Chapter Text
The summons had been peculiar, even for Julius. Charlotte mused over whether Marx had any idea what the summons was for, or if he refused to tell her. Sometimes the aide was difficult to read, especially via magical communication devices. All he had been able to tell her was that the Wizard King requested her presence for an assignment. Since she had become a captain, nearly all her assignments came directly from Julius, but this type of summons was rare.
And so Charlotte found herself staring up at the stone facade of Magic Knight headquarters.
"This better not be anything ridiculous." She muttered beneath her breath as she pulled the door open. She strode purposefully through the hallways to the antechamber outside Julius' office. Marx waved her directly into the room without any sort of the usual pretense. The aide's expression was relaxed in a way which only meant Julius was being responsible today. Overall, the message was clear; Julius was expecting her and was focused on whatever mission he had in store for her.
Charlotte passed through the heavy wooden doorway into the office where Julius was uncharacteristically seated behind his desk working through some paperwork. He put his pen down and stood as she approached and saluted.
"Ah, Charlotte. I'm so pleased you could make it. How are you doing?"
"You did summon me, Lord Julius. My duty is to answer your call." She skirted his attempt to make small talk.
"Right, of course. Straight to business."
"You mentioned a mission?"
"Less a mission and more a... request." He hunted for the right word. "It's an assignment for which you are uniquely suited."
Something in the way he spoke concerned her. She felt her brow furrow slightly. While her magic was versatile and well suited for both attack and defense, Nozel was just as versatile. She could think of no way the phrase uniquely suited could pertain to her.
"You see, the kingdom's Bridal Faire is coming up, and..." Julius' voice was hesitant as he tried to find the right words to explain the situation without offending her.
Bridal Faire? Charlotte's eyebrows shot up.
"And one of the designers, well, he wants to be a designer, but, anyway that doesn't matter right now. He needs a model."
As Julius rambled around the point, Charlotte's face grew more and more incredulous.
"No." She said flatly, her hands shaking with contempt.
"But Charlotte, you are one of the, if not the most beautiful women in the kingdom..."
"No. And you know such flattery doesn't work on me." Though Charlotte could feel her cheeks grow warm. She was not sure if it was the compliment or her building rage at the request which caused it, however.
"The nobility would really pay attention if you..."
"No." She cut him off again.
"He's a commoner so no one has bothered to take a look at his designs and they are quite ingenious."
Charlotte sighed.
There it was.
Julius had a soft spot in his heart for commoners trying to build bridges, or rather ladders across the social stratification.
"He is really quite talented." Julius smiled at her hopefully.
"Then you were the dress."
Julius sighed and slumped his shoulders as he perched on the edge of his desk. Charlotte had never quite seen him look so defeated.
"Can you at least just meet him? He's even designed a dress inspired by you."
Charlotte took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She pressed her lips together and chewed lightly on the inside of her bottom one as she shook her head.
"Fine." She threw her hands up in resignation. "I'll meet him. But no guarantees."
Within the hour, Charlotte found herself clad in a white gown. The dress clung to her chest tightly, curving perfectly to her form before billowing out into a voluminous skirt. Her decolletage and shoulders were bare and made her feel naked, despite the tall opera length gloves. The plunge of the neckline did not help matters any, either.
But, the fabric was fine and felt nice against her skin. Even the lace, which she had always hated when her mother had dressed her in it, was not the itchy mess she remembered, but rather felt soft and nearly nonexistent.
The look on Julius' face and the small whispered 'wow' confirmed her fears. She was too exposed, too bare. To his credit, he recovered his composure quickly, but Charlotte felt the heat rise in her face once more--again, unsure of its source. The designer, a young man who looked no older than twenty, turned her toward a full-length mirror which had been set up in the office, and Charlotte saw herself for the first time. She couldn't help the startled gasp which escaped her lips. She barely recognized herself in the gown, but who she did see in the mirror was absolutely stunning. Charlotte had no clue how, but the designer had made the dress a perfect fit. The pale blue detailing on the fabric subtly contrasted with her skin and simultaneously brought out her blue eyes.
"We have a couple of more pieces to put on before it's complete." The designer fiddled with her hair, pulling down the tight bun and allowing her golden locks to cascade down her back. "Oh, I meant to add this first. Can you lift up your hair?"
Charlotte complied as she glanced at Julius in the mirror. The Wizard King had said nothing, only gawked at her. He looked away when she caught him. The designer laid a delicate collar of lace around her neck. The piece reminded her of the gorget she wore with her armor, only it was far more intricate. Once fastened securely around her throat, the young designer took her hair and fussed around with it as he tried to figure out the way it might look best. In the end, he swept most of it over one shoulder before he fastened a small hairpiece to it.
Even though she watched him put on the finishing touches, Charlotte felt as if a stranger were staring back at her from the mirror. The woman there was elegant and poised. She reminded Charlotte of all the lessons her mother tried to force on her when all she wanted to do was train and get stronger, strong enough to break the curse looming over her head. Her mother had always planned for the future she wanted Charlotte to have--the life of a noblewoman filled with parties and events, governed by her husband's needs and wishes. Once the curse was placed, Charlotte knew it was a life she would never have, regardless of if she had wanted it.
But there was a time, perhaps, when she had been small, a time before the curse, when she had played at being a princess or a beautiful bride and loved the romantic stories she read which often accompanied such flights of fancy. The memories of that young girl and her fantastical hopes and dreams, her world of make-believe sparked within her as she looked at herself in the mirror.
Under the designer's skillful craftsmanship and attention to detail, she had become the princess fantasy of her youth and the blushing bride her mother had always wanted.
And she had to admit to herself, she was beautiful. She ran her hands over the finely crafted gown and sighed. Her shoulders slumped a bit in resignation before she straightened once more in an effort to keep the lines of the dress perfect.
"Fine." She tried to keep her voice neutral, as she was not certain which of the multitude of emotions waging war within her would be conveyed. "I'll do it."
Julius sat a little taller and the designer's excitement was unmistakable.
"On one condition." Charlotte turned and looked the Wizard King square in the face. Her eyes were hard because they had to be. If she let herself feel any bit of vulnerability, she would never be able to get the words out of her mouth.
