Chapter 23: The ceremony- Act 2

Copper curves dipped into glass like a snake going for a quick dive in shallow water.

Reaching forward Izaya touched the cool material of the rich embroidery decorating the frame.

They had needed four people to carry these mirrors inside his room.

Why he couldn't just walk down where they stood remained a mystery, but so be it.

Busily hustling and fitting each layer of his dress the maids swooned over their work.

Izaya had always known that women's clothing was sort of a hassle to put on, but nothing beat the wedding gown, really.

Colors of the deepest darkest red mixed with streaks of gold and pearls as layer after layer settled into place.

Long sleeves reaching to the very ground of the chamber hung heavy from his arms. Same for the dress as the beautifully crafted folds layered upon each other at the very ground. Izaya didn't even need to move to know he would serve as a more than efficient broom for the floor. Especially his veil, double in length of the actual dress, was going to pick up whatever it met on the way. To Izaya's relief the mauds had chosen a lighter material for this at least.

Tilting his head slightly he watched his ruby earrings sparkle as a strand of hair came loose. It had grown a little ever since he arrived.

Not much, but enough to perfectionate hit pretense.

Touching his shoulders and heavy necklace in teasing strokes he quickly brought it back behind his ear.

The cut on his chest had not yet completely healed and the maids had been devastated as it was clearly visible. It had taken them hours to find jewelry that covered the spot nicely. The one he was wearing now consisted of various strings dipping into droplet-like shapes.

Like a spider web placed upon even ground it sat on his collarbone. He didn't dare move as he feared he might mess up the image the maids had created. Dozens of clear crystals were embedded into the fragile necklace and sat on its strings like morning dew.

Honestly?

He looked gorgeous. Definitely too pretty for a man and even compared to a woman he was quite sure he would win.

It was a shame that he would have to abandon this look.

Of course he had insisted on putting on the first layer himself. A few awkward words and acts of embarrassment had quickly gotten rid of his maids as he took care of his more obvious parts.

Corsets were quite handy after all.

He wouldn't need to fear anyone noticing a thing.

A feeling of happiness started to fill his mood as he turned to the side.

He was extremely skilled if he may say so himself.

His mother would have loved to marry in this dress. And what were his sisters going to say once they saw him in this? The idea forced an amused smile onto his lips.

A few coughs brought disarray to his reflection.

Ahhh.

Annoying.

Quickly straightening the fabric flowing down two ways from the middle of his dress he straightened the image.

His chest had felt tight ever since he woke up. Probably from running around in the rain the day before. It was nothing to fret over, but definitely annoying.

Oh well.

Looking at his perfect reflection Izaya smiled.

Not like that mattered right now, right?

"My queen!" His all time favorite maid's voice broke through the happy but quiet chattering of the maids like a storm tearing off a roof.

Startled and very much displeased by the jumpscare, one of them groaned.

"Mika! I thought you were getting the lady some water!" Izaya couldn't help but snort as Mika clearly ignored her colleague entirely as she rushed over.

Her hair was all messy. She had been running around like a headless chicken all morning. If anything she was definitely more nervous than the bride should be. And Izaya was calm.

"Here!" A flower was shoved towards Izaya and he blinked at the action with slight confusion.

"... am I supposed to put this on my dress or something?" He recognized it as the local flower, but its use lay beyond his knowledge.

"Ah, no, forgive me," Mika apologized with a smile, retracting the flower shortly before grasping it with both hands. "The king, he just dropped by to give it to you."

Surprise reflected in Izaya's face.

"Shizuo did?"

Sudden squeals filled the air faster than any explanation as the maids cheered.

"He is just such a fine man!"

"Strong and protective."

"But sweet and shy!"

"And those deep brown eyes-"

Laughter filled the room within seconds as they dreamly talked about their king.

Their fun was so addicting, Izaya couldn't help but join.

… he would actually miss them somewhat.

