Alien [Louis]

46 | W e d d i n g

THE FIRST THOUGHT that came to mind when I saw Louis step out from the shadows was how good he looked. He was dressed head to toe in similar clothing he'd worn when I'd seen him last: fine, silky looking fabrics that were draped and pinned modestly across his body, with a blood-red sash strung from shoulder to hip. His hair was shorter and had been tamed in to a styled up-do, dissimilar to the unruly mess I'd grown accustomed to seeing him wear on Earth.

The people who had styled him had done a brilliant job at making him look presentable for his big day.

His big day that he certainly didn't look thrilled about. His smile was false, plastered there on his face almost painfully. I wondered if it was hurting him to smile at all the excited guests, all the friends and family who had travelled hours, miles, perhaps days to be there to see him get married. But none of them knew how miserable he truly was.

I just wanted to hug him and make everything better.

He was glowing but only literally. The brightness of his aqua skin seemed to illuminate the room, like a fiery beacon in the darkness. He was the main attraction, the golden boy finally becoming a man. If it weren't for that gloomy smile, he would have looked absolutely perfect for everybody.

Only that didn't matter because he was perfect to me no matter what.

He followed miserably behind his parents, his eyes fixed on their backs. If I looked closely enough, he appeared to be glaring at them, not that I blamed him. If I were in his place I wouldn't look to fondly at my parents for making me go through with an arranged marriage.

The king and queen looked almost as magnificent as Louis. They too were dressed in finery that glinted and sparkled as brightly as their skin and atop their heads sat the most incredible looking crowns I had ever seen. Equal in size and colour but different when it came to the jewels embedded within the metal. If I squinted I could just make out the bloody stones surrounded by emerald drops.

Louis' mother was a striking woman who looked to be in her early forties with dark hair styled and pinned back to accentuate her sharp bone-structure. I knew from a single glance that Louis had inherited his beauty from her. The queen was dressed in a silver gown that trailed out behind her, almost touching the toes of Louis' polished boots. She looked breath-taking, like a queen straight out of a children's fairy tale.

Louis' father, despite everything ugly I had heard about him, turned out to be quite the handsome man. He stood tall, with a greying beard that reached his chest and short hair that had been pushed back to accommodate his crown. His scarlet cloak swept back like his queen's gown and the two of them walked hand-in-hand to the front of the room.

Louis, however, slowed his pace and fell motionless in the centre of the aisle. Initially, I thought he had stopped to consider turning around and making a run for it but he simply stood and crossed one hand over the other, observing his parents as they moved closer to the end of the room, where there were two red thrones situated just beyond the podium.

"The entirety of room respects the King and Queen – quite rightly so – and therefore, it is mandatory that they wait patiently for them to get comfortable before continuing on with the celebration."

"I thought it was Louis' celebration though?" Jason muttered. I could hear the confusion in his voice and when I looked to him I found a small frown upon his brow.

"It is," Bu said. "But he is not the king just yet. Therefore, our current royals are to be treated just as always. Until their crowns are bestowed upon their successors, it is very much their night as well as their son's. After all, they will be delighted to see Prince Loudrix finally take a wife considering how long he hesitated."