Julius blinked at the seriousness in her face.
"What condition?"
"I need you to get a piece of information for me."
Julius cocked an eyebrow. Charlotte felt herself waver, questioning how she could bother the Wizard King with such a task.
"Oh?"
Charlotte looked back to the designer who was fussing with the hem of the dress. The young man looked up from under the weight of her stare, his hands still wrapped around the delicate fabric, fluffing it.
"Could you please leave us for a moment?" She gave him a small smile, at which he blinked a couple of times before regaining his composure and nodding. He hurried across the room. When the door closed behind him, Charlotte turned back to Julius.
"What information do you need?" Julius crossed his arms over his chest as he looked down at her.
"It's stupid actually and I don't even know why I want to know..." Charlotte lied as she started pacing the room. She knew exactly why she wanted to know. "But, well, it's been bothering me lately..."
"Charlotte, you're rambling."
"Does Yami have... feelings for anyone? Like anyone in particular?" The words tumbled out of her mouth in a rush, lest they never leave her mouth at all. Charlotte gasped at having finally asked the question, albeit in a roundabout manner as possible. The conversation they had in the cave after the Third Eye had left had confounded her. His manner was typical, but his joking had raised questions for which she had no answer. And coupled with the following day, when he had barely noticed her at all... her overthinking mind had left her a mess.
She caught the slightest uptick of a smile on Julius' lips before his placid Wizard King face fell into place once more. Charlotte's heart pounded as she worried she had given away too much. But she had to know.
"Well, I don't know. Not offhand." Julius' face took on a faraway look for a moment before he smiled. "I might be able to find out. Will that do?"
Charlotte felt her face go crimson once more as she chided herself for being so unguarded with the Wizard King. Surely, he's figured it out.
"You know what? Forget I even asked."
Charlotte sighed before she turned back to the mirror. The stunning woman looking back at her still surprised her. The dress was beautiful; she was beautiful in it.
Maybe, just maybe, if he could see her in this... She shook the thought from her mind. Who was she kidding?
"But, I'll do it anyway. I guess. " She turned to examine herself in the mirror more fully.
"I might never have another chance to wear a dress like this again. I might as well take the opportunity now," she muttered under her breath.
"Thank you, Charlotte. I know it is an unusual request, but I do appreciate your assistance."
***
The kid knocked timidly on the bathroom door, but it still disturbed Yami's golden time.
"Uh, Captain?" The voice outside the door held an appropriate amount of fear, which at least somewhat made up for the disturbance. "The, um, the Wizard King is here."
Yami folded his newspaper, his curiosity peaked. He finished his business and went to greet his boss and mentor.
"What brings you way out here, Old Man? What do you want?" Yami lit a cigarette before crossing the room, ignoring the state of the common room and the several squad members in various states of consciousness.
"Who says I want anything?" Julius looked around the room before settling his gaze on his former protege. He wore the ineffable smile as a mask and Yami knew he was up to something.
"Why else would you come out here?" Yami blew smoke in his general direction and Julius waved it away, his face screwing up in an expression of disgust.
"Can't I just want to check up on my old friend?"
Yami only blew smoke at him again. Julius coughed lightly.
"Fine. I, um, I have a request. It's sort of a personal favor, so..."
"No."
"Yami, just hear me out."
"No. Every time I do you a personal favor, something weird happens."
"I promise this time it won't."
"Oh yeah? You said the same thing last time and I ended up in a choir?"
Julius chuckled.
"But they needed a bass, Yami and your singing voice is... passable."
"No."
"It's just a little stage performance, and it will be over before you know it."
Yami cocked his eyebrow.
"Nothing with you is just a little performance."
"Oh, just..." Julius closed his eyes and sighed. "Walk with me, will you?"
Yami looked around at the mess of the common room. He made a note to have the kid clean it later as he deposited his cigarette in an empty wine bottle.
"Fine." He led Julius out the front door.
The pair walked in silence for a moment, circling the haphazardly designed building.
"This is an interesting place you found." Julius tried breaking the ice.
"You say that every time. What is it you want?"
Julius sighed again.
"Always straight to the point with you." Julius marveled at how similarly the conversation with Charlotte had started.
"I'm trying to help a young designer get noticed. His work is quite remarkable, but he is a commoner, and well..."
"The nobility don't like him much."
"Exactly."
"Then convince him to work for other commoners."
"It's not quite that easy. You see, he wants to design gowns--ball gowns, formal wear... wedding dresses."
Yami rolled his eyes.
"Here we go..."
"It's really not that bad. I just need some people to act as... escorts at the Bridal Faire."
"Escorts." Yami took a long drag on his cigarette. He did not like the twinkle in Julius' eye or the emphatic nodding of the Wizard King's head.
"Can you help me out? I'll have a suit sent over, and it will only be for a little while, I swear."
Yami sighed.
"You're going to owe me."
"That bottle of whiskey I've been saving?"
"Fine."
Julius erupted in a grin.
"Great, thanks. Now I've got to find a couple more people but... Oh, just out of curiosity, there's no one are risking angering by doing this is there?"
Yami looked over and blew out a plume of smoke. His brows knit together in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean."
"No, really I don't."
"You're not... involved with anyone who might get jealous of you doing this. Are you?"
"Huh?"
Julius shuffled his feet.
"Are you asking me what I think you're asking me?"
Julius shrugged.
"No, I'm not seeing anyone. And why do you care all of a sudden?"
"I just would hate to see a request like this cause you problems is all."
"You're a terrible liar, Julius."
"So, tomorrow afternoon, alright?" Julius triggered something within his robe and a portal opened before him.
"Wait, you didn't tell me why you wanted to know," Yami called after him as he disappeared into the space between worlds, his voice trailing off as the portal closed. He stood in the clearing on the edge of the woods which surrounded the house and finished his cigarette. Julius' squirrelly behavior concerned him and he wondered what exactly he had gotten himself into. As he turned to go back inside, he saw Asta leaving the building for his daily training.
"Kid, you remember to restock the toilet paper?"
"Uh," Asta thought for a moment. The kid's daily chore list was massive, encompassing the majority of work to be done in the place, even though each person was responsible for their own rooms.
