AllAboutRE21

"Turn around, please. I want to see your face."

María shifted slowly within her arms, breaking the warmth of Ingrid’s chest at her back until they were facing one another. Ingrid’s hands rose immediately to hold her face as though afraid she might disappear if she didn’t. Her thumbs traced the familiar lines of her while her eyes searched María's so intensely that her pulse skipped a beat.

“I- I have something important to say.” Ingrid began and noticed how unsteady her voice sounded. She swallowed once, forehead nearly touching María’s to calm herself. “And I need you to listen. If I don’t say it now, I think I might lose my courage.”

María nodded, her hands coming to rest on Ingrid's wrists.

Ingrid took a deep breath and gathered herself piece by piece before she attempted to speak again.

"I, Ingrid, choose you, María. Not because someone arranged it or commanded it or decided it was politically advantageous. But because I want to. Because you're the only person I've ever wanted. "

The words did not waver despite the tears that threatened to spill down already.

“I vow to protect you when you need it, and to stand beside you when you don’t. I will love you on the easy days and the hard ones, see you as you are and not as anyone tried to make you, and give you the kind of happiness I would want for myself, and more.”

Her throat continued to tighten, but she refused to look away.

“I vow to take care of you in this life, whatever it becomes and wherever it carries us, no matter how difficult or unexpected it is. It will always be you and me, together, until death tears me apart from you.. and not even then.”

These vows echoed the ones Ingrid had been forced to agree to hours ago, yet carried an entirely different meaning. Those had been shaped by obligation, whereas these were shaped by choice and unyielding love. María processed the words, feeling them gently sinking into her chest, like something long broken being set back into place. 

“...My turn,” María said at last, holding Ingrid’s gaze despite the tears shining openly in her eyes.

“I, María, choose you, Ingrid.” Her breath hitched, but she pressed on. “You saw me when no one else did, when I was nothing to the world, and still chose to treat me with kindness. And somehow, you loved me back into believing I matter.”

María’s hands moved away from Ingrid’s wrists where they held on gently, up to her face.

"I vow to be brave for you and to protect you from anyone who dares to hurt you. I’ll stand beside you against whatever comes. I will trust you completely, even when trust terrifies me. And to let you in, even when letting people in has always led to pain."

She leaned forward until their foreheads were touching and their breaths were mingling. Her final vows were spoken just shy of Ingrid’s lips.

"I will care for you and love you. Every day. In every way I know how. For as long as I have left." 

The walk to the chapel felt like walking to an execution. Dozens of servants led the way while others went ahead to ensure that nothing would disrupt the bride's journey to her wedding. The Queen walked right beside Ingrid, her presence a constant reminder of what was coming.

The Olsen Estate remained unfamiliar to Ingrid despite having been there for almost a week. She had no sense of direction here and no understanding of how paths connected or where they led. She simply followed the servants ahead of her, trusting them to bring her where she needed to be because she had no other choice.

They turned a sharp corner, and suddenly the chapel doors loomed before her. They were massive wooden structures carved with religious imagery and family crests, barely containing what sounded like hundreds of voices inside. 

The servants positioned themselves on both sides of the doors in preparation to open them. Queen Gudrun made one final adjustment to Ingrid's dress, smoothing fabric that didn't need smoothing, and checking details that were already perfect.

"Remember your duty," her voice issued a warning for the final time. "Remember what this marriage means for our family. Do not embarrass us on this day." Then she moved through a side entrance, leaving Ingrid alone with the servants. Alone to face what came next.

The doors swung open.

The sound hit her first. The roar of hundreds of voices rising in unison as the guests that came from all over the world turned to watch her standing. Then came the sight.

The Olsen chapel was far larger than anything she had seen in her family's castle. It had rows upon rows of pews, and every seat was filled with nobles and dignitaries whose names Ingrid should probably know but couldn't remember. There were hundreds of faces that turned toward her, hundreds of eyes studying her appearance, judging her worthiness, measuring her against whatever standards they held for acceptable brides.

Every corner and pillar inside of this space had candles burning and bouquets of colorful flowers hanging loose in the air.

It was beautiful yet suffocating.

And Ingrid wanted to scream. She wanted to turn and run back through those huge wooden doors until she reached somewhere she could breathe again. She felt like vomiting onto the expensive carpets beneath her feet, ruining it all because of how wrong everything felt.

But she did none of those things. She simply stood there for a moment, frozen, staring at the sea of faces and feeling the remaining life inside her die.

There was no going back now. The doors had opened and the guests had seen her. The ceremony would proceed exactly as planned, and nothing Ingrid felt about any of it mattered in the slightest.

Her feet began moving automatically as they carried her down the aisle toward the altar where her future waited. Each step felt like sinking deeper into water while everyone watched. The weight of the dress made each movement difficult, forcing her to take small steps that made the journey feel painfully longer.

Ingrid tried to keep her eyes forward to not look at the faces on either side. Against her better judgment, she searched the crowd, half-hoping to see Maria, even though she knew it was selfish of her and dangerous for María to be here. Still, some part of her was desperate to lock eyes one last time before committing herself to someone else forever.

She scanned row after row across faces that meant nothing to her, looking for brown hair and eyes that felt like home.

But María wasn't there. Of course she wasn't. She was safe in Spain, far away from this, protected by distance and Alexia. She was building a life that didn't include pain and suffering and being forced to watch all of this.

Ingrid's gaze continued searching against her will, and eventually saw two familiar faces positioned near the back where they would draw minimal attention.

How could they laugh when Ingrid was breaking? How could they smile and chat and live their ordinary lives while Ingrid was suffering? How could they live these ordinary, comfortable lives while Ingrid prepared to marry a man who would destroy her? Didn't they understand that someone was dying inside? That every moment of their happiness was happening simultaneously with Ingrid's grief? How could the world continue turning, birds continue singing, sun keep shining, when everything that mattered had been destroyed? How dare they– "You have no idea what it feels like. You walk these halls every day like nothing is wrong. You breathe this clean air. You eat those warm meals. You speak so calmly about your life and your plans and futures and hopes like any of that matters. But Ingrid is trapped. She's trapped and alone and preparing to be given away to a monster. The wedding is in two weeks. Two weeks! Fourteen days before she stops being a person and becomes someone's possession. And you're here talking about harvest preparations and training horses like everything is fine. Like the most important person in my world isn't being sacrificed while we sit in sunshine and play pretend!" "Take me back, Alexia."