Love Before Blood

Chapter 5

Azriel’s POV

After I packed everything for the wedding, I brought along ten of my strongest soldiers as a security measure. I’ve never had anyone dress me because I thought it was annoying to have someone do it for you. Why have someone do it for me when I could do it myself?

We left around midnight to the Land of Humans. We like to call it Humania, because it was better than saying that mouthful of words. Humania was about a four hour journey from where we were. I was given the option to ride a dragon, but I wanted to fly myself, but we brought Midnight, my black dragon with us, just in case.

When we arrived at their palace, it was a few hours before dawn, hiding my wings before anyone else saw them. I noticed that there was nothing exciting about it. The rose bushes were close to dying and the trees looked mostly dead. I don’t understand why they wouldn’t take care of their plants. Surely they had servants who took care of these. Their guards came out and brought us into their throne room and took Midnight to their stables. “Um...Your Highness, does your dragon eat humans?” they asked nervously.

I almost laughed, but I held it in and said,” No, he mostly eats fruits, he only eats meat when he feels threatened.” The palace was lit very brightly, like they were trying to distract people from the dead plants. I thought I was going to become blind.

King Locke and Queen Rosario were standing before their thrones and greeted us when we came in. Both of them had bags under their eyes. “Welcome to the Land of Humans, Prince Azriel,” Queen Rosario said,” We hope your journey was safe and good.”

“It was,” I said in my coldest voice yet,” I hope the preparations we sent to you weren't too much trouble.”

“None at all,” she said with a gentle voice, and I could instantly tell it was fake,” but do forgive us for how our gardens look. Ever since the sky turned grey our roses died. We couldn’t figure out why, and they eventually died.”

I nodded my head in understanding. “We have rooms prepared for you, if you and your...men would like to rest for a few hours before the wedding ceremony,” King Locke offered.

I was a little upset when he hesitated with that word. He could’ve just called us Drakes or just men. Either would’ve been fine. “Actually, I will take you up on that offer. If you would be so kind as to show us our rooms so we can sleep as soon as possible.”

“Of course. Right this way.” A maid escorted us to our rooms. The palace was decorated in white and gold and there was a red carpet. Probably for the bride to walk on. At least their traditions weren’t too far from ours in terms of decorating. But other than the decorations, there were no plants anywhere inside the palace.

The maid suddenly stopped and unlocked a room with huge double doors. “Here you are, Your Highness,” she said.

The room was white with sheer blue curtains on the windows. “If you need anything, just tug on the rope that is right next to the door.”

“Thank you,” I said. “Consider this as a thank you for your hospitality.” I waved my hand and a bag of pearl tree seeds. Pearl tree seeds are more like a fertilizer, it contains so many nutrients, it can bring wilted or dead plants back to life in a matter of hours. “Plant this anywhere in the garden and the rose bushes in your garden will bloom within the next few days. In fact, if you plant them now, the rose bushes should bloom before the ceremony.”

The maid looked at me with surprise and said,” I will have the gardeners work on it right away.”

“Sir, why would you give those to them? You’ve been working so hard on that for your mother,” my first in command, Cassian, asked.

“Well, it turns out I had extra. I thought it was a fitting gift for them after seeing the conditions of their gardens. Plus, she would be horrified if she saw that.”

He nodded his head in understanding. “We should get some rest and have your men on rotations. We’re not home, and who knows what kind of danger there could be,” I sighed. “We have a long day. And before we leave, make sure we don’t leave without the princess’ bodyguard.”

“Yes, sir,” Cassian said while saluting me,” Goodnight, sir.”

When the sun was just at the horizon, Cassian woke me up. I went to take a hot bath to help wake me up. To be honest, I was a little nervous about this wedding. I’ve never had any experience with girls. I mean, back at home, I’m usually admired by the maids, and one of my mother’s servants actually confessed her feelings to me but I don’t really pay attention to their confessions. Ever since I accepted the marriage alliance proposal I’ve been thinking how do I treat her? Will she like me?

Well, I guess I could think about that after this day is over. With a snap of my fingers, my clothes were placed in front of me. On the back of my shirt, there are buttons I could unbutton whenever I bring out my wings. My shirt was white with a grey tint with the sun embroidered in gold on my chest and with matching boots and mask. I didn’t do much with my hair since we’ll be flying right after the ceremony is over.

“Sir, the ceremony is ready,” Cassian told me,” The princess will meet us shortly.”

“How’s Midnight doing?”

“He is fine. I had one of our men keep him company, however he mysteriously got cut by something or someone. He couldn’t get a good look because he was apparently too fast.”

“Hmmm, I will look further into this later. Right now, we have a wedding to worry about.”

Cassian nodded. “And is everything ready for the flight home?”

“All ready.” I nodded.

The ceremony was taking place outside in the gardens. And it looks like the maid actually planted the seeds. The rose bushes and trees were filled with green and colorful flowers. All the maids were scrambling to get all the decorations together in time. Outside of the garden gate, there were a lot of people waiting for the ceremony to start. It mostly consisted of women with curious children, there were not that many men in that crowd. Seeing that almost made me want to...think about…

“Sir, are you alright?” Cassian asked.

“I’m fine,” I said,” When will she be here?”

“Any minute now. The priest is waiting for you at the glass pavilion.”

She arrived right when I positioned myself next to the priest. All the nobles were lined up the aisle to get a close look at the princess, but unfortunately they won’t be seeing much since I sent a matching cloak with the dress. The cloak is meant to keep her warm during the flight home.

If there was music, I couldn’t hear it. All I saw was a white figurine coming down the aisle with her father. However, her scent is a little different from him-it was off. Also, the way the king was escorting her was a little awkward, and I could see she was walking stiffly. The way he was holding her hand also seemed a bit off.

I could tell she had a little muscle in her arms based on the width of the sleeves, but her waist was very slim. Maybe I could let her join me when I exercise and help her build even more muscle. I also saw that her skin was very pale. She probably doesn’t go outside very much, but I can change that. Overall, the dress I sent fit her perfectly.

When King Locke placed her hand in mine, she flinched. She was warm, and I was cold. I quickly warmed up my hands, and she relaxed a little bit. Her grasp was a little firmer this time. We kneeled in front of the priest for the blessing. I could feel some callouses in her fingers, but I could tell she was a strong and gentle woman.

When the priest finished, we stood up and faced the crowd. They cheered and threw white roses into the air. My men flew into the air, and waited for us. I easily scoop her into my arms and she gasps in surprise. She flinched again, and I warmed up my body and again she relaxed. I don’t know why, but she is a lot lighter than I expected, even with the layers of this dress and cloak.

I was able to see for a split second that she has beautiful dark hair. She wraps her arms around my shoulders to keep her from falling down. “Hold on tight, Princess,” I said after I brought my wings out.

And she did. With her body against mine, I felt warm for the first time in forever. She also puts her head into my shoulder, probably to make sure she doesn’t lose her mask in the wind. And with a powerful flap of my wings, I flew into the sky towards home.