"I think so. Yeah."
A sudden thought made Yami smile in a way which made Asta gasp and blink. Yami could sense a touch of uncertainty in his ki.
"I have a special mission for you tomorrow, Kid. You're coming with me to the capital."
Asta stuttered his acknowledgment before running off to train.
***
Charlotte looked over at the young redhead as they were both dressed and made over for the event. She had seen the girl before at an event though she could not quite remember which one. The red hair reminded her of the Vermillion clan, but the girl did not carry herself like any of the lions. She was also being dressed in one of the commoner's designs, Charlotte noted as the young man fussed over the fit of the gown. Somehow, despite having guessed her measurements so precisely, he had not quite matched the fit of the girl.
An assistant painted her lips red and Charlotte admonished herself for thinking of the young woman as a girl. She too was a Magic Knight with her grimoire and as such was an adult, even if she seemed quite young. Still, the flower-festooned gown fit the demeanor of the young woman quite well.
"Captain Charlotte, I see you were roped into this as well." The girl--young woman, Charlotte corrected herself--took a seat next to her and had her own face painted.
"The Wizard King can be most persuasive, can he not?" She giggled nervously.
Charlotte scoffed. Persuasive was one way to describe him. Manipulative was another. Charlotte blushed, knowing how she had let her own curiosity and her own desire make the decision for her. Julius had yet to inform her of any news on the matter. She sighed.
"Indeed." She looked over at the young woman, seeing her small smile and the hopefulness in her eyes, wondering what tactics Julius had employed to ensnare her.
"Mimosa, Captain. Mimosa Vermillion."
The pieces clicked in Charlotte's mind. She was indeed a Vermillion, but Kirsch's relation rather than Fuegeleon's.
"Of course. I sometimes have difficulties with names." Charlotte lied to cover her ignorance. As a royal, Mimosa would not have had to participate in the entrance exams as others would, so Charlotte had little reason to be aware of her existence. But sometimes, a lie to cover tracks was more suitable than the admission of apathy to the existence of another, especially when the other was a royal.
"What do you think we will have to do? I mean, I'm excited to be able to wear such a beautiful dress." Mimosa blushed as if the mere thought of marriage was exciting in and of itself.
"But are we just to be models? Do we walk around or what?"
"I'm not certain. Lord Julius did not go into any details with me."
"Me either."
Both women sighed. Charlotte hoped the entire fiasco would be over quickly and she would be able to get on with her life, but Mimosa seemed to vibrate in her seat as they waited.
***
"What the hell is this?" Yami's voice boomed through the room where he and Asta were brought to change. The room was sparse but had a couple of small floral arrangements on the table and a pair of suits hanging on a row of hooks on the wall. Even from a distance, Yami was skeptical about the cut of the suits. They both seemed fairly generic in design, which was fine, but both were also cut for an average-sized man. He looked over at Asta and then back to the suits.
"How the hell does he think these would fit either of us?" Yami muttered crossing the room. He took the jacket from the hanger with a sneer on his lips. He had never felt comfortable in such formal wear and tried to find every opportunity to avoid wearing it.
Asta touched the suit with a strange sense of awe.
"That whiskey better be worth it."
Yami tried the coat on and could barely move his arms. As he tried to button it, the center back split between his shoulders. Shaking his head, he stripped the ruined garment from his body and tossed it to the floor. Asta hurriedly tried his own suit on, but the sleeves, while wide enough, were too long. The pants as well were not suited to the young man's stature. Yami thought he looked like a kid playing in his father's clothes, despite Asta being a man in his own right.
Yami lit a cigarette and chuckled, but Asta looked disappointed.
"What are we going to do, Captain?"
Yami's answer was interrupted as Julius entered the room. The Wizard King said nothing as he looked from the pile of the jacket on the floor to Yami, to Asta flapping the ends of his coat like wings and back again.
"Well, this won't do, will it?" Julius shifted a bottle from one arm to the other.
"I was sure they were going to fit..." He placed the bottle down on the table between the two small flowers before crossing the room and picking up the coat at Yami's feet.
"Do you have something you could wear? Something formal?" Julius' face was painted with worry.
"You know I hate this sort of stuff." Yami blew out a plume of smoke.
"Can you not smoke in here?"
Yami grunted but complied as he stubbed the cigarette out in a dish on the table.
"I have something, I think, from another event," Asta answered. "It's not a suit or anything, but it's better than... this." He flapped the overly long sleeves once more.
"Great. Yami?"
"Yeah, I guess I have something that could work. Finral!"
The spatial mage had hung back on the fringe of the room looking for his chance to escape but had gotten distracted from his girl-chasing mission by the fiasco before him.
"Yeah, Boss?"
"We gotta go back to the base."
Finral nodded and opened a portal.
"Just escorts, right?" Yami asked for confirmation. Julius refused to look him in the eye.
"Yes; just escorts."
Though Yami didn't quite believe Julius with the humorous glint in his eye.
***
Charlotte and mimosa stood on the edge of the town square waiting. Charlotte hated waiting. Especially when she didn't quite know what she was waiting for. Eventually, the event coordinator spoke to them. Apparently, Lord Julius had planned for there to be a mock ceremony as a way to showcase the young designer's dresses.
"Well," she said. "If we are to be fake brides, where the hell are the fake grooms?"
Mimosa looked at her in shock, as if she were surprised by her language. Charlotte couldn't help it. She had grown. more and more irritated with the entire event. And now to be left waiting... she was about walking away and saying to hell with it all. She had a multitude of other work she could be doing instead.
Laughter behind her made Charlotte spin around, or as best as she could in the dress anyway.
"Oh no," Mimosa muttered as she caught sight of Nozel and his brother approaching.
"Well, Mimosa, I never thought I would see you look more ridiculous than you do in a golden dawn robe, but here you go proving me wrong." The younger of the two Silva's laughed and wiped his eyes from the tears spurred by it.
"Solid, behave." Nozel glanced at his brother before turning his attention back to the two would-be brides.
"But it does beg the question of what you two are doing out here dressed like that." His eyes scanned Charlotte quickly before settling on her face. He barely reacted to her exposed skin.
