Rebirth (A Remington Leith AU)

Chapter 4

Although I knew my groom was waiting for me down the aisle, I looked away from him by hanging my head down and just keeping my eyes on the ground. I guess I hoped that if I didn't look up too much, no one might notice I'm not actually Lillian. I kept my head down and counted my steps as my father walked me down the aisle, and I could feel everyone's eyes on me and I couldn't tell if they were excited to see me or if they might be judging me for doing this. I wish I could tell them that I wasn't my sister and I was only doing to this to help my father since he needs my support. I felt like getting to the end of the aisle would take forever, but before I knew it, I felt my father stop us and I felt him lift up my veil to plant a small kiss on my cheek before giving me away to my groom. I proceeded to step in front of the groom who held out his hands out for me to take. Hesitantly, I placed my hands in his and finally lifted my head as I looked up to see his face.

I remember the stories my mother told me as a child about love at first sight between two people meeting each other for the first time. As I got older, I started believing those stories were just nothing but make-believe and I should think of other things that were more important. But something had sparked within me as I looked into the eyes of the groom before me: Prince Remington, a young, tall man and possibly the most beautiful boy I've ever seen in my life. There was something about his eyes that I got lost in, those deep, brown eyes that gave me a feeling that they were honest and kind and they saw more than just what was in front of them. I was so mesmerized by the handsome prince standing in front of me that I almost forgot what was happening as the priest cleared his throat and I had to turn to him and then he stated, "It's time for you to say your vows to your groom." I nodded and then listened to the priest as he instructed me to repeat his words and say my vows to the prince. A part of me hoped I wouldn't mess it up since just looking at his face was making me nervous and I could feel my heart racing faster than usual.

"In the name of God, I, Lue-Lillian, take you, Remington, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow."

Dear God, I almost messed up my vows by saying my own name instead of Lillian's. I tried to cover it fast and somehow, I feel like it didn't work as I noticed the prince form a small smile in the corner of his mouth. I couldn't tell if he noticed my mistake or if he was amused at how nervous I seemed. But that was forgotten quick as it was Remington's turn to say his vows to me and if I was being honest, even though I knew he was instructed to do it, I felt myself take pleasure in hearing him declaring his vows to me. If only they were real...

"In the name of God, I, Ri-Remington, take you, Lillian, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow...to you and only you."

I was caught off-guard by what he just did. Not only did he help me feel less nervous by almost messing up his vows when he intentionally almost said his name wrong, but he added an extra part to the end of his vows that the priest did not instruct him to say. Looking into my eyes, he made my heart skip a beat when he gave me a genuinely kind smile, as if he knew him helping me feel less nervous and more comfortable with him would please me. I felt my cheeks heating up as he continued to stare into my eyes and even as we placed the ring on each other's fingers, his eyes held genuine intrigue for me which only made my face turn more red and I had to look away to hide it. As the priest had finally pronounced us husband and wife, his words, "You may now kiss to seal your union to each other", sent me into a panic. I felt the butterflies in my stomach return and create a flurry as Remington stepped closer to me and placed his hand on my hip to keep me close to him.

My mind was telling me to lean closer to kiss him, but I couldn't muster up the courage to do so. We've only met today and this was a little too fast for me and I wasn't sure what I should do. I was left closing my eyes shut and hoping something would move me to get it done. The last thing I expected was for Remington to place his hand on my cheek, blocking the view of my mouth to the audience and the feel of his lips on my...cheek? Keeping one of my eyes closed, I opened the other eye that was out of the audience's view as my heart quickened to see Remington kissing my cheek and SO CLOSE to my lips that I was almost feeling faint. Everyone in the altar applauded as Remington pulled away and whispered something in my ear, "I'm honored to have met you...Lillian" before he gave me a wink. Before I could react, he took my hand to lead me out to a balcony where we greeted by a crowd of citizens and noble figures alike, and he held me close to him with his arm around my waist and waved to the crowd. I waved as well, hiding the fact that I felt like my heart would burst out of my chest any second.