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Your name is Rose Lalonde. You are 22 years old, and today's the day of your wedding. Most girls would be ecstatic. Insane. Giddy. You are none of these. You are depressed. You glance back at the tall castle, where the ceremony is to be held, a few hours from now. You don't want to turn back, not yet. You have important business to attend to. You begin to walk, slowly, towards a spot that has engrained itself to your memory, impossible to forget.
As the light slowly fades, you speed up, to a near run. You curse, kicking of your high heels and grasp them off the ground, clutching your long white gown. You wanted a traditional wedding. So did your husband-to-be. You keep running, none the less, slipping dangerously on the slick checkerboard grounds of Skaia. You swallow painfully, looking desperately for the marker, the spot, the grave. Your only thought is of finding it, on nothing else.
You're forced to slow down, your breath gone from you. You walk barefoot, slower now. The cool black and white ground it wet, always wet. Rain or blood, impossible to tell. Slippery and slick. That's what it is. Slick. The name seems to be familiar, while clenching your heart just that much more. You have no idea what it is, and don't particularly care to find out. You want to reach your destination, as soon as possible.
Soon you come to another castle, and you shiver, a feeling of paranormal activity hanging in the dense air. You sigh, entering the castle. You remember this place, this place exactly. It's hard to forget. Walking through the main entrance, you come to a beheaded frog statue. You ignore it for the time being, walking around it and over to the tapestries, glancing at them, reading the inscriptions once again. You paid not much attention to it the first time you were here, but you silently smirk at the meanings. You continue on, lifting your skirt as you begin your long trek upwards, walking up many sets of stairs.
You finally reach the top, biting your lip. You look at the memorial that stands. You swallow, squeezing your eyes closed, head hanging down. You cough a few times, but stand up and walk towards the statues shakily. You glance up at the face of the monument, but quickly look down to read the plaque.
Mr. Egbert. Loving father, son and chef.
You crack a smile. John decided what to put, and he kept it short and simple, normally something you'd do. He had to include the cooking. You slightly blush, carrying on, but now with a grim face.
Ms. Lalonde.
You stop reading and shut your eyes, not reading anymore. You're chest and stomach burn, your throat closing up. Black clouds roll over, beginning to rain lightly. You glance back, taking in the scene, which you ignored coming in. Anything to not have to look at the words on the silver sheet. The broken table and chairs still lay there, the floor stained in red. A tea pot. A plate, for a cake. What seems like a wine bottle. You look up, away from the castle tower, seeing the trees and checkerboard.
You realise that no matter what, you will be forced to read the plaque, no matter what you want. That was why you came here, wasn't it? You shuffle over to the memorial, kneeling down.
Ms. Lalonde. Amazing mother and amazing person, no matter what happened.
You keep looking, unblinking, for what seems like forever. All needs forgotten as you stare at the words that you put. You finally blink, and water rushes down your face. You look up, to see the rain falling, drenching your hair. It doesn't seem to have dripped into your face though. You reach up and feel your eyes, to find that, unbelievably, you were crying. You never cry. Never! You're breathing becomes rapid, and you drop your face to your hands, your body shaking with sobs.
Why did you have to be put into this? You wonder, wiping your eyes, just for more tears to spring up. You're body hunches forward, and you rock on your knees, a steady rhythm that should calm you down, but does nothing to aid in your sorrow. You look up at the statues, tears still streaming down. The man stands, hair covered by a fedora. A pipe hangs in his marble mouth, his suit and tie successfully made. You look at the the one next to him. A woman stands, her hair puffed up. She wears a lab coat and a pink scarf, and you smile slightly at the craftsman's work. You sit down, and by now your dress is ruined. You'll need to alchemize a new one, and soon.
But clothing is the least of your problems. You pull your knees towards your chest, burying your tear stained face in the ripped, tattered gown. You shake with sobs once again, and no matter what, you can't bring yourself to stop. They keep coming, the rain coming down even harder now. You let out a strangled cry, and almost at once, you can feel the rain letting up. You look up; shocked to see the clouds still overhead, and the rains still falling. The ground around you dries quickly, turning white once again.
You look around you, to see a shining veil around you. You're amazed, wondering what happened. As you look around you, you suddenly feel a nudge on your shoulder. A tall figure stands, and a ghostly sense envelops you. You're eyes shine wide in amazement, and the figure smiles down at you. She kneels down, holding your face in her hands.
