Thanks for the reviews, I wasn't expecting any to be honest haha.
I'm a little worried that you might find these first few chapters to be boring, but I promise if you just bear with me and let me get the setting down then things will get more exciting!
-Lizzy
Chapter two
"Don't let them destroy you," Charles whispered into my ear. We were stood in the courtyard in front of the palace, saying our final goodbyes before I travelled to my new home. The royal family of Adwyndra, as well as a few members of their court, were already sat in their carriages or upon their horses, awaiting on me.
Charles pulled away, his dark eyes boring into mine. Charles was only a year older than me which had led to us growing up together, close enough to be twins. He was my best friend and it hurt me so much to leave him. "I'll miss you," I told him. "I'll write though. I'll tell you everything."
"Ensure that you do," he replied, a frown on his face. He had protested against this marriage even more than I had. "If they mistreat you, if that monster mistreats you, just say the word and I will come and get you. I don't care what it will do to the alliance."
I gave him a smile, feigning confidence in the situation in an attempt to make Charles feel a little better. We hugged once more before I turned to my father, a balding man with wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. Whilst I had a highly dysfunctional relationship with my mother, I didn't with him. Father was a softie, maybe a little bit of a pushover when it came to my mother telling him what to do, but he always treated me like his little girl no matter how old I became.
It broke my heart saying goodbye to him, knowing my chances of ever seeing him again were slim.
I didn't even look at my mother as I accepted a guard's hand to climb the steps to my carriage. Bethan and Clarissa were in a carriage towards the end of the procession, however I would be in the second from the front. The king and queen of Adwyndra were in the first carriage.
All the Adywndran carriages were identical. They were black, with the kingdom's deep red colour, and the kingdom's crest upon them. The horses pulling the carriages were beautiful and magnificent, as one would expect royals to have, and were draped in red fabric.
Only two carriages stood out: the first one that held the king and queen was larger than the others, and the second carriage – my carriage – was decorated with white ribbons as per tradition for a newly wedded couple.
As I settled myself on a seat in the carriage the door was shut. I looked across from me, where Prince Victor sat. He was staring at the windows, covered by the closed red curtains. The carriage was lovely inside, the seat plush and cushioned. Despite this, I hated being in here simply because it was such close proximity to the prince and there was nowhere to run.
There'd been no party celebrations for us after the wedding – which I was glad for – due to the fact we had such a journey ahead of us.
It took a while to get out of the city because of the crowds of civilians lining the roads. As they shouted and cheered as we went past them, I longed to open the curtains and take one last look at my city and its people. I would return one day, when it was my time to take over the throne, but that day could be years from now. Leaving all of this behind was bittersweet. The only reason I didn't open the curtains was that Prince Victor was tense across from me and I remembered being told that it was rare for even his own kingdom to see him in person these days.
Clearly he didn't want people to see him, so I didn't want to wind him up so early in the marriage. There was still time for that, I supposed.
It wasn't until we were out of the city and the world outside was quiet that I started a conversation with Prince Victor, the first one we'd ever had other than our wedding vows.
"So, how long will it take to get to your home? Geography has never been my strong point," I told him, looking right at him. I wouldn't let him think that I was scared of him, even if the thought of what was under that mask made my stomach turn. In this world, my title was more important than his so why should I act inferior to him?
The one eye of his that I could see looked wary as he returned my stare. "It'll take two days of riding, then three days at sea. Then another half day of riding, and we'll be there."
I nodded my head to acknowledge that I understood, not willing to voice the fact that I dreaded being on a ship. I had never travelled by sea before. Would it be as horrific as some sailors made it out to be?
Prince Victor didn't elaborate or continue the conversation which irked me a fair bit. I wasn't thrilled about this marriage but I at least wanted to make an effort for it to not be so awkward between us. I didn't care if we liked each other, I just wanted us to be able to hold a civil conversation. Did he want us to just spend the rest of our life in silence?
