The ceremony was held in the Grand Hall. Hundreds of people filled the space. Nobles, merchants, foreign dignitaries, all dressed in their finest. They'd come to witness the alliance. To see the princess of Eldoria marry the cursed prince of Shadowmere.
I stood at the entrance, waiting for my cue. My father stood beside me, ready to walk me down the aisle. He hadn't said a word to me all morning.
"Father," I said quietly. "Are you certain about this?"
"The kingdom needs this alliance, Elara. That's all that matters."
Not Are you certain you want to do this? Not Are you afraid? Just the kingdom. Always the kingdom.
The music began. The doors opened. And my father led me forward into my new life.
The Hall was decorated with black and silver, shadowmere's colors. It should have been beautiful, but it looked ominous. Like walking into a storm.
I kept my eyes down, as I'd been taught. But I could feel everyone staring at me. Whispering. Poor thing. Going to that place. To him.
And then I saw him.
Prince Kael stood at the altar, waiting. I caught only a glimpse at first. Tall, dressed in black, standing perfectly still. As we got closer, I dared to look up.
He was... not what I expected.
The rumors had made him sound like a monster, but the man before me was handsome. Strikingly so. He had dark hair that fell to his shoulders, sharp features, and pale skin. But it was his eyes that caught me.
They were gray. Storm-cloud gray. And they were watching me with an intensity that made my breath catch.
I looked away quickly.
Father delivered me to the altar, placing my hand in Prince Kael's without a word. The prince's hand was cool and strong. He didn't grip too tight, but I could feel the power in his touch. Like he was holding back something dangerous.
The priest began the ceremony. I barely heard the words. My heart was pounding too loud in my ears.
"Do you, Princess Elara of Eldoria, take Prince Kael of Shadowmere to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
I hesitated. Just for a second. Just long enough for doubt to creep in.
Prince Kael's fingers tightened slightly on mine. Not painful, but firm. A reminder. Answer.
"I do," I whispered.
"And do you, Prince Kael of Shadowmere, take Princess Elara of Eldoria to be your lawfully wedded wife?"
"I do." His voice was deep and smooth. It sent a shiver down my spine.
"Then by the power vested in me, I pronounce you husband and wife."
Just like that, my fate was sealed.
The reception was torture. I had to sit beside my new husband at the head table while people congratulated us, while musicians played, while servants brought course after course of food I couldn't eat. My stomach was in knots.
Prince Kael, my husband, barely spoke. He ate calmly, drank wine, and watched the room with those unsettling gray eyes. Sometimes I felt him looking at me, but when I glanced over, he was always looking elsewhere.
"Are you well, Princess?" he asked once, his voice low enough that only I could hear.
"Yes, Your Highness."
"You've barely touched your food."
"I'm not hungry."
"Nervous?"
I looked at him then, really looked at him. His expression was unreadable. "Should I be?" I asked carefully.
The corner of his mouth lifted in something that might have been a smile. "Most people are nervous around me."
"Because of the rumors?"
"Because of the truth."
My blood went cold. Before I could ask what he meant, someone approached the table, a noble from my father's court, drunk and loud, offering toasts and congratulations. The moment was lost.
Finally, after hours that felt like days, it was time to leave. Time to go to Shadowmere.
A carriage waited outside, black with silver trim, pulled by four black horses. It looked like something from a ghost story.
Mira hugged me tightly before I left. "Be careful," she whispered. "Write to me. Promise."
"I promise."
Mother kissed my cheek and reminded me to be obedient. Father nodded once, already turning away to speak with other nobles. My brothers didn't even come to say goodbye.
I climbed into the carriage. Prince Kael followed, settling into the seat across from me. The door closed. The carriage lurched forward.
And just like that, I left my home forever.
We rode in silence. I looked out the window, watching my kingdom disappear behind us. The castle grew smaller. The city faded. Soon there was nothing but forest and road.
"You can speak, you know," Prince Kael said suddenly.
I jumped, startled. "I... I didn't want to disturb you, Your Highness."
"We're married now. You can call me Kael."
"That wouldn't be proper—"
"I don't care about proper." His gray eyes fixed on me. "And you're going to be in Shadowmere soon. Trust me, propriety is the least of your concerns there."
I swallowed hard. "What do you mean?"
"I mean Shadowmere isn't like Eldoria. We have different rules. Different customs." He leaned back in his seat. "And different dangers."
"You're trying to scare me."
"I'm trying to prepare you."
"Then tell me the truth," I said, surprising myself with my boldness. "Tell me if the rumors are true. Are you really cursed?"
For a long moment, he just stared at me. Then he did something unexpected.
He smiled. A real smile, not the half-smile from before. It transformed his face, made him look younger, almost... kind.
"Yes," he said simply. "I am."
My heart stopped. "What?"
"I'm cursed, Princess. I have been since birth. And now, by marrying me, you're part of that curse too."
I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. "What kind of curse?"
"The kind that lives in the shadows," he said softly. "The kind that hunts. The kind that kills."
Before I could respond, before I could even process what he'd just said, the carriage jerked violently to the side. I heard the horses screaming. The driver was shouting.
And then I heard something else. Something that made my blood turn to ice.
Growling. Deep, inhuman growling, coming from just outside the carriage.
Prince Kael's expression changed instantly. The kindness vanished, replaced by something cold and dangerous. He moved to the window, looking out into the darkening forest.
"What is it?" I whispered.
He turned to me, and for the first time, I saw something in his eyes that terrified me more than any rumor ever had.
Fear.
"Shadow beasts," he said. "They've found us."
The carriage shook again, harder this time. I heard claws scraping against wood. Heard something massive moving around us in the darkness.
"What do we do?" I gasped.
Kael reached for the door. "You stay here. No matter what you hear, no matter what happens, you don't leave this carriage. Understand?"
"But—"
"Understand?"
"Yes!"
He nodded once, then opened the door and jumped out into the night.
I was alone in the carriage, surrounded by the sounds of chaos outside. Fighting. Growling. Men screaming.
And then I saw it.
Through the window, I saw a shadow. But it wasn't a normal shadow. It was moving on its own, separate from anything that could cast it. It was hunting.
And it was shaped like a man.
Like Prince Kael.
I watched, frozen in horror, as the shadow tore through something in the darkness. I watched it move with impossible speed and strength. I watched it kill.
The rumors weren't just true.
They weren't nearly enough.
I'd married a monster.
And I was trapped in a carriage in the middle of a dark forest with creatures I didn't understand, a husband who wasn't human, and absolutely no way to escape.
The growling grew louder and closer.
Something hit the side of the carriage, hard enough to crack the wood.
And I realized with horrible certainty that I might not survive my wedding night.