her stomach fluttered happily. From behind her veil, she could see her groom's wide eyes, not once taking their gaze off her. Thackery sobbed hysterically, gripping a squirming Mallymkun in his paws – she had not been allowed her hatpin at the wedding, thankfully. Alice beamed at Mr. McTwisp, standing with most dignity beside Tarrant as best man. Finally, she arrived at the altar and exchanged secret glances with her husband-to-be.
"Alice," began the White Queen, enigmatic smile in place. "Who gives you away?"
The bride spoke clearly, for everyone to hear.
"No one," she declared. "I come to marry the man I love of my own free will."
Queen Mirana smiled.
"Very well then."