Chapter Three: devil's bride
With a heavy heart, Michael sat down beside Ariel. "Are you sure you want this?" she whispered.
"You know how necessary this is," he replied.
He felt an unexplainable pain in his chest, his eyes fixed on Angelina, who looked utterly disgusted by her groom. He had always imagined this scene—walking her to the wedding altar—but he'd never imagined that he would be an ogre's in-law.
"But heavy lies the head that wears the crown; duty comes first," he reminded himself. He had lost too much to war to experience it again.
The priest began, "Just as we gather here today to unite Angelina and Ramiel in holy matrimony, is there anyone opposed to this union?"
Michael's gaze fell on Angelina at that moment; she looked like she wanted to cry.
Suddenly, the hall's doors were kicked open. "I am in opposition," a voice echoed in the hall, followed by the gasps of people.
That voice! There was something familiar about it. A series of events flashed through his mind. "The world is now rid of your evil," he remembered saying over a coffin, bound in chains.
Lothaire! He's alive?! How?
"Who are you? How did you get past the guards?" Raphael was the first to stand, unsheathing his sword.
"Lothaire!" The governors exclaimed, shock evident in their eyes. These governors had been governing states under Arcadia and were alive to witness the Great War, where Lothaire was bound.
Gasps and murmurs erupted among the crowd. Angelina's gaze was still fixed on his figure; she felt her heart racing speedily.
Her mother always told her the devil was ugly, but this man was just too handsome.
"Shocked?" He faced Michael.
"Arrest him!" Michael shouted at the guards surrounding the altar.
The human guards were on alert, charging towards Lothaire with swords in their hands.
Lothaire frowned; was this a joke, sending mere humans to capture him?! He raised his clenched fist and brought it down quickly.
The large chandelier in the hall crushed the guards beneath it.
Screams erupted in the crowd; people ran out of the hall, securing their own lives.
"Run!" Michael said to Ariel before standing up, transforming into his angelic form; the governors followed suit.
"How are you still alive?" he asked with clenched teeth.
"All thanks to your lovely daughter," he pointed his sword at Angelina, making it clear he was there for her.
"Run, Lina!" Michael shouted as he charged towards Lothaire.
Before Angelina could make her move, Lothaire had locked her in a barrier.
"Aperite portam!" She tried to open a portal, but it wasn't working; it had its own spell.
"Help me!" She said, facing Ramiel, her groom.
"I'd rather save myself," he said, transforming into his ogre form and breaking out the window.
"Jerk!" Angelina cursed; was that the man her father wanted her to marry?
She steeled herself, banging hard against the barrier, but she felt like lightning struck her every time her skin touched it.
She looked around; there was nothing she could use to break through.
She watched as Lothaire flung Raphael across the hall; his back hit hard against the wall, and he let out a pained groan from the impact.
"Aperite portam!" She tried again, but no portal opened.
"Shit!" She cursed, watching as Lothaire dealt with all the archangels charging towards him; he didn't even show signs of fatigue.
The angels were losing the fight; the devil was winning.
Lothaire held Michael's wings tightly as he pulled him to the ground.
Tears formed in Angelina's eyes; she had wished for a miracle, not a disaster.
Her brother was unconscious, and her father was hurt.
Lothaire's cold gaze scanned the angels on the ground, writhing in pain.
"I was only here to take my bride; you didn't have to fight me," he said, looking down at Michael, who seemed unconscious.
He looked up, locking eyes with Angelina, still trapped in the barrier.
A smile of victory and accomplishment played on his lips as he walked towards her.
"Stay...stay away from me," she said, fear evident in her actions.
He pierced through the barrier, walking towards her with his gaze fixed on her scared figure.
With a swift move, he lifted her off the ground, placed her on his shoulders, carrying her away as she kicked and screamed.
By the time Michael woke up, they were long gone.
Guards barged into the room; they'd been sent by Ariel to assist in the fight, but it seemed they were too late.
"Seal the city! And monitor the portals!" Michael said, holding his pounding head.
What did Lothaire mean by what he just said? How was Angelina connected to all this? He wondered.
At the council table, they all had grim expressions on their faces, having been hurt by Lothaire.
"How could he have escaped from the cave?" they wondered.
"He clearly said all credit goes to Angelina," another said.
They kept arguing over this, intensifying Michael's headache.
Ariel barged in, guards behind her trying to restrain her.
"Where is my daughter?" she demanded.
Seeing him silent, she faced the council members. "You're all dismissed!" They didn't even wait a second.
Ariel's eyes were red from crying; her hair was scattered, a contrast to her hairstyle that morning.
