Till Ashes do we Part
"Love is not a feeling of happiness. Love is a willingness to sacrifice." –Michael Novak
Chapter 2
The ride was ridden in silence after Winter met the other bride, Ilia. Neither one bothered to unveil themselves as it seemed pointless to become bonded to another corpse. They had both already lost so much already it seemed pointless for either of them to bother with putting a face to a name. Heartbreaking, even, as if they needed one more person to mourn their loss.
The castle they were being driven to was easily seen in the distance as they drove up the side of a smaller mountain, dipping in and out of woods as they drove. The large structure was built completely out of stone and looked a little worse for wear. There seemed to be only one main tower that stood proudly to one side of the building and blocked out what was left of the fading sunlight.
As the castle came closer into view, Winter could begin to see finer details in the structure. She could begin to see how there were no banners or other distinguished markings visible. Winter even noticed how one of the further guard towers had its roof caved in—from wood rot most likely, and how a few of the other buildings rooves didn't look too far off from joining their brethren.
"If I'm going to be paraded around as a bride and not a walking happy meal," Winter thought to herself as she glared menacingly at the looming figure of a building that would soon be her tomb. "The least they could do is make the building seem more inviting and less like the mausoleum that it actually is."
Of course, as her inner monologue sounded braver than she actually felt. Though she wasn't too surprised at that. She often sounded braver in her own mind then she did out loud. Especially when the matters only concerned her fate and not the fate of others. She remembered as a child when she wanted to run away and how she had thought of all the hateful things she would write in the letter to her father, but never once was she able to actually put her plans into action for fear of her father placing the burden of her fate onto her younger sister.
Winter shook her head roughly then. She didn't want her last thoughts to be of that man. No, she wanted them to be happy. She wanted to think of summers in the garden with her mother sipping tea that was not yet spiked with rum, while she played hide-and-seek with Weiss through the maze of rose bushes around the Acer wide area of greenery. She wanted to think of how she would carry her sister back to the house after Weiss fell and scraped her knee of pricked her finger on some rose-bush-thrones. She wanted to think of the cold nights that she and Weiss would hide under blankets by the fireplace and read stories of heroes saving princesses.
"I'm going to be your hero," Winter always told Weiss with a sure smile on her face. "So you can live happily ever after doing whatever it is you want to do."
To this day Winter lived by that promise. She would play the bride to a monster and die so her sister could run away and never have to look back. Winter did her best to ignore the twinge of pain she felt in her chest as she remembered she would never see that day. Thinking of that wouldn't do any good, it would only make what she has to do harder. As her father would say, it is a necessary sacrifice for a better future.
Winter could hear the sound of the gates open and it was enough to snap her out of whatever daydream she was currently living in. She could feel her heart rate quicken and her hands begin to clam up as she tightened her hands into fists around the satin of the skirt of the horrible wedding dress.
The outer side of the castle, just behind the walls looked just as dead as the outside. Nothing seemed to grow or bloom in the area. Vines clung, dead and dry, to the stone walls and bushes were shriveled to nothing but gnarly claws grasping at the chilled air. It was enough to make Winter shiver. She peaked a glance at the other bride. Ilia seemed to have even less composure then Winter did. It only then occurred to Winter realize just how much younger Ilia might be then Winter.
The brunette was sobbing now and her hands were furiously whipping away under the veil as her breathing began to quicken into something of a panic attack. Winter could feel some kind of maternal instinct for the girl. Maybe because she didn't seem to be, if she was even, all that much older then Weiss.
"Don't cry," Winter spoke her voice suddenly losing any and all fear that had previously been present. "They don't deserve to see our tears."
Her words seemed to work as Ilia's breathing slowed to normal and she sniffed up the last of her tears. Both women waited patiently for the door to open, they were hesitant to get out of the car. Neither one of them wanted to face the horrors that could be waiting for them behind the door.
