Chapter three, woo-hoo lol. Luckily for you guys I already have this story finished, so my cliffhangers don't last very long :). I don't own Wizards of Waverly Place or the characters. Just the Pendragons and their storyline.

Please feel free to review!

The wedding was to take place in the Pendragons' main residence, a castle somewhere in Europe. The Russos arrived right at the time Arthur had appointed. They walked through the front doors, feeling uncomfortable the moment they entered the cold stone castle.

Alex didn't notice. She walked with a purpose, her jaw set and her eyes focused. She knew if she stopped to think she wouldn't be able to go through with it. She looked as if she was marching to battle.

The Great Hall was bare save two candelabras at the far end, in between which a priest stood. Arthur, dressed in a pressed suit as usual, with a burgundy rose in his buttonhole, stood to his left. Ian was in front of him, wearing tan slacks and a loose, collared white shirt. His light brown hair was untamed, and his expression was none to pleased. It appeared that his father had forced him into this as well.

Alex looked up as she walked down the aisle and caught his green-eyed gaze. What she saw in those eyes almost made her stop in her tracks. Her heart fluttered in a way that was strange from her, and she had to regain her composure. Ian seemed just as surprised as her.

Alex barely heard the priest begin the vows. Everything was so unreal, and her mind was rather muddled. She said I do in the appropriate places, although it sounded a bit mechanical. She watched numbly as the silver band was slipped on her finger by gentle hands. When it was time for the kiss, they brushed cheeks instead. The contact woke Alex up from her reverie. She turned to see her mom crying and her father and brothers trying to smile, although the sadness shone through.

"Well done, son," Arthur said warmly, patting Ian on the back. Ian didn't smile.

"Happy now?" Ian asked stiffly, his voice low.

Arthur ignored him. He looked at Alex and smiled in what he thought was a friendly way, looking very much like a satisfied snake. "Congratulations, my dear," he said.

Alex glared at him coldly, and the smile faltered for a second.

"To commemorate this auspicious occasion, I'm giving you two the Pendragon mountain residence as your new home," Arthur announced.

"Why, so I won't run away?" Alex said bluntly. She had heard about that place from her father. It was high in the Alps, practically in the clouds. Magic was difficult to perform there unless it was Pendragon magic, and traveling to it on foot was a treacherous affair. It was more of a fortress than a vacation home.

Arthur laughed as if she had just told a joke. "You kids might as well get going," he said.

"Wait," Alex spoke up as the man began to steer her and Ian towards the door. "I want to say goodbye to my family."

The Russos' farewell was lengthy and tearful. Alex hugged her brothers and gave her dad a kiss on the cheek. When she got to Theresa, the woman pulled her in a bone-crunching hug and kissed her.

"I love you, Mom," Alex said, her voice breaking.

"I love you too, baby," Theresa said shakily. "I promise you we'll see each other again. As soon as possible, if we can."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Arthur's rude voice interrupted. "Come on, Alex Pendragon. Daylight's a wasting."

Alexis didn't like the way he said her name, as if he was trying to make a point. But she said goodbye to her family and joined Ian anyway.

"I'm sorry about this," Ian muttered.

"Let's just get out of here," Alex said, wiping away a tear. She could feel Arthur's eyes boring into the back of her head. All she wanted to do was leave his cold, dark castle and the aura of evil that filled it.

Ian didn't seem to want to stick around either. He laid a hand on Alex's arm, and in seconds the formidable dank entrance hall dissolved. It was replaced by another hall that was also built of stone, although this one had lit torches to chase away the dreariness.

"Are you okay?" Ian asked. Apparently the second tear had not escaped his notice.

That's when Alex broke down at last. She buried her face in her hands and sank to the floor, sobbing. She wanted to forget all about everything that had happened to her in the mere span of a day. Ian stayed right there with her, rubbing her back until the sobs faded away.

"Why are you still here?" Alex questioned, looking up at Ian.

Ian sat down on the floor next to her. "Listen, Alex. I'm not my father. I never will be. When he told me about this arrangement, I tried to do everything in my power---literally---to keep it from happening, but I couldn't. Finally I just decided that it would be better to be here, with you, than trapped at home with him, hearing about how I was such a disappointment and the Pendragon name would surely die out because of me."

