The wedding had concluded and my farewell party commenced, but I was not interested in the party. I made my way out of the great hall, away from the music and dancing and to the quietness of the garden.
Its serenity was always my preferred refuge. Holding up the skirt of my dress, I strolled along the cobblestone path flanked by neatly trimmed hedges, passing through archways adorned with verdant foliage until I arrived at the gazebo overlooking the pond.
Pausing on the bridge spanning the water, I gazed down at the fishes swimming happily below and remembered the times I'd throw in crumbs to feed them. I knew I would dearly miss this place.
They would all be looking for me but I felt exhausted from the endless stream of congratulations and well-wishes from the dukes, duchesses, lords, ladies, counts, and other members of the royal court.
It was a repetitive cycle of remarks: "You've grown so much," "Your mother would be proud," "You'll make a splendid queen and have lovely children." I couldn't help but wonder how many of them had experienced the same situation as I had.
"Shouldn't you be at your party?" A familiar voice queried, and I turned to see Aurelie seated alone on one of the garden tree swings barefoot. Her usually bright demeanour seemed overshadowed by sadness.
Quite surprised by her melancholy, I hesitantly approached. "I should ask you the same," I replied softly. "May I join you?" I inquired, and she nodded in assent.
I adored my sister; I've always admired her, even though she wasn't thrilled about my marriage. But she was the crown princess, after all. My mother did not bear a male heir, although my father had no objections to it.
Aurelie was destined to inherit the kingdom with the man she would choose as her king. Unfortunately, selecting a suitable king was a complicated process in itself.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, fidgeting with my manicured nails. "I truly didn't intend for things to turn out this way. You know how father is; there's no persuading him otherwise…" I rambled, and she interrupted me by taking my hand in hers.
"I'm not angry with you, Aiyana," she said, lifting my chin gently.
"But you've seemed so melancholic lately; it's hard to believe otherwise," I responded, meeting her gaze.
She smiled softly, my father was wrong, I did not resemble my mother, Aurelie did. Even though she inherited a few of his features such as his dark copper hair and the freckles on his face. She possessed my mother's countenance and her soft expressions.
"Aiyana, I apologise if I've given you the impression that I'm upset with you. I want you to know that I'm not."
"What troubles you then?" I inquired, and she withdrew her hands from mine to clutch onto the swing.
"The palace will lack excitement without you here, you know," she remarked after a momentary silence, her eyes fixed on the scenery. "The idea of you leaving is what saddens me, my dear sister."
A pause ensued, leaving me unsure of what to say. Thankfully, she broke the silence, saying, "I believe you'll make a wonderful queen. And if you're thinking you would be allowed to come home, perish the thought; no queen who leaves her kingdom ever returns."
With those words, I grasped her melancholy, a realisation dawning upon me. Tears filled my eyes as I understood that if I leave I would never see my sister again. However, Aurelie appeared somewhat composed about never seeing each other again, then again she had always been adept at concealing her emotions.
"I shall write you letters," I offered, eliciting a small smile from her, though her gaze did not meet mine.
"Why are you crying on your wedding day?" She attempted to lighten the mood. "A bride should only shed tears of joy."
"Aurelie, I'm never going to see you again," I reminded her, in case she had forgotten. "I'm not feeling joyous about anything."
"But you should. Find joy in every moment, sister. So later, all you'll have are happy memories," she calmly suggested, her freckles like constellations on her face. "Let's cherish this moment, sister, for it's the last we will share," she added, and tears streamed down my cheeks uncontrollably.
Stepping off the swing, I hugged her tightly, though she tried to hold back her own tears; I could see the sadness in her eyes. "I shall miss you terribly, Aurelie."
"And I'll miss you more, Aiyana." She replied, embracing me. She let me cry on her shoulder for a brief moment before alerting me in a whisper, "We have company."
I rose, brushing away my tears as she stood to acknowledge the person who had interrupted us.
"Your Highness," she greeted the intruder, and it appeared that my husband- the king had come to fetch me.
"Crown Princess, I hadn't expected to find you here too," he responded, and I turned to meet his gaze.
"I was just on my way back to the party. I'll leave you two then," she said, departing with a hint of hesitance.
Avoiding his gaze, I inquired, "How did you manage to find me here? This part of the garden isn't the first place anyone would look."
"Actually, I'm here for some alone and quiet time," he responded, settling onto the swing Aurelie had vacated.
His words puzzled me. Had he not noticed my absence at the party and sought me out? What kind of man leaves his own party when his wife is missing?
As I made to leave, he halted me in my tracks. "Where are you going?" he asked.
"It is quite obvious that I'm leaving," I replied, motioning to the exit.
"And why is that?" he inquired.
"You did mention you wanted some alone, quiet time, did you not?" I pointed out.
"Yes, I did, but I didn't ask you to leave," he clarified, gesturing to the other swing he ordered, "Sit."
But, It did not sound like an order, it sounded more of a request which I complied to.
"Why are you not at the party?" He asked, after a moment of silence between us.
"Why are you not at the party?" I countered, and he sighed deeply. I couldn't quite tell if it was out of discontent or if he was about to launch into some poetic speech about reconnecting with nature. It turned out to be neither.
Instead he extended his palm towards me indicating that I placed mine in his. I had noticed from when we held hands to exchange rings at the altar his hands were soft, like a baby's bum, the hands benefitting of a king but I had also been told that he had skills in combat and had fought wars, which was very contradictory to me. One would expect a warrior's hand to bear the marks of their struggles.
"I do not know how many times I may have said this, to you and to myself but you are beautiful, as beautiful as the sun…" He complimented, and though it seemed like romantic moment I had intrusive thoughts I needed to let out.
"I doubt that answers both our questions." I said, impulsively and my hand flew to cover my mouth the instant it had been uttered.
I expected him to get angry at me for disrupting the moment but he looked astonished and chuckled with amusement.
"I'm terribly sorry, my thoughts have a habit of slipping out like that…"
"It doesn't bother me. I prefer a woman who gives me a bit of a challenge, anyway." He remarked, and a momentary silence fell between us. "May I kiss you?"
His question caught me off guard and I stuttered, "Um, well, yes, but why if I may ask?"
"The kiss at the altar was not a proper kiss." He explained, and we both locked eyes. "Shall I?" He inquired once more and I nodded in response.
As he leaned slowly causing a whirlwind of thoughts to swirl through my mind, I began to panic. Yet, when he gently cradled my face and I stared into his green eyes, my panic subsided and my eyelids fluttered shut.
I felt his lips press on mine and his palm on my face and while it was almost the same as the altar there was something different about it, it didn't feel rehearsed nor cold. There was warmth in it and wetness when he took my lips in his.
When he pulled away from me, we both smiled at each other, "Maybe this marriage would not be a terrible thing after all." I thought to myself.
"The carriages are ready, we have to leave now so that we can arrive before sunset." He announced as he rose from the swing. He took my hand, assisting me to stand. Brushing a loose strand of hair behind my ear, he continued, "We have out whole lives to spend moments like this together but for now we have a journey ahead of us."