the sun and the moon || h.s

n.

The ceremony, the celebration...as Marie and Leopold were guided in and out of corridors towards the consummation chambers, it had all become a blur. Though they'd already been secretly intimate, Marie couldn't fathom the idea of people watching them in bed together. She couldn't bear the thought that they'd be surrounded by wandering eyes, including that of the king and the priest. It was all so...bestial and merciless, and she was truly terrified to have to be subject to this—they both were. Leopold was stoic, however, while Marie had it written all across her face. As they filed into the warmly lit chamber, she refused to look around. She couldn't. "They are not here, my love. It is only you and me..." Leopold's almost silent whisper was but little comfort to the nerve wracked girl, but she nodded anyway. More bodies crowded in and Marie held back her tears as desperately as she could. She allowed Leo to gently untie her silk robe and it fell gracefully away from her body. He hovered over her and she continued to swallow back her fear and the lump in her throat. His own eyes were soft and safe and as she peered into them, he softly caressed her cheek. "I love you, Marie." She simply nods again and feels the bulge tickle her core, before he slowly pushes himself into her. Like before, it's tight and it hurts, but she's more afraid of what comes next. Leo watches her carefully, and he hates the look of fear in her eyes. He doesn't want to do this as much as she doesn't want to, but with awaiting glares from the others, including his father and his brother, he knows he must complete the consummation. With a powerful thrust forward, Marie can't help but cry out loudly as tears fall down and across her face. Harry's eyes had been closed for most of the time, but the sound of the girl he loved...the sound of her painful cries gave him no choice but to open them. As Marie's head fell to the side, her eyes found his devastated ones and she felt as though she was going to be sick. Up until that very moment, she had no idea he was set to be amongst the overseers. She truly wanted to die, but instead, she wept silently. She couldn't look away from Harry for what felt like an eternity, though it was only a couple of seconds. The pain from her husband's insertion was nothing compared to the shredding of her heart. Above anything, the last thing she wanted was for Harry to hurt more than he was already hurting. The look in his eyes quite literally broke her. She felt truly broken and as Leo delivered his final thrusts, she was numb to it all. He moaned her name as he erupted inside of her and she continued to cry silently as they began to pull apart. When Leo climbed off of her, he quickly covered her nakedness with her robe and helped her up with him. She watched a tearful and heartbroken Harry push his way out of the room as the sheets were checked for the blood spotted proof.

"Father..." Leo said towards the King while he protectively held onto Marie's hand. "May we retreat to my chambers?" King Francis nods and lets them pass. The newlyweds walk silently and solemnly through the halls until they reach his chambers. Marie still feels...numb. Certainly not emotionless because she felt completely...disheartened and defeated. She never thought this day would be as hard as it had turned out to be. She wanted to disappear completely and without a single trace. She wanted to comfort Harry, wherever he'd run off to. But as Leo pulled her into bed next to him, she knew that was utterly impossible. Everything was different now. They said nothing for a few moments, and Leo gently drug his fingertips up and down her taut belly. "Marie..." He murmurs softly. The simple whispering of her name has her biting her lip as more tears fall from her eyes. She wants to be anywhere but here. "Oh my love...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry." He pulls her into him and wraps her up in a warm and comforting embrace. He rocks his wife to sleep as she weeps softly in his arms.

+

Marie slept briefly at the beginning of the night, but soon after Leopold drifted off, her body woke her. She laid there and her mind played the night over and over. She saw Harry's sad eyes again and again...she could not, for the life of her, rid the anguish and devastation that overtook his face from her mind. She hated it. She did everything she could to think of something else, but to no avail. Harry haunted her all night long and she tossed and turned and cried silently into her pillow while her husband slept soundly beside her. So as the foggy morning light seeped through the window, Marie slipped out of bed. She tied her robe tightly and moved quietly down the hall towards her chambers.