"We are on a mission, actually. Julius asked us to help him."
"Ah. One of his little... projects?" The Wizard King's pet projects were well known among the Magic Knight captains. They all tried to avoid them as much as they could.
Charlotte nodded.
"I don't suppose you two are the ones we are waiting for."
Nozel raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Uh, no. What are you waiting for?"
"Apparently there is supposed to be a mock ceremony."
"Are you sure Julius isn't just marrying the two of you off?" Solid piped in but was quickly silenced with a look from Nozel.
"The people who are supposed to be the grooms in this farce haven't shown up yet," Charlotte explained, feeling every bit of her desire to shove her whip hilt up Solid's ass.
"Sorry, we have actual work we need to do. Hope you can get back to real work soon too." Nozel called back to her as he and Solid walked away.
Charlotte grunted and the coordinator appeared out of nowhere.
"So sorry to keep you waiting, but we should be ready to start shortly."
Mimosa shifted her weight between her feet and only grumbled once about her feet hurting. While beautiful, the gown's associated footwear was not nearly as comfortable as the gowns themselves, as they were not personally tailored.
"Is this the right spot?" A familiar voice echoed from an alleyway. Charlotte felt a shiver travel down her spine.
Another younger voice answered him. Charlotte could see mimosa grow red out of the corner of her eye. Charlotte hoped her own response had not been so obvious.
She stiffened when she saw Yami approach. He was dressed strangely, as was typical. Why it still surprised her, she did not know. The look on his face when he saw her warned her of months of teasing in her future. The young man with him looked to be about Mimosa's age. She recognized him as the kid with no magic Yami had accepted into his squad. She had been impressed with the young man's determination and skill, but something about him still creeped her out. She did notice, however, he was dressed more nicely than the few times she had seen him. He almost looked formal in his attire.
"Don't tell me..." she muttered under her breath as the pair of men approached, leaving the statement hanging as she did not feel the need to complete it.
"What's with the frilly get-up?" Yami laughed, but his eyes roamed over her body in a way which made Charlotte feel more exposed than she had ever been. Her blush deepened and she could feel the warmth of it spread to her shoulders and chest. Eventually, he landed back on her eyes, though his gaze struggled to stay there.
"I'm on assignment from Lord Julius, which requires me to dress like this. What are you wearing?" She pressed her lips together and bit the inside of her bottom lip. The robe he wore exposed much of his chest and she wanted to take him in as he had done with her, but she refused to let herself stoop to his level. He was the foreigner, the hoodlum, the scoundrel. She shouldn't want him as much as she did. He wasn't even attractive, not like Nozel or Kirsch. But something about him had captured her attention. Something about him made her want him beyond reason. And she wanted him to want her as well.
"The Wizard King gave us an assignment too." The kid spoke up. His wide green eyes danced from Mimosa to her and back. Charlotte noticed he had not once looked over either of them, as Yami had. She wondered if the young man was simply naive or if he was not attracted to women.
"He asked us to come here for..." His brow furrowed and he scratched the back of his head.
A man in a dark robe with its hood pulled over his head approached.
"You are all here today to participate in a mock ceremony. The designer and the Wizard King both decided a publicly staged event such as this would be the best way to display the beauty of his creations."
"A mock ceremony?" Yami couldn't believe his ears. Did Julius expect them to play like the bride and groom?
Charlotte blushed as Yami crossed his arms next to her. A quick glance showed her he was frowning. Obviously, he had also been roped into this without being fully aware of what he had signed up for when Julius had come calling.
Mimosa's face matched her hair and she looked shyly at the ground. Charlotte thought she could see a hint of a smile on the young woman's lips. The young man, Asta if Charlotte recalled correctly, looked unconcerned as if the news did not surprise him at all.
"Yes. The ceremony is for show, to let people see how the gowns move throughout the various parts of the process. You will walk through the saying of vows and exchange of rings, but will not participate in the grimoire binding or sign any contracts."
"I've done this at least ten times. It's not as bad as it might seem, Captain Yami."
"When the hell have you ever been involved in a wedding?"
"I did grow up in a church. Sometimes Yuno or I would act as standings for the bride and groom to practice before the wedding if they couldn't practice together."
"Why wouldn't they be able to practice together?" Mimosa asked, having gotten over her coyness. Charlotte thought the young woman seemed a little disappointed.
Asta shrugged.
"I never asked. I guess because of work or something?"
"As long as it's not the actual binding." Charlotte swallowed. She hoped Yami couldn't sense her racing heart.
"I guess it will be alright." Charlotte closed her eyes, feeling the flush on her cheeks. Even walking through the motions with Yami excited her. Maybe one day they would stand together for real, binding their grimoires and thus their souls together. A thought struck Charlotte and filled her with panic. What if the binding didn't work? She had heard of instances where the bride and groom had inscribed each other's grimoires in blood as was tradition, but that the inscription had faded nearly immediately.
"Well, if everyone is agreed?" The robed man looked at each of them in turn. Mimosa and Asta nodded.
"What the hell. I wasn't doing anything interesting anyway." Yami tossed his cigarette to the ground and stomped it out with his foot.
Charlotte looked at him and then back to the robed man who would be officiating the 'ceremony." She nodded.
"Very good. Now, let us begin with the processional. You will walk from here to the square and then ascend the platform. As this is not an actual wedding, you two will escort the brides." The officiant looked at Yami and Asta. "No need to recruit the father of the ladies for an event such as this."
Walking with Yami? Charlotte took a deep breath as she tried to calm her heart. Arm in arm?
"You two will process first." The officiant looked at Asta and Mimosa as he physically placed her hand on his. "Then you two will follow." He tried to position Charlotte and Yami's hands in the same manner, but Yami grabbed her hand first.
"I think I can figure this out," Yami said with a bit of a sneer.
Was he blaming Lord Julius for this whole debacle?
"Very well. Once on the platform, we will walk through the ceremony simultaneously. The younger couple will be first, but we will complete each portion for the two pairs before moving on. Understood?"
"Yes!" Asta practically shouted and the officiant nodded.
