Just to toy with the Would-Be King, I spoke up. ‘I do.’
‘Well thank the gods that…Princess!’ It took Kaleb a couple of seconds to retrieve his jaw from the ground and regain his composure. ‘Where have you been? We have been scouring Aspheri, Rathol and were about to try Alena, searching for you!’
‘I misdirected myself to Earth. Friends of mine there found me and kept me safe until Ilrune managed to track me. Worry not, Would-Be King. There has been no harm done. Now, if you don’t mind, I think I should retire to the safe room and wait until I turn back into a demon again.’
Two days later, I teleported out of the safe room, relishing the feeling of the warmth of my magic coursing through my veins once more. It felt good to be back in control, back in power. Nodding to my guards, I wove my way through the corridors, heading for my private chambers. With less than a month to go before my wedding to Ilrune, there was still so much to do. A small part of me wriggled in joy. I never thought I was ever going to be married. When the prophecy came into my life, it pretty much ended all thoughts I ever had of spending the rest of my life with anyone. Not much point when you knew exactly when and how you were going to die. Now that it was actually happening, I wanted to squirm in happiness like a hyper puppy.
Ilrune kept very quiet unless asked for his opinion, happy to let Aleth and I talk about colour schemes and invitation lists and how to go about organising the ball traditionally held one week before the marriage. Aleth, ever the prepared one, had already sketches several possible designs for a dress, nattering on about colour and fabric. I kept glancing at Ilrune, as if I was scared that if I just blinked, everything would simply vanish. How did I become so lucky?
I might have recalled that statement two weeks later, when I found myself standing in my dressing room with a fretting Aleth, trying to get ready for the ball. Aleth slapped my hands down as I tried, once more, to help her fix blood-stones into my black hair. Despite her angry wielding of hairpins, the stones did not want to sit properly, or what Aleth deemed to be properly. The stiff, formal dress was already beginning to get uncomfortable as I tried to sit as still as possible, listening to my lady’s maid swear in all manner of demonic dialects that were definitely not suited to her station and sounded very odd coming out of her mouth. Throwing her hands up, she abandoned the gems, her eyes flickering red. I patted her hand, grabbing a brush and a comb inlaid with the dark red bloodstones. I dragged the brush through my hair, attempting to get it to lie flat before sweeping a section of it up to secure with the comb. I glanced at Aleth for approval. She looked relieved certainly. Setting my circlet on my head, I stood up. Time for Cinderdemon to go to the ball.
By the time I got to the double doors, Ilrune was already there, waiting. He jokingly shook his head, tapping his wrist in the universal gesture for ‘what happened to you to be so late?’. I felt a blush creep over my cheeks, thankfully hidden by my mask. I shrugged at him, linking my arm through his. It was time to meet and entertain several hundred high class demons and dignitaries from other dimensions for an entire evening. Whoopee.
‘Having second thoughts?’ Ilrune asked jokingly.
‘Only about the ball. Nothing’s going to stop me marrying you.’
‘Then let’s get this over with.’ Ilrune squeezed my arm gently as the doors opened before us, and a footman announced our arrival. I knew that there were only about a couple of hundred people in there, but it looked more like a thousand. My courage suddenly decided to turn tail and run screaming for the hills. Only Ilrune’s arm through mine kept me on the course, sweeping into the ballroom that hadn’t been used for years. I fixed a smile on my face and began to greet my guests. In the centre of the room, three demons played drums accompanied by a lone demon with what sounded like a flute crossed with bagpipes. Despite the image, it wasn’t unpleasant to listen to. A voice suddenly spoke in my ear: ‘I hope you realise just how much I am not enjoying this, Shad.’
I smiled at that. There was only one person I knew who would say that to my face. ‘Hello, Amarath,’ I said, turning to her. ‘Glad you could make it.’
My sister glowered at me. Her short purple bob had sections of it braided with sparkling red gems, matching the deep red dress she was wearing. I couldn’t help but smile. Amarath was definitely one of the tomboys, but there was no way she could have gotten away with the demonic male formal dress, which was composed of a pair of loose trousers, a sword and a cloak. Although, knowing Amarath, she was probably carrying more weapons than Captain Nergal.
