Myan remained still while Ash stepped forward. She was already crossing too many lines.
Ash noticed that she wasn't moving with him and furrowed his eyebrows at her, "why aren't you moving?"
Myan kept shaking her head in response. Ash was growing furious by the minute. He had no time for nonsense like this and was a man of time.
"Answer me, why aren't you saying anything?" He snapped at her for the umpteenth time.
The king stood to his feet and hurried to intervene while murmurs filled the courtyard from every angle. "My lord, the fourth princess is not used to such an activity and she is only nervous." He walked up to Myan and placed his hands on her shoulder, "my dear, I know you're anxious but it will only last a minute." He tried to convince her to feel better.
He was about to pull her into a comforting hug when she brushed free of his hold. He stared at her in confusion and waited for her to say something.
Myan looked around them and stopped on one of the old servants. She waved a finger at the slender lady and in obedience, the woman came to her side.
Myan knew the servant was from the first queen's quarter and so she wasn't familiar with Kassy.
Myan whispered into the servant's ear and the obedient woman nodded in understanding.
"My lord, your highness, the fourth princess says she thinks this is too belittling for the lord. He is supreme and should not take part in such mere marital activities." The servant spoke with her head bowed the whole time.
"What?" Ash moved closer to servant.
"Yes, my lord. She says, the lord can marry who he wants to just by saying it and he doesn't need a ceremony to stamp that, why does he have to go through this like a mere man, these were the fourth's princess words, not mine, my lord." The servant said and turned to leave.
"She is only a child, she didn't mean to disrespect you like that, my lord." The king hurried to his knees while everyone held their breath in fear as the lord began to move closer to Myan.
The second queen burst in tears in her seated position, burying her face in her hands while her counterparts tried to comfort her.
"Is this true?" Ash asked Myan, standing only a few inches away from her.
The poor servant nodded positively with confidence.
There was silence for as few seconds until Ash drew his lips into a smirk. "I like how you think."
The king lifted his head from the floor in shock and the second queen sat upright.
"You are very right." Ash continued and turned to look at the coordinator, "skip to the last ritual right now!" He bellowed in order.
The coordinator waved a few men to the lord and his bride, nodding like a lizard. "Yes, my lord."
"Please take your bride's hands in yours." He began to speak.
Myan sighed in relief, she had just bought Kassy more time. She flinched when the lord's warm hands took hers. She was worried about how comforting they felt. Why did it seem like this was where she was meant to be?
"The royal entourage will tie your hands now." The coordinator said.
Two men dressed in similar floor length, white gown began to tie a white silk scarf around the wrists of Ash and Myan.
"You have been tied together and so from today, no one can come between you." He continued to call while one of the men set the scarf ablaze, making Myan panic.
"Your bond has been sealed by the powerful fire. The fire dies out in a minute, before then you need to say your vows after me." He said.
"I acknowledge that I've been joined to you..." he called and both Ash and Myan said the words. Myan was nervous but Ash's deep voice overshadowed hers.
"Nothing and no one will claim that this bond is a counterfeit. From today henceforth, I'm your bride or groom..." he said and they repeated, using their respective titles.
"Our marriage is valid, sealed by fire and witnessed by a crowd above three." He concluded and after they said it, the fire fired out immediately.
The courtyard went wild with people fake cheering and clapping at the new couple.
"The royal carriage will now escort you to your new home, fourth princess. You can now say your final goodbyes to your family." The coordinator told Myan. She burst into tears as the wailing queen came to wrap her in a warm embrace, almost squeezing the life out of her.
"I'll come visiting, I promise." She cried, denying the king and his other wives, her half siblings, the chance to hug her too. "I love you so much!" Nobody interfered between the mother and daughter emotional moment.
Myan felt the hug of true love and cried some more. She'd never enjoyed that all her life and weirdly craved it some more.
Ash clearly wasn't booked for the emotional overdose.
"Party's over." He snapped at the queen.