"I miss you, mom." You mutter, and she nods, hugging you. You wrap your arms around the ghostly sense, and begin to cry once more.
"Hush, darling." She says, her words cold, but also wise. "I'm so proud of you." You nod, and she begins to fade, and you panic. "No mom, don't go!" You yell, but she shakes her head, smiling still. "It'll be okay, Rose. Don't worry. Just remember me, and that no matter what, I love you." You nod slightly, shutting your mouth and biting your lips as she vanishes. The veil slowly fades, and the rain has stopped, the sun shining. You crack a small, pitiful smile, sighing slightly.
"Rose!" You turn around to see Jade landing in her Iron Lass suit. She looks panicked. "Here you are! Everyone's wondering where you are!"
"Oh, sorry…" You say quietly, standing up.
"You're dress!" Jade gasps, and you look down, remembering the state and-
Whoa.
It's perfectly white, small pearls glimmering along the hemlines. The bodice is shining, small crystals embodied onto it. You look behind you to see the train pooled around your legs, even while the front shows the bottoms of your legs. A veil lies on your head, flowing down to your hips, fastened to a crystal tiara. You wear white ballet slippers, with ties almost up to your knees.
"Mom…" You whisper, tearing up. Jade frowns, walking over to you with a look of pity on her face.
"Aw, sweetie! Don't be like that! It's your wedding day! Remember me?" She says with a little laugh.
"Yeah, you totally freaked out. You were jumping around, you could barely say the vows straight!"
"Dave didn't care…" She mutters, and you roll your eyes. "Anyway, lets get going! I brought Strider's hover board for you." She said, getting it out of her sylladex. "Here ya go!" You smile at your friend’s optimism and step gracefully onto the board, feeling it begin to rise. Soon, you reach the other castle, arriving at the back of the roof, behind the line of chairs. Jade changes quickly into her gown, a lilac halter dress with heels. She hands you your bouquet, lilac and blue roses, and holds hers.
"Hey Egbert!" You hear Karkat yell. "She's finally here!" You hear John sigh in relief, and an alternate Dave begins to play a mix of bridal music. You giggle, finally giddy as Jade was. You watch as Viceroy, or Casey, as John insists, walks down the row of chairs holding a basket of flowers. Jade and Dave walk down smiling, breaking off so Dave can stand next to John. You take a deep breath as everyone stands up, waiting for you. Karkat nudges you, as you have seem to have frozen. He smiles a bit, looping his arm around yours. "Don't worry." He mutters, being surprisingly... nice. John made him promise to stay calm, not to freak out, and to actually be happy for him. You nod, swallowing the dryness in your throat. The aisle looks so short, but it seems like you'll never reach the trellis at the end, where John and Kanaya wait, smiling. Finally, you reach it, and Karkat hugs you, nodding as he goes to sit down. You walk up to your fiancé, and he smiles.
"Wow. You look… Amazing." He says, his breath taken away. Kanaya clears her throat, and everyone turns.
"Fellow trolls, humans, salamanders." She begins. "We are here to witness the human marriage ritual of joining to become matesprits." She continues on like this for a bit, and you look at John. He blushes, and you smile. "Now, Do you, John Egbert, take Rose Lalonde to be your wife?" Kanaya asks, and John nods, smiling.
"I do."
"Do you, Rose Lalonde, take John Egbert to be your husband?" Kanaya asks, turning to you. You smile. "Hell yes."
"I know pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss." She says, and you lunge at your new husband, catching him by surprise. Everyone stands and claps. And you pull away, looking around. Jade has walked to stand by Dave, and they're kissing. Alternate Dave turns on the music once again, and John takes your hand in his. You begin to walk, and part way down, you yell out in happiness.
"I'm married!" You exclaim, tossing your bouquet high up in the air. It begins to fall, and everyone turns to look at where it's headed, and you all erupt at Karkat's reaction.
"What the fuck! I don't want these stupid flowers!"
"Dude, that means you're the next to get married." Dave stated, causing Karkat to erupt.
"WHO THE FUCK AM I GONNA MARRY, HUH?!" He screams, and Sollux rolls his eyes, hitting Karkat over the head. You look ahead of yourself and see a white figure standing before you. Your eyes widen, and the figure smiles.
"Thanks mom…" You murmur, smiling and hugging your fiance- no, your husband. Your husband.