Beauty In Darkness

9

I avoided looking at Rose by studying the rest of the people gathered among us. King Balsam watched the ceremony with a bored expression, as if he didn’t care at all that I was taking his daughter away. His sister’s face was stoic, though she tightly clutched the hand of her husband, a tall man with dark eyes that seemed to hold many secrets. The eldest daughter, Princess Lily, stood beside them with her hands clasped in front of her, wearing a tiara made to look like ice shards. I’d nearly chosen her for my bride just to spite her father, since it was well known she was his favorite. I’d also considered choosing Princess Jasmine, who wore a yellow gown that seemed to match her cheerful disposition. The others were far too young, both those blond twins and the red-haired child, so I’d dismissed them immediately. But in the end, Rose had been the only one bold enough to volunteer, as I’d known she would. Just as I’d known from the moment I first looked into her amber eyes that I could choose no other, no matter how hard I’d tried to deny it. She was the only one strong enough to be Queen of Ilidan, even if something told me she would be trouble.

As the sun vanished and the moon rose in the sky, the ceremony concluded with the customary exchanging of ancestral rings. Silena’s wedding ring had once been my grandmother’s, but now hung from a chain around my neck, tucked inside my black shirt along with the wedding ring she had given me. This morning I’d removed it from my hand for the first time in four years in preparation for a new ring to replace it tonight.

I slid a ruby-encrusted band onto Rose’s fingers. “I gift to you the ring of my mother, Queen Casnia of Ilidan, as a symbol of our marriage.”

Rose admired the ring on her hand as snow began to fall from the night sky. I mentally cast a rune to shield her from it, along with the increasingly frigid wind around us. In that thin silk gown she had little protection from the harsh weather of this land. Her eyes raised to watch the snow fall in a wide circle around her. When she realized what I’d done she smiled at me, and at that moment I saw only her.

Our eyes locked and something like a spark passed between us. My throat tightened, my chest clenched, and I looked away quickly. No. I would not feel anything for my new bride. I had nothing left in my heart but darkness and pain. Rose’s beauty and strength would not change that.

She took my hand and placed the ring on my finger, drawing my attention again. “I gift to you the ring of my great-grandfather, King Rowan of Talador, as a symbol of our marriage.”

The ring was made of polished silver inlaid with sapphires and was a bit loose, but it was likely the best they could do on such short notice. Once both bands were on our fingers we were instructed to clasp hands while the priest finished his ceremony. Sparks flared as we touched, but I did my best to ignore them. Rose gazed into my eyes and I stared at her chin, willing this moment to end already.

The priest raised his hands again to the sky. “Blessed by the Sun and Moon, witnessed by the Stars, I hereby pronounce your union sacred and binding. May the Celestials watch over you both for all your days.”

“Finally,” I muttered, as I yanked my hands away from Rose. Her face fell, and I immediately wished I’d never said a thing.

No, it had to be this way. The sooner she realized this would never be a love-filled marriage, the better. She would be Queen of Ilidan and would have to find purpose in that, because there would be nothing between us except this political alliance we’d both been forced into.

Although there was still the magic problem. Even now I saw Rose eyeing the snow falling away from her and knew her clever mind was working. Her gift was strong, but untrained and clumsy. She’d likely found one old spellbook in a dusty corner of the castle and taught herself how to cast a few runes, but she would only injure herself—or someone else—if she kept that up. She had to be properly trained. By me, unfortunately, since there was no one else to do it.

Princess Lily also had the gift, but it wasn’t nearly as strong. Merely a flicker that could have been built into a flame if nurtured, but that seemed unlikely now, especially with her father’s hatred of wizards. The young one, Iris, had the gift as well, and I suspected she would be powerful once she came into her magic in the next year or two.

Neither one of them was my problem. Rose, on the other hand, was. I’d need to begin her training soon, even if I was reluctant to spend much time with her. But magic might protect her from the growing darkness inside Ilidan, though I would try to shield her from it as much as possible. And now that I’d ended the war with Talador, I could focus on the bigger threat—and find a way to save my kingdom.

Six

Rose

A

fter the ceremony ended, we all retired to the great hall for the wedding feast. Father stood at the head of the room and recited a bland speech about how Talador and Ilidan were putting the past behind them and becoming allies for the first time in many generations. I tried to listen, but kept glancing at the ring on my hand, admiring the rubies while wondering how I’d ended up both a wife and a queen on this whirlwind of a day.

I knew little of Ilidan, yet in a few hours it would be my new home. I’d never gone farther than a few miles from Winton Castle, but soon I’d be journeying to a different kingdom. A mixture of apprehension and excitement fought for dominance inside me at the thought. For years I’d dreamed of something more than this life in a dreary castle, yet now I wasn’t sure I was ready for it.