Chapter Text
There is a strange magic at weddings. A single day can feel like both a year and a minute. A couple will see hundreds of people they know and love and at the same time they will only see their betrothed. Weddings are filled with the magic of duality, they are two things at once. And this specific wedding was about two princes, two kingdoms, becoming one. Duality.
West and east. Rupert and Amir. Two princes, different in most ways.
The heartlands. A couple. One royalty, alike in the most important ways.
Duality.
--
“I’m nervous about this.” Rupert whispered to his fiance. It was the night before the wedding. It was also the morning of the wedding. It was that time of day when it was both morning and night. Duality.
Amir shifted his head so that he was no longer resting on Rupert’s chest. He looked up at Rupert. “I know. I am too. But we have planned this, extensively. It’s going to be fine. It’s going to be brilliant.” Rupert sighed.
“But what if it isn’t? What if there’s another sorceress, or some other magic, or a flood, or what if our mother’s go crazy-”
“Fitz!” Amir cupped his lover’s face. “I’m not saying those things can’t happen. I’m not saying they won’t. I, for one, fully expect your mother to go crazy-
“Hey!”
“But none of that will matter. We’ll have each other, like we always do. We’re getting married tomorrow, Rupert. I’m going to be your husband. Whatever else happens, I believe we can handle it.”
Rupert couldn’t stop the smile that engulfed his face. “How do you always know exactly what to say?”
“I don’t.” Amir smiled. “I just love you.”
Rupert laughed, quiet and small. And yet to Amir it was loud and expressive. Duality.
“I don’t feel that nervous anymore.” The western prince said. Amir leaned up and kissed his soon to be husband. “I really don’t want you to leave but… you should probably go to your room, don’t want to freak out our moms. You know the old superstition and all.” Rupert said, regret laced in his tone.
Amir groaned. “You’re right.” His own voice also filled with regret. “After tomorrow we’ll never have to sleep apart again.”
Rupert flushed at that. It wasn’t dirty, and yet it was. Duality. Amir sat up. He stretched. Rupert tried not to stare, but he failed. Amir gave his love one more small kiss before slowly leaving the room.
“Tomorrow.” Rupert promised before Amir left the room.
“Tomorrow.” Amir agreed and closed the door behind him.
Two princes. Night and morning. Excitement and nerves.
Humans. Time. Love. Duality.
--
“Make sure you eat a large breakfast Rupert, you won’t have any time to eat at the reception.” Lavinia warned her son. Rupert was surprised with how calmly the morning had begun. He had woken up late in the morning with Fitzroy licking his hand as it dangled over the side of the bed. He knew then that someone had told the servants not to wake him like they usually do. Rupert had taken Fitz for a short walk in the gardens outside of his bedchamber and when he returned to his room, his mother was waiting for him with an extravagant breakfast.
“You seem strangely calm.” Rupert said, cautiously.
“Rupert.” His mother said, “today is your wedding day. This is meant to be the best day of your life, darling. I don’t want you to worry about anything.”
“Really?” Rupert asked, unbelieving. His mother always had things to nag him about, or ask him about, or demand of him, or push him towards. Rupert couldn’t remember the last time she’d told him to think about himself.
“Of course dear. Now eat, you have to get dressed soon.”
“No.” Rupert called. “No, mother, you didn’t…” He began.
“I have no idea what you are going on about, Rupert.”
“Please tell me that you didn’t bring the…” The door to Rupert’s bedchamber opened, interrupting the prince. Four men walking carrying different equipment. Measuring tapes, a sewing kit, and a large black bag which Rupert could only assume was holding his wedding outfit.
“Now, eat. Before you don’t have a chance to again.” Lavinia pushed her son into a chair at the table and place a large plate of food in front of him.
--
Amir woke up early, as he always did. He got up, went for a short run, stole some fruit from the kitchens and returned to his room to finish some work before the day truly began. He had almost forgotten that today was different, that it was special, until he walked into his bedroom and saw his mother sitting at his desk.
