5Disclaimer: Tim Burton's Corpse Bride and all its scenes, characters, etc., belong to their respective owners (Tim Burton, etc.). I'm merely writing this to entertain and I don't get any profit out of this.
Note: I translated this old fic into English for donovandelaney26101, who politely asked me to. ;) You can find the Spanish version, Por qué Emily no se casó con Víctor, in my profile. :)
Why Emily Did Not Marry Victor
"Your cup will never be empty for I will be ..."
Then Emily looked over Victor' shoulder and saw the other girl, the one who was alive.
"I will be..."
This girl… Victor had tricked her into believing they were going to the Land of the Living to meet her parents when what he wanted was to see this girl.
"Go on, my dear" said the old dead man Elder Gutknecht.
"Your cup… will never be empty... for I will be..."
Seeing her, Emily knew that Victor could not kill himself to marry her properly, because if he did that, it was not just for her, Emily, which had affection for and perhaps more. It was also because he thought he had lost this other girl, and he was not interested in living without her. Proof of this was that he had only agreed to marry the young dead woman after discovering that the other girl was about to marry another man.
And now this girl, which Emily knew her name, Victoria (since that name was what Victor shouted while the dead bride, outraged at the deception, dragged him back to the Land of the Dead) was there behind a pillar of the church, watching helplessly as the Corpse Bride snatched the love of her life, the young man she loved with all her heart.
Emily knew that not by the simple fact that Victoria was there, but because the living girl had not done or said anything to stop the wedding. In fact, when Emily stared at her, Victoria stepped back, as if she was afraid of something ...
This was proof that she really loved Victor, because he was willing to marry Emily, and if that was his decision, Victoria knew she should respect it. If he really loved the dead girl and would actually be happier with her, Victoria did not want to intrude on their happiness.
All due to the simple reason that she cared about Victor more than about her personal desires.
That was true love, and Emily knew it.
Also, what she could see in Victoria's eyes, which watched transfixed, was the look of someone who saw her dream and love taken away from her without being able to do anything about it.
It was just the same thing that had happened to her.
Now the Corpse Bride realized: she was about to do to another person the very same thing they had done to her.
Emily loved Victor, and she also knew he had feelings for her. Victor liked Emily. But she also knew, deep down, the one he loved most, the one he really loved was Victoria, since he had only agreed to commit suicide after believing he had lost her, which showed that he could not live without her. That's why Victor had chosen the Land of the Dead. Without Victoria, there was nothing which really tied him to the Land of the Living.
Could Emily be so selfish and keep the young man for herself, when she knew it was not right?
No, she could not allow him to kill himself and marry her.
"I will be your wine," Victor concluded for her and proceeded to drink the mortal poison.
"No!" Emily thought.
The votes that were pronounced in the forest were meant for Victoria, the ring that the young dead woman wore had been bought for Victoria... He belonged to the other girl, Victoria, even before Emily met him at all. And the two young living ones truly loved each other.
That's why Emily stopped Victor when he was about to drink the poisonous liquid:
"I can't."
"What's wrong?" Victor asked.
"This is wrong. I was a bride... My dreams were taken from me. Well, now ... now I've stolen them from someone else." A tear escaped from the dead young woman's eye. "I love you, Victor... but you're not mine."
And Emily reached for Victoria, inviting her to come.
"Victoria!" Victor exclaimed in surprise when he saw her behind the column.
She hesitated for a second, but then came and took the skinless and stark hand that Emily tended without hesitation, like the one who takes a friend's hand.
Then the young deceased girl took Victor's hand as well and placed it on Victoria's, joining them.
They looked at Emily and then looked at each other and smiled.
And the Corpse Bride, seeing Victor smiling at Victoria and she smiling back at him (both with a special smile that the dead woman, unfortunately, had never received, because it is reserved for true love), she knew she had done the right thing.