A Silent Party

A White and a Black Gem

You could opt for bringing a maid with you or something, but you knew you'd want to do it yourself; to be prepared for what is coming, no hands should be involved but yours. Even the service droids were dismissed when they approached the vanity in front of which you stand, brushing and curling your hair. Your make up is finished, and so is your clothing. The fabric of your dress is red, its shade darker than you'd prefer to use, still it's too colorful if compared to the sobriety the black coats worn by everyone in this place. Red, however, is appropriate, since it's one of the emblematic colors of the First Order. Your father frowned when he saw the dress for the first time, but after arriving at the Base and seeing the monochromatic landscape, he had to admit that you've made a good choice.

To say the least, that was the only plausible choice. Red, you know, is the color of a battlefield.

***

Your father walk beside you all the way, and this time you agreed to hold each other's hands. Your diplomats walk with you as well. None of you speak.

Soon, you reach the room prepared for the ceremony. Two Stormtroopers are standing by its door, but they give space to your group as soon as the guide officer presses the side panel.

The door divided itself in two, you held your breath and squeezed your father's hand as you took the first step inside the room.

***

You sense all looks turn to you the moment you cross the door. There are more people this time, since this room is larger than the previous ones and it was established that holovids of the ceremony would be broadcasted via HoloNet, so you find reporters and their droids in every direction you look. Besides, there are more high ranked officers who weren't at the reception or the first meeting; according to the researches on the ranking system of their organization you did at your room, you identify some of them as Generals, and finally can distinguish the Lieutenants from the Captains; there are even two or three Admirals among them. You are not surprised to see them here: you understand that something like a wedding needs to be witnessed by a larger group of people.

Now that you are in the middle of your way to your groom's side and before the officer in charge of the wedding, you recognize some the officers from the meeting. You don't look at them for too long; you cannot be sure about their intentions or opinions while they are looking at you, but you suspect such thoughts wouldn't be surprising at all, since your experience during meetings with military men taught you to not expect more than condescension and some sort of despise, for why would people like them should see you as more than the young and overweening princess you are? Besides, you remember the discontent looks and twisted lips of the older officers at every word you spoke during the meeting. It's not like the first time you're dealing with this trifling behavior towards you. But you don't have the time nor the will to pay attention to them. Your primary task lies ahead: it is the General you need to worry about; you can leave the other ones for another day.

Your father stops just before you reach your place on Hux's side. You turn to him, who nods and takes his positions among the diplomats, so that you and the General are left at the center of the room alone with the officiant. Only then you can look at Hux and see what his face can tell you his feelings. He notices your gaze as he offers his hand, and the way his fingers clench around yours says enough about what he's thinking, as well as his discreet smile: considering what he learnt from you at the meeting, he's satisfied with your choice of colors, and even amused by it. But if he finds you pretty, you have no idea. Well, this thought surprises you a bit: why would you care if he sees beauty in you? Now that you are the closest you've ever been to your future husband, with your hand held by his, you start to feel exposed, small; you're afraid that the older people you've just met are correct in their opinions, and you're just a little girl fighting against something you cannot win.

You look at the officer before you and try not to show concerns. He nods both at you and the General and starts the ceremony.

According to what was established during the meeting on the other day, it follows the main steps of a traditional wedding of your planet, but the officiant's speech is shorter and less passionate, neither the bride or groom are smiling and an uncomfortable silence fills the air instead of the soft music you'd hear entwined with the priest's words.

You don't have to say a word. The acceptance to unite with the other person is attested by your signature on the document the officer shows you through his datapad. In your planet, documents in flat and flimsi were still common; here, you almost doubt that these people know what a flimsi is.

Once you've both signed your names, the officer gestures to a droid. It approaches from his left and shows the wedding jewels. The case is that the first Order was eager to transmit a sense of benevolence and unity concerning the systems and people they were about to take under its wing, and a marriage between its most powerful weapon's Commander and the daughter of a Senator from one of the Order's allied planets that respect the traditions of the girl's homeland was the perfect opportunity for it. One of these traditions includes the exchange of jewels that symbolize your union and, unlike other planet's jewels, they are different from each other: the bride receives a silver ring with a delicate ornament on its upside, while the groom has a silver brooch with a gem in it; its type and color is a matter of personal taste, and the case is the same for the ring's gem. Only during the exchange the colors are revealed.

You chose a white gem for your ring, which seems to absorb the soft light of the room to defend itself against the dark shades of the brooch's gem – no, it doesn't surprise you that Hux has chosen a black gem for himself. Obeying the customs, he takes the ring from the tray carried by the droid and asks for your hand; you don't think too much before attending him: you know if you'd take too long, your hand would start trembling. He's not wearing his gloves, for it needs to be done with bare hands; he slowly makes the ring pass through the ring finger, then holds your hand for a moment, as if he wanted to see how the ring settles in it. When look in his eyes, he smiles and release you, so you can do your part. You take the brooch from the tray and unlock the pin; you look at the folds of his greatcoat to decide where you'd put it, when he lowers his eyes, staring the same point you were intended to pin the brooch; you look at him like you were asking for permission to perforate his coat's fabric, which he grants you. You approach the brooch from his coat and, after two attempts, it sticks firmly to the fabric, a black star blending with the night sky.

The jewels exchange were done, but the ceremony was not over yet. In fact, the moment you were avoiding to think about has come: once the jewels were on their places and the droid was dismissed with its empty tray, the officiant nods at you for the last time, which means the permission for your first public kiss.

It happens so fast it leaves you thinking if it was real. At the officer's nod, Hux turns to you and, with his fingers under you chin, he lifts your face and touch your lips with his; your hands clench each other at his touch and you eyes close, but you don't move your feet: he is tall, but you refuse to stand on tiptoe, so that he has to bend down. If he realizes what you do, you can't be sure, but he cooperates.

You cannot say that this is your first kiss. During your days in your Academy, you've met some boys who were interesting enough for you to gift them with kisses, but time passed and you've ended up with a full political and social agenda and no time for boys. Now circumstances changed, and you are a married woman, and more are expected from you, for you are not dealing with a boy here. Your husband is a man, and on him depends all your hope to preserve the freedom – and existence – of your planet.

The wedding is over. You both turn to the people at he room, and Hux passes his hand around your waist and brings you a little closer to him, as his first move of a game you are forced to play. Your move is the natural reaction of look at the opposite side before he tries to give you a second kiss.

The battle has just began.