Edem

The hall was filled with the enthusiastic voices of guests who had gathered from all over the kingdom. This day should have been the happiest for you, but it turned out to be the most terrible day of your life. You were wearing a white wedding dress and holding a bouquet of white roses. The maids whispered that white roses were a symbol of the bride's purity and beauty, but now these flowers were nothing but dirty to you.

The door opened before you. The hall, filled with discussion, suddenly fell silent, and the pianist began your nightmare—the wedding march. Your father, the king, led you to the altar with obvious pride that peace would now reign between the kingdoms, and the groom, standing by the arch of those same white roses, smiled haughtily, sensing his victory over you. All that mattered to this prince was that his bride was of noble birth; the rest was unimportant, for inside he was empty. “The main thing is that it has a beautiful shell, and then you’ll get used to it and fall in love,” your father whispered in your ear as he passed your hand into the palm of the disgusting prince.

The priest was reading prayers, but to you it sounded like another rambling of a madman on the main street... You glanced to the side. There stood your knight. No, not a knight, but truly your beloved—Eden. A small, painful smile appeared on his lips, and a tear rolled down your cheek. Would those nightly walks really end? Would you really never hear his tender "I love you" over the morning birdsong in the garden again? Your hand clutched the hem of your white wedding dress, making a sickening, slightly rustling sound.

Eden stood as expected, fully armed. In his strong hands was a freshly polished sword, reflecting your shared pain. But the pain was reflected not only in the sword, but also in Eden's eyes. Though no one saw it, for the first time in his life, the most powerful knight wept because his love was becoming a wife, but not his. His fingers gripped the hilt of the sword tightly, as if Eden would break loose and sever the heads of anyone who stood in the way of your being together.

You looked at the priest when the prince nudged you in the side: –Are you ready to take Prince Roy as your husband?