‘At least you don’t have to put up with the mask, Amarath,’ I countered. She rolled her eyes at me, shaking her head.
‘Yeah, well, don’t expect me to dance with anyone. Vrael’s already threatened me with pretty much everything possible to have at least one. Seriously, is there anyone here under the age of a hundred?’
‘How can you tell? Most of them stopped ageing between twenty and thirty. I’m the youngest looking person here! I mean, you look twenty, I’m your twin and I look fifteen! By the way,’ I dropped my voice, ‘I think you’d get on really well with the captain of my guards. Demon called Captain Nergal. He’ll be around here somewhere. Listen out for the clanking of his weaponry.’
Amarath sniffed in disapproval, but given the glint in her eye and the careful positioning of her head to listen more carefully, she was actually going to track this guy down, perhaps for nothing more than comparing notes on swords. I shrugged mentally. She might as well have a go with him. They’d get on like a house on fire.
Ilrune lead me to the centre of the dance floor, taking my hands in his. I prayed that I would remember the dance steps Aleth had painstakingly rehearsed with me over the last two weeks, and not stand on his toes. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted both my brothers with demonesses, and a flash of red dress approaching a trying-to-look-as-if-not-on-duty Nergal. I grinned to myself. The poor captain wouldn’t know what hit him.
The evening flowed as easily as the Styan, an alcoholic version of Stykka. Styan was similar to wine, but it was still something I avoided. I may be part demon, but that didn’t mean I could handle their alcohol. It was about ten times as potent as human wine. I wasn’t going to touch the stuff for fear of what it would do to me, both in appearance and in terms of a hangover the next morning. Instead, I spent most of the night dancing, with Ilrune, with Shaeman, Vrael, even Kaleb at one point. In a week, I would be happily married. Tonight, I would enjoy myself. Amarath seemed to be hitting it off with Nergal. Vrael was dancing with a pretty, golden-haired demoness with a look of longing on his face. Shaeman was sitting at the side, talking to ademoness, who was flirting with all she had. Yes, things were good.
* * *
When I opened my eyes the next morning, I couldn’t remember why today was so important. There was something really big happening. The guard in the corner shifted slightly. Daylight was beginning to seep around the curtains, taunting me with the knowledge that I should be getting up and beginning the usual morning duty of hearing the problems of my people and proposing solutions, followed by a tactical debriefing with the army captains about the state of my army. I seriously considered sticking my head under the pillow and going back to sleep. Aleth burst into the room, caught up in a hurricane of excitement, tearing open the curtains to let the red sunlight suffuse the room and ripping back the blankets.
‘My Lady, you must rise and begin to prepare for your wedding!’ I shot bolt upright. My wedding! Leaping out of bed, I shook off the last fingers of sleep, darting for my bathroom with Aleth close behind.
