Chapter 302: Wedding of the Century (3)
Evanna stood behind the closed doors to the atrium. They planned the wedding in such a short time, but servants in the palace worked so efficiently that one month and a few details from Evanna were all they needed to organise the grand event. Now, she waited, holding wildflowers that had two luminous light blue butterflies fluttering their wings in pattern. They weren’t real; it was all a touch of elven magic, but it was still magnificent all the same.
On the other side of the doors, a harp began to play. Each pluck of the strings produced a cascade of sweet, crystalline sounds, weaving a gentle melody that seemed to float and twirl. The music, soft and ethereal, carried a whimsical quality as if it were a lullaby whispered by the breeze. This was Evanna’s cue to enter the room.
Her stomach fluttered with a thousand butterflies, ones that weren’t quite so gentle and pretty as the ones flying around her flowers. The doors opened, and the bright sunlight shone through the windows, spreading out in a rainbow of colours and dancing across Evanna’s white dress. Those in the aisles stood, some gushing over her dress, gasping at Arawn’s wife-to-be, but Evanna wasn’t focused on their guests. No, Evanna’s eyes were locked on the man at the other end of the atrium.
It was like she was seeing him for the first time again. The way her heart thumped wildly for him. Only for him. He lured her in with those looks, then ensnared her with his mind and personality, and now she was marrying the man she’d fallen for. Once her eyes were locked with his, all the nerves that had tightened her body melted away.
Why would she feel nervous about marrying the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with?
Arawn’s smile was gentle at first, soft even, making those in the atrium still and watch in awe at the man who could be cruel. That man looked... happy. His eyes sparkled with warmth as he stared at the princess. Evanna was radiant in her white, figure-fitting gown. It was every bit more an elven wedding dress than one made by humans.
Above her cleavage, the dress was held together by a small golden hoop, with the dress’s material attached to it and looping around her back, which fell loosely and wrapped around her arms. Evanna’s hair was left wild and untamed, a crystal tiara resting above her brow. If this was a wedding in Dunhurst, she would need to have her hair in a bun or something similar, yet she followed through with what she wanted. It was exactly how Arawn liked it, wild and untamed like her. If he could, he’d hold this as a private ceremony.
Seeing Evanna this way, so beautiful and enticing with the way the dress hugged her figure, Arawn wanted to keep her all to himself, tucked away. He didn’t want the eyes of so many, many that he disliked watching something so personal. They were binding themselves to each other, and a crowd gathered to see.
As much as he wanted to, they had to have a public ceremony. Besides that, the only other issue was King Osian’s absence. Since the Queen was beheaded and the court was in disarray, he had to remain in Dunhurst. There were too many threats at the moment; even if it appeared calm, it was not. Evanna understood, and, like him, she’d prefer it if they only had the minimum of witnesses in attendance.