Why, after all she’s done, was she not allowed to stay? Didn’t she save the world and live up to her role as a hero?

All she wanted was to live out her days in peace with the woman she loved, but even that was taken away from her.

“Siera... what are you doing now?”

For all of Rebecca’s efforts, the dreaded day still came. All the cards were against her, and this time, Siera was not by her side. Sometimes, she wondered if everything that had happened was a dream. Was the time in that world just a product of her imagination? A mere fever dream.

If not for the mark that Siera left in her soul, she might really have convinced herself that everything had been a lie. Even now, that line stood strong, reaching out into the ether.

Somewhere on the other side of that line, in a place that she could never go to again, was the one she loved.

 

Rebecca dragged her feet, but the men in black behind her pressed close, silently forcing her forward. The solemn procession made its way toward the grand cathedral where the wedding would take place. The atmosphere fit a funeral better than a celebration.

A world like this should just disappear.

The cool, conditioned air washed over her as she walked through the large doors, freezing her bare shoulders. The white wedding dress hung heavy on her body. The sound of her heels against the polished floor grated on her ears. Each moment was tortuous.

As Rebecca sat in a cramped waiting room, swarmed by maids in waiting who fussed over meaningless details about her appearance, the door opened, and an old lady walked in. The lady’s eyes gleamed with scheming intelligence. At the sight of her, the maids straightened at once and left, until the only people that were left were Rebecca and the old woman.

The woman smiled, bright and smug.

“The big day’s finally here, my dear. Aren’t you excited?”

Rebecca didn’t bother to humor her with an answer. Both of them knew the answer to that question, but the old woman seemed to take a sick pleasure in reminding her of it. As if the current situation wasn’t plain enough.

The woman was the old Duchess Cossmere.

If everything went dreadfully right today, the old duchess will be her mother-in-law.

Rebecca turned her back. As the silence dragged on and Rebecca maintained her silence, Cossmere heaved an exasperated sigh. “I just don’t understand why you are so opposed to this union with my Beneviere? This is good for both of us! You will still be the precious princess that everyone loves...no, you’ll be the queen! Nothing will change for you. Unlike now, the other families won’t try to undermine your position, and this country will remain at peace. You have nothing to lose, no? Look at the bigger picture.”

Rebecca sneered, looking at the woman for the first time that day, no longer hiding the anger and frustration in her eyes. “Look at the bigger picture? Surely, you must be joking. It’s you who can’t see the picture because of your greed!” Her voice grew louder and louder until she was almost shouting. “Do you really think that no one knows the truth behind the accident that you and your traitorous family planned?!”

The old woman choked on her breath at the outburst and her eyes darted around, as if looking for any listeners. But before Rebecca could enjoy her panic for long, the old woman regained her composure. She coughed and cleared her throat. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Keep pretending.”

“Hmph. Say whatever you wish, little girl. There is no one here to listen.”

Rebecca gritted her teeth, glaring at the woman standing before her.

Oh, how she wished she had her trusty sword with her at this very moment! She wished to cut this witch in front of her down! No, more than that, she itched to throttle the old woman with her bare hands, choking the life out of her slowly, watching the light die from that damned woman’s eyes.

Even without the strength she possessed in the other world, Cossmere was just a regular old woman. It would be so easy... 

With a deep breath, Rebecca calmed herself. She let go of the wire that she had hidden in the folds of the dress.

If Duchess Cossmere dies here, the country will be embroiled in a deadly civil war. As the princess, she could not allow that to happen to her citizens. As much as she hated the old hag, Cossmere was right. For the country, this marriage was the best outcome. The Cossmere family made sure of that.

This plot has been long in planning. The moment her father and brother died in that car accident, it was all over. Even if she hadn’t fallen into that coma that sent her to Siera’s world, nothing would have changed. She was only nineteen then, sheltered, without responsibility, and all too naive.

Cossmere grinned. Feeling victorious, she turned and walked out. Before she closed the door, she pointed at a clock hanging on the wall. “One hour left.”

One hour...

A face appeared in Rebecca’s mind, and a tear slid down her cheeks. “Siera...”

There was only one hour remaining. A million thoughts tumbled around, making a mess of her mind.

If only she had never fallen into that coma. Perhaps then, she would not have found herself in that other world, and she wouldn’t have met that person. Those years they spent together would not exist, and she would remain as clueless as she had been.

Ignorance was bliss.

If that episode of her life never happened, she would not be suffering so much right now, thinking about what could have been. Yet, Rebecca could not bring herself to resent the time she spent together with Siera.

“Rebecca... look at you now. Are you still the one I know and love?”

She could hear Siera’s voice.

