26. Stella

This has quite possibly been the longest week of my life.

Erullian weeks are eight days, so that's already long, but this one felt like six months. When the entire country comes to a standstill to host your wedding… How do you deal with that?

I don't even like celebrating my birthday. At the office, when someone asks about my birthday I give them a vague date six months in future. I've done that several times now. No award office birthday parties for me. I'm timeless!

So this whole royal wedding is basically my worst nightmare.

Except for the part where I'm marrying my dream husband, King En'Zal of Zalleria. That part I'm okay with.

But the intricate dress? The being gawked at? The having to make a speech that'll be part of this planet's history for all eternity? That part I could do without.

But… I'm not doing this for me. I'm doing it for En'Zal. I'm doing it for Zalleria. That's all that matters.

Khi'Zal and Ilyara have been a great help. Khi'Zal has talked me through every little detail, and Ilyara has helped me find the perfect dress. I'm as prepared as I can be for the biggest day of my life.

That's what I tell myself as I enter the grand chapel.

It's completely packed and beautifully decorated, but all I see is him. My husband-to-be. His broad shoulders fill out his ceremonial garb, and the golden crown on his head reflects the light filtering in through the dome above.

My fiancé. My love. My king.

I walk towards him. There are countless eyes on me, but strangely, I don't care about that at all. En'Zal's eyes are beaming with pride, and that's all that matters to me.

He holds out his hand for me, and I grab it. We look into each other's eyes for a moment, neither of us having to say a word…

And then the glass dome above us shatters.