He hadn't interacted a lot with them, but he had a feeling if he were a real bride actually getting married to Shizuo… yeah. Then he would have really loved to stay here.

Offering the flower once again Izaya took it curtly.

It was a beautiful specimen. Perfect petals with not a single blemish on it, and the smell-

Lifting the plant closer to his nose Izaya smiled.

The scent was amazing.

Seemed he chose the most beautiful flower he could find. And that despite being on duty. He had been riding with his knights, no?

Izaya couldn't imagine what he had looked like looking for it in the field with his soldiers nearby.

A smile spread across his face.

Yeah.

They were right.

He was a lovely man indeed.

A soft sound coming from the door distracted Izaya for a moment as another maid slipped inside the chamber.

Compared to the rest, however, she seemed bothered instead of happy.

"My lady, uhm…" She started quietly as hesitation marked her words.

"What is it?" Izaya urged her on as he turned away from the mirror.

Hands fidgeting with the rim of her skirt the maid stuttered. "I-I'm really sorry for the disturbance, but-" her eyes traveled shortly to the future queen before settling down quickly. "There is a mercenary that claims you want to see him… now?"

The-

Izaya's face almost slipped and he quickly caught his expression as it was about to fall.

The mercenary.

The one that would bring his sisters- he arrived! And just on time too!

Izaya had worried he might have to leave while the wedding was full on running and search for the guy himself. But it seemed fate was on his side on this magnificent day!

Quickly he cleared his throat.

"If you would leave for a moment please." The request obviously came as a surprise as the servants glanced at each other. Of course.

What queen would see a mercenary before her wedding? Ignoring the way the maids' faces grew more and more puzzled, he continued addressing the newly arrived maid. "Send him in, please."

Nodding swiftly, albeit confused she quickly turned and headed back.

"My lady-" Mika started to speak, but was quickly stopped short at a not quite unfriendly, but sharp glance.

Understanding the action the girl shut up swiftly and bowed instead. "As you wish." Izaya was not going to go into any details and neither did he wish for his servants to pry. He might seem unfriendly again, but right now he couldn't care less about how he was perceived.

Quickly like mice being chased by a cat the maids left the room-

And then Izaya was alone.

Placing his hand on top of the small table he noticed it was shaking just slightly. Ah. He was way more nervous than he was supposed to be.

An unsure smile spread across his face as he tried to regain his cool.

All too soon the knock on his door resounded and startled Izaya despite better knowledge.

"Come in."

There he was.

Stepping inside the chamber the mercenary he had blessed with his order kneeled on the ground.

"My queen," he greeted formally, with the hint of a smile at the corner of his lips. Ah. Of course. He was looking forward to his weight in gold that Izaya had promised upon delivery.

Feeling all nervousness leave his body, Izaya smiled as well.

"I heard you were successful?" It was a shame he couldn't actually pay him what he promised. It would have been well deserved.

Eagerly nodding, the mercenary rose back to his feet. "I was indeed! I found the blade you were looking for," he paused, "And of course, the culprit." As if on cue the door to Izaya's chamber creaked.

Izaya could already imagine his two sisters standing there.

Surprised to see him- in a wedding dress nonetheless.

They would be confused about what was going on.

Never having thought about it, Izaya realized he would have to quickly instruct them to keep shut about his sharade. But they were smart, they would stay silent and let him handle everything for sure.

And so the door moved.

Steps resounded in the hallway, seeming far louder to Izaya than they actually were.

Light fell onto the figure stepping into the chamber.

Singular.

It was just one.

Beard old and unwashed for ages, a man of high age dragged his feet inside the Izaya's room. Weakness defined his stance and wrinkles drew upon every layer of skin shown from a rag of clothes.

"... who is that?" Izaya's mouth ran without him using it. The smile he wore earlier was still set in place as though a painter had forgotten to redraw it and left the room.

"The thief, my lady. He said the knife had been handed to him but that's of course a lie," the mercenary spoke. He spoke.

And spoke.

