From the moment my father had decided to marry me off to the king of Velmont, I knew my life would become a nightmare.
That night, I quietly sat before the silver mirror in my dressing room, staring at myself in both pain and disbelief. The room was filled with bright, flickering candles, but they did not chase the heavy darkness weighing on my heart.
I was about to get married.
But unlike normal weddings that happened on a bright, sunny morning—I was getting married in the middle of the night.
I had been forced into a white wedding dress with silver glitter; it was beautiful, but suffocating. Pearls were decked around my neck and wrists, my face had been powdered with too many colours to make me look as pretty as a perfect bride. But all I felt like was a sacrifice rather than a bride.
My hands were tightly clasped on my lap, trembling in unease when a knock on the door startled me.
The door creaked open and a maid hurried in. Her face was pale with terror as she stuttered, "T-they are here, milady. The men of Velmont….. they have arrived at the c-castle."
V-Velmont.
I felt my body stiffen at her utterance. The blood in my veins seemed to have frozen for a moment from dread.
"They a…are h-here?" I questioned with a trembling voice, as if unsure of what I heard, but the maid nodded.
Everyone knew who the men from Velmont were. Inhumanly tall, muscular creatures. They had red eyes and sharp canines they used to pierce into people's flesh to drink blood. Humans called them vampires….and they were here for me.
I knew this moment would finally come. I had been preparing myself emotionally and mentally for weeks. But the reality that these inhuman men had finally come for me horrified me more than ever.
Cold sweats were all over my palms and face. Tears brimmed painfully in my eyes, threatening to spill but I didn't let them. Father had warned me not to try to sabotage my wedding tonight in any way, so I couldn't cry as much as I wanted.
"You need to come with me, milady. The wedding starts in a moment and your presence has been demanded." The maid peered at me nervously, the visible fear never leaving her face.
I couldn't avoid my fate. I knew this.
"Yes, I will." I nodded obediently. She helped me fix the veil to entirely cover my face which felt even more suffocating. She took my hand guiding me out of the room.
The hallway was vast and filled with candles that guided our way. Guards had been stationed at every corner of the hallways more than usual, probably in case I tried to escape.
The feel of cold air swept through my skin, and I shivered not knowing if it was truly the cold or terror within me.
I looked at the sky, it had darkened and the moon which used to bring me peace every night when I stared at it, felt like it was mourning me sorrowfully.
From the corridor window, my eyes glanced at the castle grounds. Several men in black cloaks sat on black horses dangerously waiting, their weapons glinting in the darkness. All I needed were vows and oaths and I would be at their mercy.
We passed the royal hall, the place where the royal weddings usually took place. I sighed knowing mine wasn't happening there.
We finally arrived at a secluded part of the castle. The door was dusty and oak, with strange markings carved on it. A part of the castle I've never been to.
"You may go in, milady." the maid said, bowing at me before hurrying away.
My eyes were glued apprehensively to the rotting door. It was a moment of hesitation before I mustered all the courage in me pushing the door open and stepping in.
Inside I was greeted with the smell of old parchments and rusting metal, like a place that had been abandoned for a long time.
My breath hitched.
The room was dim, far darker than the candlelit halls I had just left behind. Only a few tall black candelabras stood at the corners, their flames burning low and unnaturally still.
No people were sitting in the pews, none of my family members were present, not even my father, the king of Alexandria and worst of all, the man I was to marry...was absent.
He hadn't attended his own wedding.
I had always expected it. People said he was a monster and monsters didn't like to appear in front of others.
"Come forward, Princess Jasmine." A priest, the only other person in the room said. His voice sounded like he didn't want to be here and was forced.
My slippers echoed softly against the stone floor as I stepped further in.
I finally arrived at the altar when my gaze turned to the side. A huge, strange silver sword lay on the table beside me. The blade was carved like a crescent, sharp and daunting.
I realized what it was. It was a wedding relic. It had been sent to replace the absence of the groom. I was about to wed a sword.
It was customary in Alexandria that if a king or royal couldn't attend their own wedding, they could send a relic in their stead. But such had never happened before. Every royal groom always attended their wedding...except mine.
Somewhere, I didn't know if I should feel scared or relieved that he wasn't here. But either way, I could never escape him.
The priest cleared his throat, he didn't look at me. His eyes were fixed on the silver crescent blade as if it might strike him down.
"We are gathered," he began, his voice was thin and wavering, "to bind the blood of Alexandria to the throne of Velmont."
He reached for a small golden bowl and a ceremonial needle. This was the part of the Velmont ritual the stories always whispered about.
Unlike normal weddings where they exchange rings and vows, they didn't want rings, they wanted a seal that couldn't be removed.
"Your hand, Princess," he murmured.
I extended my right hand, my fingers shaking so violently that the lace of my sleeve fluttered. The priest took my hand in his cold, clammy grip. With a swift, practiced motion, he pricked the tip of my finger.
I winced, watching a single, dark bead of blood seep from my pale skin.
"With this drop, the pact is sealed," the priest intoned. He tilted my hand, letting the blood fall, not into the bowl, but directly onto the cold, engraved steel of the wedding sword.
The moment the red liquid touched the silver, the low-burning candles flared a sudden, violent violet. A hum, low and vibrating like a growl, resonated from the blade.
I gasped in disbelief, pulling my hand back as the blood on the metal didn't smear or run...it was absorbed, vanishing into the steel.
"It is finished," the priest whispered, his face turning an even deeper shade of grey. "You are now wedded to the king of Velmont. His Majesty's guard is waiting."
He didn't offer a blessing nor did he offer a smile. He simply turned and vanished into the shadows, leaving me alone with the humming sword.
The heavy oak door behind me groaned open.
Two men in their black cloaks almost swallowing the light appeared.
One of them stepped forward, too silent to be human. The air around him turned frigid.
"It's time to go, Princess." His cold, inhuman voice uttered, gesturing me toward the darkness outside, where the black horses waited to take me to their kingdom.