I keep my head down as I try desperately to keep the tears from falling and my sobs from growing louder.
But it only gets worse.
I see Darian in my peripheral, trying to make it over to where I stand, but the Royal guards are pretty stern on the rules.
No one else takes the carpet except the Royal family. He would have to go around to get to this other half of the hall, and since the King is here, movements are restricted and guards flank every area, looking out for possible threats to the throne.
He'll have to stay there until this is over.
I am pretty grateful, because I can't have him see how much of a mess I am right now. So much for being the hottest woman in the gathering. More like hottest mess.
King Fenrir welcomes us with a speech that last for at least half an hour, and for the life of me, not a single word registers. A Royal Jester takes the stage next, spending a lot of time making the people laugh their heads off.
They're stalling for the auspicious hour. The Goddess's hour, at Eventide.
Maya's warm fingers curl around my upper arm, and I turn to find her sad gaze upon me. "I came by earlier, but the maids wouldn't let me in. Are you alright?"
I want to tell her I am, to pretend that everything is fine. But she sees right through me. She can sense the pain I'm in. She doesn't know the full story, but she knows Rune and I have something going on.
My lips quiver and I shake my head. "No."
She sighs and pulls me into a hug. "You'll be fine, Astrid. It'll be fine."
"No. It won't," I whisper against her neck, breathing in her scent. It is calming. Somehow.
She pulls back after a bit and smiles at me. "You look great. Who do I have to kill to get a dress like this one? And your hair! It is fire!"
A small smile graces my lips. She's trying to distract me. "Thank you. You look great too."
She is in a short blue gown with a plunging neckline and flaying skirts. It hugs her frame perfectly and her eyes pop in the dark eye make up she has going on. She smacks my shoulder playfully. "I'd surely look better if I had maids too."
I frown. "You didn't get maids assigned to you? The old lady said--"
A single hit to the drum marks the beginning of the ceremony, and I am forced to turn with the crowd, to the altar that is high enough for all to see.
And in any case where it is difficult to see, there are screen everywhere, all showing feeds of the altar up close as Rune takes Gin's hand from his mother's. His head bows as he presses a kiss to her pulse point, causing her to turn a bright shade of red.
"So young, and in love. Give or take, he should put a baby in her before winter," a woman croons beside me and her partner expresses her agreement.
"I hear the King has rushed the wedding because she is with child. If that is true then, there will be quite a number of babies... heirs."
Nails bite into my palms, warmth mingling with the pain as my blood trickles down my fingers.
In and out—I repeat the mantra, struggling to breathe amidst the suffocating weight. It feels as if my soul is being ripped apart.
With a thousand knives piercing into my soul, each cut deeper than the last, I watch as he leads her to the Priestess who stands between them, holding the Goddess's staff of power in her grasp. My chest tightens, constricting with unbearable pain as they both kneel before Priestess Atlas, who stretches her arms wide and looks to the sky through the vast hole in the middle of the ceiling.
Her voice carries well over the crowd and goosebumps prick my skin as she utters a language I don't understand, seeking the blessings of the Goddess.
We watch as the moon rises slowly to the sky, and the cloud parts overhead. Our breaths are held as we wait for the Goddess's light to shine upon them from the moon.
But it doesn't.
Waves of nervous whispers go through the crowd and I bite my bottom lip, pausing in my sobs, wondering what this means. Though, I have never been to a royal wedding before, even I know how important it is that the Goddess's light shines upon the couple. It is her way of showing approval.
"Oh, shit. That can't be good," Maya says, raising her phone higher to record of all of it.
The Priestess' eyes snap open and she looks to King Fenrir. They exchange a look and she looks back at us, smiling. "The Goddess approves."
Yeah, right. Tell that to a three year old and they might just believe you.
On the bright side, the crowd doesn't buy her bullshit either, and I can hear their whispers growing louder and louder. "Bad omen."
The screen zooms in on Ginevra's face and it is pinched with worry. Rune, on the other hand, seems to have zoned out, staring off into space.
Queen Zephyr shifts uncomfortably in her chair, worried gaze flitting from Rune to his father. She leans in to whisper something in his ears but King Fenrir stands from his throne abruptly. "Silence!"
"Wedding the heir without the Goddess's blessing might as well be a curse on us all!" Someone yells from the crowd, blatantly ignoring the King's order, and voices rise in protest.
My eyes dart from the throne to the moon in the sky. The clouds have begun to gather, covering it from sight. The auspicious time is passing.
My heart thuds in my chest. The wedding can't take place.
King Fenrir growls loud enough and it is the most terrifying sound I have heard in my life. It is enough to silence the entire hall, so much so the artists playing the slow music in the background stop abruptly.
He turns to the Priestess. "Proceed with the ceremony. The auspicious time is yet to be over."
