The Cosmic Princess

Pawns on a Chess Board

Song: Jem - They

"It'll be okay, Avril." Mist sighed tiredly, her tone tinged with sadness which reflected my own inner turmoil, "just please stop crying." With a fatigue sigh, she brought a sponge up dabbing under my eyes, eyes that she had expertisely applied eye popping eye shadow, eye liner, and mascara to half a hour ago. "You'll ruin your makeup again." She tried to reason with me, voice taking on an almost pleading note hoping she wouldn't have to do my makeup a third time, but I couldn't help it.

Feeling completely helpless, I stared at myself in the large, old mirror. The same mirror that I had been staring at with vacant eyes for hours as servants came in and dressed, basically forced, me into the dress I would be wearing today. My lip wobbled as big, warm tears cascaded down my cheek as my eyes continued to leak like the Niagra Falls.

Today I was getting married.

Today was my wedding day.

For Selene sakes, I'm only nineteen and even then I didn't know that till it was brought to my attention a month back.

It had been five months since Ike and I were told we were going to be married. Five months of hell and having everything that we proposed pushed aside and unheard as Harmony and Zotar ruled over what went on like two bridezillas. For five months they were an unstoppable union of power and control. A union from my biggest nightmares. Everything from the small intricate details of what font would be use for the invitations and menus to the larger aspects such as the venue were all picked out by them. Not once was my voice heard, or Ike's.

Was this an arranged marriage even if me and Ike were kindred spirits? This felt like an arranged marriage because it felt like I had no control on my destiny, my future. I wasn't even ready to get married. I barely even lived. I loved Ike, but him and I still had problems we had to work on. And from what I saw, if not handled in the right way, marriage only deepened already existing problems between a couple. Yes, we were bound together but everything was happening too fast, and the more time passed by, the more it seemed that him and I had any say in how our future would be.

"You're not getting cold feet are you now Avy?"

I turned around seeing one of my best friends, Aeon, confidently waltz into the room. Dressed in a black tuxedo with a deep navy blue tie, he looked suave and completely put together.

I couldn't say that for myself.

Feeling my face crumble as his words sunk into my already melancholy mood, I threw down my bouquet. The array of ugly white flowers that smelt like cottage cheese (but were supposedly a traditional bouquet for the royal family) slammed into the floor. I felt a small ray of satisfaction seeing petals break off and flutter to the carpet, but realization quickly filtered in, and I briefly wondered how I would space out the flowers so Harmony wouldn't pick up that I had voluntarily abused the traditional wedding bouquet. She would go ape shit on me if she found out. Over the past few months, I have learned why Harmony was queen despite her evenly tempered good-nature (I use that term lightly).

Aeon's eyes widened at my sudden aggression, but I Ignored his expression and moped to the small oval window behind the mirror. With only a small part of my head exposed, forehead and one eye, I could already see the large crowd of civilians who were gathered around the castle hoping to see a peek of the wedding. With a groan, I stepped back and moped back to the front of the mirror.

I hated this.

I hated the fact that Ike and I were both being forced to marry each other even though we weren't ready. I hated the fact that my mother wasn't here to see her child get married. I hated those ugly stank-ass white flowers. And I hated the circumstances.