I don’t really know when Aleth stopped being my lady’s maid in her attitude towards me, becoming instead my best friend and one of my most trusted confidantes. On the morning of such an important day, I was infinitely glad for her company and expertise. I shed my nightclothes, diving into the bathing pool, already filled with scalding hot water. I surfaced, shaking out my hair. Aleth paused in her flitting around long enough to throw me a glass bottle of shampoo. Onl
y once I smelled of my favourite pomegranate soap and had washed my hair into submission did I emerge from the pool, grabbing the towel left out for me. Aleth sat me down on a stool, running a critical eye over me. I tried to sit as still as possible. This was her territory, not mine. She nodded once, scurrying off. She returned with what I guessed were the underlayers of my wedding dress: a pair of dark grey leggings and the length of soft, white cloth that was usually wrapped around my midriff and chest to protect me from the sharp edges of my armour. Once they were in place, Aleth began attacking my hair with a ferocity I had only ever seen on the battlefield, drying it with her magic as she worked, fixing a couple of black feathers donated by Merlas into the locks as an acknowledgement to Ilrune’s Careen origins. I tried very hard not to squirm under Aleth’s attentions. With my wedding being one of the few occasions where I wasn’t required to wear my mask, Aleth wanted to take full advantage of it, applying a black paint to outline my eyes and a deep red on my lips My lady’s maid was having the time of her life, preparing me for this ceremony. For her, it was a case of showing off what she could do, the importance of her position. She darted away again, returning with my dress, which I was seeing for the first time. I slipped into the pale grey fabric, softer than those of my usual dresses, but cut in the same style, designed to flow rather than to protect, for beauty rather than utility. Aleth pulled at the lacing at the back of the dress, tying it off neatly before handing me my boots. I wrapped an intricately tooled sword belt around my waist, twice round, as was the Aspherin custom, one loop high on the waist, crossed on the left hip so that the second loop, holding the sword, rested just below the right hip. Aleth brought me the final piece of my dress, a cloak. She brushed the light grey fabric over my shoulders to drape down my back. I touched the clasp holding it up. Arellan’s brooch. I hadn’t worn it since I had taken over in Aspheri, but kept it safe in a small box in my bed chamber along with other objects of value from my time on Earth and in Synairn. I wanted my mother to be present for my wedding, to be proud of what I had become and pleased with my choice of husband. This was the only way I could pretend that she was here with me. I took one last look at myself in the silver glass. Every piece of metal gleamed, the delicate beadwork on the dress sparkled, my hair shone. Aleth clapped her hands, chattering excitedly. She darted away once more, returning this time with the circlet. I crouched down slightly for her to place it on my head. She took my hands in hers, smiling openly.
‘You’re ready, my Lady.’
I couldn’t believe how nervous I felt as I walked, alone, towards the hall where the wedding was being held. Well, I say alone. Two guards were discreetly following me as always. A demoness was always supposed to walk alone to her wedding, supposedly to give her a last chance to run away if she didn’t want to go through with it. But I did. I wanted this marriage. I wanted a chance at being willingly and happily married to a demon of my choice for the rest of what I hoped was going to be a very long life.
According to Careen custom, a trusted member of the bride’s family would wait outside the hall of the ceremony in order to reassure a nervous bride if necessary and escort her inside. Aleth had refused to let me have any say in the wedding outside of a preferred colour scheme and the guest list. All I knew was that they had blended demonic and Careen traditions. I had no idea of what to expect. I had never realised before how much my footsteps echoed in the empty halls. The sound had always been hidden by other demons rushing around, going about their duty. Even the guards made little noise today.
Vrael stood waiting for me outside the hall, resplendent in his deep red demonic formal dress, his bow and quiver strapped across his back. Even for something as supposedly peaceful as a wedding, demons went in armed. He bowed deeply to me, one hand fisted over his heart as was the custom for a demon to his ruler. As he straightened up, he spoke to me, not as the Princess of Darkness, but as his sister.
‘Are you prepared for this commitment?’ he asked, his face and tone soft. I offered him a shaky smile.
‘As ready as I’ll ever be.’
‘You do not wish to marry him?’
‘Yes! I’m going to marry Ilrune, no matter what. No, facing a hall full of people I don’t or barely know is what worries me.’
Vrael’s faint expression of alarm faded. Taking my hand and raising it to shoulder height, he said, ‘Then let us proceed without further delay. He is anxiously awaiting you.’
We turned to face the doors into the hall. Vrael used his magic to push them open. Inside, the fruits of Aleth’s secretive labour beckoned.