And rambled about his journey.

About how he found him.

Words.

So many words.

But they held no meaning to Izaya as everything drowned in a sea of oil.

The old man in the chamber glanced forth from sneaky eyes as he eyed all the jewelry that his old hands itched to steal.

"... can you get out?"

Interrupted in quite the storytelling the mercenary stopped short with surprise. "What?" Ugliness threatened to bubble forth from Izaya's voice as he kept his words neutral.

"Leave me alone with this man." His voice was shaking like a dying leaf at the very end of a tree's branch yet held a certain gravity that even the mercenary didn't fail to miss. He seemed taken aback. Of course, he was waiting for praise, for his compensation. Izaya promised him gold in amounts he could hardly carry on his own.

This was not what he had been looking forward to.

But he listened.

Hesitantly turning he headed for the hallway.

The door shut and Izaya's expression fell.

Dark.

Sinister.

"Who did you steal this from…?" his words were whispered quietly, as though he could still avoid the unavoidable truth laid bare in front of him.

Left alone with no one but a weak woman, the old man sneered at him. Obviously not in the slightest interested to answer the question as he spat on the ground.

"Why would I tell you?"

Uncontrolled rage, frustration and fervor burst in Izaya's head and met the old man's skin head on as Izaya charged at the guy. Jewelry came undone, the layers of cloth entangled on the ground as he mindlessly stepped on the fabric.

Kururi's knife was grasped faster than he even noticed as he held the blade to the scum's neck.

"Who did you steal this from?!" Expression springing to fear the old man's former sneer was wiped off instantly as a droplet of blood collected at the tip of his throat. Pale like a sheet of paper he looked at eyes full of madness.

"No one! No one I swear!" His old hands raised in a laughable attempt to show that he was unarmed and didn't wish for this to escalate, but the knife only pressed further as Izaya barked. "Bullshit! Where are the two girls who had this on them?! What did you do to them?!"

"Girls-" The old old man repeated in utter confusion, and yet suddenly a streak of recognition raced across his eyes. "I knew they weren't boys!"

A moment of dangerous peace grasped charge of the scene as Izaya's hand on the knife stilled. His eyes narrowed as hope sparked in his chest.

"What do you mean?"

Pressing the knife just the slightest bit closer to break some skin, but not do much damage the old man quickly understood that this was his only chance to spill what he knew.

"They said they were boys! Young too- maybe fourteen. They offered me their help in my fields for some food- I let them," he quickly hurried on, recalling what he could as fast as possible. "They were quite the hard workers! I was grateful to them, and let them sleep at my place too-"

Recognition flared in Izaya's mind.

Two of them and young- of course. It had to be them. They pretended to be boys in order to stay safer.

Funny.

And here Izaya was, doing just the opposite.

"What happened to them?" Izaya urged on as the old man's expression grew desperate. "One day I woke up and they were simply gone! My savings too. All that those brats left me was this stupid knife. But I figured it would be worth something. I was trying to sell it when this guy suddenly hooked me up- That's the truth I swear!"

Like iron the words settled in his blood.

… they had traded it.

Of course.

A knife didn't buy bread or clean water. It didn't provide shelter nor clothes.

It was a logical choice.

The old man wheezed as he glanced at the knife still in place. He was obviously panicking. Not quite sure what to expect from a queen that was threatening him with his death going dead silent.

Izaya's body felt stiff.

… they were gone.

What the man had said might as well have been the truth. It suited them. This kind of practical thinking.

He was an idiot really. For not accounting for this possibility.

He had sent the mercenary to look for a knife that was nowhere near his sisters.

Cold seeped into his brain like ice onto raw skin.

They weren't here.

The chance of him leaving with his sisters-

Gone.

He couldn't leave.

Neither with, nor without them.

He didn't need a letter for Shizuo, because he wouldn't leave the castle. He would stay. He would get married to the king.

Become the queen.

