ming and cheering the moment she stepped in. She had asked for the guards to allow some of the commoners in, choosing not to have a close

n alone before meeting up with a male member of the family, who would then give her away. The only other exceptions to this situation

er mother's absence shouldn't phase her this much, afterall the woman had been one of the most vocal about not wan

ched the arms of Aulus. He flashed her a smile of his o

ter did it in front of everyone purposely. She walked down the aisle slowly with Aulus by her

m, bowing a little as a sign of respect before stepping bac

the music, following the movements she had mastered since she was a child, learning the basics of being a royal. The tempo increased and so did her moves, becoming even more fluid as she turned and twir

ling for the band to go faster and luckily, they caught her signal fast. She moved swiftly, but gracefully, light as a sw

hundering drums. She spins, her jewelry catching the ligh

oefully. She could only hope her partner was half as good as she

ed to take the hand of a man she couldn't trust, doomed to her fa

fore shaking off the thoughts she perceived as weak. She was to become Queen and was ch

r all; to them, she was the picture of the perfect bride.

crowd erupted in even bigger cheers, applauding her for her stunning performance. She was certain they would speak about

his own performance. Analeigh frowned in confusion when she noticed the sword on his hand, surely he

hingly as he unsheathed his swor

d of a chilling chorus of flutes. Leonidas stood there, dressed in his ceremonial ro

A tiny smile betrayed his playful mood

not unlike he did when they fought, the sword slicing through the air with

g a boring dancer. He was anything but boring, a skilled swordsman and applying that skill into his performance. It had been decades si

etween them slowly as he stamped the floor in tune with the sound of the drums, powerful and rhythmic, each step exuding confidence. He lunged, a hair

crowd went wild, unaware

is strikes, each more precise and mesmerising than the last. He twirled the sword above his head, then repeated the move that made Ana

lled the hall, audience obviousl

the performance ca

s, poised gracefully as the latter extended his hand to start their dance. Since they never met before this to practice, Analei

eyes reverted on him alone. Leonidas followed, his steps measured and controlled, easily complementing her delicat

ation, marvelling at the way both the bride a

other as they moved in tiny little circles, Analeigh's jewellery

thout saying a word, both feeling the

th ease and lifting them up slowly. Neither of them had looked away for even a

h their breath. Analeigh twirled away, her skirts flaring like a gorgeo

time passing a silent message

lt about all this, knowing Ophelia was ne

nd her husband-to-be catches her flawlessly, twirling her around to the delight of the crowd. The mu

owing and her curtseying, signallin

louder than the previous two as they held their

selves from each other, standi

pairing by the gods and goddesses of our land." T

mansia Dafidi, it is

had been practicing since her trial ended

re unde