Beautiful Lies

Chapter Twenty Two: The Wedding

HAHA THE PLOT EMERGES! Yes, I do have a plot and wasn't just writing angst for the sake of writing angst. Shocking, I know. Damn, I'm on a roll. Who knows, maybe I'll publish another chapter soon and not a month or so from now. Anyways, this will easily be the best wedding I've ever seen. For um, reasons...-😈

Roman smiles politely as he takes his seat for the wedding, watching the remaining crowd of people file in. Though his eyes scan the background furiously in a search for any fellow members of the uprising or whatever it's really called, he can't spot a single one. He frowns, glancing around.

"They're in disguise dumbass," Remus hisses in his ear. Roman instinctively slaps his brother, who surprisingly cleaned up nice for the wedding. A patched up suit, a horribly green tie, and shiny black shirt aren't exactly the nicest clothes ever, but they're certainly nicer than anything Roman's ever saw him wear. Remus winces, shoving him away. "What was that for?"

"You startled me!" Roman hissed, pouting and crossing his arms. Remus rolls his eyes.

"Yeah whatever. Just don't get too startled when you have to-"

"I know, I know! I promise, he's going to pay," Roman hissed. Remus smiled coldly.

"Perfect. Before the vows."

"Before the vows," Roman responds, sitting down. Slowly the wedding march starts playing, and Roman keeps his eyes trained forward, staring at the light blue pulpit. Oddly enough, it was supposed to look like a beautiful sky, but Roman could only see the oncoming summer storm within it.

"It gives me great pleasure to officiate the wedding of my son and Janus Lyra," Patton Hart says, as the two walk down the aisle separately avoiding eye contact. Roman watches Logan walk up coldly, eyes trained on his back like a target, in a dress that looks surprisingly old and out of style. The expression on Patton's face is strange, but Roman ignores it. Logan nearly trips up the stairs, neck turning slightly, as though he could feel Roman's rage burning holes through him.

He stands at the pulpit beside his father, the one called Emile. The one who interrupted the argument because Logan had started to panic. For a moment, doubt creeps in. Is this really the right thing? Then he sees Janus, walking down the aisle, stunning and a glimmer of fear in his eyes. It doesn't matter if it's the right thing anymore. Janus is more important. This is far beyond being the right thing.

For a brief second, he and Janus make eye contact, and the world slows to a halt, lost in each other's eyes again, like they're falling in love for the first time. Janus breaks out of it first, adjusting his gloves, and continuing forward to Logan and pulpit.

Patton beams as Janus stops. Logan doesn't make eye contact, squeezing his father's hand, Janus staring at Patton with a firm lack of cowardice.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today-" Remus and Roman exchange a look as all the lights turn off, fading to dark. The crowd shrieks in fear, as the uprising acts, Roman darting up into the pupil with a few others, all holding knives with a singular mission. Get to their target.

"Father, what's going on?" Logan's frightened voice calls out, making him a beacon for Roman. Roman goes forward, going over the steps in his head. Knife to the jugular, so if necessary he may slit his throat. "Father where-" His voice cuts off when Roman's knife touches his throat. Logan lets out a strangled cry as the lights turn back on. The crowd screams again once their eyes adjust, staring in horror at the uprising and the knives at many people's throats. Logan squirms in fear, Roman pressing the knife tighter.

"I wouldn't move if I were you," Roman hisses. "Unless you'd like me to let you bleed to death all over your pretty wedding dress." Logan freezes, looking at his fathers and Janus for help, only for Janus to be staring at Roman in shocked amusement and his fathers to be held at knife point.

"Hello fellow citizens," Remus says, standing up in the crowd, a mask covering his face to conceal his true identity. It doesn't matter though. Soon enough all will know his voice. "My name is intrusivity and I am here with the uprising, to take down the tyrant Patton Hart and the reigning family, and establish a new reign, one of democracy, and equality. One where orphans aren't forced to starve on the streets and one where one job is enough to pay for decent housing. And one where mercy is given, even to those who don't deserve it," Remus says firmly, pointing his gun at Patton. Roman doesn't know where he got that, he's never even seen one before. But Remus was always one to make the shady ends of the deal. "One where the people make the rules." For a moment, all is silent.

"Honestly, this would never be happening if I was in charge," Lady Medea blisters, standing up in the front row. "When I was in-ch-charfgefhcdsj," she says, starting to convulse, choking on her words.

"Right on time," A snide voice whispers not too far away. Roman is too terrified to turn around, and too scared to look away. Finally, the woman takes her last miserable breaths, face purple. Lady Medea was killed? But how? A slight clap emerges from the pulpit, and slowly, Roman turns, forcing Logan to turn with him.

"Impressive young man. But where is the mercy you spoke of," Patton says, smiling, as though a knife isn't to his throat. "I didn't see any of that when you murdered my mother." Remus's eyes narrow.

"The uprising does not kill painfully-"

"But you did," Patton interrupted, taking control of Remus's speech. "And you attempt to kill me, my citizens, my family? Is there no length to which you won't go?" The crowd starts grumbling in dissent, turning against Remus. "My humble servant told me all about the atrocities you committed, all the horrible crimes you did." Remus's face pales and Roman's grip loosens on the knife.

"A spy?" Remus mumbles. "But who could it-," he pauses, eyes cooling with rage. "Loyalty," He hisses. Roman tenses. This bad, they need to get out of here now before Patton Hart does anything else.

"How quick you are to turn on the people you claim to protect," Patton smiled. "But I will protect them from you."

"Remus we need to run!" Roman shouts through the loud crowd, desperate to get his voice heard. His brother freezes and all members of the rebellion tense. Janus gets behind Roman.

"Guards!" Patton calls happily, the guards jumping from the corners and attacking the people and the uprising with equal vengeance. People scream and run in terror, dead bodies littering the floor already, the pulpit still full.

"Roman, go get out of here now!" Janus hisses urgently. "Run!" Roman's eyes flash to the chandelier. It's the one source of light, and it's so damn beautiful. But he can make that sacrifice. He reaches into Janus's pocket and throws the knife, cutting the wire, letting the chandelier fall and the lights go out.

"Come on, let's go! Take as many prisoners as you can!" Roman shouts, moving quickly. "Get out of here!" His knife presses into Logan's throat, the man whimpering. "You'll be coming with us."

A hand takes his smooth glove caressing his skin. Roman doesn't need to look to know who it is. Janus.

Together, they run out of the building, chaos everywhere, as they escape with their failure over their heads, but tricks up their sleeves.