"I hereby lay claim to her," He announced, to everyone's astonishment.
"SHE IS THE KING'S BASTARD FROM A SLAVE!" The queen's voice pierced the air, but he ignored her outburst.
He extended his hand, and though I hesitated, I glanced at the queen, her panicked expression urging me not to take it. Shifting my gaze to my father, his facial expressions could not be understood leaving me uncertain of his feelings.
With a plan to stick with the Wraitmoor for now and escape later, I accepted his hand, allowing him to lead me to the front. I couldn't fathom why he chose me, especially when I was still clad in armor, not proper attire for such an occasion.
"Your name?" He asked.
"Akira" I answered.
"Hereby, I announce that in two days' time, I will form a marriage alliance with Princess Akira of Astrra," he declared, turning to my father. "Do you object to this alliance?"
"No, Your Majesty," Father replied, bowing slightly.
Relief washed over me as I realized I had escaped being sold off to another nation. Bella stormed back to her seat in anger, but a smile graced my lips.
After the banquet, I was summoned to our quarters.
"You must refuse this marriage. It belongs to your sister, and don't forget, you are soon to be wed to another man. How can you entertain another's hand?" The queen raged, pacing the room.
Bella's glare could have slain me a hundred times over, but I paid it no mind. As they argued, Father remained silent, which surprised me.
"Father," I called out, noticing his silence.
"The king has chosen her; there's nothing more to be done. We will abide by his order," He stated firmly, addressing the queen. "Miranda, remember, we need this nation's protection. We cannot continue waging war indefinitely. If you ruin this, you and your daughters may have to lead our armies into battle next time."
Father's words filled me with relief, and I wondered what had caused his sudden change. The queen and Bella stormed out, leaving just Father and me. He stood up from his seat and moved closer to me, pulling me into his embrace, he whispered, "I'm very sorry."
"Father, what do you mean?" I asked, but he offered no further explanation. He released me from the embrace and gently caressed my face, his expression filled with genuine love. It was a sight I had never seen before, leaving me to wonder what had changed him.
********
Today was the wedding day. I stood still as the maids attended to me and dressed me up. I hadn't even seen my husband-to-be since that banquet day, and I wondered what was wrong.
"We are done, Your Majesty," One of the maids said, jolting me out of my thoughts. I turned around to check myself in the mirror. I actually thought the person standing there was someone else because I looked totally different. I had never cared about such things, only focusing on military training and battle.
After everything was perfectly done, I was escorted out of the room to a grand hall. As the door flung open, I saw everywhere filled with our people and the Wraitmoor officials. I wondered why they never actually invited others to their nation during such a celebration.
I suddenly felt someone's presence by my side, and it turned out to be my father, who stretched his hand to me. I placed my hand on his, and he walked me down the aisle. As we walked, people stood up and started bowing their heads to me. Upon reaching the altar, he handed my hand over to the king.
As the priest joined us together, that was when I finally learned his name: Darrell, King Darrell of Wraitmoor. The wedding was successful as he gently placed his lips on mine, which I found difficult to reciprocate because this was my first time kissing.
After the wedding, we both rode on a royal coach and left the palace, holding hands, for a public appearance to be seen as the queen of Wraitmoor Nation. I watched as people were happy and all hailed King Darrell for his successful marriage, but I wondered why they never hailed me or even mentioned my name. Perhaps they didn't know my name. As long as they were happy about this and accepted me, then everything was fine.
After the marriage, father had a long discussion with the king while we all sat waiting for the feedback.
"Father," Annabel called out as she saw Father entering.
Anxiously, I asked him what the king's reply was.
"What did he say?"
"It was successful," he announced, a smile gracing his lips, and I was also happy about it. "But he said this treaty is valid as long as the marriage with our nation is still intact," he added, and my world crashed.
Why did he impose such a condition? I never wanted to marry him in the first place. Placing the treaty on this condition isn't a good thing. I pretended to be happy, but neither the queen nor her daughter showed any happiness about it.
After everything was settled, my family returned to our nation, everyone with happiness on their faces except the queen and her children.
Now alone in a strange nation about which I have no idea except for the rumors and stories I've already heard, I walked to my room alone and found a young maiden, making my bed.