The robed man strode across the square toward the dais which dominated the center of the plaza. The music swelled out of nowhere and the man nodded at Mimosa and Asta to begin the processional. The music played at an easy tempo setting the speed of the procession. Yami held for a few moments, allowing the younger couple to fully enter the plaza and command the attention of the gathering crowd.
"You alright?" He asked, not looking at her.
Charlotte did not know how to answer the question. Holding hands with Yami and preparing to walk in a bridal procession with him had her heart racing.
"I'm fine." The words came out strained and she gripped his hand more tightly. She took a deep breath and tried to relax, telling herself the entire thing was pretend.
"You're a horrible liar, Charlotte."
"Well, I said I wouldn't be caught dead doing something like this with you, but here I am." She hoped the excuse would be enough to throw him off the real reason for her nervousness.
Yami chuckled as he started moving down the path laid out for them.
"That's right, isn't it. Yeah, you're probably right that this, you, me, would be a bad idea."
"The worst."
Or the best, her heart cried out.
"So why don't we just do it?"
"What?" She knew he had a spontaneous streak which often led to bad decisions on his part.
"The binding. If we are as poorly suited as we think we are, then the binding should fade automatically right? We would be no worse for wear."
Charlotte felt the panic rising in her body at the suggestion. On one hand, she wanted to scream yes, to take the leap and hope it would turn out for the best and the binding would hold and link them together for eternity. On the other hand, she feared all of the possibilities. She worried he would be right and they were not meant to be. Her disappointment would be overwhelming.
But she also dreaded the possibility of being tied to him forever and having to explain herself to her squad. The idea of facing her feelings for him made her more than anxious.
"Charlotte?" He glanced at her, but she kept her eyes focused on the platform before them.
"Hmm? Oh, right."
Of course, the binding would fade and their connection wouldn't last. The fading would probably happen almost immediately.
"It's not like it will change our friendship or anything. We're still colleagues, still Magic Knights." Yami continued in a way which made Charlotte wonder if he were trying to convince himself. His voice was steady though with no hint of nervousness.
"But... what if it does? I mean, what if it works?" Charlotte felt her whole body shiver. Whether it was fear or anticipation, or a little of both, Charlotte couldn't tell.
They took a couple of steps in silence.
"I guess we'll be partners then," Yami said quietly as they approached the stairs which would lead them up to the dais.
"Partners?" But what kind of partners? Would they be the kind who had each other's back and supported them no matter what? Or would there be... more to it? Charlotte did not know which she would prefer, or even if they could be both. Maybe both were what she wanted.
"I guess we would figure that out as we go." Yami shrugged.
Charlotte stopped at the bottom of the stairs and closed her eyes. She pressed her lips, painted an uncharacteristic shade of red, into a thin line. He had always been good at goading her into things, whether he knew it or not. He could even not be the one doing the goading and his mere presence would convince her to throw reason to the wind. And he was too reckless, too spontaneous, but he made good points sometimes. If she went through with the binding, as he suggested, she would have her answer about their suitability, their compatibility for each other.
And it would probably amount to nothing anyway, she told herself.
"Alright. Why not?" Charlotte was certain Yami could feel the shaking of her hand on his arm. She twisted her free hand into the skirts of her dress to keep it from shaking too much. She looked straight ahead at the wooden stairs, but she could feel his shocked gaze on her.
"I mean, you're right. We have nothing to lose."
Except for my pointless infatuation with you, Charlotte added in her mind.
"Right. Shall we go then?"
Charlotte nodded and they moved forward.
***
He had suggested it as a joke, as a way to get a rise from her. She always gave him the best reactions to his teasing, all embarrassed and blushing. Yami had expected more of the same at the suggestion they submit to the binding ceremony, even though they had been told it was not to be performed during the 'ceremony'.
He had never expected her to agree.
But now that she had, he could not back down. He never ran from a challenge, even when he knew better. He would see this through to the end.
Charlotte stood stiffly next to him, staring straight ahead, not once turning to him as the robed man walked Asta and the red-headed young woman through the commitment part of the ceremony. The kid recited his parts like a pro as if he had them memorized. Yami realized he probably did, what with his obsession with the sister who lived at the church in which he had grown up.
He looked over at Charlotte standing next to him. Her bare shoulders and exposed decolletage was certainly a welcome sight. She was typically so covered up it was easy to forget she was a woman. But a woman she most definitely was, and a beautiful one at that.
She gripped his arm until her knuckles were white and the skin on his arm was red and bruised. Her ki was in turmoil and her breathing was unsteady. Her cheeks were pale white instead of the blush he was so used to seeing on them as if her fear had blanched her.
He placed his other hand on top of hers and looked forward, taking a deep breath. He contemplated using her fear as an excuse to back out, but he knew she would not. She would never admit defeat, especially at the hands of a man. He liked that about her.
He saw her glanced at him and heard her take a deep breath before turning her attention to the robed man who now stood before them. Her ki grew quiet and her grip on his arm slackened.
"Shall we begin?" The officiant smiled at them. "Turn to face each other and take her hands in yours."
Yami reached out for Charlotte's free hand and slipped his arm beneath her hand so that her hands rested on his. He had never noticed how thin and delicate her hand were. They rested lightly in his large hands like tiny white birds. He could feel them trembling against his skin before he wrapped his fingers around hers. He stared at how his fingers had enfolded her hands.
"Now look at her."
Yami lifted his eyes to Charlotte's and his breath caught. He had looked her over quite carefully when he had first seen her, but now he truly saw her. And she was beautiful.
"You will repeat after me. Lady Charlotte, we will start with you. Please try to project for the crowd." The officiant said softly before he launched into the standard vows.
Yami had heard them before a couple of times--declarations of undying support in good times and in bad, that sort of thing, but he couldn't focus on them. Not when he was trapped in the crystalline eyes. Her voice was rich and warm, though it quivered a bit. It had none of the coolness to which he was accustomed. Something about her at the moment was vulnerable and open in a way he had only seen once ever before, many years ago. She had been scared then as well. Angry, then, too. But then something had shifted in her and she looked at him in a way he had never experienced since. Until now.
The robed man had to call him twice before Yami heard him and freed himself from her paralyzing gaze. He shook his head and cleared his throat as he tried to further break the spell she had placed on him.