I had to admit that Aleth had done well. The hall looked splendid. She had hung pennants of violet and pale grey from the walls and ceiling and liberally strewn kai, a flower of Aspheri resembling an Earthen lily, over the black, polished stone floor along with the occasional feather. Vrael lead me forwards, slowly walking towards the raised circular dais where Ilrune and Lucas were waiting for us. Vrael helped me to step up onto the dais before melting back into the crowd. I scanned the beings gathered there, dignitaries from allied dimensions intermingled with nobles from my own dimension as well as many of the winged Careen Ilrune had invited. I turned my eyes to my soon-to-be-husband, smiling at him. He smiled back with an expression of love in his eyes that, as clichéd as it sounds, made both my hearts skip a beat. He stepped behind me, taking my hands in his and folding them over my stomach. Silence fell over the hall. Lucas began reciting the marriage spells, weaving magic between Ilrune and I to unite us completely, our minds and our hearts locked together. For as long as we both lived, we would be more in tune with each other than with other demons, able to hear each other’s thoughts even over long distances, able to feel every tiny emotion in each other’s soul. The spells had been written long ago, when the position of Aspheri within the other demonic dimensions was precarious. A spellweaver of that era, many thousands of years ago, had realised that many of the fighting demons were distracted from the tasks at hand; worrying about and missing their mates. To remedy the situation, he had written the marriage spells, allowing the demons to know if their demonesses were safe and giving them the ability to communicate. Now, the threat from the other dimensions wasn’t as great, but the spells had remained. I could already feel Ilrune’s consciousness, a warm, comforting glow close to mine, growing ever closer as Lucas’s spell came to its conclusion. Joy surged through my heart. Ilrune was now officially my husband, my companion, my mate. I turned to face him as Aleth stepped forward, holding the circlet of the Prince of Darkness. I took it from her, gazing at it for a moment. It was of a similar design to mine, but a thicker band of metal in the place of three braided strands and a single, larger bloodstone instead of three smaller ones. I touched the bloodstone briefly before reaching up to place the circlet on Ilrune’s brow. It fitted him perfectly. He caught my hand, kissing my fingertips then moving to capture my lips. I was dimly aware of the hall cheering and applauding, but my mind was more engaged in Ilrune’s kiss. Reluctantly breaking away, he touched my cheek softly.
‘I present to you Shadow of Aspheri and Ilrune of the Wingless, Princess and Prince of Darkness!’ Lucas announced.
I found myself under attack as soon as I stepped off the dais. Amarath came at me with a flying leap and an ear-splitting screech, closely followed by Aleth. Vrael and Shaeman stood a little way off with the young of the clan, watching me with what seemed to be a glimmer of pride in their silver eyes. Even Vrael wore an uncharacteristic but welcome expression of warmth on his face as he stepped forwards to congratulate Ilrune in a somewhat quieter manner. I hugged Aleth and Amarath tightly before moving onto Archangel and Onyx. Ilrune came to stand next to me, looking down at them with a smile. I leant against him gently, glad of his easy acceptance of my twins. I had told him all about the pair, but they had never met. I held my breath for a moment, praying that the twins would accept him as easily as he had them. I needn’t have worried. Archangel’s face split into a wide grin as she charged at him with a fierce hug, f
ollowed closely by Onyx.
Although the ceremony may have lasted an hour, having to sit through the congratulations of the guests took quite a while longer. Thankfully, it was over dinner. I laughed alongside my family for the first time in years, teasing Amarath about her apparent affections for the captain of my guards. Vrael turned a delicate shade of grey when asked about his continuing relationship with Alba, with most of the questions being answered by Shaeman, much to the vampire’s horror. Ilrune and I exchanged glances frequently, smiling at each other, barely able to believe the fortune that had befallen us.
Eventually, the party ended and the guests took their leave. I yawned as discreetly as I could, tired from the day’s events. Ilrune leant down to rest his chin on my shoulder.
‘The party may be ending, my dear Shadow, but the night is far from over.’ I smiled a little to myself, turning my head to look at him out of the corner of my eye.
‘Why, Ilrune, I believe that is the kind of remark made before the dashing hero makes off with his girl.’ Ilrune didn’t respond to that, verbally at least. He swept me off my feet, into his arms. I gasped in surprise. He smiled, carrying me to what was now our private quarters.
He didn’t put me down again until we stood in our bedroom, where he took my hands, holding them in the small of my back. I could feel my limbs trembling, although whether in anticipation or apprehension I couldn’t tell. Despite having brothers and kids, I had never actually seen a naked man, let alone had proper intercourse. What strange creatures demons be. Ilrune must have sensed my worries and started to murmur reassuring words in my ear.
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