Disclaimer: In the name of the almighty frozen waffle head, bow down before me!
Almighty Frozen Waffle Head: …
Disclaimer: Where's the almighty frozen waffle head?
Hippietrekx: munches on a waffle OO uh…whoops?
The great hall where the wedding was about to begin was almost empty. Apparently, none of the ghosts wished to attend the wedding, either that or they weren't even invited. The columns of benches lined from the front to the very back were cold, silent, and still under a thin blanket of dusted. The alter, however, was a little more illuminated and cleansed. The stone walls had been draped with capes of black velvet to hide the grey bricks. Rusted vases of dark red roses on the walls decorated the empty hall to impress no one but the groom and his unwilling bride. The scene of the wedding remained silent and motionless until the heavy red oak doors creaked loudly open. Ned, dressed in a slightly fancier long coat, emerged with his arm linked to that of his almost-bride.
They slowly approached the adorned alter. Rose watched with amaze as thin white mist clouded behind the large dressed table. It began to shape and mold until it became tall and narrow. Slowly, it smoothened and sculpted itself into the image of a man dress in priest's robes. Rose could still see the set up behind him.
Ned and Rose approached the ghostly pastor as second by second crept slower than the last. Rose even became close enough to see the scar across the man's face from eyebrow to chin, obviously the work of a medieval sword. The stains of his past-existent blood shimmered silver upon his face and in blossoms on his intangible robes. His death must have been brutal for a holy man to endure. Rose and Ned halted before aged wooden altar and the priest.
Ned whispered in a hushed voiced, "Are you ready, my dear?"
Rose abandoned all her restraint. She forcefully tugged her arm away from Ned's link and glared at his with such distaste, "This wedding isn't going to happen..."
Rose would have felt a little more secure with her words if Ned's lips hadn't have curled into a slight smile, revealing he had an ace up his sleeve. He gently smacked head with his palm, "How foolish of me, of course! How can this wedding take place without the rings?"
He snapped his fingers loudly and listened as the echo bounced around the hall. At the other end of the chapel, a tiny short figure slowly trotted up the isle, becoming larger as it became closer. It appeared very pale and dressed in dark clothes. Soon, she saw that it had very large, scared eyes.
Rose gasped, "Squee..."
Ned snickered as he watched them recognize each other, "Yes, I thought that little Squee would make a fine ring bearer. And he is so agreeable."
Rose snapped her head to face him, "Why did you take him?"
He responded, "The child knew what I was capable of. He is afraid to die, like everyone else. But not as fear, as worry. Squee knew that you wound be sad if he was dead."
"You monster!" She scowled. Her knuckles became white as she clutched them tightly.
He smiled kindly, almost as if her insult was a compliment, "Why yes I am, Miss Rose, I truly am."
The scared little child stood before them, unsteadily rising up a silk burgundy cushion which cradled two separate rings. The one that Ned presented to Rose the night he kidnapped her, and a simple gold band with an intricate cursive N engraved into it. Squee's eyes were brimmed in tears of fright as he presented the wedding treasures. Rose's blossom painted lips began to quiver as her own tearing eyes looked into his. This could be the last time she could see her little Squee. It was here that Rose realized how much he meant to her. Squee wasn't just some child she looked after to earn some money. He was her little friend, a piece of her, almost a son.
Ned raised his hands and announced to an audience that did not exist, "Let this wedding commence!"
Rose watched him with wonderment as he did this. He lowered his arms and took her hand tightly, "After all, it's been a long time since I'd eaten. I'm starving."
The color drained out of Rose's face, as did Squee's. But Ned looked absolutely delighted that he was being married for the who-knows-how-many time. The ghostly priest coughed softly to clear his throat and he opened his little bible to the first bookmark.
He read aloud in a voice like a trumpet, "Dearly beloved lord, we are gathered here today to wed these lovers into holy matrimony..."
"Lovers!" Rose blurted out with rage. Ned's grip on her hand became tighter like an iron vice grip until they both heard, and in Rose's case, felt, the cracking of a thin hand bone. He truly was a monster.
Rose bit her lower lip to prevent herself from screaming as a searing pain began burning through her delicate hand. Ned could feel her fingers trembling in his grasp.
The priest ignored this and continued, "Are there any who object to this union?"
This is perhaps why Ned's weddings had no guests, dead or alive. He probably made sure that Squee doesn't speak out against his wishes. And Rose knew the consequences of her objection as her eyes gazed upon the trembling ring bearer. Silence was settled throughout the decorated hall without a retort to be heard...almost.
"Then I now pronounce you vampire and wife," the priest quietly closed his bible, but spoke one last phrase before softly vanishing into the chapel, "You may now kiss the bride."
Ned turned to Rose, she was full of fear. Her trembling lips were practically begging for the final seal of bonding. Perhaps it was him, perhaps it was the moment and situation, but Rose simply could not move. Almost as if Ned's icy glare had left her frozen on the spot. His face neared hers all the while he stared into her fright-stricken eyes.
