The Following Week:

Ranma stood in front of a mirror as servants swarmed around him preparing his marriage clothes. He had to admit he looked quite handsome if it weren't for the sour look on his face.

"Perk up, Ranma. You're getting married to a beautiful princess today!" Shinnosuke teasingly said.

Shinnosuke was one of Ranma's top personal guards like Ryoga. Ranma considered him a close friend and confidant.

"You haven't even seen her, Shinnosuke. How do you know if she is beautiful? That's not the only thing that matters anyway. I am a prince, I could get any beautiful woman I want."

"Have you ever even heard of a non-beautiful princess? I don't think so. It's just the way the world works. The sky is blue. The night is dark. And princesses are beautiful. I don't have to have seen her to know," Shinnosuke retorted.

Ranma rolled his eyes, but he also had to admit that Shinnosuke was probably right.

Ranma tried to focus on the joyous atmosphere around him, but a nervousness grew in his belly at knowing that he was going to be seeing his bride for the first time very soon. Maybe this wouldn't be such a bad thing after all? Maybe this was the excitement he craved. An unknown princess from a mysterious kingdom - this possibly was the best outcome for him if he wanted to stop feeling like he knew exactly how everything in his life would pan out. He was tired of the monotony of his life and relationships. For the first time in a long time, Ranma was feeling exhilarated.

Akane:

Akane couldn't stop gawking at her reflection as her maids merrily stuffed her into traditional wedding garb. These clothes were definitely the most expensive things she had ever had on her body. She was a hardworking girl of a small village and NOT a princess. She could hardly believe her eyes that she was wearing such beautiful materials. She felt like it didn't really fit her style or personality, but she couldn't deny that this was the prettiest she'd ever felt.

A twinge of guilt poked at her soul for letting herself get caught up in this charade while her family suffered under the thumb of King Gosunkugi. Tenseness traveled through her body until she felt rigid with anxiety at what she was about to be doing. She was an imposter getting married to a man she had never met before in a country that left her father's men to die by King Gosunkugi's armies. She needed to be keenly aware of these facts and had to keep a cool head. She hadn't figured out exactly how she was going to get out of this whole situation, but for now she just needed to buy time for her family back home.

"I've never seen a princess with such short hair before," a curly headed seamstress commented. She went immediately stiff as if realizing she had made a possibly rude comment out loud.

Akane found herself feeling uncomfortable as this was brought up in Shirya as well by the woman who tutored her, briefly, in royal manners.

"Ah, short hair is normal in Shirya," Akane answered. She lied just as she had been told to. Akane was no stranger to comments about her hair as women in Shirya were expected to have long hair. She was always a tom boy and teased for it by the neighborhood children. After awhile, Akane just started to lean into her masculine energy. She wore pants, did mens' jobs, trained in fighting styles, and most controversial of all - she kept her hair short.

A stern woman was standing in the corner with cosmetics in her hands. "You will be expected to grow your hair out as a princess and one day as a queen of Wallka. Your appearance is already unfitting of a princess, and especially as a bride of the esteemed Prince Ranma. Do Shiryian woman not care an ounce about beauty? Ergh, I have my work cut out for me. Sit down."

Akane was shocked at this woman's rudeness. Akane was, afterall, supposed to be royalty. She expected the staff to treat her with more respect. Akane bit her tongue and obliged the cranky woman and sat down. It was clear this must be a high status court woman for her to be that careless in her speech.

Immediately the woman began pounding her face with makeup.

"We have to make you presentable to Prince Ranma at the very least," The court woman muttered.

Ouch, Akane thought. Was she really that plain? She immediately thought better of the self deprecating thought. She wasn't really a royal afterall. There was no way she would have that kind of renowned beauty. She needed to remember to steel herself to these kinds of comments as they were bound to be numerous. Maybe her lack of royal beauty would be a good thing and Prince Ranma would want nothing to do with her.

"It's time," A servant entering the room stated.

