On the seventh night of the four moons at the Scorpion King's lair...
Diana looked stunning in her outfit. She wore a white tube top of soft fabric adorned with a shimmering gold chain fastened around her neck. Her skirt, crafted from the same luxurious material, accentuated her slender waist and perfectly hugged her hips and legs. There was also a gold chain belt dangling on her thin waist. The high slits on both sides added an alluring touch, revealing a glimpse of her legs as she walked.
The Scorpion King had indulged in debauchery with her in the last two nights. Because she pleased him, King Akdan decided to make her his bride. While the Scorpion King has countless women who bore him many children, he only has two wives, and Diana would be the third.
King Akdan was magnificently dressed in his royal robe of gold and silver. He wore a golden crown on his head.
Vera, The Sorceress, would officiate their wedding at midnight on the seventh day of the four moons, in the open desert above the scorpions' lair. All fifty children of King Akdan and his concubines, along with the warriors and slaves, would be in attendance.
Diana has no hesitation at all. She loved being pampered and doted on by the King. She also loved that there were many maids serving her. In the more than two days she spent in the Kingdom of the Scorpions, she worked hard to learn their language and her efforts were not in vain because she could already converse in broken Astrali, the language used by all living in Astralis.
"Vera, do you think she is the bride from the prophecy who can break the spell on me? She looks different. She has golden hair and her eyes are like sapphires," King Akdan said as he looked at his bride, who was walking slowly towards him from a few meters away. Seven virgins walked with her, one on each side and five following behind her.
"If she is indeed the one in the prophecy, your curse should have already broken the moment you took her virginity," Vera replied.
King Akdan looked gloomy for a moment.
"What exactly did the prophecy say?" King Akdan asked while his eyes were held captive by the beautiful bride that was coming to her.
"A woman with eyes of gold and hair of fire that is born from the star but not of the star will come from the high seas of Meridian and break the chain of bondage."
Vera uttered the oracle in great awe. She, too, was waiting for the woman of the prophecy. She knew the woman would be powerful and she wanted to absorb that power.
King Akdan's brow creased in thought as he recalled the details. He realized that the woman with the striking red hair actually had mesmerizing green eyes, not the rumored gold as in the prophecy. A sense of disappointment washed over him at the realization.
When Diana reached the groom, King Akdan reached out to grasp her hands. The sorceress led them to bow before the three moons, and they bowed three times to the moon Mayari.
The Sorceress took a dagger, cut across Diana's palm, and let out her blood into a bronze goblet. Her action was so sudden that Diana did not have the time to react. Vera uttered some incomprehensible words and then placed her palm over Diana's wounded palm. Surprisingly, the wound healed, leaving no scar at all. Diana even thought that what happened earlier was an illusion if not for the bright red liquid inside the goblet.
The Sorceress performed the same ritual with King Akdan, collecting his blood in the goblet before spinning it and handing it to Diana.
Daina's heart raced as she grappled with the unthinkable notion of drinking blood. Vera's fierce, unwavering gaze, her eyes ablaze with a deep, purple intensity, compelled her forward. With hands trembling, Daina raised the ornate goblet to her lips and hesitantly consumed half of its contents. Afterward, she passed the goblet to King Akdan, who eagerly drained the remaining liquid.
"Woman, your body and soul now belong to King Akdan. You will be his slave, serving him to the best of your ability. You will bear children for him and be with him for your lifetime. Only death can separate you from him."
Diana was utterly stunned. The thought hadn't even crossed her mind before, but after the Sorceress mentioned it, she was filled with such fear that her whole body shook. Could it be possible that she would be stuck here indefinitely? What about her parents?
"The wedding is now over. Everyone, move to the banquet hall."
The wedding guests made their way into an underground kingdom and assembled in a massive banquet hall that could comfortably seat a thousand people. The hall featured a domed roof held up by twenty-four immense pillars, each adorned with carvings depicting the Scorpion King in human and scorpion forms.
A hundred rectangular tables were arranged in rows, and each table could seat ten persons. The tables and chairs were made from compact sand that looked like marbles. At an elevated platform was a table and three chairs made from white ivory. It was intended for the bride, the groom, and the sorceress.
The food served was mostly meat and wine. There were also some fruits that Diana had seen for the first time.
Diana's duty was to feed the King as part of the ritual. So King Akdan just sat there watching the dancers and singers entertain them while having their dinner.
After the dinner, Diana was shocked when more than ten females went to the empty space in the middle of the banquet hall and started to move their bodies seductively. Then, the males came to claim the woman who caught their fancy.
"When the king holds a wedding, unmarried women are given the opportunity to seek out potential partners as part of the traditional ritual," Vera, who was seated to the right of the king, explained to Diana.
A beautiful woman with an hourglass figure caught Diana's attention. Her black hair reached down to her buttocks. Two men came forward to claim her. Since she could only belong to one man, the two men fiercely battled using their fists. One of the men fell to the ground unconscious and was kicked to the side. The winner, despite his bruised face, smiled proudly and claimed his bride.
Diana couldn't believe her eyes at what happened next.