Brave Face

Part One

The room was filled with the bright, potent scent of flowers. Everywhere he turned, Tom Hiddleston found garlands of wildflowers in pinks, blues and yellows lining the walls, the windows, and the aisle. It was beautiful and so perfectly her. She had always loved wildflowers, had always had them spread in bunches throughout her tiny flat. Their scent always seemed to cling to her skin. It was one of the many things he could now admit openly to always loving about her. She was calm and open and gentle in her care. Such a wonderful contrast to his own ambitious and vibrating one. They had always been such a contrast. Two people who, on first glance, didn't seem right at all but on further inspection just seemed to click.

His head rose as he heard the door slowly creak open and the swell of violins filling the room. She stood, arm in arm with her father, smile blinding and wide. He felt his knees go weak at the sight of her; blonde hair piled elegantly at the nape of her neck, green eyes filled with warmth and happiness covered ever so slightly by a veil of white lace, the soft and shimmering white of her dress with its floral overlay and cream ribbon cinching her waist. She was a vision, a work of art come vibrantly to life. He could hear the murmurs of the people surrounding him and could see the faint blush that stained her cheeks. God, she was exquisite.

Tom fought the tears that were threatening to spill as she continued her slow walk down the aisle. He could see the shimmer in her eyes as her father leaned over to whisper in her ear. She was truly stunning; regal and graceful and absolutely perfect. Each step she took echoed the beating of his heart. And suddenly she was before him, a bright smile on her face, another step and she passed him.

He could feel the lump in his throat growing as her father paused at the end of the aisle and, with a kiss to her cheek, turned and offered her hand to the man beaming before her. Tom wanted to hate him, wanted to scream and curse and beg her to change her mind. To pick him. But he held his tongue. That choice, that desire, was something he had absolutely no right to. And the bitter knowledge of that burned him.

Try as he might, Tom couldn't make himself focus on the words the minister spoke. He could see the man's lips moving, knew enough to get the gist of what was happening, but none of it seemed real. The only thing his mind could grasp was that Amelia, his dear, sweet Amy, was standing before him pledging her life to someone else. And he had no one to blame for it other than himself.

He had met Amelia what felt like a lifetime ago. They had been in the same circles at Cambridge; interacting but never quite connecting until the summer before their final year. He'd always thought she was a beautiful woman; bright and intelligent and not afraid to show it. She kept him on his toes and while they argued over points of philosophy and belief, Tom found himself captivated.

By graduation they were nearly inseparable; happy and content in themselves, with family and friends alike asking when they would finally settle down and make things official. Tom had always brushed them off; Amy was special to him, that he could not deny, but he was young and there was so much of life he'd yet to experience, to explore. Marriage and commitment were wonderful ideas in abstract, but not something he was even remotely ready to contemplate. Amy seemed to understand and accept his resistance; agreeing they were still young and this was not the right time for them to entertain such notions.

They'd taken things how they'd come. Amy had been one of his largest supporters when he'd been accepted into RADA. She had gone to as many of his productions as she could between her work and the other commitments that consumed her days. Her support had meant everything and when he'd been approached by an agent and given the opportunity to really, truly do what he loved on a potentially wider scale, Amy had been right beside him encouraging him.

It hadn't been an easy path; he was frequently away filming, auditioning, getting his face and name out there. There wasn't an opportunity he didn't take or a part he didn't try for. All the while he'd been secure in the notion that Amy would always be there, in the background offering her love and her support.