"Well, that's the best I'll be able to do…" The court woman sighed in an exhausted tone.

Ranma:

Ranma heard the familiar sound of his footsteps echoing through the fancy hallways of the palace. He wondered what the palace Princess Akane grew up in looked like. He'd been in the palaces of Princess Shampoo and Ukyo, but never had he even been in the nation of Shirya. Ranma pondered how different they likely were given their isolationist culture.

An uncomfortable nervousness overtook Ranma as he approached the courtyard as this was where the ceremony was to take place. In only, what would feel like a matter of moments, he would be meeting his future bride. He walked towards the ceremonial table and got down on his knees. Surrounding him were King Gemma and all of Ranma's personal guards.

It wasn't long before Ranma heard the clanging of bells that were fastened to the traditional wedding garb of a princess.

Ranma didn't dare look up to see her face as it would not follow the strict customs of a marriage between royals. Only once Princess Akane was seated and they had finished the ritual would they be allowed to look at each other. His mind was spinning as the clanging got louder, until it stopped, and he could feel her presence as she too kneeled down into the customary position. They both reached forward grabbing their small cups of the bitter drink of bonding. They both gulped down the drink in unison and then made eye contact for the very first time.

Time stood still. Princess Akane was not at all what Prince Ranma expected. The first thing he noticed was her short boy-like hair style. Even his hair was longer than hers. She had extraordinarily prideful eyes. She emanated such an aura of aggression that left Ranma's mouth feeling dry. She almost looked like she wanted to punch him in the face.

Did she resent this arranged marriage? He really couldn't blame her. Despite his understanding of her situation, Ranma was not the type to back down to anyone, save maybe his dense father. Ranma held her powerful gaze. He would not leave her with the impression that he was a push over. She was not the exceptionally beautiful princess he was expecting either. It turned out Shinnosuke was wrong, sometimes princesses could be plain too. Ranma still had curiosity about her lingering inside him, but disappointment had also found its way to the pit of his stomach. Was Shirya royalty really so unrefined?

Akane:

Akane was shocked at how bitter the liquid she had just drank was. It took everything in her not to openly gag in front of all the people surrounding her. She could barely think about anything else but focusing on holding her composure instead of throwing up. How had Prince Ranma just drank that without so much as a wince? She found herself staring at him in utter horror at what his burned and dead taste buds must actually be capable of consuming.

As the detestable flavor faded, she was able to truly focus on the man in front of her. His hair was braided and looked to be about shoulder length if it weren't tied up. Prince Ranma was, dare she think, handsome looking. He had an Athletic figure. She expected him to be thin and pampered given having lived the posh life of a royal. Maybe Wallkan royals were not pampered like Shiryian royals were.

It wasn't long before the two were separately whisked away from the ceremonial table.

Akane was again surrounded by maids and court ladies as they removed her wedding garbs and began stuffing her into a ball gown. Akane couldn't believe all that had happened already. She was now officially married to a prince. It would seem like a fairy tale story if not for the circumstances that put her into this position. She just had to push through and keep the facade going for the sake of her family.

Next on the "to-do" list was to attend a wedding banquet in Akane and Ranma's honor. It was really one big celebration. She knew that this banquet was going to have many foreign nobles and royals in attendance. This was the part of the day Akane dreaded the most as she knew she was the main curiosity of the evening. Akane's tutor warned her that Shirya's isolation policies made the Shiryian royal family subject to much rumor and speculation. The issue that Akane was, in fact, also not a real princess would only make her even more of a spectacle among the elites of Alganon. Akane began reminding herself over and over again to remain strong in face of the hostilities she was expecting to encounter. This was nothing compared to what her family had sacrificed and were going through back home.

Ranma:

The minute Ranma was outside the courtyard his personal guards began babbling comments about Princess Akane. He could sense their disapproval without them openly voicing it.

"I'm shocked that Shiryian royal women keep their hair short! She looks strong like an ox. Has the look of a farm girl more than a princess!" Shinnosuke said.

