It took a while before her mother was done with her and she had to admit that the dress was beautiful. It had full sleeves made of lace, a sweetheart neckline and it flared out around her hips. Her hair was done up in an intricate style, and she was wearing more make up than she ever had.
In that moment she couldn't have looked less like herself.
It didn't matter much though, it was less of a wedding and more of a show that was being put on for the benefit of the country. So that the little patches of violence that had kept breaking out over the last two months could finally be put to rest.
The danger of a civil war had been looming over all their heads for quite a while.
It was the reason the King was in attendance at the wedding along with the apparat and the other dignitaries, they wanted to see the ceremony that would bring the two warring sides into peace.
The ceremony. She didn't know how she would be able to tolerate that.
She got up from her seat when the door opened.
"It's time." She saw her mother looking just as pensive as she imagined herself to be, and she couldn't even feel angry anymore. All she felt was a bone deep exhaustion that seemed to have pervaded through her skin, and she didn't know how she would go through the actual wedding.
She walked towards her without a word, and it was almost as if someone else was in control of her. With every step, she was aware that they were her last in the place she had called home for her entire life.
Every room, every nook was filled with both vivid and vague memories and she was sad to see them go.
She walked down the stairs, her hand hovering over the wooden bannister, and the flowers that adorned it. She looked around, the marble floors, the wooden panelling, the glass doors, she had loved everything about the house.
She could remember the comfort it had provided to her as a child and the reality that this was likely her last day in it hit her like a train.
It was likely her last day there, she didn't think she would come back, in fact, she was quite unsure she would even last the week - the Grisha had a reputation for dealing with their enemies...swiftly.
"I will never understand how Ravkan weddings work." Her mother was muttering as they walked to the ballroom, where the wedding had been set up.
"Didn't you get married like this?"
"Not because I wanted to. Weddings in Shu Han are a lot less complicated."
"And weddings in the Wandering Isle are far more." She bit back irritated.
"Don't talk to me like that, you silly girl." She bit her tongue, it was bad enough that she had to get married, she didn't want to fight with her mother over some minuscule issue.
Suddenly, inexplicably, she wished Mal was there. He would know exactly what to say, how to calm her and help her.
She was drawn out of her thoughts when she saw the giant double doors.
This was it.
There was no going back now.
Her mother reached behind her head and pulled on the tiara so that her face was covered with the veil.
She could hear the uplifting, joyous chorus playing from inside the room, and thought it was all just a big joke.
It made her want to run.
Before she could move a muscle however, the doors opened and she saw the way the ballroom was changed.
It was beautifully decorated for the wedding, and there were two clear sections. To the left she could see tradesmen, distant family members, all wearing vividly coloured dresses that seemed to be made of the finest silk. Despite their fashion, they all looked on edge, like they'd rather be anywhere else but in the room.
On the right she could see the unmistakeable signs of Grisha, their red and blue kaftas looking rich in a way no other material did. Most of them looked angry, some of them staring as though they were ready for a fight, almost all of them looked disappointed.
Straight ahead of her was the dais, slightly raised and she could see the back of him, broad shoulders covered in the black kefta, and she knew it was him.
A silence fell over the room as they all stood up at her presence and up ahead on the other side of the room, he turned around.
He had dark eyes, she noticed, as much as she could anyway, and it was as if she was rooted to the spot at their intensity.
"Move." Her mother hissed as she felt a tug on her sleeve and started walking, having to remind herself to put one foot in front of the other.
She thought he would look away once he'd seen her, but his eyes were fixated on her, unreadable.
She felt a shiver go down her spine.
She didn't know how she managed it, but she somehow made it down the aisle through tension so thick it could be cut with a knife.
Every single person in the room was on edge but she couldn't look away from his strong gaze and he didn't take his eyes off her for even a second.
When she reached to her spot next to him, turned so that she was facing him, she felt her throat go dry as her pulse jumped in her neck.
The hate in his eyes was unmissable.
She felt like a cornered prey caught by a predator, with nowhere to hide or run.
Long fingers grasped the edge of the veil, her heart making odd movements in her chest as he lifted it over her head, and she could see him clearly.
This close, she could almost smell him, something about his essence was overpowering, her neck creaking in pain as she craned it to look up at him.
It was as though she was trapped by his gaze, unable to look away.
She could hear the priest talking about the sanctity of marriage, and the five all important vows. The foundation of a good, successful marriage.
She saw him look away for a moment, procuring a ring, and belatedly realised he was waiting for her hand.
A sharp inhale, the fleeting touch of his fingers over hers, and he had slid the ring in place. She picked up the ring presented to her by the priest, sliding it onto his finger as she realised that it was just the beginning.
She saw one of her maids walk upto them with a tray, bright coloured strings on it.
"Now, the binding. Each string signifies the vow these two will make to each other, the knots binding them to their word." The priest said as he picked up the yellow string. "Your left hand," she raised her hand at the instruction and he raised his right hand without any.
She felt her small, clammy hand come in contact with his larger, cool one and could feel her heat rising at the intimacy of it.
"The blue string," she swallowed as she felt his little finger against hers, the string being woven around them, "is for loyalty."
"I swear to always be loyal to you and only you, and to forsake all others." His voice was slow and deliberate but each word was said clearly, and almost emotionlessly.
"I swear to always be loyal to you and only you, to forsake all others." She repeated and felt the first knot being tied around their fingers.
"Green is for prosperity." She felt the string being looped around their ring fingers, the diamond on hers shining in the light.
"I promise that everything I do from now on will be to bring prosperity in our lives." She said and he repeated the vow, feeling the blue string being knotted around their fingers.
"The grey is for reliability."
"I vow to support you in everything that you do, and to always be by your side." Her voice almost broke at the implication it held, only years of experience stopping her from breaking down.
This was a vow that he didn't need to repeat.
"The white is for a new start."
"I promise to begin a new life with you, forgiving all that has been done." He said first, this promise somehow weighing more than the others.
"I promise to begin a new life with you, forgiving all that has been done." She repeated, and this time when she felt the knot, she wondered how long it would take for them to break this vow.
"The black is protection." She sighed, slightly relieved, this one was not a promise she had to make.
"I vow to always protect you from any that may want to cause you harm."
He made the promise so easily, but -
Who would protect her from him?
"And now, we finally bind them together in their promises and in holy matrimony." Her hand was against his, looking small in comparison, and the red material was finally tied around their wrists. "You may now kiss the bride."
She barely heard the words before she felt her heart speed up again, and his free hand came up to her cheek before she felt his lips on hers, slightly dry and chapped, on hers, pressing into her for just a moment before pulling back.
There were no celebratory cheers filling the air, instead the room seemed to be stuck between horror and relief, and as she felt her hand tied to his, she knew that it was just the beginning, and that there was no escaping this.
No escaping him.
A/N - I know there wasn't a lot of Darklina interaction, but there will be more from the next chapter onwards, along with the awaited wedding night.