My handmaids spent hours preparing me for tonight. Tonight, I dreaded it. I feared what would happen to me when I stepped out of here into the unknown and became entangled with a stranger for the rest of my life. I had a feeling, my instincts were telling me that the man I was marrying would be twice as worse as my father. And I believed it. My instincts never lied.
It was sad that I was thrown from one prison to another. My life had been dictated by my father even before I was born. He already knew what he was going to do with me—to sell me off to one of the kingdoms to create more allies. He didn't care about me, he didn't care about the consequences of his rash behavior.
I wished I were dead. I wished Mother hadn't interrupted my attempt to jump down from the window; I would have been dead, and wouldn't have to be transferred to another hell of a prison.
But it was too late now. Here I was standing before my mother and my two maids, Saida and Ciara. They were crying and hugging me, saying goodbye. My mother didn't cry because my father would scold her harshly. But I knew she was wailing inside.
Sometimes, when I look at my mother, I wonder how a beautiful and soft-hearted woman like her was able to get involved with a beast like my father. It was truly a beauty and the beast scenario—a real beast. A monster.
I'm going to miss you, my girl." A few tears finally dropped from her eyes, and she quickly wiped them away, pretending she hadn't just cried.
"I will miss you too, Mother," I hugged her and inhaled her motherly scent. She was amazing.
She hugged me back. "Don't forget what I told you, to always be a good wife and avoid angering your husband. Be submissive and obedient; he won't hurt you when you obey him, okay?" She told me.
I wasn't surprised. That was exactly what she had been doing since her marriage—submissive and obedient. She could never speak up for herself. Everything she did was controlled by my father. She deserved better than him.
"Alanora!" My father's voice roared, and I quickly released my mother and hastened my footsteps towards him. He was waiting in his carriage. I realized I was about to leave, home. Home?
I waved goodbye to my mother and my lovely maids for the last time before entering the carriage that was waiting for me. Then we disappeared through the heavily guarded gate and into the street.
We rode through the woods, and after what felt like an eternity, we finally arrived in a city. It was already night, and I was growing sleepy, but I didn't dare to close my eyes. I wanted to know where we were going.
After some time, the commander raised his sword to signal that we had reached our destination.
We arrived at the place where I would spend the rest of my life. Suddenly, painful knots formed in my stomach. Goosebumps rose on my arms and the back of my neck. I was scared and nervous.
The gate opened, and we rode inside. I didn't bother to look at my new home. All I was praying for was my future husband to reject the wedding, even if he had no reason to do so. The carriage came to a halt, and I stepped down. It was dark, but I could see that we were in front of a mighty castle, three times bigger than ours.
In the middle of the castle, there was a fountain with water flowing from it. Burning lamps were scattered everywhere, reflecting on the beautiful garden. This place exuded might and wealth just by its mere appearance. And I began to wonder, where are we? Who was this man I was marrying?
I moved forward when I saw my father coming towards me with his usual cold expression.
"Will you respect yourself?" he asked.
"Yes, Father," I replied, and hooked my arm around his as he led me inside the hall.
The hall was decorated in an unsettling manner, with burning candles everywhere. There weren't many people in the hall, but I could see some hooded figures gathered in the corner of the room. There were six of them, and I wondered why they were wearing black cloaks.
Looking at everything around me, I knew at once that the person I was marrying was inhuman. My instincts were right. I was getting married to a monster worse than my father.
I was already trembling. My heart was beating faster in my chest, making it difficult for me to breathe properly. I was scared out of my wits.
We stopped at the far front of the large hall, and suddenly, a cold breeze blew my hair backward and my body shivered violently. I was on high alert. A shadow appeared in front of us. I hadn't seen him enter, but he was already standing in front of us? Maybe I had been too caught up to notice.
I managed to look up at the strange man, and my breath caught in my throat.
This can't be. No. No. The masked prince? It can't be. There must be a mistake somewhere.
If I had thought my future husband was a monster, then this man right in front of my eyes was worse than a monster. A devil was the best description for him. He was ruthless and heartless. Outrageous rumors about him circulated everywhere. People whispered monstrous things about him. He was darkness itself.
My mouth opened and closed on its own. I forgot how to breathe for a moment. I didn't even blink. Finally, he looked at me, and my heart skipped a beat. His eyes were unlike anything I had ever seen before. They were brown and had the color of fire. It felt as if I had been exposed to a volcano. They were burning. I was burning.
His eyes and lips were the only things exposed; the rest of his face was covered with a silver mask.
Finally, I managed to look away from him and let out the breath I didn't know I was holding.
He crossed the distance between us, and I froze. Without saying anything, he grabbed my chin, making me look at him. His hand was strangely cold, like ice. I would rather die than look into his eyes again.
"Alanora?" he spoke. His voice was deep and authoritative, and for a moment, I thought I liked it.
I nodded.
He let go of my chin and turned to face my father. I had forgotten he was here as well. He didn't even make a sound. I was glad to see that he was scared for once in his life.
"Your Highness... I apologize for the lack of a proper introduction," my father said, smiling slightly. Strange.
He tore his gaze away from my father and faced me. He didn't say anything to him. That was disrespectful to someone like my father.
He held his large hand out to me, and I timidly placed my hand on his icy cold hand without being told. I knew better than to anger this man; he was dangerous. He took my hand and led me away from my father, as though he was claiming his property. I wasn't anyone's property. I was a human being, and that was enough to make me hate him.
I looked back at my father, and there was an apologetic look on his face, as if he was telling me he was sorry. But I wouldn't forgive him. He should have known better when he traded me like a commodity. He sold me off, and now the new owner had claimed me. I hated everything.
The strange man led me into the hallway, his hand, which felt like steel, still tightly holding mine. I wondered what he did with his hands that made them hard and rough.
After a while, a maid approached us, and the strange man let go of me and left. Why did he do that?
"My lady... it's time for the initiation," she mentioned, and I looked at her, feeling lost.
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
"You have to be initiated into the royal family, my lady."
Initiation? Like a ritual?