"Right. Sorry."
"Are you ready now?"
Yami licked his lips and looked back at Charlotte. Her face was open and her eyes were wide. He could see the muscles of her throat contract and relax as she swallowed. Her red-painted lips were parted slightly, but her mouth was more anxious than happy.
"Yeah. Yeah, I am."
"Alright, repeat after me, please. And try to do a better job with projecting than Lady Charlotte."
She reddened at the mention of her lackluster performance. But Yami could remember nothing of it.
"I, Yami Sukehiro, of sound mind and body," The robed man started. His eyes were focused on the book he held in his hands as he read.
"I, Yami Sukehiro, of sound mind and body," Yami repeated, feeling himself falling deeper into the clear blue of her eyes.
"Do hereby pledge to you, Charlotte Roselei."
"Do hereby pledge to you, Charlotte Roselei." His voice broke on her name.
"That I will be yours in times of plenty and times of want."
"That I will be yours in times of plenty and times of want." Yami's voice was a soft low whisper.
"Please try to project." The robed man whispered a harsh reminder before continuing with the traditional vows. "In times of sickness and in times of health."
As Yami repeated the words, he tried to speak more loudly but found he could not. He could only say the words loud enough for her to hear.
And as he said them, he realized he meant every word.
***
Charlotte had not been able to put on a good show, but she had gotten through the exchange of vows. With each section, her voice had gotten softer until it was an intimate whisper, though she was not certain Yami had even heard her. He had stared at her, nearly expressionless. She worried he had dozed off or had grown bored with the whole ordeal, with her.
But her doubt was erased the moment he began his recitation. The way he said her name sent shivers down her spine and made her toes tingle. The timbre of his voice was softer, warmer, more gentle than she had ever heard his voice before. She could feel his sincerity in his words and in how he held her hands.
And Charlotte wondered for the first time ever, if he had felt the same way about her all along.
"I promise to cherish and respect you, to care and protect you, to comfort and encourage you, and stand by your side, your partner until our magic unbinds." He squeezed her hands. His eyes traveled over her face, lingered on her lips as his tongue darted out between his. The look in his eyes warmed her soul and made her want to close the distance between them, but the look also scared her.
They had agreed to attempt the binding, with the expectation it would lead to nothing, but the way he looked at her made her wish she had never agreed. Now, though, she worried how she would feel having seen the way he looked at her as he recited the vows if the binding did not work.
Though part of her was still scared it would.
***
The two couples both turned to face the robed officiant in preparation for the next section of the ceremony.
"And that concludes the exchange of vows. At this point of the ceremony would be the soul binding, but we are going to skip directly to the exchange of rings. Asta, Mimosa? Do you have the rings?"
Charlotte leaned around Yami to watch Asta pull out a pair of small steel rings.
"Hey, no peeking." Yami squeezed her hand and tugged her closer to his side.
"Don't worry, I have some too. They aren't anything fancy, just a pair of stand-in rings." He whispered.
"Still, this is my favorite part of the ceremony."
She could feel his chuckled vibrate his body beside her.
"You nervous?"
"Me?" Her voice was higher pitched than normal. She cleared her throat.
"Of course not." She forced herself to say normally. She stared straight ahead again and squared her shoulders.
"Of course not. Nothing's too intimidating for Her Prickly Majesty."
At one point, she might have taken offense at the barb, but the warmth in his voice was unmistakable.
"I cannot have myself shown up by a man, especially one such as yourself." she retorted, feeling a small smile twist her lips upward. He squeezed her hand again.
And then the officiant stood before them.
"And do you have the rings?" He looked at Yami.
"Actually, we are going to perform the binding first."
Charlotte thought she heard a collective gasp throughout the gathered crowd. The officiant looked at her with wide eyes.
"You consent to this?"
Charlotte nodded.
"I do."
The robed man cleared his throat nervously and looked out at someone in the crowd. He gestured, throwing up his hands in an attempt to say 'what do I do?' when he found whoever it was he had sought. After a second, he closed his eyes, shook his head, and sighed.
"I do not have the required equipment with me," he said when he finally addressed Yami and Charlotte once more. "Now, the rings. Please."
Yami scratched the back of his head and tilted it as he looked at the robed man.
"All we need is blood, right? A way to draw it?"
"And your grimoires," Asta added from where he stood next to Mimosa.
"Right, and our grimoires. Charlotte you have yours, right?"
"I wouldn't be caught dead without it." Her grimoire responded to an unspoken command and hovered open before her, bathing her in a soft blue glow.
"And I've got mine." Yami's also hovered before him.
"And..." He dropped Charlotte's hand and placed his hands on the handle and scabbard of his sword. He used a thumb to push the blade out slightly before drawing its full length.
"We have the means to draw blood."
Charlotte's eyes widened as the sound of the blade scraping against the lacquered wooden scabbard. He must have sensed her fear--he had always been good at sensing things like that--because he turned to her.
"It's very sharp. You will barely feel it."
Charlotte looked at the blade and then at him. Everything happened so fast, too fast, but she could not back down now. Her reputation was on the line and she would not be able to face her girls if she backed out now.
Or at least that's what she told herself.
The pinprick she had seen in her cousin's ceremony had seemed simple enough, but with Yami's blade staring her down the entire situation had suddenly become far more real than she had anticipated.
"I guess that would work." The robed man said slowly, his eyes searching the crowd for whoever was calling the shots. Charlotte guessed Julius was behind everything, and she wondered how their spontaneous decision to include this portion of the ceremony had thrown his plans askew.
"Do you still consent?" The robed man asked her, his own face panicked.
Charlotte took a deep breath and nodded. She had felt her throat go dry and worried if she tried to speak, her voice would crack.
"Alright then. Both of you, repeat after me. 'Blood to blood, soul to soul'."
Charlotte's heart threatened to jump out of her chest as she repeated the words. She took Yami's free hand and felt his fingers squeeze hers once.
"Together we are bound in spirit, in mana."
Yami's voice still held the tender quality she had noticed earlier in the ceremony.
"Before all those gathered, the gods above and the gods below."
