SWNOVELS Chapter 27
"I wanted to see you, one last time before tomorrow." He says reaching down to grab my hands as he pulls them up to his chest.
"You need to go please." I say smiling at him. He leans in and kisses me then bows slightly allowing the door to close between us. I look over at Meldow who already has the table set up. I sit down with her. We are quiet for a moment.
"What is wrong?" she asks looking at me. I may not be the best at hiding my emotions. Or the fact that I am in deep thought.
"Why didn't he tell me?" I ask as I played a bit with my food.
"He is his job, and nothing interferes with that. You've already meet our, well my older sister. She is the doctor. Katherine does not use her last name because she is not yet married and she wishes not to be treated as his younger sister. She is very independent. The only one you haven't met is our baby sister and you probably won't till all this is finished. She is still at home." She says. I am a bit surprised that she knew what I was asking about.
"I guess I understand but I didn't know his sisters where here. How old are you?" I ask just trying to make small talk after I sort of accused her brother of hiding something from me. She doesn't seem to be bothered by it at all, yet I still feel somewhat uncomfortable.
"Well we go in consecutive years my brother is twenty-six, Katherine is twenty-five, I am twenty-four, and my little sister Clara is twenty-three." She replies.
"So is Meldow your actual name?" I ask.
"No." She says with a laugh. "You can call me Melena, it's my first name. I am married so my last name is that of my husbands who actually is part of the deck crew."
"Wow. You have a big family. I wish I had more of a family but I don't. It's just me. My mom was not able to have any more children after me and since I was her first I spent my youth with my father and every once in a while his brother would bring his children over." I actually have made it halfway through my meal; I am full but I sit there still talking to her.
"Having siblings is not all it is cut out to be. We fight a lot and sometimes we don't talk for long periods of time. Although, my sisters did play an important role in my own marriage, they were my bride's maids." I look up at her confused.
"What is that?" she laughs at me again. I don't think anyone has told her how completely clueless I am when it comes to other cultures or even most of my own due to my upbringing.
"It is usually a position of honor given to a friend or family member. They are the ones who help you with all the plans as well as they stand beside you at the altar to support you in your decision." I sit in silence for a few minutes. I don't really have any friends. The fact she is the only one who really took the time to sit down and talk with me. She has also been a huge help in making my dress.
"I know that Patrick seems to like tradition, so if this is part of the tradition, I would like if you wanted to, if you would be my bride's maid. I can make a dress or you can use one I already have made." I ask her and stand from the table to go into the bedroom and brought out a few dresses that I had made.
"It would be an honor." I smile she is the first friend I have ever had. We finish diner and she gets ready to takes the trays back to the cafeteria herself.
"I should definitely get back to my own dress just let me know if you can't fit them or if you want a new one." I say and she nods as she heads out of the door.
The sleeves, all lace, where long with a tight fitting upper sleeve to the elbow where I allowed for the sleeves to slowly become loser at the ends. The top of the dress fit perfectly as I have attached the skirt and sleeves and am now able to try it on. I allowed the skirt to fit the waist tightly from the waist down to flow out creating a terrain to flow toward the back. I just had to create the very last piece. I took a white lace and some other materials and created a veil by taking one of my hair bands and wrapped the material around and attached it. Some of the other materials I found and created small flowers and attached them to the top of the band where it would fold out of my face as well. I took a three-inch strip of the beige and then put it as a belt around the dress. I tied a bow in the back and then let the loose ends fall to the full length of the back. Went I was finished with the dress I tried it on one last time to make sure everything fit the way it was supposed to. I then took a mannequin and draped the dress over it. This was a special dress after all and I didn't want it on the floor or just hanging in the closet that Patrick had cleaned out for me to use.
"Hey I like this one but it's a bit too long. Oh wow that is absolutely gorgeous." She says upon seeing the final dress. She has been gone a really long time but I didn't ask why. She had come back in while I was in the bedroom changing and I hadn't noticed. She has picked out the red one with the gloves from the ones I had laid out on the couch for her to choose from.
"Okay try it on so I can pin it." I say and she walks into the bathroom and back out with it on. I had her stand on one of the chairs and measure the bottom of the dress appropriately. I have to pin up some other areas to fix it to fit her properly.