I asked him something that had been on my mind almost since the first moment I saw him. "How do you breathe with that thing on? And speak clearly?" I didn't ask why he wore the mask, the answer for that was obvious: he wanted to hide his disfigured face. But I was curious about the answers to my questions considering I couldn't see any holes in the black mask apart from the one eyehole.
It took the prince a second to answer, giving me the feeling he didn't want to talk about the mask and what it hid. "My aunt's savant power is to work with materials. She can weave magic into them so they are perfect for the wearer. This mask was made by her; her magic enables me to breathe and talk clearly when I am wearing it."
"That makes sense," I commented, watching him carefully. Why couldn't he just show me, in some way, what was running through his mind? "Lucky that you had an aunt with that power. What would you have done if not?"
Prince Victor shifted in his seat awkwardly before asking, "Does anybody in your family have a power you like to take advantage of?"
I didn't miss the fact that he diverted the attention away from himself, but I would rather talk during this journey than sit in an uncomfortable silence, so I allowed him this. "I wouldn't say so, no," I replied, folding my fingers over one another in my lap. "I make good use of my own power, if that counts. Although I have to hide it. I can work with nature, helping plants to grow and recover. Mother isn't very fond of plants though and she ignored my longing for a garden of my own, so I used to grow flowers in my own bedroom chambers where she never entered. It wasn't the best conditions for my plants, but they made me happy so…"
My voice trailed off with the realisation that I had opened up to him, talked to him about something very few people knew. It wasn't something I was ashamed of, and I didn't feel the need to keep secrets from him. Secrets always seemed so dangerous so I tried my best not to have them – unless they were things hidden from mother, of course.
"You will enjoy your new home then," Prince Victor informed me in his gruff voice. Still, there was no emotion in his voice and it was easy to think that he was angry as he said this. Or maybe he was ecstatic. It was impossible to tell. "The gardens behind the palace really flourish at this time of year. I don't have much fondness for them myself, but there are always people from court walking around to admire them."
"Well at least I have one thing to look forward to, then."
"Yes," his answer was short.
He looked away from me, his shoulders hunched forward. It was obvious the conversation was abruptly over. Had I offended him in some way? I didn't think I had said anything wrong.
This formidable monster-man I was now married to was a tough one to figure out.
Overnight, we slept in the carriage which was highly uncomfortable. There wasn't enough room to lay down, so I was expected to sleep sitting up with just a thin sheet wrapped around me for warmth. It was fair to say I didn't sleep much, but it seemed like my new husband had no such problem.
Prince Victor didn't speak to me again for the rest of the journey, so the only conversation I had was when we stopped for a few minutes at regular intervals to stretch our legs. Clarissa and Bethan came over to me each time for chatter, and we kept our distance from the Adwyndrans.
One person I couldn't seem to escape however was Prince Victor. Even during the breaks, he stayed by my side. I was surprised he didn't want to go over and talk to his family, especially when the only thing his brothers did was glare at me. I had expected him to want to complain to them about this marriage.
By the time we got to sea, I think everyone was as just as exhausted as I was. Stood on the shore, I watched as the horses and the now empty carriages were loaded onto the ship.
It was the first ship I had ever seen and it was an intimidating sight. The wooden structure was huge but beautiful, stars carved into the side and the masts held the Adwyndran crest.
My feet were unsteady as I joined the others climbing up the steps to get onto the ship. One of the royal brothers shoved his way past me, giving me a sneer as he looked back over his shoulder. What the hell was his problem? I had done nothing wrong, yet they hated me.
Well, two could play at that game. I made a mental reminder of his face, planning to get back at him for it at the first opportunity I got. I wouldn't let these men undermine me and ridicule me.
"Your Royal Highness," Clarissa sidled up to my side and curtsied. "Her majesty Karla has informed me that we are having an early night, and you are to follow Prince Victor to the bedroom you will share. Would you like Bethan and me to assist you and help you prepare for the night?"
