Chapter 486

486 Wedding Jitters

After the tense run-in with Lord Abari, the four quickly finished up the little bit of work that they had left for the decorations. Shasta couldn’t find any flower arrangements that she liked with her chrysanthemums, so Skye suggested that they make them. They used fake flowers instead, which was why it was turning out to be more expensive than they had planned.

Natural flowers would’ve spoiled before the wedding, and Shasta wanted to keep a set forever without worrying about them crumbling. Lawrence and her were shocked to see how adept Genie was at making them. He had an eye for arranging them, and suggested adding dark-brown twigs to her bouquets to add depth to the colors.

Skye wasn’t surprised by his crafting abilities because she had seen him use them many times before. Making Yuletide gifts with her and Peggy was practically a tradition when Skye was younger. The two shared grins and small snippets about their past in a friendly manner, which had Lawrence flashing Genie odd looks.

He hadn’t noticed before, but the way that Genie looked at Skye sometimes was a bit more than ‘just friendly’ to him. Shasta didn’t see it, at least he didn’t think she had. As the conversations went on, she never let on until they were at dinner that night.

When Lawrence brought it up, Shasta chuckled as she said; “Oh good! I thought it was just me! Honestly, I wonder if he even realizes it himself..”

“He’s probably convinced himself that it’s a ‘brotherly kinda love’ he feels, but he can’t lie to my senses. His heart thumps around her, and his smell gets stronger. His head might be able to deny it, but his body recognizes her as the woman she is.”

Lawrence smiled; “Well, even if he does have feelings for her, it’s clear who has her heart. I’ve only ever seen one couple more in love than my brother and his wife..”

“Who?” Shasta asked with honest interest.

Lawrence laughed out loud, drawing the attention of those closest to them as he replied with a dashing smile; “Us, silly.”

.....

Shasta grinned happily, then leaned in and kissed her future husband. They lingered a few moments longer than what was considered proper, and the crowds instantly went into a tizzy over it. Many close to them cheered and toasted the happy couple, but a few off in the corner made harsh comments that Shasta could hear..

“Ugh.. How can he stand to do that? Isn’t he worried about germs?”

“Right? She is a cat.. I bet she bathes like one, too. Disgusting..”

“Can you imagine waking up to that every day?”

“Ha! At least until He dies.. Don’t forget that she’s already old, and she’ll still outlive our children’s children. The gods made the right choice in not allowing our kind and theirs to procreate-”

“Shh! She’s looking this way..”

Shasta glared at the group of people she usually saw fawning over Karena and Marco. They had been spreading gossip about her, Tidas, and Skye since Marco had left, and she didn’t think that it was a coincidence. Their stories were all too similar for the source not to be the same, but that wasn’t the problem at that moment.

A low growl escaped Shasta as she glared at the group, earning Lawrence’s attention. He saw her ears fluctuating back and forth slightly, letting him know that she was pissed, but trying to hide it. After he had glanced at what she was focused on, Lawrence asked; “What did they say that’s got your tail fuzzing?”

Shasta glanced at her tail, then curled it around herself to hide it as she replied; “Mostly the usual brainless insults, but there was one thing..”

“What thing? I don’t understand dear,” Lawrence raised an eyebrow as he’d spoken.

Shasta flashed as fake smile; “Nevermind, love. It’s nothing.. Did you try the broiled salmon? They seasoned it with lemon, tarragon, and garlic: it’s delicious!”

It was completely obvious that Shasta was purposefully changing the subject, but Lawrence wouldn’t push at her about it now. The banquet room wasn’t somewhere one’s true emotions could be easily shared. Many of the aristocrats would use anything they heard against Shasta, given a chance.

As the night carried on, Shasta’s mood worsened. It got to the point that when Skye had asked her to dance while she played, Shasta had politely refused. When she was asked what was wrong, all Ashe would say was that she didn’t feel good, but wouldn’t let Skye heal her.

It wasn’t until Lawrence was talking with his father, and Skye was playing her violin for everyone that Tidas approached her..

“What turned you into a sourpuss?”

Shasta shrugged; “I’m not, I just don’t feel good.”

“Okay,” Tidas said before he coughed while saying ‘bullshit’ after.

After she stared daggers at him for a moment, Shasta told Tidas what she had heard the nobles saying. He listened intently until she finished, then looked at her with a perplexed expression; “I don’t understand: what exactly has upset you?”

Shasta sighed heavily; “I know that humans age and die much faster than most Fae, and I accepted the fact that I’ll have to watch Lawrence die some day. It was the main reason I hesitated so much in the beginning, but I just want to enjoy the time we have together..”

