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| A Honeymoon Cut Short | ||||||||||||||||
| The great hall was decorated fabulously with thousands of candles, flowers, and ribbons. Everything sparkled and shined with some kind of hidden magic about them. Hundreds of chairs were brought in for most of the kingdom's elite to observe the ceremony and most were already there, sitting in their finest clothing. Molandra and Merrick scurried about readying all the last minute preparations. Horace stood by the minstrels letting them play the happy celebratory music they had, and scanned the crowd for Alexander's sad face. It was nowhere to be seen. Horace knew that Alexander would have a difficult time watching the woman he loves marry his own brother. If Chilandrea hadn't already broken his heart when trying to say goodbye, the ceremony would certainly do the trick. | ||||||||||||||||
| Before he could worry too long, Molandra appeared next to him. "The wedding ceremony is completely prepared. If Chilandrea has kept herself together enough to follow through with this, then all we need to do is start the music." | ||||||||||||||||
| "What do you mean by 'kept herself together?'" | ||||||||||||||||
| "She has ordered me to stay out of her affairs and to leave the kingdom for good tomorrow. I would keep an eye on her, for it seems we were all wrong about putting such a task on such a young girl. she is still ruled by her emotions, and emotions cause trouble. Until she calms down, I think you should not seek her counsel on important things." | ||||||||||||||||
| "But she's a priestess! I couldn't keep anything from her; she knows how to see anything!" | ||||||||||||||||
| "Just be wary about her. Now start the precession." She disappeared, reappearing next to Merrick who stood beside the priest at the altar. | ||||||||||||||||
| Horace nodded to the minstrels and went to his throne next to the altar. Merrick stood proud and tall as the door to the hall opened wide revealing Chilandrea clad in complete black. Both Merrick and Molandra frowned slightly at her choice of color, but quickly plastered proud smiles back on their faces. It mad Horace think of little porcelain dolls with permanently content expressions. Looking at Chilandrea himself, he thought she looked absolutely radiant despite the fact that her veil was practically opaque. | ||||||||||||||||
| Chilandrea proceeded slowly down the aisle towards the altar. The people in the audience gasped at the darkness of her clothing, but more so when they noticed that despite the opaqueness of her veil, her eyes were clearly visible as though they were candles shining behind a curtain. It suddenly occurred to Horace that not many people outside the castle had actually seen Chilandrea's face. A lot of the men in the audience were probably there for the sole purpose of catching a glimpse of the most beautiful priestess in the world. He made a silent prayer that no one would make a scene. It was bad enough that Chilandrea had fallen for Alexander when it was forbidden; he couldn't take any possible disruption. | ||||||||||||||||
| She reached the altar at last and faced Merrick as the priest began. "Good day to all on this most happy occasion. Our kingdom comes together to celebrate the union of High Priestess Chilandrea and Lord Merrick in a bond of holy marriage. Merrick, I ask you now to take your bride's hand and wait for any objection from any who see reason to prevent this marriage." | ||||||||||||||||
| Chilandrea stared through her dark veil at her groom and the silence rang deafening in her ears. He held her left hand tenderly between his, yet when she peered into his mind she saw horrible thoughts. She saw his idea of the ceremony, the celebration, and -- almost too quickly -- afterward in her chambers. His mind was concentrating solely on one thing: her virginity. He wanted to take her to bed and ravish her for hours and it didn't come to his mind if she enjoyed it or not. He wanted her body. Then she thought of what he would do when he discovered that another man had already taken her virginity. | ||||||||||||||||
| She drew her eyes away from him and felt a fear more powerful than anything she'd feared with Alexander. She threw the images out of her head and began to hear a distant voice. "...honor and cherish, love and obey your husband?" | ||||||||||||||||
| Chilandrea blinked and remembered with a shock what was happening. Staring back up at Merrick, she saw his worried look and spat out, "I do," before she could stop herself. Her fate was sealed. He would have her that night and whatever happened then would decide the rest of her life. | ||||||||||||||||
| However long that may be. | ||||||||||||||||
| Her pulse pounded in her ears and she could feel Merrick slip the ring on her finger, reaching for her veil. She quickly donned a smile as her shroud was lifted over her head and he leaned down to gently kiss her lips. She leaned into his body and rested her head on his shoulder after pulling out of the kiss. She closed her eyes to make it believable that she wanted the marriage. | ||||||||||||||||
| The hall erupted with applause and cries of joy. Merrick beamed with pride. Chilandrea shut out the clamber and tried to bury her head in Merrick's clothing. However, the more she tried to shut everything out, the louder one sound became. It was a horrible sound, mixed between the crash of a collapsing stone wall and a huge tempest storm on the shore of a violent ocean. Her eyes opened focusing on a figure on the very fringes of the crowd by the door. He was the only one not cheering and smiling and celebrating. His eyes were dark and sad, staring unmoving at her. | ||||||||||||||||
