Notes

As a form of treaty, an Alternian troll was to marry an Earthly human. The troll selected was Karkat Vantas, a mutant blood. Met with public outrage, Her Imperial Condescension Claimed it was a gesture of equality between races, but the mutant himself knew the real reason. He was chosen because his bloodline was unique in its ability to reproduce sexually, the only other entity being the mother grub, which was out of the question for marriage. He was unwillingly given a large amount of heat-inducing aphrodisiacs prior to the ceremony to encourage intimacy. He felt disgusting, not only because of his heat, but because he knew he was only a tool that her majesty wanted to use to conceive a child that would give Alternia a false sense of hope for peace.

Karkat sighed and fumbled with his hands. The carriage he sat in bumped and jostled as it was directed down the halls of the space station selected as the location of the event. Finally, it reached its destination. He took a shaky breath as the vehicle's door was opened by two identical guards. Slowly, he stepped out, careful to not let the folds of his robes touch the ground. His eyes quickly scanned the enormous crowd before fixing and on his soon-to-be husband. He was informed he was a prince, but knew nothing about him otherwise, not even a name. Remembering to smile, he padded down the aisle and climbed the few stairs. He met the man's eyes and gave a weak smile, putting his trembling hands in the other's.