12 - The Wedding - Draft

Aisha went to Darcy’s room to deliver the news of what Prince Shar thought of her. Darcy was more interested in just being in Aisha’s presence than what the Prince thought. Aisha had trouble getting her to focus.

“I love you too. But please listen to me. This is important,” Aisha said in exasperation. “I’ve told you exactly what he said. I believe that he’ll be asking the Queen for your hand in marriage. You need to seriously consider if this is what you want. While I love my brother, he is a man rooted in patriarchal customs and beliefs. Queen Narcissus has already promised him the throne. You will be his mere puppet for the rest of your life. While I love you and want nothing more than to be with you, this isn’t for the faint of heart. Are you even listening to me?”

“I love you. I would suffer the slings of a thousand arrows for just one night with you.”

Aisha couldn’t help but laugh. Darcy had a way of making everything sound like a fairy tale that ended with happily ever after. She tried to compose herself and talk seriously again but there was no use. Darcy just continued to speak of love while kissing her hands. Sometimes she wondered if Darcy ever truly lived in reality.

The next morning Darcy was awoken by Beatrice who summoned her to the Queen’s chambers. When Darcy arrived, she was met by the Queen, Prince Shar and Aisha.

“Welcome, my child. We have delightful news. Prince Shar here has proposed marriage to you and I have accepted. We were thinking of a summer wedding so that those from Dunya will be more comfortable. They aren’t exactly accustomed to our mild climate now are they? We have so much yet to discuss but it will be a blending of our two cultures and religious beliefs. This way everyone is pleased. Anyways, as I’ve said we have much to discuss so run along. We will summon you when necessary for photos, press releases, etc. Goodbye and congratulations my dear.”

To this Darcy bowed and made her exit. Queen Narcissus and Prince Shar were grinning from ear to ear and acting like proud little peacocks. Aisha looked mournful, sorry and sad. Darcy had been dismissed and discounted by Narcissus her entire life. It rarely bothered her anymore but the look on Aisha’s face made her blood boil. She could take most abuse but to hurt someone that she loved was almost too much to bear.

Aisha spent most of her time with wedding preparations after that. Prince Shar said that weddings were the art of women and he trusted Aisha to incorporate a bit of Dunya in the event. Dealing with both her brother and Narcissus all day took the life out of her. They haggled, argued and compromised over every last detail. Aisha felt like screaming, “Who cares.” on numerous occasions. She would sometimes intercede to get it over with. When they were arguing about the color of the napkins, green for Dunya or orange for Jahim, Aisha told them to just have both. It was ridiculous.

The little time that Darcy got to spend with Aisha was spent listening to her vent about the two self centered idiots that she had spent the day with. Although Darcy felt sorrow and pain for the suffering of her beloved Aisha, she cherished every moment that they had together. Darcy felt like she was lost without her by her side. They found comfort in each other. Aisha’s strength and love made Darcy feel secure in such an insecure place. Darcy’s over the top love and devotion to Aisha made Aisha feel like anything was possible and turned a cloudy day into the brightest of days.

While Darcy was never included in the wedding plans or even agreed to marry, she dutifully went to all of the required parties, photo shoots and press releases. As was always the case, she was told what to wear, where to stand and what to say.  This was easy for her.

For Aisha though, she couldn’t help but feel that Darcy was giving away her soul just to be with her. She felt like she was delivering the lamb to the slaughter more and more as the wedding fast approached.

Dread filled Aisha on Darcy’s wedding day. She awoke in Darcy’s arms and begged her to stop the wedding. She had had a dream of a black malehfa, the wedding dress of Dunya covered in blood.

“Don’t worry, Habibati. It was just a dream. This life may not be perfect but every moment with you is perfection. A day with you is worth a million of torture. I will gladly walk through hell for you. It’ll be okay. Cheer up. Ahaybeck, Hayati!” Darcy said trying to ease Aisha’s fears.

Darcy’s sweet words didn’t alleviate her fears but she put on a brave face for Darcy. Aisha helped adorn her for the first part of the day’s events, the Dunya style wedding. She tried to smile extra hard as she wrapped her in the black cloth that she feared would become her shroud. The final act before leaving for the great hall was to place the headpiece of cascading gold coins on top of her head. Aisha couldn’t help but notice how ghostly Darcy looked with her pale skin peeking out from all of that black fabric. She kept this to herself though. Instead she smiled brightly and told her how beautiful she looked.

Aisha walked with Darcy arm in arm to the entrance of the great hall before handing her off to Narcissus and entering to take her place beside Shar.