She frowns, but she nods, touching the staff to Rune and Ginevra's heads. "Rise. Both of you."
They do, fingers entwined.
"Part her lips with yours, and draw blood from it," the Priestess orders Rune.
He leans forward, slender fingers slipping around Ginevra's neck like it once did mine.
A knot forms in the pit of my stomach, twisting and churning with a mixture of sorrow and helplessness. The room spins around me, and I clutch my trembling hands together, desperately seeking solace in their touch.
Maya grips my shaking arm tightly. "Get a grip, Astrid."
Every beat of my heart echoes with a mournful melody, a symphony of despair that reverberates through my veins. The air grows thick with a suffocating heaviness, making it harder to draw breath. Each inhale is a struggle, as if the atmosphere itself shares in my anguish.
My breaths then to harsh pants, and hold on to Maya to keep from falling. Tears well up in my eyes, blurring the scene before me, but they cannot wash away the ache within.
Ginevra's eyes flutter close as Rune's nose touches hers.
I close my eyes too, unable to watch anymore. My heart falls and I feel myself fall as well, into a dark abyss I might never come out from. It is safer there. I won't feel pain there.
Yet, a primal roar slices through the air, reverberating through my very being. My eyes snap open, and there, striding down the aisle, is Rune.
"Fuck, he's coming here," Maya whispers, her voice strained. I can't breathe as he draws closer, walking past the stunned crowd, ignoring his father's command to turn around, ignoring the compulsion from his father to stop, ignoring Ginevra's cry of outrage.
His steps become fluid, unreal, and he moves with a grace that could only take centuries to master.
"Stop him!" King Fenrir barks at the guards and an entire horde moves, racing to Rune to restrain him.
A burly guard lays a hand on his shoulder, and the resulting screams rend the air. Limbs are severed, blood sprays, and a cacophony of terror ensues. The disarmed guard collapses, wailing in agony, his gaze fixed on the severed limb—a raw, shattered sound.
None of the guards dare take another step forward.
Undeterred, Rune continues his relentless advance, toward me. Maya shakes me, yelling in warning, but I cannot tear my gaze away from his pitch-black eyes that ensnare me.
"Astrid!" Darian's voice jolts me back to reality, and I blink repeatedly, focusing on him. When did he get here? "You need to leave!"
I shift my gaze from Darian to Rune who's walking toward us with murder in his gaze. Not Rune. Hekate.
Streaks of blood stain his cheeks, and in his hair. Dark veins stretch from his eyes, tracing his face and disappearing beneath his shirt. He looks like a monster. He is a monster.
"Astrid, he will kill you!" Darian yells, and the crowd around us begin to shuffle away when they notice where Hekate is headed.
Darian reaches for me, attempting to pull me away, but he is abruptly torn from my side and flung across the room with a warning snarl.
"Darian!" Maya and I cry out as he collides with a pillar, the sound of bones snapping fills the air.
Fuck.
My legs finally unglue themselves from the ground and I start towards Darian's crumpled form.
But Hekate seizes my arm in his iron-clad grasp, yanking me toward him. Gasping, my chest collides with his, and I tilt my head back, staring into his soulless eyes. "And where do you think you're going, princess?"
Baring my teeth fiercely, I push back against him. "Away from you. You're a fucking monster. A bloody psycho."
He chuckles darkly, his clawed nails sinking painfully into my bare waist. "But you like me this way, do you not?"
"You're insane" I whimper as he digs deeper, the pain intensifying. "I want nothing to do with you."
He leans in, and my body spasms as his lips meet mine forcefully. His kiss is punishing, possessive, and my knees buckle beneath me as he devours me with his mouth, his tongue. He steals my air and my will. He takes everything I am mercilessly and makes me feel pleasure amidst agony. I crave him desperately. I ache for his touch.
He holds me to him when I start to fall, and when his lips leave mine, I am a mess of lust and anger.
"You're a bastard. I hate you," I cry, even as I cling to him, my arms encircling his torso.
"Yet, you want me. I wonder which one of us is truly mad," he murmurs, his hand caressing my cheek. "We must complete the rest of the ceremony before the time passes."
"What?"
He grins, and I suddenly feel it on my lips. Blood. My hands leave his torso and I raise my finger to my lips. There is a small cut from the intense kiss. More importantly, there is blood.
My gaze rises to meet his. "You drew blood from me!"
"Yes, and now, we will be wed," he declares.
I lunge forward, striking his chest with my fist, pushing away from him. "Over my dead body!"
His expression turns contemplative, and he smile becomes a dangerous feral thing, revealing canines sharp enough to severe my throat. "That can be arranged."
The evil glint in his eyes has me turning on my heels and fleeing, no matter that it makes me look like a coward. In an instant, he catches up to me, snatching me and hoisting me over his shoulder. "You can't escape me, princess."