Charlotte stared at the glint of the sharp blade before them, watching the light shifting along its surface as Yami's hand shook ever so slightly.
"May our bond be strong, weaving forward into eternity."
Charlotte felt two voices competing within her as she repeated the words. One begged for the bond to be strong enough to stand the test of time, while the other begged for the bond to dissipate like mist in the sun.
"Now, you, um, well, with this, I guess you would each slide your finger along the blade edge? Usually, the bride and groom have different needles..."
"Like this?" Yami pressed his middle finger into the edge of the sword and quickly jerked his wrist to the side. The motion caused the blade to bite into his flesh. He winced in pain but only for a moment. When he pulled his hand away, Charlotte could see a thin rivulet of blood running down his finger and along his hand. She took a deep breath and reached out for the blade herself. The blade sliced through her skin cleanly and quickly. She barely felt her flesh dragging against it as she jerked her wrist to the side in mimicry of Yami's movements. Within seconds, she felt blood welling in the wound and dripping down her hand. Panic set in briefly as the blood dripped onto the white gown, but she had only a moment to consider the stain.
The two active grimoires hovering before them flipped rapidly through pages before settling to a blank one in each.
"Now, each of you places a drop of blood on the blank page before you."
Charlotte glanced at Yami as he placed the sword on the ground next to him and then his hand over the book. A drop of his blood fell from his finger and hit the page, spreading out as it was absorbed and then disappearing in a flash of light as his name was written at the top of the page. He looked at her and then at the book before her. Charlotte stretched her bleeding finger over the blank page so a drop of blood could fall upon it. The droplet spread out and vanished in a flash of light as her own name appeared at the top of the page.
She gasped as she recognized her own signature in a dark blue ink highlighted with gold.
"Now, bound in blood mixed, add a drop of blood to your partner's grimoire."
Charlotte turned to face Yami. As she reached out to place a drop of her blood to his grimoire, the book turned toward her. At the same time, her grimoire turned toward him as if the books were seeking an easier path. Charlotte looked at his name, his signature. She realized she had never seen it before, not in his own hand. She had never known how formal it looked, or how much he flourished the first letter of his last name. The ink--if it could be called that--shimmered like the sheen one could see on a slick of cooking oil which had been spilled into a cast iron pan if one tilted their head just so, all purples and greens overlaying the black seasoned surface.
She reached out her hand and let her blood fall onto the page as he did the same.
Time seemed to slow as she watched the drop of blood fall and strike the paper. The wind swirled through the square, whipping around them. Only it wasn't wind at all. She could barely feel the slightest of breezes while everything around her blew as if in a storm. Everything except Yami. They stood together as if they stood at the eye of a hurricane. As the wind around them grew, so did the streaks of light spiraling around them, swirling and spinning upwards in tendrils of bright blue and deep purple-black. The strands of glowing mana formed a barrier between them and those watching the proceedings, plaiting together into a complex weave as they reached for the heavens.
The sight of the colors took Charlotte's breath away.
And as quickly as it had started, the colors were gone and the wind had died. Charlotte looked at the grimoire before her. Even though the flurry of mana had lasted only a moment, somehow her own grimoire had returned to her in the chaos. She looked at the once blank page to see it now filled with writing. Their signatures dominated the page, each in their own special ink which she realized must have been drawn from their mana. The rest of the writing was in gold.
She went to read it, but before she had a chance to really look at the content of the page, she felt a large hand on her back. Yami pulled her close to him and pressed his lips against hers.
Charlotte would have thought it was nice and might have even let herself enjoy it, but she was still dazzled by the intermingling of their mana. She pressed her palms against his chest and pushed him away. Her face was as scarlet as the streak of blood she left on his chest. She slapped him across the face, more out of reflex than anything else. Her mind raced with the intensity of the last few moments and the strength of the pull she now felt for him.
"That wasn't supposed to happen," she mumbled more to herself than anyone else. Her face burned as she turned her attention to her grimoire once more--anything to look at him right now.
***
The swirling colors and lights were dazzling but not as dazzling as Charlotte looked when she stared at them in awe. As Yami watched her watching the visualization of their mana twisting and braiding together, he felt something within him shift, as if the intermingling of the lights around them reached deep into the cores of their beings and twisted them together.
The feeling scared him as nothing had ever scared him before.
He had seen the ceremony on several occasions before, watching from the sidelines as comrades got married, a distant observer who had only been invited to bear witness out of obligation. Those other times he had found the light show which was a feature of the binding process to be intriguing and impressive, but none of those times prepared him for being at the center of the ritual.
And none of those times had carried with it the explosive magical output he felt now. The bride and groom had always been bound together through wispy tendrils of mana, mist-like and faint, twisting together into the sky.
Maybe it was different because he was on the inside? Maybe for them all, it had looked and felt like standing in the eye of a storm? He would have asked, but he did not feel close enough to any of his married colleagues to broach such a personal topic.
The light faded and the wind which had flowed around them had died down, but Yami looked at Charlotte, still feeling all twisty inside.
She ran a hand over the page in her grimoire which recorded the event and he moved closer. Without thought, he acted. He had always trusted his instinct and his instinct told him now how much he wanted her. He had banked on nothing happening at all--at most the wispy tendrils of mana he had seen before. He still expected nothing to come out of the binding or for it to come undone quickly.
True, their mana had woven itself together into a tight complex braid, like the fibers woven together to make a strong rope. True he now felt drawn to her so much so he found himself kissing her.
And kissing her felt so right.
Until she pushed him away and he felt the sting of her hand against his cheek.
"Sorry, I..."
She turned away from him, looking with false intent at her grimoire. Her entire body had flushed crimson.
"This wasn't supposed to happen." Her voice was anxious and quiet. He wanted to wrap her in his arms, to comfort her he told himself, but it was more than that. He felt she belonged there like she was missing.
He satisfied himself with rubbing his stinging cheek instead as he watched her read over the page in her grimoire. He reached out for his, commanding it to return into its dormant state. The book settled into the specially crafted bag which nestled against his back at his hips.
The robed man cleared his throat. Yami turned to him and had a strong sudden urge for a cigarette.
"Can we continue, please?" The man said as he smoothed his robe and replaced his hood.