 

The hour passed by in a flash, yet at the same time, it felt like an eternity. In that hour, Rebecca managed to compose herself.

When the hour drew near, a handful of maids came in for a final check. Rebecca closed her eyes and allowed them to do as they wished, even as her mind flew, plotting murderously. If the Cossmeres think that they won with just this, they have another thing coming.

She didn’t react even when those shaded men came for her and led her toward the center of the church, where a white haired man waited for her.

She recognized him.

“Uncle...” The accusation was clear in her voice.

Her uncle shrugged. “There’s nothing I can do. This is the best outcome for all of us...”

Before they could talk any more, loud and joyous music came from the grand hall of the church, and once again, the men in black pressed close. Rebecca took the hint and began to walk. As she stepped over the threshold, coming from the dark side halls into the brightly lit hall, she plastered on a fake smile.

She swept the faces in the audience and found that she didn’t recognize most of them. Cossmere’s cronies, no doubt, who came to power when she was unconscious.

At the same time, the presence of the faces she did recognize chilled her heart.

Of the five Grand Duchies in the country, representatives from two more were here. Of the two that weren’t, one had his own ambitions, and the other was a close friend of her father. There were more familiar faces too.

The foreign minister. The minister of the treasury. Half a dozen generals.

All of them, smiling and cheering and clapping as she walked down the center aisle. The Cossmere family really did have the whole country in their hands, and the only thing they lacked was a connection to the royal family to give them legitimacy.

Rebecca could hardly breathe, and when a pair of gloved arms wrapped around her, drawing her close in front of the altar, she almost threw up. It was Beneviere Cossmere, who she once thought of as a brother. He looked down at her, a gentle smile on his face, even as greed and ambition burned in his eyes. A thick stench of roses burned her nose.

“Finally...” she heard him whisper.

With a barely disguised gag of disgust, Rebecca shook him off, trying to resist the urge to strangle him. There was no point in pretending in front of this crowd. Even if she shouted that the Cossmere family planned the death of her father, those present would simply shrug or maybe even clap. Traitorous snakes, all of them.

“Fine. There will be plenty of time later.” Beneviere didn’t touch her again. Instead, he looked at the archbishop who stood by the altar with a book in his hands, signaling with his eyes to begin.

And begin, the archbishop did.

“...my good friends. We have been invited here today, in the presence of The Holy Spirit Who Watches, to share in the celebration of this wonderful marriage...”

“...guided by The Spirit’s love and kindness, we celebrate the grand union of Prince Beneviere Cossmere, and her Royal Highness Princess Rebecca...”

After a long speech, the holy man turned from the cheering audience to Rebecca and the man beside her. Rebecca glared back, to no avail. Just as she was about to look away, she heard a small crack somewhere in the distance. A tingle crawled down her spine. At first, she thought it was Beneviere touching her again, but his arms were by his side.

What...?

That was when something entered her, a smooth and familiar flow that spread a wave of warmth through her body.

The archbishop droned on, moving on to the vows. “Before the All-Seer and all present, I ask you to affirm your willingness to bond together as one, and to share all the joys and sorrows through blessings and hardships, whatever the future may hold.

“Prince Beneviere, do you take this woman to be your wife in the eyes of the Spirit? Do you promise to love her, completely and willingly, withholding nothing, as long as you both shall live?”

Beneviere’s eyes glowed and he flashed a brilliant smile. “I do!”

“Will you honor her, comfort her, and take care of her, in sickness and in health, until the end of your days?”

“I will!”

Cheers erupted from the audience, but to Rebecca, the noise was but a muted buzz in her ears. She closed her eyes and faced the ceiling, feeling the air around her grow rich with life. And she breathed.

With that breath, deep inside her, a dried well shook as water seeped through the parched earth, the flow growing until it became a huge torrent that blew through all obstructions to form a powerful spring. A mote of light that had been long dormant stirred and then jumped up in joy, flying around the rejuvenated soulspring.

A breeze ruffled Rebecca’s hair, causing her dark locks to sway.

“Wind?” In the front row, Duchess Cossmere furrowed her brows, muttering to herself. “Did someone turn the air conditioning on too high?”

Putting aside that strange wind that she felt blowing through the building, things were not going as she expected. She had thought that Rebecca might start trouble and throw a tantrum or she might accept reality and remain obedient. What she hadn’t predicted was...whatever that girl was doing, just standing there with her eyes closed. As if she was waiting for something.

Unease rose up deep within her despite her efforts to chase it away.

“No...we’ve prepared for this for years. Nothing will go wrong. Nothing...”

As Duchess Cossmere fretted to herself, the ceremony went on, with the archbishop carrying on with the vows. Even when she didn’t reply, the archbishop simply continued as if she had answered yes. No one complained.

