Page 41 of Prince of the Northwest Forest
JUSTICE
I should not have come.
Today’s Kalle’s wedding day, and yet I feel like I’m the one who is making some sort of permanent decision. There’s a weight on my chest, and I’m having difficulty breathing.
Which is overly emo. It’s silly for me to be so hung up on a guy I met so recently. A guy who I have no chance with, because he’s straight. Because he’s royal. Because he’s from a different realm.
Tell that to my roiling stomach, though. For a long time, Daryl was my only friend, but Kalle quickly jumped to being a confidant.
Weddings are supposed to be joyous occasions, but that’s when they celebrate the love of the people who are marrying. Not … whatever this is.
I walked to Checkermallow Hollow from my house—it only took about a half hour—and am now sitting in the final row of wooden benches under a bower of trees. Light filters through the needles of the pine boughs, and birds sing overhead. Does Kalle know what they are saying? I bet he does. Are they happy for him?
It is very obvious which realms the assembled guests are from. Those from the Northwest Forest are all clad in shades of green, brown, and blue, like the woods and the wide-open sky. Their wardrobes are homespun, I guess you’d say. I like the style. For example, the man next to me is clad in a muslin shirt with wooden buttons, thick moleskin pants that are a very dark green, and heavy, worn boots that have clearly been cleaned up for the wedding. That detail makes me happy. A sign of respect for their prince.
There’s a group of bears and deer standing off to the side, along with other animals like squirrels and chipmunks. I imagine they are also showing their respect.
On the other side of the aisle is the Fire Realm contingent, wearing mostly black leather with lots of straps and buckles.
Still, amidst all the ceremony, which is very pretty, I feel profoundly sad. I’m never going to be able to take things any further with Prince Kalle. Even if he wanted to.
But after sitting here for fifteen minutes, one overwhelming thought keeps running through my brain: I want to stop this wedding. My heart feels like it’s collapsing, and my stomach clenches. Kalle shouldn’t be marrying a woman he doesn’t know. He shouldn’t be marrying at all. This is wrong.
He is driven by his duty, but my god.Fuck his duty. He needs to be more selfish.
And his selflessness makes him even more incredible.
Kalle stands at the head of the aisle, doing his best to look like he’s not at his execution.
Calling this wedding an execution isn’t fair. I’m being mean. I should let him follow the customs of his realm. I should let what could never be slip away. I should support my new friend.
The woman that Kalle is marrying is now walking down the aisle. A white veil covers her face. The bouquet of dark flowers that she is holding shakes in front of her.
I don’t blame her for shaking. I’d be scared if I were marrying someone I didn’t know.
Her ladies-in-waiting are standing on the other side of Kalle, and they’ve made space for the princess. Everyone in the audience is on their feet.
How much trouble will I be in if I race down the aisle, grab Kalle, steal one of the Fire Realm horses waiting at the entrance, and make off into the woods with him?
Stop it. Don’t be ridiculous.
The princess passes by me. She’s … slight. Young. Maidenly, I guess. Her dress fits her well, with a tight bodice and large full skirts that drag on the pine needles covering the forest floor.
She is walking steadily to Kalle, although it feels like she’s hesitant. I’ve never been to a more somber wedding.
The trumpets fall silent, and the princess is about to walk up the steps to the stage, when a loud bang sounds from behind me. I jump, as do most of the audience.
Everyone turns.
There’s murmuring, which gets louder, and a rustling in the underbrush on the other side of the horses.
Then, a tall person wearing a cloak, a hood concealing their features, bursts out of the woods, accompanied by several people wielding swords.
There’s a sharp intake of breath.
Kalle’s security is on high alert, some of them racing to him while others head to the person in the long robe and cloak. Kalle takes a stance guarding the princess.
“It’s a fae wizard!” the person next to me squeaks. “Or a sorcerer.”