Myan turned around in shock when she saw him transforming into the beastly form from earlier on. Something about that bright red skin and that twelve feet beast didn't go well with her. She wondered what he was getting mad for and didn't even have the time to think further when he swooped her off her feet, making her shriek.
She had to wrap one arm around his neck while using the other to secure her crown on her head to avoid it from removing and revealing her face.
"What are you doing now?" She had to ask.
"We are going home." He simply said, leaping so high. Myan thought they were going to die when they left the floor. She understood immediately that he wasn't taking the carriage with her, he was transporting her 'home' on his huge back.
He jumped from roof to roof, skipping at least ten houses before landing on the next roof.
Myan found herself getting comfortable with this means of transportation. She tried to strap the crown on so it didn't remove and after this struggle, she wrapped her second arm around him and leaned her head against his back, holding him tight as they hopped to his mountain.
Her death was coming closer by the minute...
*
Ash's mountain would be so much work for one man to climb up but they finally got there. No wonder no one knew where he lived exactly, his mountain was so far that even with his speed, the moon was up before they reached the mountain.
When they were halfway up, Ash stopped to look at her. She had been walking with him and was literally out of breath.
"Do you want me to carry you?" He had put her down at her request.
"No." She shook her head, feeling like a lazy log being carried around like a child.
Ash smirked at her. He knew she wouldn't last a few more minutes up there without help but he loved how his princess was a woman who liked to be independent. He couldn't wait to unveil her, see that beautiful face again, hold those curvy hips and tickle between her thighs with his desperate fingers.
He had transformed to his usual form when it was time to climb up his mountain, his home.
"If I jumped up this mountain, we would only have a few more steps." He assured her but how could she explain that she was trying to slow her death down? By now, Kassy was surely far away and safe, thank goodness, but she was still worried.
Ash didn't bother to sought her permission. He lifted her in his arms and even without shifting, he was faster than ten men put together. She closed her eyes and leaned her head on his shoulder as they traveled up and faster. It was so relieving.
They were by the entrance in no time. He set her down and opened the door of the huge cave. Myan wondered how anyone could
ever find comfort from living in rocks but when he opened the door and revealed the interior, she got her answers.
It looked like a mini version of heaven, a huge fountain sat in the centre of the grassland, there, liquid fire flowed onto the floor but it was harmless.
Ash held her hand as he led her to where she assumed was the bedroom.
"Don't worry, I'll request that your servant is brought here tomorrow." He assured her. She realized just then that they were alone. How was no one else living here and why did nobody serve him?
"Hm." She remembered her fate and began to sob underneath her costume.
"You sound different, are you worried?" He led her to sit on the huge bed. This part of the cave was opened to the night sky but it seemed like there was a glass ceiling shielding possible rainfall from coming in.
The room was blank and empty except for the presence of the bed and a closet. The warm bed was cozy though, especially for a tough man like him.
He was a nice man on the outside, she noticed. He was just unexplainable.
"Don't be." He began to unravel her dressing, from her necklace to her bangles.
He tilted her neck to the left and buried his face there, sucking on the skin delicately.
Myan's lips betrayed her where a small moan came from her. She had never moaned before, she thought. Was this what happened with her princess and her lover?
"You smell different." Ash complimented and resumed his digging.
"I know you've heard rumours about me, but I'm not that beast. I'll touch you in places you never knew would provide you pleasure." He spoke in a deep, fading voice.
"Undress for me my bride, let me see those juicy breasts and that wide hip that makes me thirst for you." He moved away from her to brighten the room with some flaming torches he lighted with his palm.
Myan sat still in fear, her anxious heart threatening to explode.
Ash returned to her side with a small frown. "Undress for me." He repeated, eyeing her suspiciously.
"I said, undress." He commanded, seeing how she wasn't reacting to his commands.
He came closer and took her crown off aggressively.
Myan gasped in shock and her soaked cheeks gave her away immediately. She stood to her feet sharply while the crown in his hand began to steam. It was melting.
"You're not the fourth princess." He said in a low voice.