Winter was the first to step out. There was no point in putting off the inevitable. Even if they never left the car, it was only a matter of time before the grooms came out of the castle and dragged them out of the car and inside. She offered her hand to Ilia who took it graciously, careful to not trip on the hem of her dress as she stepped out of the limo. Both females left their bouquets in the car. No point in carrying them inside.
"Shall we," Winter asked trying to share some of her strength to the younger female. She could only see Ilia nod in response. The Both picked up their dresses and began to ascend up the steps, ignoring the sound of their limo and only source of escape leaving the building.
When they finally reached the top of the seemingly endless stairs, the doors opened themselves to welcome them into a dimly lit hall. Winter could see a grand chandelier above her and thousands of crystals magnifying the light of candles the best that it could.
"It's the twenty-first century," Winter began to think to herself. "The least they could do was get an electrician out here."
"Then again," she found herself adding to her own thoughts as the doors shut behind them without anyone being visible. "I doubt anyone could be paid enough money to actually step foot in a building infested with vampires."
"Well, they certainly sent you quicker then I expected." Winter hated the sound of the voice already, not just because the voice came in a low and husky purr but because of the way it made her freeze in both fear and curious attraction.
Winter flipped her head around from left to right. There was no one present. She looked behind her and then to the front again, and once more there was no one there. There was a low chuckle in response.
"Not the brightest thing are you, princess," the voice mocked her and pulled a growl from her throat. If she was going to die, she could do without the humiliation first. "Try looking up."
She did as the voice instructed and sure enough there he was, though she was relieved to see he wasn't hanging from the ceiling like a part of her had feared. No, he was just standing to the right on the second floor, looking down at her and Ilia from the ledge. She couldn't get a very good look at him from the combination of the dim lighting of where he was standing and trying to see through the mesh of her veil.
Winter was able to see through when he gracefully jumped from the ledge and landed and noiselessly as a cat did when jumping down from a high perch. She could make out a tall figure that was lean and taunt with muscle. He ignored her at first, instead choosing to walk over to where Ilia had been standing frozen; quivering in silence rather than getting fired up like Winter had been.
"You aren't the Belladonna girl," the voice stated. It came out smooth like molasses and just as sickeningly sweet.
"No," Ilia answered, her voice only shaking slightly in its resolve. "You only requested a bride. You never stated specifically in the contract it had to be Blake Belladonna to fill the role. I volunteered in her place."
"Pretty gutsy of you kid," the voice noted and Winter turned her head to see the oddest thing happen. The vampire actually ruffled Ilia's hair over the veil she was wearing.
"Hey Tai!" The vampire called out to nowhere in particular. "What do you want with your claim, uh, I'm sorry I didn't catch your name."
"Ilia Amitola."
"Yeah, Ilia!" There was silence for a moment.
"I never asked for a damn bride and you know it." The voice was closer to Winter then she expected and it actually made her jump a few feet into the air. She tried to keep down the bush that crept across her cheeks as the first male, who she now assumed was Lord Qrow that she was promised to, chuckled.
"Yeah, but I figured you would want a playmate for the girls." There was silence from the other male.
"How old are you Ilia?" Tai asked and Winter watched as a much more built and stout figure walked over to where Ilia was standing and finally unveiled her. She was just as young as Winter expected if not more so. Ilia was standing close enough that Winter could make out her wide blue eyes like the ocean on a stormy day and freckles that dusted across her cheeks.
"I'm eighteen Lord Taiyang," Ilia replied almost robotically. Ducking her head down in a last-ditch effort to protect her neck. Qrow snickered at her reply.
"The only thing this guy is Lord of is sulking and baking cookies." Qrow quipped with a laugh at the male, easily dodging the swing Taiyang took at him.
"Just Tai is fine," Taiyang said to Ilia with too much kindness. The kind of kindness that made one question the intentions of the one offering it. "Ilia, you will be taken care of by Yang and Ruby, they are the other Vampires living in this house."
"Wait does that mean we get to have a new playmate?" There was another voice, a female one, that drifted from above.
