Chapter Text
War has a dilemma, and no it's not the fact that he will be wedded to a random stranger, well to be a little better a random elite stranger, so he’s not going to gush about it. His dilemma is funny if you think about it. He doesn’t know where his palanquin is. War should have listened closely when the matchmaker was giving him the instructions. Think War, think!
He groans in frustration, War mentally recorded to never again be distracted by a very beautiful butterfly that was flying around the garden, like it was enticing him. Yes. The first thing that he can remember was the palanquin was red. Well the one in front of him was red alright. Well, at least the two palanquins are both red. The next thing he can remember was that his ‘bridal’ veil has a golden swan, or was it a duck? War looked at the veil that was sitting in the two palanquins. The first one had a couple of golden ducks as the embroidery, and on the second palanquin there rested a red veil with a golden swan embroidered on it. The embroidery work was fine and it screamed wealth . War shrugged, took the 2nd veil, and just hurried to get in the palanquin since the auspicious time is about to come and the people who will be carrying and bringing him to his new ‘family’ would be there at any moment and it would be bad luck if anyone aside from his to be wedded- husband sees him without the wedding veil. War hurriedly put on the wedding veil making sure that it had covered his face properly.
War never really thought of getting married, he was set on being his parent’s caretaker when they got old but as the older people say, fate would always have a different plan from the plan that you have set for yourself. War will never blame his parents for whatever decisions they made, well maybe a little jaundiced on this one but was War going to blame his parents as a peasant born that needs to feed a child? Of course not. If being wed as a lowly concubine to the son of his parent’s debtor would somehow make his and his parent’s life a little better then War would willingly proceed with this marriage without any more questions asked.
“Lift the palanquin!” screamed both of the matchmakers present in the place. War could hear the people's whispers of congratulatory for both of the ‘Brides’ and he didn’t miss some of the whispers about the other bride as the Crown Prince's consort. Well, lucky for that person then. May they both have a peaceful marriage. War said his well wishes in the air.
I heard that the crown prince will be marrying a noble, but the rumors say that it's a he.
The crown prince was arranged to marry that nobleman, it wasn’t his highness's own will.
There’s even a rumor that the crown prince actually didn’t want to be wed but his queen dowager begged him to get married even without bearing an heir. So the king and queen consort had picked a very beautiful noble person to marry the crown prince.
War liked that the people who were carrying his palanquin liked to chatter around, it was making him entertained making him less nervous about the future that will be handed to him hopefully on a silver platter. His thoughts were cut off when he felt the marching stop and the palanquin was slowly being put down, his sense was on high alert, and he could hear the pitter-patter of the people outside. War wanted to check the outside and what was happening but it was a big taboo for the ‘bride’ to step out of the palanquin without his ‘husband’ guiding him out of it.
“The royal decree!” shouted one of the people outside. Now that caught War’s attention. War thought that they had already separated from the royal consort’s parade but it seems like they still haven’t. War listened intently, this would be a fun story for his parents. Imagine having the same wedding day as the crown prince. Fancy
“The to-be royal consort has already tied his marriage with the crown prince, he will be paraded to the people, letting them meet the future consort of the next king. They are not expected to bear any heir as part of the conditions but the king had arranged an auspicious date for the crown prince and the royal consort to pick a child that they will be adopting, This will happen during the fortnight of the couple's marriage. “ War had his eyebrows raised on the royal decree. Parading the royal consort and adopting an heir?
“The matchmaker will be accepting the royal decree on behalf of the bride”
“Raise the Palanquin!” shouted one of the people outside. War again could feel the palanquin he was in being carried again and the march continued. Why did his march have to stop too when the royal decree was only for the future royal consort? War thoughts but shrugged it away since it’s his first time hearing a royal decree being announced. War let the thought pass.
The ride to the place of his future husband was a little far that War had slept a little, he was only awoken when he felt that the palanquin had stopped and he could faintly hear the boisterous music that was coming from the band, it was tell-tale that he was already near the place where he would be wed. anticipation bubbled in him, he might be marrying a stranger but that also means a whole new place and things to explore. He’s afraid too but he’s trying to look at the brighter side of this whole ordeal.
When the palanquin’s curtain that was effectively hiding War was opened, he could not help but feel more nervous no scratch that he was scared. All of his self-pep talks were all thrown in the window when he saw the hand of his future husband, he could feel his hand go clammy, breathe in, breathe out war, breathe. With shaky hands and shaky breath, war grasped the hand that was waiting for him and his first thought was warm, soft. That lessened the eruption of chaotic feelings inside him. He felt safer when he felt the light squeeze that the other person did.
“Just breathe,” The other person said with his ever cool voice, making War swoon a little.
War zeroed out his attention to the warm hand that was guiding him, War calmed himself and the next thing he knew, he was being guided again but now to face his yet faceless husband. The wedding will be starting.
“Bow to heaven and earth”
War did and he could faintly see that his husband did the same. War never really thought that he would be hearing these vows as the person being wed and not just the random bystander who wishes all the best to the couple.
“Bow to the ancestors”
War could see the outline of the parents of his husband but something was amiss. The story was his husband only had a father but why does this one have a wife? Did they use one of the father’s concubines as a proxy for this wedding? That seems to be wrong.
“Bow to the parents”
“Bow to each other” War let out a shaky sigh of relief when he had finished the first part of the ceremony, he was so ready to just throw away the veil and act like he doesn’t exist at the manor of his husband. He was done being the behaved ‘bride’.
The announcement made by the matchmaker made War break off cold sweat.
“I present to everyone, the Crown Prince and his Royal Consort”
Shit.