“Amir, you’ll want to eat something more than that.” The queen nodded to the apple he was holding. “Here.” Queen Atossa grabbed a small bell from Amir’s desk and rung it loudly. Quickly, three servants entered the room. “Have the chef prepare a proper breakfast for my son. Bring it here afterwards.” The servants nodded and left the two royals alone.
“Oh my boy.” Atossa pulled her son closer to her, placing her hand on his forearm. “When did you grow up?”
Amir laughed. He bent down to be eye level with his mother. “I don’t know what to expect today.” Amir realized. They had had some rehearsals, but not the full ceremony. Some pieces were left in the dark. They were mixing traditions from both the western and eastern wedding cultures, and while Amir was educated on the weddings of the east, he had no idea what the westerners did to celebrate.
Queen Atossa kissed her son’s head. “You needn’t worry. Today is the first day of the rest of your life.”
Amir laughed again, but a very different laugh. He stood up when he heard the door open. He turned expecting to see the servants with his breakfast but instead four well dressed men entered. “Hello?” He said reluctantly. Amir turned to his mother, “What’s this?” He asked.
“They’re here to help you get dressed, you want to look your best today, of course. The whole kingdom is watching.”
The older woman left as the other servants entered with Amir’s breakfast.
“I’ll come back later.” She told her son as she closed the door.
--
As Rupert finished his lavish breakfast, he began to notice that the tailors in his room were not the ones he grew up with. Lavinia had put Rupert in many different, over the top outfits throughout his life. He was used to standing still as the royal tailor poked and prodded, measured and muttered. These four men were not the tailors he knew. His mother was talking to the men quietly.
“Um… mom?” Rupert asked. “What exactly is all this?”
“Rupert, obviously, these men are the tailors. They’re here to help you get ready.”
“Okay, yeah, but these aren’t our tailors.”
“Of course not. They’re the eastern tailors, darling.” That surprised Rupert.
“Wait, so you didn’t chose this outfit?” Rupert asked. He was sure his mother would’ve picked an overly froofy, fancy outfit for him to be wed in. Lavinia loved fashion, and even though months ago Rupert had sat down with a designer and made his own choices, he had been informed that that outfit was not what he would be wearing. Rupert just assumed that Lavinia had picked a new outfit for him to wear.
“What on earth gave you that idea? Rupert, Amir designed this outfit for you according to western tradition. Just like you did for him. Do you really not remember?”
Rupert’s eyes were the size of dinner plates. “You mean… Amir… and that outfit I designed?”
“I don’t know how I can make this more clear Rupert. Now come, it’s time to get dressed.”
Rupert slowly got up from the table he had been eating at and walked over to the tailors. As he got closer he realized that they had set up a whole area. There was a pedestal surrounded by mirrors. As he was led to the podium, he saw that the outfit had been removed from it’s bag and was hanging on one of the mirrors. He froze for a second. It was beautiful, it was perfect, he loved it.
He wanted to laugh. He wanted to cry. Duality.
--
Amir smiled at the men as his mother left and began eating the breakfast that had been brought to him. He didn’t recognize the tailors, but assumed that his usual designer was with Rupert. If the other prince was awake this early, that is. He silently ate as he watched the men unpack their belongings. First were measuring tapes, than a small pedestal, and finally a ring of mirrors that blocked Amir’s view from their further actions.
After that the prince turned back to his food. It was a modest spread - toast, bacon, eggs, and some fruit. Amir smiled when he spotted the large bowl of blackberries, Rupert’s favorite fruit. Amir popped a few in his mouth before standing up and walking towards the tailors.
“I have yet to see my outfit for the wedding.” Amir said as he approached the men. One of them stepped towards him.
“Ah- please stay on this side of the mirrors your highness. You are being dressed in a traditional western wedding outfit, Prince Rupert also assisted in the design. However, your grace, it is western custom that the wedding outfit is not scene by the groom until he is fully dressed.”
“How exactly is that meant to work?”
“We will cover the mirrors and dress you ourselves. We ask that you try to avoid looking at the outfit as we fit you, your highness. Once you’re fully prepared we will uncover the mirrors and allow you to see the full outfit, is that clear, Prince Amir?” The main tailor explained. Amir nodded.
