The day arrived and she stood as the queen entering with five ladies. They were all elves, all looked snobbish and they were all there to help her dress.
Forced to sit and have her face applied in subtle tones of pigment, she watched the women in silence, many of them looking irritated at having to be there.
The dress she was forced into really was lovely, made of creamy satin in a soft silver that enhanced the visibility of her markings. A large coat was placed over it, lined in grey fur with elaborate snowflakes stitched into it with silver thread and pearls.
Her neck was left bare and oddly, they took special care to keep her ears uncovered.
They had been horrified by the single rings that had still lingered in her lobes from Nayishma's maids and they removed them quickly, hoping no one had seen.
The robe was to remain off her shoulders, exposing the long line of her neck and shoulders as well as the top of her chest in the strapless gown. She didn't know why, but she accepted it.
Her long hair was pulled up into a series of braids and knots, looking beautiful with strings of pearls and silver loops.
With her pale complexion, she looked every part the Winter Princess she was.
The time was fading fast and she was forced to slip into a pair of simple flat slippers that would be removed at the doors to the throne room. A bride was to go barefoot into her wedding.
The queen dismissed the ladies and the two women stood silent for several long seconds. She was in shock, unsure of what was going to happen the if she was going to survive.
"You are a princess of the Winter Court," the regal woman said, staring down her nose at her granddaughter. "You understand what that means, and what your role is for the Winter Court. You understand that an alliance between the drow and Winter is beneficial."
Remaining silent, she stared blankly at the wall in the hopes that she could vanish into it. The queen didn't seem to need a response, something she was glad for as she didn't think she could forumate one.
"As a princess, you know it is your duty to submit to what is best for the court and your people. This was always a possibility for you. You will marry Drizdan, and you will submit to him as his wife. You will not fight, or I will be forced to do worse than give you to a drow. I will keep you here, never to return to the human world. Right now that is still permitted, but if you try and stop this… I will ensure there is nothing left of that world for you to run to."
Looking up, she swallowed as she took in the cold indifference of the woman. Did she really hate her granddaughter so much? What had she ever done to deserve that?
"Marry the man, submit to his pleasure, give him a child if that is his wish, and I will be generous with your freedom. I will not harm those little vampires in the human world. Then, when you are queen, you may do as you wish. You are the heir to Winter, keep your emotions private and your opinions to yourself. The Court comes first."
Without another word, the woman turned and left the room.
Leading her through the halls, she had begun to tremble at the events before her, fear burning through her soul.
The throne room had been set out with a large number of chairs in rows, the aisle strewn with black petals and she lifted her eyes to him. Slipping off her shoes, she started her slow march towards her doom. He would have been handsome had she not hated him so much.
His black hair was long and trailed to his shoulder blades. He wore spikey black and gold armour that did nothing to make him look less intimidating and his nearly black eyes were unfathomable as he looked back at her.
His ears had also been left uncovered and she gritted her teeth as she approached him, her hands clasped before her as she had been instructed.
Strong jaw, high cheekbones and sharp eyes. He would be gorgeous to any other woman, to her he was a monster. Lips turned up into the faintest hint of a smile, strong shoulders and a chiselled chest, a slender build but muscular, designed to move fast and dodge easily.
She came to a slow stop before him, her face paler than normal as he took her hand and she shuddered.
His ear piercings had been removed and like her own, the holes had closed up entirely. The fact made her terribly nervous.
Black eyes left hers as he turned to face the throne, their hands held up between them for all to see.
The queen approached; her blue eyes gleeful at the sight of them.
He hadn't spoken to her, no one was speaking at the rushed royal wedding. She didn't think anyone was all that thrilled by the events though, she thought people mostly just looked confused. This girl who had just been returned to them, suddenly belonging to a drow rather than a Fae or any other species that would be preferable. But no one said a word and she was left feeling crushed by everything that was happening.
"We are gathered here to celebrate the greatest union there is, the bringing of two mighty empires into one. The Prince Drizdan and the Princess Etani will bring great joy to our peoples.
Her hand was shaking and he gripped it tighter, not painful but enough to keep her still.
"Do you, Drizdan of the Drow Court take this woman as your lawful wife in this world and the next, for eternity and beyond?"
"I do," he said, his voice husky with his triumph.
"Do you Etania of the Winter Court take this man as your lawful husband in this world and the next, for eternity and beyond?" the queen intoned
Her silence was met with whispers and he squeezed her hand sharply.
"I do..." she said finally, her voice a gasp of pain.
"So may it be," the queen said simply and she lifted a small pillow from a table behind her giant dress. Atop it was a large collection of rings and she frowned, realising they were earrings, two sets each.
Scooping up the first set, Drizdan moved to her side and his breath was cool on her cheek as he touched her ear.
Each ring stabbed her ear, causing her to flinch in pain but she didn't move. She realised why her chest and shoulders were bare, so blood would drip onto them, which he then licked away.
Switching sides, he did the same to her other ear and then stepped back in front of her, his smile was disgustingly smug.
Taking the rings from the pillow, her fingers shook as she split the pile into two, four on each.
Her eyes lifted to his and then slid away to his ear. It was smaller than hers, short but with a sharper point. The faintest hint of marks were visible, marked out to show her where the rings would go.
He didn't so much as twitch as each sharp stems pierced his ear and then the other, the blood that dripped onto his shoulder quickly wiped away with her tongue and he shuddered at the sensation.
Stepping back before him, they turned back to the crowd and it was done, they were married.
It was such a solemn affair, not what she had ever heard a Fae wedding to be like, and the crowd was grim. But they still cheered for her, even as she saw many craining to see the young couple better.