When the time came to exchange rings, the old Duke Cossmere rose from beside his wife.

From his pocket, he produced a box and within it sat two precious rings that glistened in the light.

This whole time, Rebecca had remained still and silent except for her chest that rose and fell. But when Beneviere tried to take Rebecca’s hand to slide on the ring, he found that he could not move her. It was as if he was trying to lift the hand of a marble statue.

The old duke frowned. “What’s wrong, son? Hurry. The sooner the ceremony is done, the sooner you become king!” he hissed through his teeth.

Even if the old duke hadn’t said anything, Beneviere would’ve tried again, but no matter how much strength he used, Rebecca’s hand would not budge even a fraction of an inch. It was as if her dainty arms had turned into a bar of iron.

“Beneviere!”

“I-I can’t!”

“What?!”

Whispers rippled through the audience as Duchess Cossmere’s face turned pale. She tried to stand, but to her horror, she found that she couldn’t. She couldn’t move anything except her eyes. She could do nothing but watch as a black jagged crack broke the air in front of the altar.

“Take your hands off her this instant!” A booming voice echoed through the cathedral.

The crack grew wider and wider until a beautiful woman floated through with otherworldly grace. Her emerald eyes flashed with anger as she surveyed the people who were gathered. The bells on her bracelets jingled like the ceremonial bells of an ancient burial rite, chilling the hearts of all those present.

Blood and torn fabric spoke of her perilous journey here, even as the fabric of space froze in her presence.

But before her anger could burst out, she felt a body crash into her, almost knocking her to the ground. Her chest became wet as tears soaked the fabric. The anger went as if it was never there, replaced with a loving gentleness.

“Siera! You came for me!”

“Rebecca...” The fey woman caressed the person in her arms. She looked a bit younger than she remembered, almost like when they first met. The decade of war and campaigns had not made its mark yet, but Rebecca still looked pale and gaunt. “I’m sorry that I took so long. I almost lost you a few times, but your voice... it reached me and guided me here. It must’ve been hard on you.”

Rebecca nodded, sniffling. She wiped her tears on Siera’s clothes.

The familiar earthy scent that she had spent the last few years surrounded in wafted around her once more, calming her. Even the power she once held, and then lost as she crossed the border between worlds, was back.

“I thought I’d never see you again...”

“Don’t be silly. You of all people should know that I never let what’s mine get away.”

When Rebecca looked into her loved one’s eyes, she saw that predatory glint that always made her excited. She nodded and buried her face into Siera’s chest again, taking in that scent that she had so missed. This was the scent that should accompany her for the rest of her life, and not that pale imitation of flowers.

With a wave of her hand, Rebecca chased away the perfume that lingered on her from her close proximity with Beneviere.

And it was that movement that drew Siera’s attention toward the paralyzed man. The temperature of the hall dropped to freezing and tension filled the air.

Rebecca turned as well. The man she’d once considered a brother, and the one who had betrayed her trust. His eyes were filled with a mixture of shock and disbelief. He had been so close to achieving his ambition, only for something beyond his understanding to wrench it all away without any warning.

And she saw fear in his gaze, and a pleading that she remembered from her childhood.

For a brief moment, Rebecca hesitated, but before the thought of mercy could even register in her mind, she shook her head. Here was the man whose family planned her father and older brother’s death. He went along with their plans, an accomplice. There was no excuse that was good enough.

Whatever Siera had in store for him, Rebecca had no complaints.

Everyone here was guilty.

Rebecca’s eyes hardened as she looked at the audience that sat before her. They could not speak, and they could not move. They were utterly at the mercy of Siera and herself, just like she had once been at their mercy. All of them were important figures in this country, occupying high positions and wielding great power in politics and military.

“What will you do with them?” Siera asked, a bloodthirsty edge in her voice. If it was up to her, all of them would die right here, but since she had just arrived in this world, she wasn’t sure if that was the right thing to do.

Rebecca shook her head. “Whatever you want.”

“It won’t cause you any trouble?”

Rebecca's heart warmed at Siera’s concern, but she shook her head again. After the defeat of the horrors from the beyond, Siera’s world underwent a huge transformation as the world rebuilt from its ruins. This transformation can happen in this world too. There was no need for kings and queens, and naturally, no need for nobility and people who attained their present position by virtue of their blood and friends in high places.

She took a deep breath. Despite the density of magic in the air rising after Siera ripped open a portal to connect their respective worlds, she still preferred the other world. After all, that’s where she met her Siera.

“There won’t be any issues. After all this, let’s go home. I’m tired.”

“Okay. We’ll go with your idea.”