Yami looked around noticing for the first time the effect of the mana storm they had summoned in their joining. The people watching the scene looked at them in fear and awe. Banners had been ripped from their poles and strewn across the plaza. The entire market had been affected as fruits and vegetables scattered on the ground, papers floated down like feathers. Somewhere a child was crying.
Yami took out and lit a cigarette. He glanced at Asta, who stared at them slack-jawed. Yami narrowed his eyes at the kid for a moment, wondering what it was now which had set the kid's mouth agape.
"Yeah," Yami said as he turned back to the officiant. Charlotte mumbled, her focus squarely on her grimoire.
"Lady Charlotte?"
"'Released only if the magic unravels...' Huh? What?" She lifted her eyes from the book as she tried to comprehend what was happening.
"May we continue?" The robed man had straightened himself out as best he could, but Yami could hear the frustration in his voice.
"Oh, sorry. Um, yes?"
"Yami, you have the rings?" He lowered his voice as he addressed them alone, apart from the crowd watching. "And remember, this is supposed to be fake. We used steel instead of gold because it is fake and steel generally frays these sorts of contracts while gold enhances them."
"Right." Yami fished the pair of rings from a pouch at his waist separate from the pouch where he kept his cigarettes. Steel fraying magical bonds could be exactly what they both needed. He handed the rings to the robed man who took one in each hand and held them up to the sky.
"Circles are unyielding and strong. They have no beginning; they have no end. For this purpose, we use rings to show the strength of our love, of our bond with each other. Like you two, Charlotte, Yami, have forged a bond between you, may that bond ever be as strong as the circle symbolized by these rings." He addressed the crowd without even looking at the "bride" or the "groom". Once he had finished speaking, he turned to Charlotte and placed one of the rings into her hand. She stared at the circle resting in her palm as the officiant turned and faced him.
Yami held out his hand for the ring. The steel of the circle reminded him of the steel of his blade. Steel which severs instead of gold which binds and reminds as it does so that flaws can be beautiful.
He sighed and looked at Charlotte again, feeling a sort of tightness in the strange twisty part inside him. Whatever had been bothering her seemed to have passed. She took a deep breath and let a serene mask settle over her face. On the outside, she had returned to being Her Prickly Majesty, but Yami could still sense a change in her ki, could feel how she also felt all twisted up. She straightened and looked toward him, but her eyes never went past his neck. She coughed and then looked over at him in annoyance. This time she did not avoid his eyes with the glance.
He wrapped his hand around it as the robed man called for their attention once more.
"Can you please put that out? This whole thing may be a farce, but let us at least have the illusion of formality." The officiant hissed through his teeth at Yami.
Yami looked him straight in the eye, took a long drag on the last of the cigarette between his lips and blew it out slowly at the man. He dropped the end of the cigarette on the surface of the platform and crushed out any remaining embers with his toe before returning his attention to Charlotte. Her eyes were closed and her lips were pressed together in a thin line. She shook her head slightly before opening her eyes to roll them at him.
The officiant coughed and waved away the smoke before turning his attention back to the ceremony.
"Now, Yami, take Charlotte's hand."
Yami complied. The lightness of her hand against his still surprised him. He lay his palm flat beneath hers.
"Now prepare to put the ring on her and say 'Bound in blood, bound in mana, this ring is a symbol of my never-ending love and support for you'."
Yami took a deep breath and released it. He finally caught her crystalline eyes, dazzling blue in the sunlight. He slipped the ring onto her finger, never wanting her to take it off.
"Bound in blood, bound in mana, this ring is a symbol of my never-ending love and support for you." He stumbled over the word love. Could it be love? That twisty feeling inside which tightened up when he looked at her?
***
Charlotte had tried once again to compose herself, to face the world with the strength with which she faced every other task, but the look in his eyes as he slipped the steel ring over her finger made her crack inside.
Just as when she had made the mistake of looking at him when he recited the vows, she felt even more strongly now there was truth behind his words and actions. Perhaps it was an unknown truth before, but it was true nonetheless. Her own soul seemed to answer with the truth of its own as she looked at the band now circling her finger. The officiant looked at her.
"Now take Yami's hand, Charlotte and prepare the ring."
She took his hand which dwarfed her own and slid the circle on to his finger up to the first knuckle. The robed man recited the line.
"Bound in blood, bound in mana, this ring is a symbol of my never-ending love and support for you."
Charlotte repeated. As the words passed her lips, a lightness filled her spirit as if a massive weight had been lifted from her heart. Saying the words, which had lived for so long in her heart, felt good and right. She pushed the ring fully onto his finger and looked up at him, smiling. He reached his free hand to her cheek and brushed his thumb across her cheekbone. She chuckled and closed her eyes, feeling tears slip down her cheeks. She didn't care who saw, or that the ceremony had been staged. She didn't care if people saw her as weak for this moment in which she felt her heart soar at his touch. She felt happy for the first time in as long as she could remember.
And when he kissed her again, this time she did not back away.
The cheer which erupted brought her back to reality. She looked out over the crowd, blushing, to see nothing but happy faces. After a moment of looking, she remembered the whole point of the exercise--to convince the nobility to accept the possibility bridal gowns designed by a commoner. She took a step away from Yami's embrace but nestled her hand in his. He squeezed her fingers as if to say they would talk about things later.
She couldn't agree more.
Charlotte looked at her dress and glove, where she knew blood had dripped and stained the fabric. Only the dress was white and blemish-free as if the stain had never been there in the first place.
Julius joined them on stage, standing between the two brides and called up the designer. Charlotte reluctantly pulled free of Yami's hand to turn and spin for the crowd. She said a few words about how wonderful the dress was and how easy it was to move in. She made a point to mention the lack of staining from the binding ritual.
Somehow in the confusion and the presentations, Charlotte didn't notice Yami slip away. But when she turned back to where they had stood together her was gone. She felt a little tube in her spirit, a tightening of sorts or twisting and stretching. She couldn't quite describe how it felt, only that it made her miss him. She looked at the ring he had placed on her finger. She knew something more had happened between them, something deep and unspoken. She wished she could talk to him now though, alone away from prying eyes so they could figure it out.