He felt conflicted. He was nervous, anxious. He wanted to see his outfit, but at the same time… He trusted Rupert. He was honored to be included in this western tradition. He was confused, but mainly, he felt loved. He felt a lot of things. He felt duality.
--
Rupert was staring at himself. He was in awe of the beautiful fabric that was wrapped around him. It was unlike any western wedding outfit that he’d ever seen. Rupert let his hands gently run over the delicate fabric. His hair had been slicked back, and his crown was balancing on his head. A woman had outlined his eyes with a dark pencil and place three light orange dots on each of his cheekbones.
“For excitement, warmth, and enthusiasm.” She had said. There was a line of red paint cutting his lips into two. “For romance.” Blue powder was painted onto his eyelids. “For peace.” A line of pale green dots rested above his eyebrows. “For growth.” Finally the woman had asked to see his hands. Carefully she had place purple paint on his palm and pulse point, then she flipped his hands and put two more dots of purple on the back of his hands.
“What’s this one for?” Rupert asked. The woman blushed slightly,
“For wisdom… and…” She paused. Rupert remain silent, waiting. “Passion, your grace.” Rupert flushed himself at that and looked away from her.
Rupert ran his fingers along the high collar framing his throat. He was wearing a long delicate tunic. The detail work on the embroidery was unbelievable. Intricate weaving adorned the whole top. He had silk pants on and no shoes. Rupert wiggled his toes, they were a little cold, exposed to the air. One of the tailors walked up to him and placed a woven shawl over his head. The fabric rested mainly on his right shoulder, hanging down his right arm. It was a pale blue, which matched the egg white of his tunic. The shawl wasn’t tightly woven, large spaces hung open revealing the shirt beneath it. Another of the tailors walked up with a sword and harness. The many different pieces and loops of the harness were placed across Rupert’s chest with the actually sword landing on his left hip. Rupert expected to feel heavy with the weight of it and was surprised when he realized how light the sword truly was.
“It’s merely for show, your highness, traditional.” The tailor said as if he could read Rupert’s thoughts. All four of the men stepped away from the prince then.
The woman returned and gently took his right hand. She place four rings on his fingers, all silver and engraved with sweeping designs. Afterwards she joined the tailors on the outskirts of the dressing area.
Rupert stared at himself. This was it, he was getting married. He slowly pushed a loose strand of hair behind his ear. Before he could even lower his hand their was a knock on the door.
--
“Prince Amir, you must refrain from looking at the outfit.” The tailor chastised.
“I apologize.” Amir said, sheepishly. It was hard though. It wasn’t like his vision was obscured, all he had to do was look down and he could see the whole ensemble. Eventually the prince closed his eyes and turned his head up towards the ceiling. There’s no way I’m getting through this, he thought.
Amir kept his eyes closed for the rest of the appointment. He tried to guess what he must look like, but it was mostly in vain. He stayed like that for what felt like an eternity. It wasn’t until something heavy was placed on his shoulders and across his neck that the tailors stopped working. It only took them a moment longer to remove the covers from the mirror and instruct Amir to look at himself.
The prince took a deep breath and finally opened his eyes. It took him a moment to realize that he was staring back at himself. His crown had been placed on his head. It was on straight, Amir reached up and tilted it slightly. Rupert always said he looked too serious with the thing on straight. The collar was high, almost touching Amir’s chin. The whole outfit was much heavier than the traditional eastern wedding garb. The top look almost militant. The shoulders were adorned in ribbons, creating a layered look. Amir could see know that the heavy final piece of the outfit was a necklace, or maybe a medal. It was wide, resting on his shoulders instead of his neck. The necklace was made up of multiple circular sections, each one with a small drawing in the center. His pants were much higher waisted than he was accustomed to. They also ended just below his knees, fading into the high socks he was wearing. He was surprised by the expensive shoes he was wearing. Easterners never wear shoes to weddings.
Amir stepped closer to the mirror to see the drawings on the medal better. “What are these for?” He asked the tailor. The man swallowed before stepping forward.
“The art was chosen by Prince Rupert. They are meant to symbolize important moments in the history of the couple. The exact meanings Prince Rupert intended are not known to me.”