"You---wanted to be here with me? In this snow trap?" Alex said. She knew what Ian had left behind; the Pendragons were filthy rich. A son of Arthur would have everything he could possibly need or want.

"Well it's not as much of a trap as you might think. Here, come with me and I'll show you around." Ian stood up and offered Alex his hand. She took it, curious, and allowed herself to be led through the castle.

The residence turned out to be not as depressing as she had thought. Every stonewalled corridor, every enormous room, was lit by torches, and a blazing hearth was a common sight. The cold floors were covered in thick velvet rugs, and tapestries toned down the blandness of the walls. There was a study, complete with a telescope and astronomical charts, a cozy dining room, and too many bedrooms to count. Outside the mullioned windows, snow danced by, its coldness unable to touch the warmth inside the castle.

"I used to run away here when I couldn't take it anymore. My dad hated coming here. Too cheerful for him I guess," Ian said.

"You and your dad don't seem that much alike," Alex remarked.

"No, we aren't. Not that anyone knows that. I get labeled as a spoiled Pendragon before people even meet me," Ian responded, a little sadly.

"I'm sorry," Alex said, thinking about her relationship with her father.

"Well it's not all that bad. My dad got the best tutors for me that there were, allowing me to graduate far earlier than everyone else. After school he got me a job as the Astronomy professor at Merlin University."

Alex snorted. "You're a professor? But you're only nineteen."

"I'm the youngest teacher in the university's history. People joke, but I don't mind. I love astronomy."

"Me too. Or stargazing at least." Alex smiled.

The more Ian and Alex talked, the more they learned how much they had in common. They could have been very good friends if Ian hadn't been a Pendragon and Alex hadn't been a Russo; bad family against good. No one could ever have suspected that, one day, the families might get along. Although it was more of a surprise to all the wizards in the magical world that they had actually merged into one family.

Twilight fell soon enough. The castle was eerie at night, and Alex couldn't help being wary of the shadows that lurked just outside the rim of candlelight at the dining room table. It was also draftier, and she shivered slightly over her barely-touched food.

"Something wrong?" Ian asked from the other end of the oak table.

"I'm not really hungry. And it's a bit cold in here," Alex said, trying to be polite. Ian sounded truly concerned.

"Yeah, I'm not hungry either. Sorry about the draft; can't be helped with old castles." Ian stood up and went to pull Alex's chair out so she could get up. "Are you tired?" He asked.

"It has been a long day," Alex replied, yawning.

"Then come with me. I'll show you where your room is."

Alex followed Ian up the elegant staircase, a little apprehensive. Did he expect them to share a room?

It turned out that she didn't have anything to worry about, however, for Ian bid her goodnight and left her at the door of a rather impressive suite.

Alex changed into pajamas (which magically---literally---appeared on the chair) and got into bed. She found it hard to get to sleep in such a strange place. Although comfortable, the bed was cold, and the odd creaks of the castle made the darkness even more foreboding. Sometime around one o' clock in the morning, Alex awoke from a nightmare screaming. The door flew open a few seconds later, and Ian rushed in.

"Alex! Are you okay?" Ian asked, worried.

"My parents…my brothers…were…were…" Alex said, still half-asleep.

"Hey, everything's fine," Ian said soothingly, sitting down next to her and taking her hand. "It was just a dream."

"I know. But it seemed so real," Alex said, wiping her eyes. Her nightmare had involved her family dying at the hands of Arthur Pendragon. Not exactly the kind of dream you can go right back to sleep after.

Ian massaged Alex's hand for a few minutes until she was calmed down, then got up to go back to his own room.

"Wait! Please don't leave me here all alone," Alex pleaded, grabbing his arm.

Ian smiled sympathetically and laid down next to her. Alex rested her head on his shoulder, and in seconds she had drifted off to sleep. Ian wasn't quite as quick. Holding her like that brought up new feelings within him, ones he had to think about for a while before he could allow himself to go to sleep.