The Dark Prince’s Chosen Bride

A Vision in Black

The rest of the day was a blurry flurry of preparations.

Allegra and Tanya had gone with Emilia back to her rooms and set up a wedding basecamp in the sitting room. The three seamstresses were nowhere to be seen, but they had left behind a wardrobe full of finely made clothing. Her wedding gown, however, had been locked in a satin covered chest, with a note forbidding anyone to open it until Emilia herself was ready to dress for the wedding.

Fairies swept in and out of the room, getting the Queen’s final approval on this or that, while Allegra detailed the steps of the wedding with Emilia.

The ceremony would take place in the great hall immediately after sunset. Guests from noble families across the realm would attend, sitting on satin-cushioned benches along the aisle. Emilia would walk -by herself- down the petal-strewn carpet to the altar, where the King and The Prince would be waiting. The King would perform the traditional ceremony of the Dark Realm, which (Allegra assured Emilia) was simple and brief.

And then, Emilia would be a Princess.

A celebration feast would follow, set in the outside courtyard that opened out to the edge of the forest. The guests would be welcomed to eat good food and dance in the starlight.

Nervous though she was, Emilia couldn’t help but feel a trickled excitement mixing with her anxiety.. Her soon-to-be in-laws were bubbling over with flustered purpose and direction. The air in the room seemed alive with expectation.

Before she knew it, dusk was approaching.

Emilia had been bathed and polished and painted to within an inch of her life. Her face had been made up and now her eyes sparkled beneath black coal liner, and her lips were as dark and glossy as a ripe plum. Luci had oiled her curls and pinned them into a voluminous twist at the nape of her neck. Once her hair was set, Tanya fastened a golden chain bearing a dazzling garnet the size of an almond. Emilia opened her mouth to protest. The gem was too large,too exquisite for her.

Tanya held up a hand to silence her.

“Whatever you are about to argue, hold your tongue. I can sense you are a sensible sort woman, one who values that which is practical and useful. But today is not a day for humility or for the practical.” She smoothed her hands over Emilia’s shoulders and fixed her with a steely, reptilian gaze. “Believe in me when I tell you…the eyes of the entire Dark Realm will be on you tonight. While many of our folk are excited for your marriage to Faren, many are hoping you fail. There are vipers in this court, my girl, and they would just as soon use you as leverage and kill you as befriend you. So tonight, you will wear the jewels of a royal and hold your head up like one. This pendant will match not only the diadem you will be crowned with, but also the wedding ring Faren had commissioned for you. You will prove to our people that you are a Princess worth bowing to.”

Emilia nodded and swallowed down a sob. She was heartbroken, so heartbroken, that her own family wouldn’t be able to attend her wedding. That her mother wouldn’t lace her gown, nor her father be able to tearfully walk her down the aisle to her groom.

But she had found acceptance in Tanya and Allegra, and the weight of that acceptance was not lost on her. While it wouldn't erase the hole made from her missing family, the firm maternal advice of Tanya and the bubbly offer of sisterhood of Allegra helped to ease her grief, just a little.

Still, her new position also terrified her. Tanya had made it quite clear - while Emilia was safe and welcome in the bosom of her soon-to-be husband’s family, the court of the Fay was an entirely different and deceptively venomous beast altogether. The only defense Emilia had was to try her best to prove her worth. To show that she was no shrinking damsel to Target.

Allegra had slipped away and changed into a soft woolen gown of the darkest and richest sapphire color Emilia had ever seen, a satin belt of cream fastened over her bump. She wore her hair down, her head and ears ringed in a thick silver circlet studded with blue topaz. She looked cold and ageless, refreshing as the first breath of winter. Clearly, fashion in this realm was as magical as its folk.

Tanya, being the Queen Consort, was resplendent in a tightly fitted silk gown the color of copper and trimmed with broad black velvet ribbons that shimmered with tiny, amber beads. On her bald head she wore a twisting, pointed tiara of polished gold and topped with sharp-tipped onyx stones. She looked formidable and daunting, the Serpent Queen of the Dark Realm.

