The Queen's Wife (girlxgirl)

14. A mix of red and blue

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If Maud had to describe her emotions with one word, it would be "stuffy".

She feels stuffy in this dress, and she surely can't be the only one who has thought that on their wedding day. While the men get to wear relatively simple suits, she is stuck in an elaborate white wedding gown. It's long and wide, stretching out over the floor. A white veil falls in front of her face, blurring her vision and making her foggy brain even foggier.

A woman's wedding day is often falsely described as a moment of happiness in fairy tales. But the truth is, in many cultures and counties, wedding days are rarely days of happiness. The ones organizing the whole thing lose a lot of money, and the ones getting married are often either nervous or unwilling. In some places, it's forbidden to smile on your wedding day, and in some places you're expected to smile even if you feel sad. Maud feels like that. Like she is forced to smile. But she doesn't feel sad, just terrified. Nervous and jittery, all kinds of emotions exploding inside of her.

It's an odd day, a woman's wedding day, and it's often followed by an odd night. A bride has a hard time understanding what comes after the wedding, what married life is all about. Maud has an even harder time understanding that. She feels nervous on so many levels. She feels unprepared too, knowing that she isn't as knowledgeable as her brothers have made her out to be. Eventually the truth will come out, her fiancé will find out that she is one of those peasant-to-royal princesses and be enraged and disappointed in his choice of bride. She could never be as good of a queen as any of his other candidates. The only good thing about her is that she can bear children, her brothers have made that very clear, and perhaps Adelio feels the same way.

Maud is standing in front of closed church doors. Inside the big cathedral, thousands of guests are waiting for her entrance. Adelio will be standing at the very front, by the altar, waiting for her with the same stone cold look that he always has. Takao and the other princes and royal guests from other kingdoms will have a front row seat, including her uncle and cousin Rose. For many, it will be their first time seeing her. And also their last, as she will soon be on her way to a completely different word. The kingdom of Red Lion. A place where people from this kingdom rarely go.

Maud doesn't know what to think. What should a bride be thinking of before her wedding? Should she be nervous? Scared? Happy? Should she think back to her childhood, to her family? Which one? Her new family, or her old family? It's hard for her to think at all. In this stuffy dress. She looks very beautiful though, Maud knows it. She just saw herself in the mirror before coming here by carriage from the palace. There is a bouquet of purple flowers in her hands, symbolizing the mix of the two nations, blue and red, and except for her white dress and veil she has many purple decorations everywhere. Her earrings, her necklace, and her shoes are all in the mixed color. The wedding is in that same theme, some parts are red, some parts are blue and the cathedral itself is decorated in purple. Makai has really thought it all through, he wants it to go perfectly.

Maud doesn't want to ruin that. She is terrified of ruining it. In a world like this, a girl like her doesn't get second chances. Today she will marry the crown prince from the next kingdom, and hopefully carry his heirs as soon as possible. Not tomorrow, but today. Today she will gracefully and shyly smile as she is led down the aisle to her future husband, and she will say yes without hesitating. The church will be filled with people, people who she has fooled into believing in her grace and perfection, when in reality she is so much less. Everything will go perfectly, just like how Makai wants it, and Maud won't complain or ruin it. This is her moment to shine, and hopefully not burn in the process.