The Dark Bride

Chapter Six

Lucetta

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“All we are going to do is repeat the Testing of Blood ceremony with two slight changes. First, it will only be our prince’s blood in the goblet. And second, we’ll have you drink a tonic to make sure no spells were cast on you or neutralize any potion you might have taken unknowingly.” That sounded fair, and if nothing else it could prove that what happened back home was a mistake. That I’m not a dragon bride at all but just a normal human.

“M-May I make a s-small condition?” The two men looked at each other before agreeing. “N-No matter the o-outcome… could y-you p-please… not s-send me back h-home?” The two men and the elf were all taken aback by my words. Yes, it was a great honor to be chosen as a bride for a dragon, but no one was ever deemed lesser when not chosen. “P-Please. A-And you c-can’t ask me w-why.” The tears that started to well up stung my eyes.

“Our only job here today is to verify your blood. Where you go from here afterward is completely up to you.” The priest took my hands in his and gave them a gentle squeeze. I took in a deep breath and did my best to calm myself before I said that I was ready. They sat me down in front of a small table and put a glass of something that looked like green tar and a small bowl of candies in front of me.

“The tonic is bitter but you must drink it all. The candies will help with the aftertaste.” The Head Mage must have drunk the tonic himself before or done this many times to know such a thing. Staring at the glass for a moment longer, I shut my eyes tight after grabbing it. Putting it to my lips I nearly gagged at the smell. It was as foul as it looked! Stealing myself, I quickly downed the tonic in two gulps and felt my body twitch and jerk from not just the bitterness but how it slid down the back of my throat like slime. After putting the glass back down, I quickly grabbed a candy and popped it into my mouth. The small, clear, round candy burst with a sweet flavor and I held it on my tongue for as long as I could before it slowly dissolved away. Opening my eyes, I looked at another one of the candies and saw that in the center were tiny stars.

“Do you like them? They are a favorite among the children in our kingdom. We call them star candies and they are made from the moon canes that grow there. The sugar inside the moon canes are collected, melted, and formed into these small orbs. The star shapes form completely on their own as the candies cool.”

“They are very pretty and very tasty.”

The Head Mage nods his head slightly. “Flavors can be added to them, but the plain ones seem to help the best after having something bitter. Give the tonic a few moments to do its thing and we will start the ceremony.”

About a minute passed before my body felt strange and a dark, purple glow came off my body. But it passed in the blink of an eye. The two men looked at each other with strange looks before they set up for the ceremony. A silver goblet with the dragon prince’s blood in it was placed before me and the priest blessed and cleansed my hand before passing it to the mage. The mage then drew a single drop of blood from my finger and let it fall into the goblet.

Just as before, the blood glowed and shadows came flowing out from over the rim. Once more I was engulfed in shadows that darkened my vision for but a moment before disappearing. “You are the rightful bride for our prince. We greet you humbly and ask that you forgive our rudeness.”

So, I was truly the bride to the Kingdom of Darkness. I wasn’t sure how to take the news now that it was truly official. “There is nothing to forgive. You were kind to me the whole time. I’m sorry for my reaction earlier.”

“The prince should be here soon. I’ll take you to your room.” The elf helped me up and then guided me out of the room. Going up two flights of stairs, we went down another hall before stopping by a completely black door. “This is where you will be staying until the end of the competition. Please let us know if you need anything.” He opened the door and I walked inside.

Despite it being in the late afternoon with clear skies and the windows facing the western sky open, the room looked dark. The walls and floors were all dark in color and all the furniture was made from black wood. The fireplace was huge as the top of it nearly reached my collarbone and was just as wide. The living area was spacious enough to comfortably have a few guests over. To the right, next to the fireplace, was the door to the bedroom. It too was dark from the color choices and the metal accents were dull to not give off too much of a shine. The bedroom looked bigger than my parents’ room back at the mansion. I swore the bed alone would take up all the walking space. The bathroom was just as large with a tub big enough to fit two and that new invention that they called a shower. All of it was grand and elegant, just rather dark. It made my heart sink as I was so used to the bright and clean colors from back home.

Going back out to the bedroom, I noticed doors to a balcony and I made my way to them. Stepping out to the balcony there was a large lounger and a chair. However, it was the view that took my breath away. The room was on the same side of the waterfall so I could see the crystal waters running past. And underneath the balcony were gardens kept in pristine condition. It was at that moment that I knew where I would be spending most of my time while in that room.