"I'm sure she's very nice though. I bet Princess Akane will get quite a few judgy glances from the royals at tonight's banquet for her short hair. Especially from Shampoo and Ukyo," Ryoga replied.

"So, what do you think of her?" Shinnosuke eyed Ranma questioningly.

"She's…built like a brick. If I were to describe her appearance in one word it would be "uncute" - guess you were wrong Shinnosuke - not all princesses are beautiful."

Right as Ranma rounded the corner to the ballroom he bumped straight into Princess Akane and her court ladies. From the look upon her face and the servants - she had overheard what he'd just said.

Her fists were balled up tightly and the glare she wore felt like it had the power to burn holes into him.

Ranma for a split second felt immediate regret about what he had said. If he was really honest, he knew what his guards were thinking of Princess Akane and he felt embarrassed that he was married to someone that didn't appear to meet his station. What he had said was much stronger opinions and feelings than he actually felt.

"I guess I was wrong to think that all princes have manners or any class at all," Akane muttered.

Her court ladies began fussing-about trying to correct Akane's behavior. They clearly were in a panic over her lack of meekness at criticism.

Ranma, despite his regrets, couldn't back down now. If his father had taught him anything, it was how to be a master of taunting.

"I lost all my manners when Shirya decided to send a boorish woman like you," Ranma sneered. He felt a strange pleasure at their public ill-mannered behavior. He found himself wanting to taunt her.

Akane approached him with unexpected force and slapped him clear across the face. He could hardly believe it really had happened if it weren't for the collective gasps from the guards and court ladies.

"Do not take me for a meek wife who will take your insults without the offender facing consequences!" Akane scolded and then entered the ballroom without another word.

Her court ladies bowed deeply and then scurried after Princess Akane.

Ranma had never felt more humiliated in his life. When he glanced at his guards they wore tense expressions.

Ranma rubbed his cheek and gave himself a moment to calm down. He didn't want to have a reputation as a spoiled prince. He wanted his guards to not fear his attitude, but instead consider him their friend.

"I guess I deserved that," Ranma said.

"I'd say…" Ryoga responded with his eyes looking at the ballroom doors.

"Wouldja now?" Ranma teased. Letting his formal speech slip away to indicate ease. He wanted them to always be forthright with him.

"Hey now, don't let yourself slip into being casual right before a royal event. You don't want anyone to catch you and accuse you of being unrefined," Shinnosuke joked. He always managed to liven up the atmosphere.

Ranma nodded and then entered the ballroom himself. Nobility and royals alike were flittering across the room, but stopped when they took notice of Prince Ranma entering the room. As he walked towards his father the guests bowed and offered up their congratulations for his marriage. Ranma bowed back, but in his head, all he was thinking was, "yeah, yeah, yeah, let's just get this over with."

As Ranma's father entered his sight he recognized Princess Akane standing next to him with a sour look on her face.

"Now, now my boy, don't look so stern! This is a joyous occasion!" His father embarrassingly shouted in front of everyone while simultaneously stuffing his face with food.

Then his father turned towards the crowds in the room. "I take great pleasure in introducing the newly wedded Prince and Princess!"

Applause began, but Ranma took notice of Princess Akane's stern face.

He really put his foot in his mouth this time. Ranma felt bad for trying to be chummy with his guards at the cost of her feelings. Especially because they were husband and wife now. What a mess he had created.

He knew that tradition dictated that they have one dance together at the party. He would take his chance to charm her then.

Ranma attempted to talk to her more than once before the dance was to take place, but she avoided him at every opportunity. Princess Akane was not going to make this easy.

As his latest attempt to corner Akane failed, Ranma leaned up against a pillar in frustration. 'Stubborn girl.' He thought to himself. Then he heard a familiar voice break through his irritated thoughts.

"Childish girl, it seems," Princess Ukyo stated.

"She overheard me calling her plain. So, I can't really blame her," Ranma replied.

