The King's Bride

The Grand Entrance

I had never been away from home before and yet here I was, traveling across different lands to reach the capital city of Azalea.  

It had been a long time sitting alone in this carriage, completely surrounded by dark thoughts. I wondered with pain about how my father would be doing after I was snatched away from him. The worst part was that, I didn’t even get to say goodbye to him.

I took a long breath as the tears started streaming down my cheeks, and remembered of the time when I used to say to my father, “I don’t care about thrones or ruling over people father, I just want to be free and travel to foreign lands.”

All I wanted was to be free and here I was chained in the shackles of politics, by this beast who has cut the wings of my hopes and dreams.

With closed eyes, I rem as the painful memories of my father, the king being treated with such cruelty flashed before my eyes.

“I swear that I will take revenge. I swear that one day I will make this man kneel in front of me and my father and I swear that I will spend the rest of my life hating this person for what he had done to me.”

My father was given his ruling back, provided that he answers to the Azalian Empire. My sacrifice was not in vain, at least the rest of my family gets to live in peace.

All sorts of these thoughts grazed my minds, as I looked outside the hazy window and saw that the sun was about to go down. Involuntarily my eyes closed down on its own and I fell into a state of slumber.

A loud thumping noise woke me up from my sleep. Someone was thumping loudly on the carriage door and was making it rattle violently.

I squinch my eyes in pain and tried to make two and two of the situations. With a weak, trembling hand, I touched the handle of the door but before I can push it open from the inside, someone from the outside jerked it open and pulled myself along with it.

“Ahhh” I shrieked as my body disbalanced and was about to land on the cold hard floor, until someone wrapped their hands around my waist and pulled me in their arms.

I looked up and it was him. He had a frown etched on his face as usual and continued to tighten his grip around me.

My eyes widened the size of saucers as anger started bubbling in my head and I tried to free myself of his monstrous grasp.

“Leave me, let go of me now.” I shouted and wreaked havoc in his arms. I flailed my free arm here and there to push him away and in all this fighting, I mistakenly slapped him.

I stopped dead in my tracks and put my hand on my mouth in shock while he stood there not moving and not responding at all. All of a sudden I heard the sound of gritting teeth , as he used his hand on my waist to slam be back against the carriage door, and used his other hand to hold my face in place.

My back screamed of pain but I couldn’t move away from his hold. He pressed the nails on his hands in my face as the grip on my jaws tightened and tightened. Then he brought his face so close to min that I could feel his breath on the side of my neck.

“I told you before,” he paused to bring his head back up and meet my eyes.

“Look at me.” His voice thundered across the field.

 I jolted in fright and stood even straighter in his arms. The tears that I had so carefully controlled before had started flowing again.

“I am your king now, and you will do well to remember that. You will respect me, serve me and follow my orders without question. After all you were brought here not as a lady in my court but merely servant.” His voice became commanding as he recited all the things that had to be expected from me now.

With another harsh push, he slammed me even further in the carriage door and then let me go.

“Remember your place from now on.” He spat out before he turned to leave and didn’t even spare me another glance.

A few moments later, I steadied myself from his harsh words and decided to proceed inside.

We stood at the entrance of the grand palace, the home to the royalties of Azalea. To say that it was big was an understatement. This palace was humungous and was divided into separate wings. The whole to the palace stood on an elevated mass of land, surrounded by a deep canal from all sides. The bridge to the entrance dropped down, and behind the gate I saw a large number of people ready to welcome their king home.

The path was lined with maids and butlers on both sides, bowing their heads and chanting out victorious praises for their king. At the end of the bridge, Zack was greeted by the members of his court, as one by one each of them came and kissed the back of his hand in respect.

Few court members stood out because they came and grasped King Zack in their arms and greeted him rather intimately. They must be part of his family, I thought.

Suddenly large drums of the size of elephants started reverberating from all sides as announcing the presence of some very important people.

An old lady with a walking stick in her hand and a small tiara in her head came out in a rush. She looked quite poised and well dressed, with her jewel studded garments and priceless ornaments that adorned her look.

Following her entered and equally dignified looking woman, slightly younger than the one before. She was looking exquisite in her lavish emerald gown and her glamorous crown whose princely beauty shamed every other embellishment in the region.

She had a big smile on her face as she came running over to Zack, who shockingly enough bowed his head down to greet her. The lady in green then moved forward and placed a warm kiss on Zack’s head and took him in the embrace of her arms.

“Welcome home son.” She spoke and I could barely make out what she was saying with the noise of the drums.

Zack stayed in his mother’s arms for a short while, before he broke apart and proceeded to meet the old lady.

He was smiling widely as he took her hands in his and gave them subtle kisses.

My eyes couldn’t believe that a beast like this could ever smile, yet alone smile at someone. Look how carefully and delicately he treated his mother and the rest of the members of his family, but what about the thousand families that he had destroyed back at my homeland, not to forget the way he behaved with my very own.

“Beast,” I whispered under my breath so no one could hear.

On by one everyone proceeded inside and the sounds of celebrations had also started to die down.

I was standing at a good distance from him at all times so I wouldn’t come under his eye again.

“My brother, my king…” hooted out a man on Zack’s left. This man was of good height and build, although not the same as that of Zack’s. I heard two maids talking about this man earlier.

‘What was his name?’ I thought to myself, ‘Oh yes! Alexander.’

Mr. Alexander was King Zack’s cousin brother. He had a mop of curly brown hair on his head, which complemented the soft and youthful features on his face. One brother was a monster but on the other hand, this one looked much nicer and gentler, although I can’t trust any of them. To me they are the same, they are all just my enemies.

“Tonight, we celebrate your victory in the East. There is a grand dinner organized your mother in the great hall and after that we party.” He exclaimed, his cheeks grinning from ear to ear.

Zack raised his eyebrows and looked at his brother, “What do you mean?”

Someone came from behind them and put a hand around Alexander’s shoulder. He was a blonde man, and looked rather different from both brothers. I couldn’t see much of him, just his back but I could clearly hear his thick voice.

“It’s called an after party my King. I have made all the arrangements of wines and fine women, so it’s going to be great.”

Zack just chuckled a bit and then shook his head from side to side, at the words of this person.

I stood still at my position, not wanting to move or go further. This was a horrible place, full of horrible people like them. But it’s not like I can run away from here.

‘Please help me god.’ I cried out in my mind.

As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw the King turn back from his position and give me a piercing look. He then waved his hand towards the maids and rushed over to me.

“Come, we will take you inside miss.”

The maid took my hand and lead me to a different direction than theirs. Zack still had his eyes on me, and I didn’t break away either. All the while, I kept my eyes locked with his in a heated gaze until I was pulled inside a building and he was no more in sight.