In Darkness

Chapter Four

Willow waited in the hall, behind the double doors. Any minute now, they would swing open and she would have to walk down that isle and become the wife of a man people claimed was pure evil. She was trying not to think about that part though. However, she couldn't help but wonder what kind of punishments he would dole out.

Mother proffered lashings in places easily concealed by clothing.

Would he be the same or would he not care if anyone saw her marred skin?

Before she had too long to ponder on that thought, the doors opened to reveal a priest standing at the end of the isle, and the back of a tall man with curly dark hair standing in front of him. Her heart dropped into her stomach and for a moment her legs refused to move and she felt like she might vomit. The taste of bile was in the very back of her throat.

The sound of a throat being cleared, presumably the Queen's doing, had jerked her out of her head and she began to make the slow march towards the priest and her future husband.

The room was mostly empty, due to the suddenness of the wedding. Just the Queen, her guards, and the men that had come with the King.

As Willow approached the alter, The King turned to face her, and for the first time she noticed just how handsome he was.

His eyes were as dark as his hair. The richest shade of brown that Willow had ever seen. His face was soft and dark stubble lined his jaws. His skin was a golden bronze and he was tall. By gods was he tall. He towered over Willow, which she found as intimidating as she did attractive.

They have always said that evil wears a pretty face. She thought, not realizing how true those words were until this very moment.

The priest asked for each of their hands, and wrapped a woven chord around it, a tradition of the Erybos kingdom. He spoke of them being bonded together from now until death.

The vows would have been incredibly touching to Willow, had they not been binding her to a man so cruel that stories of him had made their way to Lyra. Stories told of him murdering his brother in cold blood so that he could take the throne. Stories of him poisoning the former king to get him out of the way. They even tell of his cruelty of his reign. How he forces his people out of their homes and doesn't care if they starve to death.

"King Kieran and Queen Willow having proclaimed the binding of your souls together in the sight of these witnesses and before the gods, and based on the strength of that bond, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Please seal your bond with a kiss." The priest finished.

The King leaned forwards and quickly brushed his lips against Willow, before unwraveling the woven chord and walking back down the isle without a second glance at his new wife.

Willow stood there, frozen, unsure of what happens now.

The robed man took this as his opportunity to approach her and introduce himself.

"Your Majesty, I am the royal advisor, Alaric. It is my responsibility to prepare you for the journey back to Erybos." He extended his hand to her and she took it. He gave her a reassuring squeeze, as if to show her that he meant no harm.

"The maids have already been tasked with gathering the belongings from your room, but is there anything else that you might want?" His voice was warm and weathered, much like his appearance. His skin was wrinkled around his eyes and mouth, showing his age, and his hair was a snowy white, making him look to be in his seventies.

"No I don't think so." She stated, she didn't have many belongings aside from a few gowns and a couple of books given to her by her father when she was a child. Her mother never allowed her material things so as not to spoil her. All of her possessions could easily fit in one trunk, of that she was sure.

"Very well. If you will allow me, I will escort you back to the Kings chambers and we shall depart in the morning. I will make sure your ladies maids are there to assist you in making sure you are comfortable." He began leading her down the isle towards the heavy double doors.

"I don't have any ladies' maids," Willow said softly.

Alaric paused for a moment, as if surprised. "Well, I will see to it that someone comes to assist you."

Willow was relieved that he didn't ask any further questions about it. She wasn't sure how much he knew about her or her relationship with her mother. Maybe part of the selling point was that I had already been beaten and broken in.

Alaric lead Willow to the east wing of the palace, the visitors' wing. She had never been allowed to step foot near it, so she had no idea what those chambers would look like. She imagined similar stone walls and hard beds like her own. She focused on picturing the visitors' chambers, refusing to allow herself to think of the man, her husband, that would be waiting inside.

"Here we are, my dear." He knocked twice on the door before turning back to her. "Please go on in. His Majesty is expecting you."