Cake

I can't believe tomorrow is my wedding day; the man of my life, the man that I have loved for the last four years, will finally transition from my now fiancé to my husband. Growing up, I have waited for this day ever since I could remember, and my sister and I would talk about our wedding day, full of princes and princesses; it was a massive kingdom. I know it is all fairy tales and make-believe, but my soon-to-be husband is my prince, and I am his princess, my king, and I, his queen. Everything I have ever wanted, he has given me; he has built this kingdom for me and all the princes and princesses, kings and queens. He is giving me my fairy tale wedding.

Sadly, there was something that he couldn’t fix, something my prince couldn’t do for me: his body. His body was failing him. It was something we never saw coming, and even with his body failing, he still managed to arrange my perfect day, our perfect day, while he lay in the hospital bed. It might not be a cathedral, a kingdom, a courtyard, or even rose bushes, but he still managed to pull together something very magical for our day tomorrow. His suit didn’t fit him anymore, as he lay there frail and thin from the radiation making him sick; he wouldn’t be able to give me our first dance because he couldn’t stand on his feet for more than a few seconds without becoming weak. He was and is still my prince, my knight in shining armor, just like how I dreamt as a little girl planning my wedding.

The next day, we arrived at the hospital where we were going to be joined by a few family and friends, the princes and princesses, kings and queens, all of the royal families will join us on this magical day. When the time came, I walked in wearing the wedding dress I had dreamt of when I was little; I felt like a real princess; my prince lay there wearing his best outfit, with the ones who loved us surrounding his bed. I walked over to his bed, and tears fell down his sweet face, and I smiled, seeing how happy I was making him. I leaned in and kissed my prince on the cheek, and he apologized for everything. I told him to stop, that this was the perfect day of my life, and he was the most handsome man in the kingdom.

The Chaplin came in, and we read our vows; they were short, but the tears still fell long; he said he would love me till the day he died, and even after, he would still find a way to love me every day. My prince, my now king, and I his queen. After the ceremony, we enjoyed some food. He tried to eat, but he couldn’t stomach it. He was sad, and I know it was because he was frustrated and sad that this is how we were getting married. I reminded him that he was the only thing that mattered and that I loved him more than anything else in this universe, this life, and the next could provide. When it came to the cake, it was a small cake but it was one we both loved, his mother made it this morning and you could taste the love she put into it. I was there when she made it and the tears didn’t stop, she didn’t stop baking because her only son came first, her prince, my king. I was afraid he wouldn’t be able to take a bite or stomach any of it, but he did, when he took a bite off my fork, color returned to his face for a brief moment, and for a moment, I saw the man I fell in love with, the man I am still in love with. The ceremony continued; people sat, talked, and laughed, trying to bring more joy into the room. I watched him laugh and talk but I knew he was using the last of his energy that he could muster. The day ended, and I stayed the night with him. This was our honeymoon and our wedding night, and I couldn’t have asked for a better night. We laid in the hospital room, and I held onto him. He began to cry, and so did I, we both knew this was the end, this was all he could give and he gave so much. My king was so strong but he was so tired. I told him to rest his eyes, and I would hold onto him, that I wouldn’t leave him for anything. As he rested his head on my chest, I could feel the tears soak through my top, I held him close and could feel him relax until the tears stopped falling and he fell asleep. My king fought his battle for long enough, my king is in no more pain. My king may not be here with us, but I am still a queen very much in love with my king.