"Well, Ranma honey, guess you didn't show her your best side first, did ya?" Ukyo giggled.

She had a refreshing laugh. It was nice to hear her talking with casual speech even at such a prim and proper event. It relaxed Ranma from a tenseness that he'd been carrying with him for days.

"Who woulda guessed I'd be terrible at leaving people with good impressions of me," Ramma stated.

"Not I. I think you know just how to walk away and leave women swooning."

"Is that because I'm going to be a future king or because of who I am?"

"I can't speak for others, but to me, Ranma honey - I mean, Prince Ranma - it is who you are."

Ranma initially felt nothing at her saying that because he assumed she was just trying to win him over, but then it hit him that he's already married to someone else. Ukyo no longer had a chance with him. Did that mean…that Ukyo genuinely liked him?

"I hope that we can continue to be friendly, Prince Ranma. I consider you a good friend," Princess Ukyo commented and then patted Ranma on the back. "And good luck making up with Princess Akane. The dance is coming up soon."

With that, Ukyo disappeared into the crowd. Next he heard the music begin for the dancing portion of the night to begin. Royals and nobles alike began grabbing themselves partners and made their way to the dance floor. Ranma looked around trying to find Princess Akane as it would be expected that they joined in too.

When he finally saw her at the edge of the room her fists were tightly bound with her brows furrowed. She was not even attempting to hide her displeasure. Ranma knew he'd been rude, but it still shocked him to see a Princess wearing her emotions so clearly for all to witness. The etiquette of the royal world was to always look composed no matter the disrespect one had experienced. Prince Ranma wasn't great at meeting those royal expectations either, but he had never seen princesses falter in this convention. Princess Akane truly leaned into her masculine attitude.

Ranma cautiously approached her not wanting to experience a public scene of his new bride slapping him. He still couldn't believe she had actually done that. Her unpredictability made Ranma uncomfortable. He couldn't wait until the celebrations were over and he wouldn't have to worry about Princess Akane making a fool out of the two of them.

"Princess Akane, would you like to dance?" Ranma asked.

"Not like I have a choice," Akane replied and took his hand.

Ranma led her to the dance floor and placed one hand on her waist and the other in Princess Akane's hand. She looked disgusted by his touch.

"I…wanna say I'm sorry about earlier…" Ranma said. He realized he had been rude and wanted this to be done with. He wasn't in the business of trying to make people unhappy, but more than anything he wanted her to stop publicly showing her distaste.

Princess Akane stared at him as they went through the motions of the dance. "I should have guessed that a prince would be rude, insensitive, and entitled," She retorted.

"Aw, come onnn, I said that I was sorry. We don't need to like each other. We just need to keep up appearances," Ramma replied.

"I don't care about "public appearances" when I already know everyone here is making comments on how plain I look for a princess. Why do I need to make sure everyone else is comfortable as they whisper about me behind my back? Do you have any idea how many times I've been told I'm plain today before I bumped into you? No. You can't know. But, it was too damn many."

Ranma was surprised at her candor and vulnerability. For a moment, he felt impressed at her having zero care at appeasing the people around her. But, it was only for a moment, because Ranma very much cared about the public perception of him. How could he subdue her, he wondered.

"I actually think you're beautiful, Princess Akane. I was just going along with the guards when you overheard me."

"Oh, please." Akane rolled her eyes. "You don't need to lie to me. I'll behave, for now. But, after this let's stay apart. I don't care if you meet with other princesses or concubines or whatever it is you want. I'll keep up appearances, but I want to be your wife as a title only. We will not be lovers or even friends."

"That works perfectly for me. What made you think I would want to be lovers with a girl like you anyway?" Ranma retorted. Her attitude towards him stung his pride. How dare she?

"Cool. I'll play the perfect princess in public, if you promise I don't have to play the dutiful wife behind closed doors, if you catch my meaning. Deal?"

"Deal," Ranma replied right as the song ended and the two parted ways.