And then-

Like a hit to the side of his face the memory of the corpse surfaced from his mind. The way it had grown gray. Filled with worms. The stench. The rotten eyes.

Nausea hit Izaya hard as his legs became somewhat unsteady.

Grasp slipping on the knife he backed away from the old man.

"Get out of my sight." Izaya's eyes were dead and lifeless as he mumbled the order.

Not interested in experiencing what else this new horrendous queen had to offer the old man did as told and quickly scurried to the door.

With a slam it hit the outer wall of the hallway as he ran for his dear life. He didn't bother closing it and neither did Izaya.

… it was over, wasn't it?

A few moments passed. Minutes? Seconds? Izaya couldn't tell. Slight movement stirring in front of his door only shortly caught his attention as Mika returned to her lady's room.

She seemed relieved to see her future queen unharmed. She seemed happy.

Eyes following noone but her Izaya let himself be led.

The other maids returned too. Realizing that his clothes had shifted and his jewelry slipped they quickly fixed everything like a swarm of busy bees.

Mika was smiling the whole time.

Telling Izaya something about the wedding, about luck and love and happiness.

Izaya couldn't join them. His lips were dry and his throat near dead as he felt out of touch with his own body.

The dress he wore was suddenly suffocating instead of gorgeous.

A couple coughs left his lips as his servants lead him out into the hallway. It was funny, he hated his illness-

The coughs, the breathlessness.

And yet right now, they provided some sort of comfort. Some side of familiarity as he felt his throat constrict. As if wanting to mock him his mind suddenly trailed back to when he was still a child.

To his mother.

Her gentle eyes and worried hugs as he laid in bed with fevers and coughs. The way she had looked at him and assured him that everything was going to be alright.

"Are you ready, my lady?" Like a fire burning paper the memory faded as James smiled at him.

His body had moved on its own. Down the corridor, down the castle stairs- through the city and to the chapel.

Wedding guests had collected far and wide to be seen. Like flowers on a meadow they filled the area leaving only one aisle for Izaya to walk down. But Izaya didn't see their happy faces. He didn't hear their joyful cheers nor did he notice the beautiful decoration and everything else the entire staff had arranged.

The veil was thrown across his head with a swift motion as the music chimed.

The ceremony.

It was starting.

It was over.

It was irrelevant who the old man stole the knife from. If he spoke the truth or not.

There was simply no time left.

Even if he had somehow known of his sister´s whereabouts they would be gone by now. And once he fled the castle the king would unveil the truth.

His father would hear of it.

He would search for his sisters, if he hadn't already found them and then-

"My dear daughter."

Like a spider creeping its way right inside his ear his father's voice spoke. He was there. Just when he had approached, Izaya had no idea. He just was.

next to him.

Izaya. Kururi. The bride. The bait. The future queen. The dead corpse.

All eyes were on Izaya.

Chills raced down Izaya's back as he felt the deadly touch of a guillotine at the back of his neck.

Cold and threatening, a vial was slipped inside his palm like a poisonous snake wriggling up his cold wrist.

He felt the need to scream, to vomit, to just break down and run- and then he saw Shizuo at the altar wearing the happiest expression he had ever seen.

He was dragging a good man down with him and his charade.

Just to get money.

Ah.

Maybe he deserved it.

The vial in his pocket.

The music spiked and Izaya moved with his father grasping his arm gently.

Everything felt like a trance as his chest grew tighter and tighter. The bishop smiled as he opened a huge ornamented book decorated with gold and his father smiled.

The words reverberated over and over and over as Izaya joined Shizuo on the altar.

"Your sister wishes you a nice wedding, Kururi."

to be continued~

Act 2 - complete xD Hello everyone~! And welcome to the tragedy that is unfolding now mwahaha

Sadly I didn't get to write anything else apart from this update x'D We got some friends from germany over and I didn't get to write at all hahaha

But next week! I promise I will update Sotd, SD and SnS.

oh and the last chapter of Ast will be updated tomorrow! C: xD