Out of the blue, they heard a strange flapping noise, almost like fluttering pages. Then, a rectangular burgundy red object, which turned out to be a bible, smacked loudly against the side of Ned's face. He cringed and hunched up, stumbling away from the alter, swearing the whole way in some strange tongue. Rose looked towards the columns of benches in the church. Sitting there in the farthest corner first row, was a solemn stranger dressed in dark clothes and clouded by shadow. He was sickeningly thin and ghostly pale with eyes that practically sank into his skull with dark shadows. Rose had never seen someone she would rather see more. It was the face of Johnny.
His voice crept from the dark, "I don't think she wants to be your wife."
Johnny stood up and approached them, exiting the security of the shadows. He was draped in the nightmare cloak that was his long black coat from Rose. She had tears of happiness beading in the corners of her eyes. It was second best to being rescued, and it was good enough. Ned merely snarled at him as his clutched the reddened side of his face with such distaste for this uninvited guest.
"What are you doing here!" Ned's eyes began to turn a little red themselves.
Johnny twilled his finger coolly as his strolled up to them in a rather smug fashion, "Hmm. I do believe there is a wedding taking place here. I would be crazy to miss out on the cake!"
Johnny seemed to have thrown that book pretty hard, due to a thin trickle of dark blood trailed down Ned's face and dripped off his chin. Rose watched as the unseen intensity between these two became thicker with each second. The more she thought about it, Rose noticed that Johnny and Ned looked very similar, almost like long lost brothers. But yet they were so different that they practically should be at war.
"I think it's time for you to go." Ned released his face, the whole side rather deeper in color and slightly bloodied. His eyes were a flare.
"And I think it's time for you to die." Johnny slipped his skinny fingers into his pocket and pulled out a gleaming silver knife.
Ned almost seemed prepared for this as he drew a long knight's sword from the sheath concealed within the hidden secrets of his long dark burgundy coat. All hell broke loose. They launched at each other and began the duel to the death. Their weapons clashed many times, each one bringing a loud metallic crash to echo about the church. Rose backed into the cold stone wall, as far as she could get from the dangerous blades.
They both slid across the floor on posed feet and skidded to a stop. Both had the same thought upon his mind. That this would be harder than he thought, and that Rose was on the line.
Ned swiftly wiped away the tiny crimson river of blood on his face, "Not bad for a human."
Johnny smirked, "Oh, believe me. I don't deserve to be called a human."
They charged at each other. When they met, they stopped. Both had their weapons drawn, both were still. There was a terrible sound, the sound of a sharp blade impaling an enemy echoing through the great hall. All was still, until Johnny collapsed to the hard stone floor with Ned's blood coated sword struck into his stomach and reappearing through his back. Johnny coughed and sputtered, his gaze becoming more and more lost. He was dying, and Ned was pleased. Rose felt her heart freeze to a stop. The cold practically swept her away. She become almost lifeless herself in that cold white wedding dress. The whole room seemed to have lost its color.
The sound of a sword being withdrawn from Johnny's insides left Rose with shivers. He fell to the floor. A stream of spilling crimson began to spread away from him. Johnny's fingers twitched a few times before he ceased to move, with the exception of his lips, which barely mouthed out a single invisible word.
"Rose…"
She dropped her bouquet of roses and ran to him. She fell to her knees beside his bleeding body. His eyes looked up at her, softened, then closed. He there sank into that final sleep. Never more than now did this young murder ever look so much like a guardian angel that fell for the one he protected. Her hand slowly reached out to touch him. But Ned simply wouldn't allow it.
"Don't you dare touch him," He thrust out his hand and snagged her arm before she came too close to Johnny, "I don't want you getting blood on Xiao's dress."
Ned's rough dragged Rose back onto her feet and pulled her away from the corpse on the ground. He stared at Johnny for a moment, then slid his stained sword back into hiding.
He turned to Rose, "Now that this little distraction has ended, I believe it is now time for our honeymoon."
Ned's smiled cruelly. Never before had has fangs looked so long and sharp. And never before to Rose had his eyes looked so hungry. Hungry for her blood.
Johnny's vision slowly began to fade. He saw Rose's beautiful face, but so full of worry and fear. Then everything faded into darkness.
Dear Diary,
I think I really am dead this time…
The Maiden of Light: Okay, this one took a little longer. But I had a vacation, no, not a vacation, A SLAVE DRIVE, to take up my writing time. And I was having computer troubles. So here is the next chapter. Cookies to all who waited! throws cookies everywhere
Some random guy: Ow. My eye!
The Maiden of Light: Whoops! Anyways, I'm not done yet! Keep having faith in me! Read, Review, and Ride on! jumps on a rocking horse and goes crazy