"You really have a gift with this stuff." She says as she steps down and goes into the bathroom to take off the dress. I myself step back into the room to take off my wedding dress. We both come out at the same time and she came out handing me the folded dress.
"I will start it in the morning I am really tired." She smiles. It won't take but a few minutes to alter it the way it needs.
"Of course you have a big night tomorrow get some sleep." I walk into the bedroom already changed into a gown. I lay in the bed and roll over pulling the cover up over me. All of the excitement today has left me extremely tired and it takes no time at all for me to fall asleep. Even with the last dream of my father lingering in the back of my mind. I feel so exhausted that everything fades quickly as I drift into dreams of what the next day will hold. I see myself walking toward Patrick while I am walking through a decorated cafeteria full of every crew member setting in seats to either side. My heart skips a beat as I feel as though something pinches me but it fades and so did my dreams of the wedding. I feel as though I am floating through space with nothing around me.
I find myself strolling through the markets of my home planet. I can't believe how real it fells as I slowly stroll through the streets filled with people. There are children running and playing, as well as shop keepers yelling and persuading people to buy their goods. I look to the side and see some delicious fruits sitting in baskets and start to reach for one.
"Laoonica." I look toward the end of the role of fruit stands and see my father standing there. I leave the fruit as my hand went through it and it fades away. The entire scene changes to appear to be the throne room in my castle and my father is now sitting on the throne as I approach him I just stare at him. He looks back at me with a strange smile on his face.
"I know you don't approve of my getting married, but without you I don't have anyone. They won't listen to reason so I must do this. He loves me and I do him as well." I wait impatiently for his responds.
He sits in silence for a moment as it seems he looks right through me for a second or two before he smiles and looks at me. "My child I do not blame you for seeking comfort with all you have been through. Life has not exactly been fair to you of late and you need someone you can lean on."
"So what are you saying?" I ask and again the scene changes and we are hovering over the streets with all of the people below us. He looks a bit different than he did in the last dream and he seems to keep more of a distance from me.
"Look at our people do you see them as happy as they were before we left. I wish my brother would take my throne, your mother does not deserve it." He says and I look at him strangely. Does he not know? He moves away from me every time I move toward him.
"Father, do you not know, after your death our home was destroyed." Perhaps in death he couldn't see what had happed to the living after he passed. He seems to be very lacking in knowledge and so different than before.
"Was it now? Well you would be queen after your marriage, but with your, soon to be, husband's responsibilities you would have to name your predecessor." I look at him. I am at this point very confused.
"What duties does Patrick have?" But he doesn't answer me.
"My brother has two sons and he will make a great leader. If he were the eldest I think he would have been a better king, then I." I can't understand why he did not know of the disaster, but not to upset him I simply listen. "He is kind and caring and he loves our people very much so. Yes, indeed it should be him to take your place. You will be expected to follow your husband my dear." I look at him but don't reach out to touch him instead I look at the people beneath us. It is strange to see them this way as my father had always told me that we were all equal. That we were all interdependent and that we as the rulers were the actual servants meant to do what was best for the greater good.
"So do you or don't you agree with this marriage?" I ask. I try to change the subject as he only confuses me with his refusal to accept the fate of our home.
"I did not like the idea at first, but new light has come to my eyes. He is a good man and will live out his live trying to correct the past; Even though it was not caused by him or his father." I am so very confused at this point as it seems he is avoiding actually answering my question all together.
"Father what light do you speak of?" I ask as try to word my questions in ways I thought he might answer better.
"It is a matter of which I can only tell you certain things about as you will have to find out more for yourself my precious baby girl." He doesn't speak to me the same as he had before and it is so much more confusing. Perhaps being dead had scrambled his brain a bit.
"I don't understand why can you not just come out and tell me what all these riddles mean father. I was never good at solving them you know this." I say letting out a frustrated growl at his refusal to answer anything I ask.
"You are smarter and braver then you think Laoonica. I want you to be happy and that is all that matters." He says as the surrounding has begun to fade into a blackness that surrounds us both.
"Father must you go so soon." I know that our time is almost up as he began to fade slowly out as well. I just want some straight answers not this confusion he has left me in. Why must everything be so difficult in these dreams.
"I must indeed go my child. I will not be the only visitor you will have tonight." He says as he fades further. I look anxiously at him wanting more time with more questions now than before.