“But I don’t know if Lawrence realizes it. I’m scared that he’ll try to send me away when he gets old. Trying to ‘spare me’ seeing him grow weak, then die. I couldn’t bear it if he sent me away..”

Tidas put a comforting hand on her shoulder; “I understand why you’re worried, but Lawrence isn’t that selfless. I bet he’ll have you being the one to wipe his-wait, I take that back. Sharp claws..”

Shasta flashed a confused expression, then burst with laughter; “I wouldn’t do it anyways, but I can imagine his face! Hahahahaha!”

“So it takes my brother to put you in a good mood, hmm? I don’t know how I feel about that,” Lawrence joked as he walked over to them.

“Eew,” they replied at the same time.

Lawrence smirked; “I’ll take that as a good thing. By the way: I think Skye might need saving..”

Tidas glanced over at his wife as she danced and played her instrument, and instantly became annoyed to see Lord Abari buzzing around her. He took a step like he was going to go do something about the situation, but Shasta stopped him..

“Don’t worry, I got this,” Shasta stated before she walked over, and started dancing in between them.

Lawrence chuckled as he watched his future wife nearly hit Lord Abari as she was busting a move. It was obvious that she’d done it on purpose, so Abdul gave up on trying to talk to Skye, and went back to mingling amongst the other guests. Both of the women laughed hard, then went back to enjoying themselves.

As the MacArthur men watched their women having fun, Lawrence asked; “So what’s wrong with her? She wouldn’t talk to Me about it..”

Tidas grinned cheekily; “That’s because it was about you.”

Lawrence scrunched his face at his younger brother; “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“...A little, but don’t worry. I think it’s something that you should know, for both your sakes. I can see you two doing stupid things later in life if I don’t tell you now,” Tidas replied.

Lawrence quirked an eyebrow; “Is it that bad?”

“Not bad, but it’s something I hope you realized before you proposed..”

Tidas explained what he and Shasta had talked about, and was shocked to learn that Shasta was worried about something like that. He could never send her away, and knew that he needed to tell her as soon as possible. After thanking his brother, Lawrence walked out into onto the dance floor, and took his fiancée into his arms..

“What’s gotten into you?” Shasta asked as he spun her around in his arms.

“I had a chat with my brother, and I just want you to know: I’m not that ‘good’ of a person,” Lawrence replied as he pressed her against himself.

“What? What do you mean?” Shasta muttered as he dipped her.

Lawrence smiled; “I mean that I’m a selfish man, and if you think I’ll send you away when I’m old to spare your feelings: you’re dead wrong. ‘To have and to hold, in sickness or in health, til death do us part’.. I take these words seriously, Shasta. Just because I’ll be old and wrinkly doesn’t mean I’ll love having a sexy cat woman as my wife any less.”

“...So you promise that I’ll get to stay with you? Even on your deathbed?” she asked with pleading eyes.

“Until my last breath, I want you by my side. I’m sorry that it will bring you pain, but I want my favorite person in the world to be the last thing I see.”

Shasta nuzzled against Lawrence as a light purring noise started to come from her. Seeing their closeness, Skye slowed the music down into a romantic kind of waltz, then played it until the two were done. They all left the banquet hall shortly after, ready to settle in for the night in preparation for the following day.

The rehearsal dinner was tomorrow night, then the wedding the following day, then Skye and Tidas would depart for Sai the next day. It was a lot at once, but Peggy had them covered. She’d been packing up their things and clothes, and sending it to their new home under Tidas’ orders. When they returned from Sai, Tidas wanted to ask his father for some alone time with his wife.

He’d been depressed since he’d learned that Karena was missing. Tidas believed that he was blaming himself for what had happened, since he was the one that had sent her away. He still believed that it was the right decision to make, but the guilt of the situation was beginning to gnaw at him.

Tidas did his best to console him, but the king wouldn’t stop blaming himself for Karena’s disappearance. His health was precarious at best, and both Tidas and Skye worried about leaving for Sai for so long. All they could do was pray that his life still had years on it, and make sure that Doctor Gohan had everything he might need.

Sighing heavily, Tidas walked out onto the dance floor to try and forget his worries.. ‘If Father were to die while we were gone, I can’t even imagine what kind of kingdom we’d come home to.. May you live for a hundred years more, Father..’

As the thought crossed his mind, Tidas yelled out to Skye; “I think it’s time to call it a night, love. We still have packing to do..”