Amir smiled as he heard that. The first circle showed the two kingdoms, separate. The next showed the forest, then ropes on the ground next to a tree, a crude stage built next to it. Amir quickly realized it was their story. Their meeting, their adventure. How they fell in love. The story of the two princes.
Amir thought he might start crying but before he could his bedroom doors slammed open without warning.
--
Lavinia walked into Rupert’s room.
“Oh my dear.” She said once she saw her son was all dressed. “You look wonderful. I mean, I personally think it’s a little simple, maybe a few more ruffles-”
“Mom.” Rupert interrupted.
“I’m sorry, darling. It’s lovely.” Lavinia smiled at her son. “Are you ready to see your fiance?” She asked.
Rupert grimaced. He looked over at the clock hanging on the wall in his room. “What do you mean?” He asked. “The wedding doesn’t start for a least two more hours.”
“Doesn’t mean you can’t see Amir.”
“Actually I’m pretty sure it does. That like the whole superstition.”
Lavinia laughed. “Oh yes, you can’t see the bride on the wedding day, well I let Amir know he’s a bride now.”
Rupert’s jaw dropped. Lavinia watched as he son realized the loophole she had just exposed. He opened his mouth to talk three times before he laughed.
“Where is he?” Rupert demanded.
“In his own room-” Lavinia could barely finish before Rupert was rushing out of his room. “Be careful Rupert!” She called after him.
--
As his doors slammed open, Amir reached for the sword he normally wore only to realize it wasn’t there. He had only a second to be worried, scared, brave, sad, and heartbroken before he realized it was only Rupert.
“What are you doing here Fitz?” He asked, worrying about how Lavinia would react if she knew the two of them were together before the wedding. Rupert was about to answer when he froze.
“Amir. I… You…” The western prince hesitated. “You look amazing.” Amir looked down at himself, realizing he was dressed in the western wedding outfit again.
“Oh yeah.” He said scratching the back of his head. He looked back at Rupert and for the first time noticed that he was dressed in the traditional eastern clothes. He couldn’t help but smile when he saw the paint on his lover’s face and the bareness of his feet. “You do too.” Rupert laughed.
“I mean it Rupert.” Amir insisted. “You look breathtaking.”
“My feet are kinda cold.” Was all the western prince said. One of the tailors cleared their throat and Amir remembered that they weren’t alone.
“Ah. Yes.” He said turning to the servants. “Would you mind giving us a moment?” It was a question, but it also wasn’t. Duality.
The staff all quickly exited the room leaving the two princes alone. Rupert walked up to his partner and place his hands on Amir’s arms. “I’d kiss you,” He whispered, “But I’m not sure I can with all this paint on my face.” That forced a deep, loud laugh out of Amir.
“It’s tradition.” He replied. Rupert smiled. “Speaking of which, why are you here? Your mother is going to be upset.”
“It was her idea.” Rupert said.
“But what about the superstition?”
“She found a loophole.” Amir just stared at his lover. Rupert continued. “You’re not allowed to see the bride before the wedding and last time I checked, neither of us are brides.”
Amir laughed again. “Bless Lavinia of the west!”
The two princes laughed. Amir pulled Rupert with him towards the bed. They both sat down, silently. There’s something special about being able to just sit with someone. It isn’t awkward, it isn’t tense. But it is full of possibilities, but it doesn’t have to become anything either. Duality.
“Oh!” Amir said, breaking the quiet. “This necklace,” he indicated to the medal resting on his chest, “it’s amazing Fitz. Truly.” Rupert blushed. “I just have one question.” Amir continued. “What’s this final picture meant to be?”
Amir pointed to the last image of the story written across his chest. The circle showed two hands intertwined in low light. The hands were resting on a crumpled bed sheet. Amir could tell it was meant to be his and Rupert’s hands, but he still didn’t understand it fully. All of the other images were so straightforward.
“Oh…” Rupert said. He turned away from Amir. “It’s, well, I didn’t actually think I’d have to explain them.”
