Chapter 104

Ruby

Before I know it, I’m standing behind the church doors, waiting to walk down the aisle.

The morning feels like a blur. As I stand here now, my heart racing with butterflies in my stomach, everything else feels so small and insignificant. All that matters is right now; the flowers in my hand, the veil on my head, the sweat on my palms.

It’s just like my vision.

I know that when those doors open, Atwood will be standing at the end of the aisle. Nancy and the other bridesmaids -- Beck is one of them, surprisingly enough -- will be standing off to one side, while Atwood’s groomsmen stand on the other side. The priest will be smiling at me, his robes a vibrant combination of red and gold.

Tamara will walk ahead of me, tossing flower petals down at my feet while the wedding guests look at their new Princess in awe.

And at the back of the room, the shadow figure will be there. It’s always there, watching, lurking.

I will ignore it.

I will marry Atwood and pretend that the shadow figure is just another guest at the royal wedding.

Inside the church, I hear the organ start playing Canon in D. The doors will open any second. I take a deep breath to calm my nerves.

When the doors open, all eyes are on me. I stand frozen for a moment, terrified of taking the next step… but when I do take that step, it’s not so bad. In a strange way, it feels good to have all of these eyes on me. A nobody Hybrid from a village that no one has ever heard of is marrying the King. He loves me, and I love him.

The scenario plans out just as I thought. I walk slowly behind Tamara as she drops the petals at my feet, just like my vision.

But then, something happens that didn’t happen in my vision.

Tamara trips and falls. Her leg is still a bit stiff from her injuries, so tripping is nothing new to her at this point, but the gasps from the crowd make her freeze out of embarrassment.

For some reason, this small change in the scenario makes all the difference to me. I don’t feel so afraid of the shadow figure anymore; maybe it’s not even there. Shifting my bouquet to one hand, I stoop down and help Tamara to her feet. She looks up at me with tears in her eyes, her lower lip quivering.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers.

“It’s okay.” I hold out my hand for her to take. Together we step around the spilt flower basket and walk up the aisle, resulting in a chorus of aww’s from the guests. All that matters to me now is Atwood’s beaming face ahead of me as he watches us walk up the aisle.

When we reach the end of the aisle and I step up to the platform where Atwood stands, handing my bouquet off to Nancy and taking both of Atwood’s hands, I feel at peace. I don’t need to look to know that the shadow figure isn’t there; my vision turned out to be different than reality after all. Perhaps something I did changed the outcome.

The ceremony goes by quickly -- too quickly. Before I know it, we’re repeating our vows after the priest and putting the rings on.

“Do you, Lycan Atwood, take Ruby to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

“I do.”

Atwood’s eyes shine brighter than I’ve ever seen them before as he gazes lovingly into mine.

“Do you, Ruby, take Lycan Atwood to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

“I do.”

“You may kiss the bride,” the priest says. Atwood grabs me around the waist and dips me low, kissing me passionately as the guests cheer and clap. When he stands me back up, my face is red, but my heart feels full.

After the ceremony, all of the guests return to the castle for the wedding feast. Atwood and I take a separate car -- a white one -- and hold each other tightly in the back seat the whole way back.

When we arrive at the castle, it’s time for the feast.

All of the guests are already inside when we arrive, laughing and mingling in the ballroom. Two guards open the large double doors while a third announces us as Lycan Atwood and Princess Ruby. Hearing our names together makes more tears come to my eyes, but I hold them back as we walk through the parted crowd toward our thrones.

That’s what Atwood was setting up yesterday: our thrones. Beside his ornate throne, there is a second one. It’s slightly smaller with beautiful tufted purple upholstery and gold trim. In front of the thrones, there is a long table filled with all sorts of lavish food and drinks for us and the rest of the wedding party.

“What do you think?” Atwood says quietly, leaning toward me as we sit down at our thrones. The guests have returned to mingling, some heading for the dance floor as the orchestra begins to play.

“It’s beautiful,” I respond. “Not just the throne. Everything.”

Atwood smiles and leans closer to me to plant a kiss on my temple. A servant comes to pour our champagne, and we clink our glasses.

“To us,” Atwood says with a smile.

I can’t help but smile back. The shadow figure, the sleepwalking, the visions… Everything seems so far from us right now, so insignificant compared to this moment.

“To us.”

The feast goes by in a blur. We spend the night eating, drinking, and dancing, neither of us caring how we look as we enjoy ourselves on the dance floor after a few drinks. No one else seems to mind, either. They’re all in their own little worlds too, dancing and laughing with their loved ones. It almost feels like a much-needed memorial for those who have suffered due to this war.

At some point during the night, the speeches begin. Atwood’s best man -- Lawrence -- gives a speech, followed by Nancy and a few other people.

Maybe it’s the alcohol, but I decide that I want to give a speech, too. Picking up my glass, I stand and clink a knife against it to get everyone’s attention. Atwood looks up at me with a puzzled yet supportive look on his face as I begin to speak.

“I just wanted to say a few things,” I say. There are a few random cheers from the audience -- no doubt a few drunken guests. Everyone else stays silent, watching me. The alcohol helps me to hold my courage with everyone’s eyes on me, although my heart still races a bit.

“I know we’ve all lost a lot during the past several months,” I say. “There have been many tragedies… But all I can say is that I believe that there is still hope.”

I clear my throat, feeling more confident now as I address the guests.

“I can see it in all of your faces tonight. If we stand strong as a kingdom -- Lycans and Hybrids alike -- I know that we’ll overcome anything. We’ve already overcome so much; we’ve already shown the Bears how strong we are together, and we can show them again and again.”

There is a long, uncomfortable silence once I’ve finished my speech. My face turns red as I feel everyone’s eyes on me again.

But then, someone starts to clap from beside me. I look over to see none other than Beck standing and clapping, but it’s not slow and sarcastic like the time I gave my speech at school; it’s genuine, with tears on her cheeks and a smile on her face.

Soon, everyone else follows suit, standing from their chairs, clapping and cheering. Even Atwood, who I thought would disapprove of a Princess speaking so openly, stands and claps the loudest, his orange eyes fixed lovingly on me the entire time.

I feel like a true Princess.