| She realized that the sound was all of Alexander's emotions colliding together into one moment. His anger, jealousy, sadness, envy, but most of all his undying love for her were surfacing in his face and mind. Just looking at him, she could feel the same pain erupting within her. lowering his eyes, he turned and disappeared behind the rest of the crowd. | ||||||||||||||||
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| Chilandrea sat in silence throughout the feast while everyone joked, laughed, and celebrated with loud boisterous sounds. It all went by in a blur. The only thing she could vaguely remember was Horace attempting to console her whilst her husband caroused about. Even that vanished quickly like wisps of smoke, and before she knew it she was walking arm in arm with Merrick down the hall to her chamber. Her mind raced with the visions she'd seen from his thoughts. It all made her very nervous. | ||||||||||||||||
| Entering her bed chamber she could hear Merrick's breathing becoming low and raspy. "I'll light a candle," she said reaching her hand out. | ||||||||||||||||
| "No need, dear," he muttered. He grabbed her forcefully and began stripping himself of his clothing. Practically throwing her to the bed, he started lifting her skirts. | ||||||||||||||||
| Her body went cold as she thought of what the recent ceremony had done: she couldn't use her powers against her husband in any way -- not even for self defense. "Merrick, wait," she tried to say, but he covered her mouth with his. She put her hands up in defense and could feel that besides his breeches, Merrick was naked. He tore at her skirt, ripping it up over her waist, and his mouth searched hungrily down her neck to her chest. He reached to the back of her dress and struggled desperately with the fastenings. He shredded the seam at her shoulder with a grunt. His lust was overpowering and she was too weak to stop it. She could only helplessly claw at his back and shoulders, meagerly attempting to pull him away. Her feeble cries of pain and fear were muffled by his thirst for pleasure. | ||||||||||||||||
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| Alexander was pacing his room, still wondering what he could have done to stop the wedding. He knew it was useless to think of the past, but he couldn't just let her slip through his fingers. This feeling wouldn't go away. Yet another feeling -- a sense of foreboding darkness -- crept eerily up his spine. Maybe he could finally solve this by giving up -- confessing to Merrick his love for Chilandrea with the hope that he would be forgiving. That seemed to be his only choice. | ||||||||||||||||
| He nodded to himself, making the decision to tell Merrick that night. Quickly, he turned to leave for Chilandrea's chamber. As he took his cloak (thinking that if Merrick was still as ruthless as ever, Alexander would have to make a silent escape that night) he unconsciously grabbed up his sword and dagger. | ||||||||||||||||
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| "STOP, MERRICK!!" Chilandrea shouted, and at last he leaned back and looked at her concernedly. | ||||||||||||||||
| "What is the matter, woman?" he asked angrily. "Are you afraid that this will be painful? I fear that young virgins like yourself have complained of some discomfort during their first time, but it does get better with practice." She shook her head, keeping her eyes down. "You're my wife now and you're supposed to obey me. It's our wedding night and I want to consummate our vows! Lay back!" He looked tremendously put off. | ||||||||||||||||
| "No," she sighed. | ||||||||||||||||
| "I... I beg your pardon?" he said taken aback. | ||||||||||||||||
| She pulled cautiously away, leaning against her headboard, holding herself in an alert and frightened ball. "You are my husband," she said shakily, "and I must be truthful. But please, I beg of you to be forgiving." Merrick looked confused and suspicious, but stayed silent. "I cannot love you completely, and as far as I can see can not love you at all." | ||||||||||||||||
| "......Eh?" | ||||||||||||||||
| "I cannot love you... because... I love another. I am no longer a ... maid." She looked warily at him as his expression changed from confused to furious. | ||||||||||||||||
| "Who?" he growled. "Who is it? If I ever see him, he will not see the likes of anyone again. I'll have him MUTILATED!!" His face had turned a deep shade of reddish purple and she swore she could see a flame of hatred burst into existence in his eyes. "Tell me WHO!" He jumped to his feet and raised the back of his hand to strike her. | ||||||||||||||||
| She cringed in fear, pulling the torn fabric of her dress to cover her bare flesh. "It's your brother, Alexander," she murmured. | ||||||||||||||||
| "WHAT?!?" he bellowed making the bed shake. "You...you...you WHORE!!" he cried, grabbing her by her hair and tearing her off the bed. She cried with pain. "You goddamn TART!" He threw her to the floor, causing her to slide painfully across the coarse stone. He stomped after her as she began to crawl pitifully away. She whimpered with fear as he yanked her to her feet and hit her repeatedly across the face. Then, suddenly pausing, he held her weak body up in the air suspended by her arm and stared into bruised bleeding face. | ||||||||||||||||
| She chanced a glance at him, still fearing more of his blind fury. "Please, my lord," she sputtered through her blood filled mouth. "Have mercy..." she tried to say, but his fury had risen again, exploding into what seemed like a thousand fists hitting her at once. Then, without warning, she was hurled through the air, past her door, and towards the fireplace. | ||||||||||||||||
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