16| A Night To Remember

Mel stood still as the helpers dressed her up, but her mind wandered. Eustace had worn an unreadable expression after Mel’s words that morning and the woman had just left. She did say Mel didn’t have to worry about anything before leaving. She had eaten shortly after that and had been told to rest a few hours before Eustace came back to explain the remaining schedule for that day.

Anticipation and excitement had set in Mel’s heart like a rooted seed the moment Eustace mentioned the wedding ceremony would take place underground. She would finally step foot down there. But something within her hesitated. The fact that she would be going underground for the ceremony—a sacred place for the werebears—meant that the moment she set foot down there, the deal was already done. There would be no going back.

She was doing this. She was really doing this…

Mel closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. She looked into the standing mirror and faltered, her breath hitching. The dress had looked completely different from the multiple layers she had seen upon the clothing stand. Two helpers wrapped another thin layer around Mel, pulling her hands into the long sleeves, before tying it at the back She had never seen anything so beautiful. The layers that had been worn on top of one another intersected at the front, running down in intricate crisscrosses that began at the neck of her dress and interlocked all the way down to the hem.

Her feet were completely covered, and so were her hands… almost. She could still see her fingers peeking through the winged long sleeves. The interlocking at the front of her garment was a soft grey colour, and the layers were smoky swirls of brown and ash. Like the oily film of a rainbow on the water surface.

“It’s beautiful,” Mel whispered, awestruck as the helper tied one last bow at the back.

The women gave her a content smile, some of the helpers proud of their work.

“I told you it would fit,” Eustace said, stepping into the chamber to look at Mel. “That isn’t all. Why not give yourself a turn?”

Mel paused. The garment wasn’t as heavy as she had expected, but could she move efficiently with all these layers? If it wasn’t the usual attire, Mel would have thought something like this was created to prevent the brides from running away. Mel took a step, and to her surprise, she had little to no trouble moving. Mel turned to the side, her eyes never leaving the mirror. Intricate bows from multiple layers of the gown had been tied together at the back to form a large rose. The symbol of the grime clan blazed like an ashen emblem against the brown background of the final layer, and Mel’s eyes widened in awe.

“This… this is…” Mel stared at it, speechless.

Eustace’s lips spread in a fond smile and she stared silently at Mel for a while, pleased. “You will have to remain standing for a short while,” she softly said, taking hold of Mel’s fingers. “Once we’re done with your face, we should be set for the evening.”

Mel contemplated asking Eustace if she could eat since she had missed lunch but thought against it. There would be a feast during the ceremony. She would eat then.

Lori came soon enough and Mel was happy to see her despite the odd looks from Annie. The helpers took care of Mel’s make-up, a simple coating similar to that from home, except that her lips were smeared with honey. It took Mel a tremendous effort to not lick it off her lips. Her hair was packed tight to a big bun at the back of her head. Just when Mel thought the style was too simple, it was adorned with pieces of jewelry, with tiny hooped chains twisted into the bun and dangling off it. Some were clipped into the smooth waves of her hair. In a different attire, Mel couldn’t believe the beautiful woman in the mirror was her.

Mel was taken to the hall she had first come in through upon entering the manor. The first and last place she had set eyes on Bjorn. Mel wiggled her toes in the dainty shoes she wore, unable to even see them beneath the multiple folds of her gown. She was met with well-dressed escorts waiting for her in the hall. The escorts wore lacy ash-coloured dresses, and one of them popped open a transparent ash umbrella, a welcoming smile on her face as she directed at Mel, “Were ready, my lady.”

‘My lady.’ This was the first time they had ever addressed her like this. Mel swallowed and glanced back at Annie, Eustace, and Lori. Annie’s eyes were tearing up and Eustace gave Mel an encouraging nod.

Mel’s knees felt weak. She was going to be alone.

“You will see us again, soon,” Eustace said and walked forward, stopping right in front of Mel. She looked down at her, the small smile still on her lips. “You will be fine, Mel. Remember the instructions I gave you.”

Mel pursed her lips inward and nodded. She straightened and stepped towards the escorts without looking back. If she saw Annie’s tears, she too would weep. The umbrella was propped over Mel’s head and a veil was drawn down from the tips, concealing her face. The four escorts stood in a straight line at both of her sides and the fifth one with the umbrella extended a hand at the far end of the hall, towards one side of the wall. Mel walked there and they followed. For the first time, she noticed a small outline of a large door in the wall. It had no handle, but when the escort knocked twice on it, the entrance slid open.

To her surprise, Mel could see past the thin veil. It was a little dim, but the earthen wall surrounding them was visible enough, maybe even clearer to the extraordinary eyes of the werebears. They were in a large tunnel, with bright light gleaming at the far end of it. Mel’s heart thrummed at the faint festive music coming from the end of the tunnel and her legs moved on their own.

The escorts froze in surprise at Mel’s sudden movement and they took a few quick steps to catch up. The music grew louder with each step she took and she stepped out into a wide space. Wide was an understatement for what she was looking at.

Monstrous stone monuments surrounded her, with stone steps connecting one building to another in a sophisticated maze that stole her breath. Her eyes widened at the scenery. Large bridges were also connected to various buildings and side paths graced the walls around her in interconnected levels that went all the way down. Bright crystals embedded into the walls, ceilings, and even under the pathways and bridges, glowed a bright mixture of blue and orange.

She realised she was standing on a wide bridge and what she thought was the loud gushing of water turned out to be cheers from all corners of the city. The music from the drums and stringed instruments intensified, and Mel’s heart swelled from the hearty welcome.

Young children and other citizens leaned against the railings of the side paths, waving at her with beaming smiles on their faces. And Mel stood within the joyful chaos, hypnotized.

“My lady.”

Mel snapped out of her reverie and glanced at the escort that had addressed her.

“We should get moving towards the ceremony,” she said.

Mel nodded and they walked past a few bridges, all the while noticing how there were no people on the paths as if they had all cleared way ahead of time for her passage. They entered another tunnel, a stone one this time. Eustace had mentioned that there were many underground sections of the large settlement. What she had just left was one out of over a hundred of them. The deafening cheers subsided from behind and they walked for a considerable amount of time. The dimness came to a stop when they encountered tiny blue crystals emitting a soft glow from the ceiling.

Mel noticed an obstacle ahead of them and she stiffened when she was close enough to make out what it was.

The hairs on her skin raised on end as the monstrous mass quivered with each heavy breath, sand floating from the ground where its snot was facing. The joy from entering the underground had made her momentarily forget about the bear Eustace said would be waiting for her.

‘But she never said it would be this huge!’ Mel internally screamed.

The sleeping bear opened one beady eye that glistened blue, reflecting the glow of the crystals. A blue sheen rippled on its fur as it shifted and rose, towering over Mel and the escorts.

The saliva in her throat dried up.