“Darcy, this will be a great alliance between Dunya and Jahim. The fate of Jahim rests in your hands. Do NOT disappoint me. My legacy rests in your bastard hands,” Narcissus said threatening her only child. She put on a fake smile and saccharine voice before saying, “Here we go. All smiles now. It’s the happiest day of your life. Remember that,” as she led her into the great hall.

All eyes were focused on them as they made their entrance. Everyone was smiling and the women were wiping a tear from their eyes. Everyone except for Aisha. A fake smile was plastered on her face that everyone could see right through. Most assumed that it was jealousy over her brother being married first. If only that were the case.

They sat down on a couch opposite of Prince Shar and Aisha. A member of their clergy sat in a chair between them holding a large book with a golden, leather cover. Once they were seated, he began the ceremony.

“We are here to witness the marriage between Prince Shar of Dunya and Princess Darcy of Jahim. Since this is a blended marriage with both sides in attendance, I shall explain as we go for those from Jahim.

As is our custom, Prince Shar will give Princess Darcy a dowry that is hers to do with as she pleases. The amount was negotiated between Queen Narcissus and Prince Shar. While the amount is being kept private to avoid idle gossip, it has been placed in trust for the Princess.

Since this has been taken care of, we move on to ensuring that the bride and her family are in agreement to the wedding. Queen Narcissus has given her consent. I will ask the bride for her consent.

Princess Darcy de Narcissus, do you agree to enter into a marriage contract with Prince Shar of Dunya who sits here before you?”

Before Darcy could answer, Narcissus whispered in her ear to remain silent or else. While confused by this request, Darcy didn’t utter a single word.

After a lengthy pause, the man continued, “As per our custom, the absence of a refusal is considered to be her consent. This is due to the shy nature of women.”

To this a light chuckle could be heard throughout the room. Once the chuckles subsided, he began again, “We will now have Prince Shar and Princess Darcy record their names in the register of marriages for the Royal house of Dunya.” They both complied as he continued, “I will recite a prayer over the couple as they sign and this will conclude the ceremony. May their lives be blessed with many sons to carry on the throne of Jahim.”

The man then recited a prayer in the language of Dunya. Upon its conclusion, he departed, signaling the guests to make their way to the reception in the ballroom.

Prince Shar bowed slightly towards Darcy and the Queen before exiting. When only Narcissus, Darcy and Aisha remained, Narcissus gave her final threat to Darcy. “Since it isn’t customary for the parents to remain long for the Dunya reception, I must trust that you will NOT dishonor your family or country. Sit quietly, do not make a spectacle of yourself and do as Prince Shar says. Do you understand?”

A whimpered yes was all that Darcy could eke out. It was enough to satisfy Narcissus who made her exit to the ballroom. Aisha escorted Darcy in and to the head table beside Prince Shar. All of the men were seated on the side of the room nearest to the Prince while the women were seated on the side where Darcy was to sit. Aisha sat next to Darcy, opposite her brother.

There were a few feet between Darcy and Shar for the sake of modesty. To delight the crowd he would occasionally lean towards her to speak or wrap his arm around her shoulder to show that she was now his property and could therefore touch her. The prince seemed to delight in grabbing her arm or shoulder at will. The men in the crowd began talking of the night to come which only encouraged this behavior. Darcy thought for sure she’d be black and blue before the end of the night.

When the crowd became a bit more raucous, Narcissus stood to address the room. “I believe that it is time for me to make my exit so that you younger people can enjoy your evening. I just want to thank you all for being a part of this wonderful day that should delight the peoples of both our countries. I entrust the remainder of the evening to my son in law, Prince Shar of Dunya who will undoubtedly give Jahim a male heir to continue on the throne after us. Mabruk!”

The crowd cheered the Queen as she exited the room, much to her delight.

Towards the end of the evening, Aisha and a few female servants from Dunya carried out the tradition of stealing the bride. Normally the women in attendance would hide the bride in one of their houses, forcing the groom and his men to hunt for her and pay for her return. Since Aisha was the only female guest from Dunya in attendance, she had to employ the help of the servants. It wouldn’t be much of a hunt considering it was in the palace and Aisha’s room was the only hiding place.  Still it amused the men.

This running away and hiding was the only part of the day that Darcy actually enjoyed. She was away from the grabbing hands of Prince Shar and was with Aisha whom she was never disappointed to be with.

It didn’t take long for the male search party to arrive at her door. A friend of Prince Shar negotiated the release of the bride with many laughs and banter between him, Aisha and the crowd. Once the price was reluctantly agreed upon, Prince Shar paid Aisha with much fanfare.

Prince Shar took Darcy to his room as his friends hooted and hollered the whole way. Darcy wanted to stay with Aisha so much. She dreaded the night ahead.