“Oh.” Amir copied. “Is it obvious? Am I missing something? I’m sorry Fitz-”
“No, no, no Amir, that’s not what I meant.” Rupert groaned. “I’ve done something a little stupid.” Amir smiled at him and waited for Rupert to continue. “If I’m being honest, I didn’t realize until this morning that the outfit I designed was meant for you and not me.”
“What?” Amir asked.
“No one told me!” Rupert exclaimed. “That’s why I thought I wouldn’t have to explain the symbols. Because I thought I’d be the one wearing them and I wasn’t sure you’d care enough to ask. Honestly I wasn’t even sure you’d have enough time to really examine them all with the chaos of the wedding and all.”
Amir nodded understandingly. “You don’t have to explain if you don’t want to.” He offered.
“No, I want you to understand it… it’s just… hard to say aloud.” Amir furrowed his brows. “It’s us, obviously.” Rupert continued. “It’s, well, it’s the next piece in our story.”
Amir thought for a minute. The next piece of their story. But it wasn’t their wedding. It wasn’t them growing old together. It wasn’t a united kingdom… or… Amir blushed. In one sense it was a united kingdom, he guessed.
“Please tell me you get it.” Rupert said, his eyes closed tightly. Amir laughed at his lover.
“I get it.” He said, his voice low. He placed a soft kiss behind Rupert’s ear. “I get it.” He whispered into his ear. Rupert shivered.
“That’s not fair.” He whined. “I can’t kiss you.”
Amir laughed again. “Alright then. No kisses. Until the wedding at least.”
“Ugh.”
“I thought that’s what you wanted!” Amir chuckled.
The two boys sat in silence for a minute longer. Rupert began to wonder how long he’d be able to stay here, relaxing, laughing with Amir. He knew that there was more to be done. He knew that he would have to make sure that everything was prepared. He’d have to talk to his mother, the lord chamberlain, and an endless number of other officials and servants. It made him want to laugh. This whole wedding was to celebrate their love and yet it was also not about them at all. Duality.
There was a knock on the door of the room and Rupert knew that was the moment was over. He savored it for the few seconds it took for Amir to rise and respond.
“Come in.” The eastern prince said. The large double doors swung open and three women walked in, Sir Joan followed behind them.
“Oh.” Joan said. “Are we interrupting?”
“No, no.” Rupert replied. “I was just leaving.” Rupert turned to Amir, “I’ll see you soon enough.” He wanted to give him a small kiss but knew he shouldn’t. Not only because of the paint on his lips, but also because Amir was against affection around other people. Even around their mothers.
Amir smiled back at him. Rupert nodded at Joan and quickly left the room.
--
There is a strange magic to weddings. A single day can feel like both a year and a minute. A couple will see hundreds of people they know and love and at the same time they will only see their betrothed. Weddings are filled with the magic of duality, they are two things at once. And this specific wedding was about two princes, two kingdoms, becoming one. Duality.
There were quite a lot of traditions being celebrated at this specific wedding. Rupert watched as Amir took a bite of the karavey bread before handing it to him. Rupert savored the sweetness on his tongue. He loved this tradition, it was always his favorite to watch new couples share the karavey. It seemed so wildly intimate to him. Amir made eye contact with him as he tasted the karavey and Rupert felt his knees go a little weak.
Amir grinned largely about half an hour later when the officiant wrapped their hands together in purple ribbon. Amir let his own fingers caress the purple dots along Rupert’s pulse point. Amir had always loved this tradition. Literally tying the couple together, bringing their hands close, blessing their union.
The couple watched as all the other traditional aspects of the wedding were carried out. They walked in seven circles. They broke a plate. There were vows, scripted of course. Royal couples weren’t allowed to write their own vows, their wedding wasn’t personal. They were still a celebration of a private love, but also they were fully public. Duality.
Finally, it was the end of the ceremony. The two princes got to share a kiss. Rupert was only going to give his partner a small peck. Westerners rarely made a big show of a wedding kiss. But before Rupert got a chance to make any movement, Amir swept him up and kissed him passionately.
It was strange to think how different the two of them were. Especially how different they were from their cultures. In any other kiss, Rupert would’ve been the one to make it deeper, more passionate. Amir was the one to shy away from affection. Duality.