Color of Fate

XI

      One year has officially passed since the burning of the castle. One year has passed since the kingdom of Clarines's Second Prince almost died, but instead of mourning, the kingdom is rejoicing, for it is the day that Zen and Shirayuki shall marry. The groom and bride stood nervous in their rooms, waiting for attendants to help them into their outfits. Shirayuki looked out her window, touched the glass cooled by the cold fall air, and sighed. Suddenly, two older women bursted through the doors and took the redhead by her arms, pulling her to the opposite side of the room, where two more attendants stood with her dress and jewelry. "How much longer until the reception?" she asked nervously.

"Why, less than four hours, my lady! We must hurry!" Shirayuki let out a nervous sigh as she slipped out of her nightgown and slipped on a big, layered wedding dress. Jewels were thrown around her neck, wrists, and upon her ears while another team of attendants fiddled with her hair. Finally, after an hour and a half, she was ready to move on to the ceremony. The same two women took her through a different pathway that avoided the Prince's corridor and delivered her to Obi. He stood in front of her, gazing in awe.

"Do I look as nervous as I feel?" Shirayuki asked the brown-haired man.

Obi snapped back into reality, "Wha- oh! No, mistress, you look good- I mean you looking incredible- I mean-" He paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and gave Shirayuki a genuine smile, "You look beautiful, mistress." Shirayuki blushed and hugged Obi tightly. "Thank you, Obi. It means so much to hear that from you." They stood there for a moment until suddenly, the two attendants took both of them by an arm and guided them down a pathway and to a chamber in which the bride would stay until the ceremony. Two hours to go.

ZEN'S POV

Zen sat on his bed and began twiddling his thumbs, when he heard a yell come from the ground below. He rushed onto his balcony and leaned over the railing. What he saw staring back was Mitsuhide and Kiki, smiling brighter than he had ever seen them smile before. He waved at them. "I am awake, you know. Where must I go to get ready?", he shouted.

"To the first floor in the east wing! We will meet you there!", Mitsuhide answered. Zen ran back into his room, grabbed his sword, and ran out the door and down the stairs. He ran to the east wing and stopped in front of Mitsuhide and Kiki, smiling brightly.

"I guess we are all a bit happy today, are we not?" Kiki asked, chuckling as they began to walk.

"What is there not to be happy about? Zen is getting married! Who ever thought this would-" Mitsuhide's statement was cut short when Zen's sword cover hit his back. "Sorry, Zen."

"Anyway, how much farther must we walk?" Zen asked, his voice shaking.

"Only a few more door- Here we are." Kiki opened the door and the three were immediately ambushed by attendants. Kiki and Mitsuhide were escorted into different rooms to get ready as Zen stood in the big ballroom, facing not less than fifty attendants alone.

"Must we have so many people?" Zen asked one of the servants.

"Why, of course!, she replied, "Everything must go perfectly, which means we must start now! Only three hours until the reception!" Zen sighed and slipped on the pure white suit and put on all of the royal pins and medals. An hour and a half later, he was escorted into a corridor that was invisible to Shirayuki's. Three attendants sat with him and helped keep the suit and his hair upkept. A few minutes later, Prince Izana walked in and sat down. "To think,", he started, "To think that my rebellious, independent little brother is getting married before I do. How astonishing, really. It will be a beautiful ceremony. Congratulations, Zen." He smiled at the white haired boy. Zen returned the smile.

"Thank you, Lord Brother. I thank you for giving this your blessing." Izana rubbed the top of Zen's head and walked out. The attendants quickly rushed over to fix his hair back to its original state.

     The hour of the wedding arrived and guests flooded into the garden and took their seats. Prince Raji from Tanbarun and his attendants, Sakaki and Mihaya, requested front row seats. Lord Haruka sat in the back and Kihal, Earl Seiran, and more took their seats toward the middle, while Haruto Wistalia herself sat in her own area. By the end of the hour, the wedding was ready to begin. Music from the orchestra filled the air as Zen walked down the aisle towards the wedding arch, decorated with pure white roses and lillies. He stood there with the priest, fiddling with his thumbs. Kiki and Mitsuhide made their way down the aisle, the flower girl and the ring bearer walked, and finally, her. Attendants opened the door for Shirayuki while another carried the back of her veil and gown. She was covered head to toe in gold, mint green, and white. All of these made her unique red hair stand out even more than before. Zen gazed at his bride in awe and began to fall, but was quickly steadied by Mitsuhide, who was chuckling softly. Shirayuki was being escorted by her father, who was reluctant to let her go as they reached the end of the aisle. He kissed her hands and sat down next to the rest of his crew. Shirayuki and Zen looked at each other with such intensity and love, nothing could break their gaze. The reception went along smoothly and vows were exchanged. The two exchanged rings and kissed.

     Next came for the party. All of the guests met in the biggest, brightest ballroom in the castle, newly renovated and overflowing with flowers and food. The two sat, ate, and drank happily. Mitsuhide and Obi ended up in the midst of a drinking contest, which unfortunately lead to a dancing contest.   The two danced for an hour straight, gathering a laughing crowd around them, which included the newly wed couple. Suddenly, Zen took Shirayuki's hand and they snuck away to a secluded area of the castle. "We need to be in the ballroom, silly. They are our guests after all." Shirayuki said brightly.

"I know, I know, but I wanted to say a few things to you." Zen said, blushing bright red. Shirayuki blushed and nodded. He took her hand and began:

"Shirayuki, you are the light of my life. You are the air that I breathe and the words that I speak. You are mother nature herself. You care for everything and everyone, no matter what they have done or they have yet to do. You have made me a better man and a better Prince. You have filled a hole in my heart that had been empty for far too long. No amount of gratitude or love that exists could equal the amount that i have for you, my princess. Thank you for choosing me." Silence filled the air around them as silent tears began streaming from Shirayuki. She kissed him passionately and they stayed there for a long while. When they finally released, Shirayuki said,

"I love you much more, my Prince. Now, let us go dance the night away." The two walked back into the ballroom hand in hand, just in time for the first dance. They took to the floor and danced with such clumsiness that it made everyone laugh including them. They danced and they danced until their feet blistered. Finally, at the end of the night, the two snuck away to Zen's room and layed in bed together. They kissed and laughed until Shirayuki grew tired and fell asleep. Zen smiled and kissed the top of her head.

"Red is the color of our fate, Shirayuki Wistalia. I love you."