<span style="color: #FF0000">Why was he doing this? There was so many other places he could have gone? Things he could have been doing, yet here he was....getting the final fitting of his suit for the wedding.<br/><br/>For her wedding...<br/><br/>A sour taste rose up in the back of his throat, bitterness and bile that he swore he would choke on before this day was done. Why was he doing this! It made no sense! All he had to do was saddle up and leave, like he should have weeks ago. When he was healed and fit, he should have left her then and gone back to his life. Left her there to be with her new family and rode as hard and as fast as he could while he tried to forget about her, forget about what they shared together. <br/><br/>Yet, he could not. There had been something there, something he felt for her, something that he could not ignore. It compelled him and kept him there, compelled him to see her again, to kiss her, hold her and make silent promises to her. <br/><br/>It was that side that he wanted to punch in the face right now. For all his words, bravery and conviction in how he felt for Maria there was an uncertainty right now. How could he watch her be with another? Watch her marry another? Know what was to have to come from their union....and still... All of these questions raced through his mind while he regarded himself in the mirror. Face had been trimmed and neatened up with his own hunting knife this morning. Even his hair, he had combed it and used animal fat to slick it back a bit. More presentable is what he wanted to be for this today, even if it was to be the hardest moment in his life, he still wanted to look his best.<br/><br/>For her. <br/><br/>It was time, all was at the ready. The guests stood together, whispered in hushed tones, while they all waited for it to all get underway. Ivor stood before the alter, dressed in his finest, Ioan off to his side. Then the music began...this was it...this was the moment....<br/><br/>That no one really wanted. <br/><br/>First down the aisle was Eager with Abby, who looked far too pleased even for the joyous occasion. Next was the Queen with Earl, a complete contrast to her daughter for the elegance that she seemed to exude along with the eternal beauty that she possessed in a natural way that many women would envy. As the wedding party got into position, the music changed and then it was the King with Maria, who walked her down the aisle and would the one to give her away in the place of her father. <br/><br/>Once everyone was in position, the priest began the ceremony. <br/><br/>â€œOn this day we will unite not just two people, but two nations. Through their love, through their bond, we will put an end to generations of blood shed and hate. We will look toward a bright and prosperous future, a fruitful future with one another,â€ his voice was clear and authoritative. â€œNow by the power of the Gods above and below, I use this rope the signify the binding of your lives together for the rest of your lives,â€ while he spoke he bound their hands together in silk rope. â€œThis candle will be the burning reminder of the passion and desire that shall stir and blossom between the two of you,â€ the large white candle was given to them to hold together. â€œIn the words of our Gods and by their powers that protect us, I bind you in their names. I marry you to one another. I unite these kingdoms as I have united this couple now,â€ he raised his hands to present the couple to the crowd. â€œI present to you. Prince Ivor and Princess Maria, the heirs to the Sirmia throne. Our future King and Queen! You may now kiss your bride!â€ <br/><br/>A cry went up from the crowd as Ivor leaned in and kissed Maria.....</span><br/><br/>As the time drew nearer, the more her heart sank. This wasn't what she wanted, not by any means. She didn't want to be marrying Ivor, or marrying their two kingdoms together. She didn't want to be forced into a union because her father couldn't see any other way to end a war that no one would remember the origin of.<br/><br/>But, what she<span style="font-style: italic">did</span>want was unattainable, unavailable. Even if she'd been back in her own country, her father never would have let her be courted by a ranger. By the same token, they'd never have met had she not been promised to another and she'd still have ended up unhappy, watching the war raging on and being powerless to stop it. She may have married, eventually, if her father could find someone close enough before she became too old for such things, but it would have been a gamble.<br/><br/>So, by all accounts, she'd still have been unhappy.<br/><br/>Another knock at the door and Simprina arrived, this time alone,  her smile etched into her features as she found Maria's form, a hand outstretched for her.<br/><br/>â€œTime to go,â€ she said in singsong tone.<br/><br/>Fighting back the urge to wince (while fighting back the more prevalent urge to frown and make a break for it), she got up from her seat and walked over, careful not to drag too much while simultaneously lingering as long as she dared to draw out the process. Every fiber of her being was screaming at her to find some way out of it, to avoid marrying the person she didn't want to marry, to take a gamble and find happiness with the one person she...<br/><br/>Maria didn't finish that thought as the door to her chambers closed behind her, the resounding thud louder than it should have been, giving her something else to focus on rather than thoughts of another man during such an event. A glimmer of a smile, as happy as she could manage, was given to the woman beside her before taking her rightful place two steps ahead and starting the regrettable journey down the somehow shorter hallway and even shorter staircases until she reached the king and the processional.<br/><br/>A soft spoken word from the King, her too-soon-to-be father-in-law, a smug smirk from Abigail, and a gracious compliment from the Queen, and the doors opened, her eyes downcast. She couldn't bear to look ahead of her, to the sides of her, anywhere but the floor at her feet. It may have been in poor taste, but she couldn't risk it. If she made eye contact with anyone, with Ivor, with the king, with her subjects, with<span style="font-style: italic">him</span>if he were here... Even if the veil was there, she wasn't sure how opaque it was. It was easier not to risk it, to keep herself as physically cut off for as long as possible so she wouldn't burst into tears, or do something stupid. Say something stupid.<br/><br/>By the time she got to the end of the aisle, and her hands were given to Ivor, she felt the tears welling up and had to fight not to sob aloud. The words their priest said fell on deaf ears, for the most part. The only portion that stood out to her was the one line she had to bite back bile at the thought of.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">â€œA fruitful future...â€</span>her mind repeated.<span style="font-style: italic">Fruitful means...and that means I...and we...</span>She couldn't even complete a thought as her mind lingered on it, minutely shaking her head to herself, careful to keep her eyes focused at their newly bound hands and the the candle betwixt them. Only when the veil was removed from her face did she commit to the part she played, as loving a smile as she could muster across her features and tears of what could be assumed happiness barely trickling down her cheeks. The outcries of the crowd drowned out her own thoughts, the only thing more pressing being the face drawing nearer to her own.<br/><br/>A slight movement caught her attention, but she couldn't dare look, not without seeming like something was off and giving the wrong impression to the crowd about them.<br/><br/>Her breath hitched, eyes zeroing on his lips as they neared until they inevitably shut for lack of ability to hold them open, his lips meeting hers and her heart stopping. This hadn't been what she wanted, not by any means. She didn't want to kiss him, to be bound to him before God. She wanted who she couldn't have.<br/><br/>Who she wanted...hadn't shown up. She saw this then when the kiss ended and she turned to graciously wave to her subjects, their subjects, the entire reason she'd bothered to sign her life away.<span style="font-style: italic">Suppose it's better this way...</span>came a sad thought as they led the walk back down the aisle, the deed done.<span style="font-style: italic">Not sure I'd have been able to hold it together had he been...Wouldn't have been fair to ask it of him, anyway.</span>