I gulped, my eyes widening. I had been dreading having to share a bed with Prince Victor, even though I knew I had no choice. We were married now, so I would have to sleep beside him every night for the rest of our lives together. I looked around for him, spotting him stood by the set of stairs that led down into the ship. He was looking right at me.
I looked back at Clarissa's concerned face and shook my head. "Not tonight, Clarissa." I felt like I needed to do this myself, this first time with him. It was going to be a private moment and it would probably be the only thing in our relationship that was private.
I turned away from her and walked towards Prince Victor. As I neared him, he turned and headed down the stairs under the knowledge that I was following. The stairs creaked as we went down, as did the floorboards of the hallway. We went to the last room on the right and went inside.
It was a relatively small room, but I guessed that to have enough rooms for everyone on board they couldn't be any bigger. A bed took up the majority of the room, the red duvet looking thick and plush. A chest of drawers was pressed up against one of the walls, the dark wood polished and free of dust, and through another door I could see a latrine and washbasin. A small blue case sat at the foot of the bed and I recognised it to be one of my mine with my clothes inside, which didn't surprise me – cases of my things had been sent to the ship the day before the wedding so they would already be here for me.
I looked at Prince Victor, feeling awkward now in his presence. Mother had told me what was to be expected of me as the prince's wife, including the fact that our first night in a bed together we would be consummating the marriage. I'd been sheltered from the opposite sex my whole life, so I had never even had my first kiss, never mind done anything else. I was afraid that it would hurt and that I wouldn't know what to do.
"Don't worry," Prince Victor said softly. It was as if he had read my mind and worries. "I won't make you have sex with me. If that were ever to happen I would like it to be your choice. Besides, I think we both need to relax after such a tedious journey."
"Oh." I didn't quite know what to say to his kindness.
"If you'll excuse me," he bowed and left the room with no explanation as to where he was going.
I walked over to look out of the small round window against one wall. The sea rippled in waves and I felt the boat swaying as we left the shore. I was leaving my kingdom behind and moving to a new, unfamiliar home and I hated that.
I stood by the window and watched the sea for a long few minutes, not having the energy to get ready for bed just yet. When I heard Prince Victor enter the room again, I turned to face him.
"Princess Adelina." His gruff voice sounded grave. "I am afraid I have some bad news. A homing pigeon has just brought us a letter, sent by one of our lords who is staying in your kingdom a few more days."
"What is it?"
"He told us that Her Royal Highness Bernadette, your mother, has accused your father of having an affair. She has taken it as a public betrayal of the Zilathien royal family. She is holding him prisoner in the palace dungeons and has announced that he will be executed for the betrayal. The execution date is set for next week."
My heart skipped a beat. I wouldn't have blamed my father for having an affair – it wasn't exactly like he and mother were in love – but I wasn't sure if he was even capable of such a thing. He was a sweet man, how could my mother do this to him? He couldn't die; he didn't deserve that. I couldn't lose him in such a permanent way.
These thoughts paired with the movement of the rocking boat made me light-headed and I rushed to the latrine, getting there just in time to empty my stomach. As I was sick, I felt someone kneel next to me and put one hand on my back, the other holding my hair out of my face. I leaned into the touch, realising as I did so that it was Prince Victor comforting me.
I let out a sob, crying at the thought of my poor father being locked in the dark unground dungeons. What must it be like sitting down there, knowing your life was about to end? I would never forgive my mother for this.
I didn't react when Prince Victor slipped a hand beneath my knees and picked me up easily. He took me over to the bed, putting me down and sitting next to me. When he wrapped his arms around me in an embrace, I pulled myself into his lap and buried my face in his chest as my body shook with my despair.
I barely knew Prince Victor, and I didn't want to be married to him, but in that moment I was entirely grateful to have him there.
Perhaps he wasn't the monster his reputation made him out to be.
