The Wedding Night

King Ren sat on the balcony of his chamber and stared at the sea. This view always had a calming effect on him. He had spent almost an hour there listening to the waves as they crashed on the shore, contemplating about the recent turn out of events that had crashed his future plans. He was exhausted mentally and physically. He spent the whole day speaking with different people explaining what just happened at the disastrous royal wedding.

Lyserg approached him to beg his forgiveness once more after his closed door meeting with Marco. He couldn't stay angry at his friend. The poor guy did try to tell him but he was always shutting him down. He was too afraid to know the truth especially when his dream of marrying Anna was almost at his fingertips.

A few minutes after speaking to Lyserg, his mother and his sister found him down the hallway and cornered him to demand for answers. They cried and hugged him after hearing his story. They wanted to come to Mont St. Michel to see the baby. Regardless of the circumstances that brought him to the world, the baby was his own flesh and blood. The Taos would exalt a son above anyone else because it would ensure the continuity of their clan.

Then he had to announce to the guests at the ballroom that the wedding would not push through anymore but they could still enjoy the food and drinks prepared for the feast. The cooks would be utterly displeased if the food would not be served as they had been putting so much effort into preparing the meal since morning. Kaminari had spent a lot for the wedding celebration and it would be such a waste of time and money if their guests would not at least partake of the refreshments. Extra people were hired to help with the food service, music, decorations and security. All of them would be expecting to get paid by the end of the day with or without a wedding. So, no, he did not have the time to nurture a broken heart.

Night came and he wasn't able to talk yet to the most important person who needed his explanation. Ren did go to the royal palace garden to check on Anna but he saw her with Yoh Asakura. He was certain it was him although he was dressed like his brother. He spotted the other twin drinking with the medicine man called Faust in the Kaminari palace ballroom. There's no way Yoh would have checked out the bosoms of their female guests.

"Your Highness, your wife er... fiancée.. er... the Kouku queen is here to see you." A palace guard rapped at his door. He had just started his shift that night and might have heard rumors about what had transpired at the wedding earlier.

"Let her in." He called out.

Anna came inside wearing her night gown. "So you've been hiding in your room the whole day?" she asked.

"I thought you went back to Kouku..." He said without looking at her.

"Well, I was supposed to stay here had things not gone awry... Besides, I don't want to leave you in this wretched state." Queen Anna stood next to him. They stared up at the sky in silence.

"I thought you were her when we did it..." The Kaminari king whispered. "I was not in the right mind when it happened."

"Ren, stop... I did not come for your explanation. Your mother and sister went to me separately and told me the same story so I believe them. I believe you... I had to let my anger pass before I can see you."

"Then why are you still here? Yoh went back for you." There was some bitterness in his voice.

"Because my best friend needs me..." The Kouku queen took his hand. The Kaminari king intertwined his fingers with hers.

"So what's your plan?" Anna asked.

"I'll be sailing for Mont St. Michel in two days. I will go see my son and Jeanne. Mother and Jun will be the advance party. They will leave tomorrow morning with Marco. They will be stopping by Jun's place first so Mother can visit Father."

"Ren, let me come with you... You don't have to do this alone... I may have not been a lover to you most of the time but I have and will always be your best friend..."

The king nodded and kissed her hand. And for the rest of the night, they sat next to each other staring up at the starry sky.