Black Dragon

Wedding Vows

"You're beautiful Meissa." He says to me as we were waiting. I still didn't feel beautiful but I thanked him anyway.

We decided to pay our respects to those who couldn't be with us on this day. We had a table set up with pictures of grandfather, father, King Il, and Yona and some incense to burn. We included King Il and Yona because it was supposedly only right for us to do so, according to Soo-won. I would have loved to include Hak, but that wouldn't be appropriate considering Soo-won had him blamed for the murder of King Il.

I caught Soo-won looking at Yona's picture a lot longer than he had anyone else's and I couldn't help but to be jealous.

"Did you love her?" I ask trying not to sound like I was jealous, although it was obvious that I was.

He looks over at me but I look away from him, not wanting to make eye contact with him. "I did love her, just as I love you. Surely you can understand." He says in a petty tone.

I look over at him angrily. "I do understand! That's why I find it hard that you can love me after you had feelings for her!" I yell. "I can't compete with her! She's more beautiful than me, she's easier to get along with, I can see why you'd choose her over me!" I wanted to cry, but I held the tears back.

"But I didn't choose her though, I chose you." He says.

I look up at him not really sure how to feel. I wanted to be jealous but I felt so guilty for it. I wanted to be mad at him, but I couldn't. But then again maybe I was just mad at myself. I still loved Hak and I wasn't sure if that feeling would ever leave me. It felt wrong to marry Soo-won when I loved another man, but I loved Soo-won also, and Soo-won is alive. Hak isn't. I couldn't marry Hak, and if anything I just needed to forget about him.

"You only chose me because she's dead." I say sourly.

"And why did you choose me?" He asks, probably more bitterly than me.

"Because I don't want to lose you like I lost Hak!" I yell with tears threatening to spill. "I love you and you're all that I have left, why would I choose anyone else?!"

He pulls me into a hug and we stay like that for several minutes, neither one of us speaking. I was the one who finally broke the silence. "I'm sorry I yelled. I shouldn't have gotten angry. I was being hypocritical."

"I loved Yona, but she was never someone I would marry."

"Not even for the throne?" I ask.

"I got the throne without marrying her, didn't I?" He says with a smile. I laugh at that, but my laughing soon turned to tears. "Meissa, what's the matter?"

I wipe at my eyes, probably messing up my makeup in the process. "A lot has happened in just a month hasn't it?"

"I suppose so. But you know what?" I look him in the eye letting him know I was listening. "There's a lot more to come. We'e still young, and we have the whole future ahead of us." I nod my head in agreement.

He holds his arm out to me. "So how about we get this wedding out of the way, it is the next step to the rest of our lives together after all."

"King Soo-won. You are soo-won becoming the husband of Queen Meissa. Do you promise to love Meissa and respect her, take care of her, help her, in joyful times and in hard times, healthy times and sickness times, every day, forever?" The priest asks.

"Yes I promise" Soo-won says with a smile. He was such a beautiful man. He looked as if the gods themselves created him.

"Queen Meissa. You are Meissa becoming the wife of King Soo-won. Do you promise to love Soo-won and respect him, take care of him, help him, in joyful times and in hard times, healthy times and sickness times, every day, forever?"

"Yes I promise" I say trying not to sound nervous. Soo-won squeezed my hand gently and I smiled.

"You two are now husband and wife, King and Queen of Kouka. King Soo-won you may now kiss your bride."

Soo-won placed a hand on either side of my face as he leaned in. Our eyes were focused on each other's and all of a sudden his lips were on mine and we were married.