"Which one do you like My Lady?" The maid asked flaunting two dresses, a blue and a red one. 

Elena's eyes whipped to the dresses, her gaze boring into them as if they were the very reason for her dull mood. 

"Why isn't there a white dress?" She asked instead. Her hands clutched the edges of her mattress before her eyes gave the walls a distant look. 

"It was His Majesty's instructions my lady. He said the vampires are fond of bright colors, red especially," explained the maid. 

So I'll dress to impress! Elena scoffed inwardly. And from her brother, the king, she expected no less. "I'll go with the red one then," she declared. 

The maid looked at her side profile. She was equally happy for her as she was sad. The person who would marry her was going to be one lucky bastard. And bastard he was as she had heard from the rumors. 

"Tell me Lilian," Elena said all of a sudden, and when she turned, she found the maid looking at her dreamingly.

"What?" She asked, raising a brow. "Is something wrong with my face." She ran her fingers on her face just to be sure. 

"Nothing is wrong with your face My Lady," Lilian pointed and sat by her side. She held the princess's hands in hers and looked at her ocean blue eyes. "I'm really proud of the woman you've become. Your mother would be proud of you." Her voice was drawn to a whisper. 

Elena whisked her hands away from the maid's. "I feel the complete opposite," she admitted. "What would you do if you were in my place?" The maid seemed taken aback by her question. 

"As hard as it is to admit, I'd be scared. But you've always wanted to go beyond the walls of Mysthaven My Lady. This is your chance," Lilian said instilling a sense of hope in the princess. But would it work? 

Since the day Andrian Thornhart announced that he'd be wedding his beloved sister to a bastard vampire prince to protect the nearly extinct human species, Elena's charm and smile naturally disappeared. She felt betrayed by the only person she valued as family, but above all, treated as an object of trade. 

Yes, it was her responsibility as a princess to get married. That she knew and treasured closely in her heart. But her brother broke his promise and offered her as the sacrificial lamb. Of course there were terms to be agreed upon but vampires were cunning. That's why her brother went for the thing they treasured most; an oath. 

"I never imagined in my whole life I'd ever get married to a blood sucker," she said, and now it sunk deeper, the reality, the fear...  It was close, she could feel it! 

"Maybe he's different," Lilian tried to be positive. "He's a bastard, half human. He might have an ounce of humanity in him." 

"What if he isn't?" Elena asked, the very same thought of it clouding her every nerve in a spasm of fear. She'd get sucked dry in the first week, if she could survive that long! 

"Let's hope he's not."

The door swung open at the same time revealing a middle aged man clad in golden royal robes. The mustache he had left little of his lips to peak out, not to mention his teeth when he smiled at Elena, a smile she used to swoon in recently but now felt like vomiting at his mere presence. On his head rested a golden crown forged from the best gold mined in the crypts of Mysthaven. 

"Your Majesty," Lilian stood, offering a deep bow to the king of Mysthaven, or the human savior as the local folks used to call him. Little did they know she was the price of his praise. 

"Leave us," he dismissed her with a wave of his hand, like the mighty king he was. His eyes rested on Elena's hair, the grin on his face worshipping the hardwork of the maids. 

"You're still mad at me?" He sat on the soft material of her bed only to earn a step away from her. Worse, she had not spared him a glance, a friendly one at least. 

"You have every right to be, dear sister." How perfect he was at endearments! And now that she had come to think of it, she wondered how she missed the sarcasm in it before. 

"I want you to know," he continued with his preaching, "that whatever I did was for the best of humanity." 

Elena couldn't take it anymore. "So you're saving humanity while sacrificing me!" Tears welled up in her blue eyes, making her look like a magical orb. 

"I never asked for any of this El," he pointed. "I didn't." He was struggling not to shout the words at her. 

"You're the only family I have left El. Do you think it'd be my wish to see you dead, worse at a vampire's mercy." She could tell he was battling with his own emotions. Maybe he was right...or maybe he wasn't. 

"Father used to say, with great power comes great responsibility. To whom much is given, much is expected. Believe me when I say I'm trying." His face was buried in his hands, a quiet sniffle escaping. Was he crying? 

Elena's hands moved involuntarily resting softly on Andrian's young shoulders. Young, he still was, with only a bushy mustache to support his manly aura. She was two seasons older than him, yet she remained young looking. Their parents had left them at an early age for the grave, all thanks to the vampires. 

"I understand Rian," she said, giving him a pat on his shoulders. Truly she was being cruel. Her brother had done everything to raise her to the woman she was now, though he was younger. 

"I'll fulfill my duty as a princess, and you, yours as a king." To whom much is given, much is expected. It now made sense! Who would have thought being a princess came with a great sacrifice, family included in the package. 

Andrian parted her shoulder gently before he stood to leave. "I have some things that need my attention," he said. Elena just nodded and watched him make for the door in two brisk steps. However, his hand froze on the handle as if he had just remembered something important. 

"I forgot to tell you that this wedding might be done slightly different from what we humans are used to." Was that fear in his voice? "Vampire rituals," he briefed, stealing a quick glance at the confused Elena, before he walked out.