The Little Mermaid's Name is Luna

9: The Wedding

It was decided that Prince Charles of Kent and Princess Glory of Weslin would be married that night, and preparations were hastily made. Glory made an executive decision and made Luna the maid of honor, and she barely had time to hide her knife before she was hauled off to the tailor for a new dress. It was black, floor length, and very modest, with the sleeves stretching to her wrists and the neckline nearly choking her. The whole time, the Sea Witch looked over, making sure the dress was to her liking.

"Make it looser," she would command, until Luna looked bloated like a whale. "Make it longer," she'd say, until Luna worried she'd trip as she walked down the isle. Finally, the Sea Witch was pleased, and the tailor frowned. "Won't you want her to look pretty?" he asked. "She is your maid of honor, after all."

"She'll be pretty," Glory said, smirking. "I just don't want her to look like me."

Since Luna was already beautiful, makeup was skipped, and thankfully Glory didn't oversee her hair styling. The stylist who had been hired for the wedding winced when she saw Luna's dress. Luna locked her tears inside her and sat in a chair, resting her bleeding feet, which she'd shoved back into her night-blue heels to at least make walking possible, if unbearable. Luna received a French braid and bun from the stylist, so her hair looked identical to the bridesmaids' hair. The stylist also gave her a dash of glitter, and her knowing smile told her that this was an act of kindness.

Finally, the ship where the wedding was to take place set sail, and Luna was on it. Chairs were already set up in neat rows, as was the arch under which Glory and Charles would be married. Charles stood talking to Glory's brother, looking nervous and constantly straightening his bow tie. The look on his face made her want to be sick - and she had to fight hard not to be. Already her sea sickness was setting in.

Glory took an hour getting ready, and everyone aboard mingled while she prepared herself. Luna slumped against the railing and put her head between her knees. I will not be sick, I will not be sick, she willed herself.

"Darling?"

Luna looked up. It was Charles. Her heart melted. He'd wounded her to the deepest degree, and still her heart melted for him. She was still madly in love with him. She still wanted to be his wife, and it wasn't just to save her soul.

"I feel nervous," he said. "I feel a little wrong, too. Like I shouldn't be doing this. Glory and I have only just met..."

You shouldn't do it. Marry me instead.

"But I know it's right. I love her. I just wanted to... apologize, I guess."

What?

"I know we got involved, and when I was reunited with my lifesaver, it must've broken your heart when I asked her to marry me." He knelt down in front of her. "I want to apologize for springing this on you. You must've had a bad day."

Dusk had arrived. The sun was vanishing beneath the waves, spraying colors across the horizon. Luna's stomach tightened. She would be dead by the time the sun reappeared. There was no doubt about it. Unless the prince turned around now...

He caressed her face. And he said the worst thing possible.

"We can still be friends."

--

The man of honor was Glory's brother, whose name was Ryan. He was funny, and he made her feel better. They waited together against the railing of the ship, watching Charles stand under the arch, smiling, as the string quartet played. Once that had ended, Glory's bridesmaids started down the aisle, and after them, Luna and Ryan. Her feet stung every step of the way, and her stomach flip-flopped. She felt awful, even after she'd been brought to a standstill. She watched enviously as Glory came down the aisle, as the string quartet played "Here Comes the Bride," as she took the arm of the prince. The prince.

Why was I so stupid?

She remembered the knife. It was somewhere in her bedroom - her joy. She couldn't kill the prince - the thought sickened her - but now she couldn't anyhow, with no weapon.

Her vision blurred in rage as the prince and the Sea Witch stood together under the arch, listening to the preacher and staring dreamily into each others eyes.

But I can save him.

She remembered what the Sea Witch had said. About drowning him.

I can't let her do that.

But she had no choice.

Finally, a cheer went up, and Luna realized they had been married. She nearly cried. Her death was sealed. It was over. Charles never noticed, too busy busting open a barrel of ale with the other men and raising the cup in a toast to his lady. Luna decided at least she could taste some ale, but the other women were already opening a bottle of champagne, talking about how uncivilized men were. Luna, torn, swung her head from woman to man, then grabbed a mug, filled it, and drained it. It tasted cold and sweet, and burned her mouth a little like urchin wine. She felt a little better after drinking it, but also a little sicker.

"Mmmmm," she said silently. She could do whatever she wanted, she thought. She was going to die come morning, so what was the point of following the rules? She could do something totally crazy and never live to regret it. She sat down right on the deck, slipped off her shoes, and started to play with her toes.

"Milady! Are you bleeding?"

It was Charles that said it. Luna had nearly forgotten she was bleeding. She nodded.

"Are you all right? Does anyone have bandages?" He bent over her, picking up her feet in his hands. They were soft hands... Luna felt warmed to her core.

Murmuring erupted all over the deck. Luna twisted her face in pain. Her whole body ached. She closed her eyes, laying back. Some part of her wanted to sleep... but she was also afraid she wouldn't wake up. Not that it mattered: she'd be dead soon anyway, whether she slept or not. Either way, she wanted to savor the last few hours of her life.

She forced herself to open her eyes. Darkness had descended over the ship, announcing it was nighttime. The Sea Witch was smirking at her, but Luna didn't care. How late was it? Had she fallen asleep? Charles was still holding her foot.... She guessed no. She propped herself up on her elbows and lifted her foot from Charles's hands. She was not angry with him. She was hardly angry anymore. She was just... overwhelmed. She was going to die, having never married or watched Marine get crowned. She still wanted to savor these few moments... she wanted to feel the sea caress her skin, watch the stars spin and fade to black...

Luna blinked her eyes heavily. She felt tired. She'd never stayed up so late, excepting her fifteenth birthday. She smiled tiredly at Charles, and stroked his face. She loved him, with all her heart, and she didn't want him to watch her die.

She stood up, not caring about the pain in her feet. Charles stood, too. Seeing the sunrise on the horizon, she decided she would do one last thing before she died.

Looking deeply into Charles's eyes, she kissed him. The moment she touched his lips, he was grabbing her, feverishly kissing her, and she gasped against him. The whole wedding ensemble gasped as well. Luna melted into the kiss. She felt amazing. This was amazing. She wanted it to last forever. There was no way she could do without this.

He was kissing her. Hard. Did that mean he truly loved her?

Was he spelled?

Was she breaking that spell?

Finally, she managed to get away from him. He looked deeply into her eyes for a few seconds, then gaped around at the audience. Their faces were full of shock. Glory looked shocked, too. And maybe a little mad.

Luna smirked. She couldn't help it. She felt her heart swell up. She looked toward the horizon. She yearned for the ocean to fill her throat the last few seconds....

Luna walked over to the Sea Witch and stared her down. It only lasted a few seconds, before her legs started to turn to water. It was time.

"I hate you," she mouthed. Then, surprising herself, she wrapped her arms around the Sea Witch's waist, carried her to the railing, and shoved her over. A zing went through her chest when she hit the waves. Finally, her legs gave out underneath her, and blackness filled her vision.