The Corpse Bride {Sirius Black AU} ♡

Chapter: 8

Emily smiled brightly as she watched Sirius who looked like a child who just witnessed seeing Santa Claus. He was smiling from ear to ear as he met Merlin, starstruck as he couldn't believe his own eyes rendering him speechless.

Merlin laughed calmly as he shook Sirius' hand the taller man stood before him with a patient smile, his grey hair was neatly combed over and his blue eyes were still due to death but it did not make the man look as if he were as it gave off a warmth.

"It's a pleasure to meet you sir." Sirius said.

"There is no need to call me Sir, Sirius. You may call me Merlin." The man told him with a chuckle.

Sirius nodded like a dog following a command "Of course! Absolutely Mr. Merlin, sir."

Emily giggled quietly as she watched the scene before her, Sirius was so excited that he was just being utterly awkward, Merlin however was patient and kind and found amusement as well with the boy's behavior. Merlin looked over at Emily with a similar smile.

"Your husband is rather charming Emily, he definitely knows how to boost self esteem." Merlin said playfully, Sirius blushed and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly "Certainly a good thing to find in a partner."

"I agree, I'm lucky to have found Sirius" She responded affectionately.

Sirius couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable, as nice as Emily seemed he did not wish to be married to her. It was a huge misunderstanding that had brought them together like this, it was not by will or love. He had no inkling of what he was going to do, but he knew he had to find a way out of this somehow.

He wasn't even aware that it was possible for someone that is supposed to be dead to come back some-what to life, he also wasn't sure how it could be possible to be married to someone who was dead.

Merlin seemed to catch on to Sirius uncomfotable stance as he looked at him curiously. "Although my dear Emily, it is rather unusual for a pairing like this to come about, how did that happen?"

Emily walked over to join the two men, as she had been standing off to the side, a delicate smile was on her face as she went to speak "Oh, Merlin it was ever so sweet. Sirius proposed to me in the middle of the forbidden forrest, he declared such beautiful vows, and this ring he gave me is gorgeous." She gushed as she looked down at the ring, she pushed her hand out to show Merlin the ring.

Merlin seemed to gather the information he was provided, a sad realization dawned on him as he saw Emily's excitement, he looked over at Sirius who had horror written all over it, he could tell that this was simply a misunderstanding. Something had gone wrong, that brought the two together. An accidental summoning of a sort he assumed.

He felt bad for the both of them, he knew Emily for quite some time now and they had spoke so many times about her wishes and dreams and how important it was to her to find her soulmate and her dreams of happiness of marriage. It was why he partly knew why Emily couldn't cross over.

She looked awestruck by him, a genuine smile adorning her lips whenever she would shyly glance at him. Emily had fallen fast, but Merlin knew that it was not exactly real love it was infatuation with the idea of love.

He felt for Sirius as well, it must of been a horrifying experience to accidentally be married to someone who was dead, it could make even the most bravest of men be afraid, since it was not natural, the two world's were separated for a reason, the living could not understand death. Sirius was young, and in his youth and had a life ahead of him, he shouldn't know so much about death and the way the two world's worked. Sirius must have accidentally stumbled upon Emily, and when he had declared the vows that had not been intended for her, she simply mistook it as him declaring his love for her.

It was a painful thing to know in Merlin's mind that neither were in love with the other truly, it was a very complicated mistake.

"Emily." Merlin said with a sigh as she looked as if she would burst from happiness, he felt guilty to take that away from her as the girl was so kind, and innocently naive and just wanted desperately to find love. But it wasn't fair to Sirius either to force him into a situation he did not want to be in.

The innocent girl's childlike green eyes looked up at him, alarmed by him not having his usual playful tone. Her eyes widened in curiousity as she patiently waited.

"I believe there's been a misunderstand darling" Merlin replied as he put a hand to her shoulder gently, in lots of ways Emily felt like a daughter to him, it hurt him to have to tell her the truth. Sirius visibly looked relieved as he let out a breath.

"What do you mean a misunderstanding?" Emily asked surprised as she back away from the man.

Sirius stepped forward as he cleared his throat awkwardly, he knew his words would hurt her but he needed to be honest. "Emily, it was a mistake those vows I was reciting in the woods were for another, my friend James suggested I practiced them since I was having struggles learning them."

"What do you mean another? You are married to me Sirius there cannot be another." Emily said with a frown.

"I was already engaged to someone prior to our um..." Sirius began as he paused to find a suitable word for their situation "Circumstance."

"How can that be? Do you just go around proposing to everyone? No! I heard you loud and clear Sirius those words were for me!" She said in denial, she shook her head refusing to believe either of them.

"No, it was an accident when I propsed to you Emily. Please listen to me." Sirius said calmly as he was trying to get the girl to understand as he brushed his hair back in frustration. "I didn't even know it was possible for the dead could come back, I wouldn't just randomly propose to someone, let alone to someone who is dead."

Emily stared at him with a look of hurt on her face, her green eyes visibly saddened. Sirius had hurt her greatly with his words, whether he meant to or not was not what mattered, it was the single word he used to describe her.

Dead.

That's all Emily knew, and that's all anyone seemed to know about her. She was well aware she was not alive, however with Sirius' vows it had made her feel alive for the first time since she had been dead. She had thought perhaps he saw more to her than just being dead.

Emily Taylor was not just a Dead Girl, she was more than that she could sing, dance, she had a loving family once, she could play the harp, she was a top student in Charms, she was once a Hufflepuff and she even has the capability to love.

So why was it that all he saw in her was death?

Her eyes narrowed as her jaw tightened, Merlin tried to give her reassuring words but Emily wasn't hearing a word of it. As she pushed herself away from him and spoke directly at Sirius.

"I may very well be dead, but you Sirius Black is the fool who had managed to find yourself married to someone who is." Emily declared as she turned away from him, her dress swayed as she walked slowly away. She did not look back nor say anything else. The damage was done, ripped and utterly broken. As she pushed the handle of Merlin's old cottage door she had felt something she hadn't felt since she was alive.

A single tear had slipped from her eye as her chest felt like it fell too. As the door closed behind her, as did the once open doorway of her dreams.

She had been able to hear one last thing before she left. Merlin spoke a sentence "We'll figure out an arrangement to resolve all of this."

And oh did she hope he did, because this hurt more than dying. Her beautiful dream had shattered and the pieces cut deeply.