"Yes Ruby," Tai laughed and then he jerked his head to the side. "Go on, the two of them will show you to your new room."
Ilia looked to Winter for reassurance and Winter just shrugged. Maybe they liked to play with their food first? Either way, they didn't have much of a choice. Without needing any more reassurance Ilia bounded up the stairs to where two female figures were waiting for her and they disappeared into the darkness.
"I'm going to follow at a distance to make sure they don't get into too much trouble," Tai told Qrow before disappearing at a speed that didn't seem possible.
Suddenly, Winter was hyper-aware of the fact she was now alone with her groom. He stood still for a bit, before slowly—painstaking so—walking over to where she was and lifting her veil from her face. Winter looked down at her feet at first, appearing shy though it was obvious she was trying to protect her neck. Gently though, a hand reached under her chin and forced her to look up.
Winter had prepared for her vampire groom to look like a lot of things. She was ready for a horrifying monster with horns and fangs. She was ready for bumps and eyes as black as a bottomless pit. She was not ready for what was in front of her face now.
Lord Qrow Branwen was easily the most beautiful creature Winter had ever laid eyes on.
He was a whole head taller than her, even with her heels on. His hair was dark as raven's feathers and looked just as soft to the touch even though there were speckles of grey riddled though out. His skin was creamy and just as pale as hers with a wispy goatee on his chin. His nose was straight though had a slight bump that was likely the result of it being broken and then healing again. His body was toned and the way his suit coat and dress pants were cut left little to Winter's imagination. There was a tattered red cape behind him and she mildly found herself wondering why he was wearing it when it didn't match the rest of his attire. When she finally let herself meet his eyes she felt ice freeze in her veins again but from what exactly she wasn't sure.
His eyes were as red as the blood she had whipped clean from her hand after pricking it on her bouquet before getting into the car. They pierced right into her very being without hesitation or remorse for the one standing before them. He smirked and her heart flitted in a mixture of fear and arousal that she was embarrassed by the possibility of him being able to smell it.
"I'm surprised Jack Frost sent his own little girl to the big bad wolf."
"Then you clearly don't know my father." The words slipped out of Winter's mouth before she could stop herself. She didn't regret them though. If she was going to die now, she would do it on her terms and not this monster before her no matter how attractive he may be.
Suddenly Qrow threw his head back and laughed. It wasn't the snide or mocking laughed he had been using before, but a real laugh that came from deep in his gut.
"I like you," Qrow said suddenly as he began to eye Winter's neck and down her chest where her crucifix from Weiss laid snug. "Though, it appears someone wanted you to make it out of here alive."
"Yes," was all Winter replied.
"Third floor, left the side, end of the hall. That will be where you will be staying. We may be a bride and a groom, but I am a gentleman believe it or not." The snort Winter left out told him that she definitely did not believe that.
"Enjoy your stay at the 'Castle of the Damned'," Qrow spoke the nickname the townsfolk threw around as if it as nothing. "Since you won't ever be leaving here again."
And suddenly he was gone, in a flutter of wind that left Winter dazed. She felt dazed as she followed his instructions, climbing the steps to the third floor and going to the end of the hall where her room would be. She opened the thick, wooden door and saw the room was clean and white with blue tints to it. Almost like the room she had at home.
She closed the door behind and walked over to the bed, sitting on it. It was somehow softer than her bed back at Schnee Manor, though she didn't even think that was possible. She flopped backward, a very unladylike manner if she said so herself but she was beyond caring anymore. The events of the day were finally hitting her as she curled into herself. Fat and hot tears began to stream down her face and choked sobs ripped through her body uncontrollably and inconsolably. She had run out of strength, and no longer had anyone to be strong for.
She cried herself to sleep that night.
BRK: Wow, I am surprised at how popular this story is. Yeah, I didn't have my hopes high for how many people were interested in this little bit but I was pleasantly surprised at the number of follows and comments I got on this story. I just hope I live up to the hype and keep getting your continued support. Until next week, later gators.