Jasmine slammed the door of the royal dressing chamber so hard the pearl inlays
rattled. She leaned against the wood, gasping for air, while Jee-shahn stood in the
center of the room, looking down at his Ceremonial Blue robes with a look of deep,
personal ofense.
"You're dragging me again," Jee-shahn noted, his voice flat. "That's the third time
today. I'm starting to feel less like a groom and more like a very expensive piece of
luggage. And you forgot the pears. Do you have any idea how much energy it takes to
compress a Duke? I'm practically starving.""You... you turned a Royal Suitor into marble!" Jasmine shrieked, her pigtails
practically standing on end. She rushed toward a massive cedar wardrobe, throwing
open the doors to reveal the actual wedding attire—a set of layers so complex they
looked like they required a degree in engineering to put on. "My father is pretending it
didn't happen! The Elder Lord is praying for his son's soul while the son is currently
rolling around on a table! We are one mistake away from the entire South declaring
war on us!"
"War is loud," Jee-shahn yawned, sitting on a velvet stool and kicking off his shoes.
"Besides, your father said I shouldn't look like a 'fool.' I think the marble-making was
quite sophisticated. It's a very minimalist approach to problem-solving."
Jasmine ignored him, lunging at him with a sash made of iridescent dragon-eel silk.
She began wrapping it around his waist with such speed it was a wonder he could still
breathe. "No more minimalism! No more 'cleaning'! From this moment until the
ceremony is over, you are a silent, noble, and deeply refined prince from a far-off land.
You don't speak. You don't snap. You just look pretty and wait for the food!"
"Is the food coming soon?" Jee-shahn asked, his head disappearing into a
high-collared tunic embroidered with gold-leaf waves.
"Yes! After the ceremony, there is a feast for a thousand people!" Jasmine snapped,
struggling to pin a heavy sapphire brooch to his shoulder.
Jee-shahn's eyes brightened slightly. "A thousand people worth of food? Well, why
didn't you say so? I suppose I can play 'Prince' for a few hours if it means I get to eat
for a thousand." He looked in the tall silver mirror, seeing the small, regal, and
terrifyingly calm boy staring back.
Just as Jasmine was about to place the final silver circlet on his head, the floor
beneath them gave a strange, low hum. It wasn't the sound of the ocean, nor the
sound of the shrine's machinery. It was a cold, hollow vibration that made the
shadows in the corners of the room stretch just a little too far.
Jee-shahn tilted his head, his azure eyes narrowing. "The 'noise' just changed," he
whispered.
"It's just the ceremony conchs starting up!" Jasmine said, her voice trembling as she
shoved the silver crown onto his head. "Come on! The 'audience' is waiting! Don't kill
anyone until the dessert course!