Eternal Embrace

This day, this moment, could have been planned thousands of years in advance and Airin would still feel unprepared for it. She was either on the verge of tears or outright laughter; it was more likely to be a combination of both. Airin would never have guessed this day would come so soon, especially in the manner in which it did. She laid a hand on her enlarged belly fondly. It was all because of this child Airin carried that prompted her and Devlyn, her Devlyn, to solidify their bond into a formal union.
The vampire ruffled the folds of her dress in her fretting until a gentle hand upon her shoulder shook Airin out of her daze. The soft hazel of her father's eyes observed Airin with such adoration and pride and the sight instantly eased the princesses's nerves.
"Don't worry. You'll do fine," Skilar soothed, cupping his daughter's cheek in his other hand. Airin held onto it affectionately, eliciting a smile out of her father. "You're beautiful."
Airin was tempted to object; her skin looked washed out compared to the snow white of the dress and, even with it's absolutely beautiful design, it looked rather unbecoming due to her swollen stomach. Airin didn't voice her objections, however, and she eyed the orange haired fate as the reason for that. Starlight had the uncanny nature of wanting to preserve the happiness and purity of this day and any negativity Airin displayed was quickly cast aside. It was for the best, perhaps; Airin really did need to learn to accept things as they were and ignore the need for perfection. It was just one day (a very important day, though) that would lead to a lifetime of brighter and happier days to come.
Pre-wedding anthem music began to play and it's volume boomed like a thunderstorm even from where Airin and the other stood inside the entrance hall. Airin positioned herself hastily in front of the double doors, blindly taking the bouquet of flowers the fate of love pushed into her hands. Skilar's footsteps approached his daughter evenly and calmly, offering his arm to her once he reached Airin's side and she took to it like a lifeline. She licked her lips absently in place of biting on them; it would make for an unattractive kiss at the floral alter awaiting her. Yes, just beyond those doors, out in the warmth of a bright April morning, awaited much more than just a flimsy alter... there stood a man of feather-soft, raven black hair and brilliant, ocean blue eyes that expected Airin's arrival.
Skilar would have to hold onto her tightly to prevent her from all but sprinting down the aisle for Devlyn.
"Wait."
There went Airin's will to break her lip-biting habit. She turned her gaze towards the source of the voice, a voice she knew all too well, but never in her life would Airin have guessed to see her mother standing before her.
Dusk returned her daughter's gaze thoughtfully and took in Airin fully and completely before speaking. "... You're lovely."
Airin blinked. Was this really her mother? Upon seeing the look of confusion on Airin's face, Dusk broke into a small smile and glanced away in... was that... shame?
"... I'm sorry. I know I haven't been there for you when I should have been." What was going on? Airin glanced back towards her father, who's eyes were trained on Dusk with great pride and approval. Airin smirked; he must've talked her into doing this. Nevertheless, the princess couldn't deny a small warmth radiating in her heart at hearing Dusk's confessions. Airin turned back to face her mother, who had made her way over to Airin's side opposite of Skilar.
"... Good luck out there," bade Dusk, moving a lock of Airin's hair behind her ear. And just like that, out of the blue, Airin had broken away from Skilar's hold and wrapped her arms around her mother. It was pointless fighting off the tears at this point.
"I love you," whispered Airin in Dusk's arms. They remained like this for only a moment or so, as the procession was already well under way, and when they broke apart Dusk placed a small kiss to Airin's forehead before pulling down the veil over her eyes.
"Aww, your mom's finally growing up," teased Skilar, sporting the hugest shit-eating grin Airin had ever seen him wear.
"Shut up," sniped Dusk, though she couldn't fight back the twinge of a smile.
Airin had to laugh. This day was getting more perfect by the second.

Liberation

Airin could count on one hand the number of times she went to sleep without having nightmares or any kind of dream at all. It was those kinds of nights that lead to brighter mornings and feelings of being well rested. Although, even after a good night's rest, could the... event of last night have been nothing more than a dream, Airin wondered.
It was a disheartening notion and Airin would be lying if she said she would prefer it to have been a dream. The thought had occurred more than once during the "dream" and honestly it was becoming the most likely option the more Airin thought about it. The one nagging detail that prevented her from accepting this conclusion was its overall vivid and tantalizing nature.
In the end, there was only one way to be sure. Airin willed her eyes open, gradually adjusting to the light of the morning sun pouring into the room. It's bright glow hurt her eyes but Airin could've sworn that the pile of blankets she'd been attempting to convince herself of being nothing than that was actually breathing.
Airin forced herself not to choke as her heart jumped straight to her throat the more her vision began to acclimate. Truly, there could not have been a more beautiful sight than that of the boy with an especially breathtaking expression of serenity. It was right here in this moment that it finally dawned upon Airin that last night was anything but a dream and, even more exhilarating still, this was the first time she had ever seen Devlyn so content. They were so close, with their arms laced around one another, and Airin could make out nearly every strand of the werewolf boy's hair (some of which were still coated in sweat from the night before). Airin raised her arm cautiously, ghosting over the select few locks draping in front of his face.
If there was any moment she would choose to relive later, this one would be one of the first few at the top of Airin's list without question.