"We've begun the search," Michael said, massaging his throbbing temples.
"Find her?" She shouted. "Do you really think she can be found? The devil himself came to get her; do you really think she can be found that easily?"
She wanted to slap him.
"You were always too busy for us, burying yourself in work. The realm comes first for you. You left your own family to rot away," she said furiously.
She was venting all her pent-up frustration.
"You call this place Arcadia, but your own life is a disaster! Losing one child wasn't enough to satisfy you; you had to ruin my daughter's life," tears fell down her face as bits and fragments of the past rushed to her mind, replaying like a loop.
Michael had never seen her like that before. Being reminded of his earlier loss, a wound opened in his heart.
"Don't even dare speak to me until my daughter is found, alive!" she shot him a glare before leaving.
In the woods, Angelina's voice echoed. "Let me go!" She said for the umpteenth time, but Lothaire didn't budge.
"I...I'm not scared of you," she began, although her tone betrayed her.
"I survived an attack of shrekens," she said, boosting her confidence.
Lothaire halted, letting go of her. "Ahh!" She fell to the ground, twisting her ankle.
"Are you insane?" She asked him.
He may be the devil, but that didn't mean he could bully her.
He looked down at her, his gaze cold and piercing.
"You survived an attack of shrekens?" He asked.
Her silence was enough answer.
It seemed Ronan had completed his creation; this could only mean he was still alive.
"Get up!" He said, "What's your name?" He remembered he hadn't asked her yet.
"Can't you see that I'm hurt?" She exclaimed.
His expression went cold. "Get up!" He said again, making a chill run down her spine.
Ignoring the sharp pain in her ankle, she stood up.
She couldn't deny the fear she had in her heart towards this man; he's the devil, after all.
He lifted her off the ground, placing her firmly on his shoulders, her head hanging upside down.
Seraphina watched as Celeste and Uriela healed their father's wounds with their powers.
"It's all Angelina's fault," Celeste began.
"What do you expect from late bloomers? They're all so disappointing," said Uriela.
Sera knew they were indirectly mocking her.
Her mind drifted back to today's happenings.
It was all too coincidental; one moment, Angelina was an ogre's bride, and the next, she's the devil's bride.
Remembering how Angelina had earlier joked about being the devil's wife, tears flowed down her cheeks.
Seeing her cry, Celeste felt accomplished.
"Late bloomers are all bad luck," she said, staring at her unconscious father, Cassiel.
He was all she had left of family ever since her mother died giving birth to Seraphina.
This made Celeste and Uriela hate Sera.
When they found out she was a late bloomer, they didn't hesitate to mock her, hating her even more.
"Karma has finally caught up with you," she had said to the crying Celeste.
In opposition, Cassiel loved Sera the most, always saying she reminded him of Aviel, their mother.
"I'll go check up on the queen," Sera said before leaving.
She asked a maid for direction to where the queen was.
Ariel's current look shocked her; it was quite the opposite of her neat and calm demeanor.
In the room, Raphael was unconscious, laying on the bed, his face pale.
"It's all my fault," Ariel sobbed uncontrollably.
"No one saw this coming," Sera said, offering comfort.
"But still..." Ariel's voice weakened.
"We'll find her, Queen Ariel," Sera said.
"She never wanted it; I forced her," Ariel cried.
"You shouldn't cry," Sera said, although tears were in her own eyes.
There was a heated conversation in the council room; all the governors were seated, except Cassiel, whose wounds needed serious treatment.
"From what Lothaire said, Angelina must have had a part in this," one of the governors began.
"To gain access to the cave, you'll have to break through the barrier, and we all know the princess is a late bloomer," said another.
Michael's eyes scanned the people seated at the table. His gaze landed on Garrett, who seemed deep in thought.
"Do you have anything to say, Garrett?" Michael asked; all heads turned to look at Garrett.
He was only there to represent the sick Cassiel.
Garrett stood up, cleared his throat, "In her attempt to escape Arcadia, the princess came across shrekens in the woods; she opened a portal to save herself."
"To get through the barrier, it's either the barrier is broken or a portal is made," he added.
"Angelina had opened a portal?" Michael seemed shocked; Garrett nodded.
"He must have drawn blood from her," said Garrett.
"But she's not his wife, right?" This was Michael's greatest fear.
"I'm afraid your highness, when she came to help me heal patients yesterday, I saw two dots on her neck; they were barely visible to my eyes. But now I understand; they were mating marks," he said, the members falling into silence.
It seemed the days of peace were slipping away.
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