Finally, the time had come for Emilia to put on her wedding gown. With trembling fingers, she unlocked the trunk. Tanya, Allegra, and Luci stood in a wall of support behind her, waiting with stilled breath.

The lid was lifted, and inside was the finest dress Emilia had ever seen. Gingerly, she pulled it out and held it up.

The sleeves were sheer black and gossamer thin, long and tight all the way to the wrists. The bodice was the color of midnight and made of velvet so soft it seemed to kiss Emilia’s skin. The neckline was wide and skirted just beneath her collarbones. It hugged her curves all the way down to her waist, where the soft bodice gave way to a full satin skirt over layers of lace petticoats. The hem of the skirt was embroidered with tiny golden dragons, garnet eyes gleaming in the firelight. This was Faren’s insignia, she realized. A clear reminder to every member of the court that she was the Dark Prince’s Chosen, and as such, was not to be trifled with.

Luci dressed her in the privacy of the bedchamber. She pulled and fluffed and tutted over the placement of every pleat and hem. When Luci’s assertive, mother-hen fussing was finished, she placed Emilia’s satin slippers on her feet, and pressed a beautifully arranged bouquet of blood-red roses into her hands.

“I’ll see you at the feast, and I’ll be back to help you dress for your wedding night. Good luck, Emilia,” Luci said, placing a swift peck on the top of Emilia’s hand. The maid stopped at the door, said quietly over her shoulder, “I’m glad it was you that he chose.”

Then Luci flung open the door,and revealed Emilia to her new family.

“Stunning,” Allegra said through smiling lips.

“Yes,” Tanya beamed. “The perfect Dark Bride for our Dark Prince.”

A quiet knock on the door ended the moment, a footman telling the Queen the guests were seated, and the groom and the King were in place.

“Alright, my dear. Time to go. Just remember… wait for the doors to open and walk towards Faren with your head held high. My husband will lead you through the ceremony. When it’s over, you will officially be our family, and we may all celebrate properly.”

The Queen and Princess left the room to be seated, while Emilia followed the footman down to a massive staircase into the belly of the castle… all leading to the black lacquered doors of the great hall. The footman gave her a quick bow before stepping away, hiding himself behind the frame. Behind the door she heard harps take up a tender melody. A moment later, the doors, aided by magic, slowly swung open.

Hundreds of pairs of fairy eyes were on her as she made her long walk down the aisle. Benches were packed with all manner of folk, lit overhead by brightly burning candles in massive chandeliers. Clusters of red and white roses lined the aisle, and at the end stood the Dark Prince.

If she thought he had been handsome at the choosing ceremony yesterday, he was stunning now. Bathed in moonlight and the glow from brightly burning candles, he still managed to look sharp and vicious in his wedding suit. He wore a crown, golden like his eyes, and he looked every inch the fairy Prince from her childhood dreams.

His very obvious pleasure at how she looked in her wedding gown filled her with white-hot courage. Chin up, feet sure, and gaze steady on her groom, she made it to the altar.

The King wasted no time, starting the vows the moment her feet stilled. The ceremony was brief for a royal event, just as Allegra promised. Emilia was able to repeat the simple vows without stumbling, sliding a thick gold band onto Faren’s hand as she promised to be his wife and companion for the rest of her days.

Faren did the same, his warm hand cupping hers as he put her wedding ring on her finger - a round cluster of deep garnets on a thin gold band.

Once the wedding vows were exchanged, the King presented a delicate diadem, glittering with the same gold and garnets as her wedding ring. She lowered her head as Faren placed it on her hair. King proclaimed her Princess Emilia of the Dark Realm. A Princess. A Dark Fairy Princess.

“You may kiss your bride,” the King boomed, drawing titters from the crowd.

Faren leaned down and tenderly, so tenderly, brushed the fullness of his lips against hers. She always knew their first kiss would be in front of an audience, so she expected it to be quick and impersonal. But the warmth of his sweet kiss spread like wine through her veins, leaving her heart racing and her mind muddled. His lips lingered on hers for a few precious, intoxicating moments before he broke away.

“Ladies and Gentlemen of the Dark Court, it is my great honor as King to decree this couple husband and wife. Let the feasting begin!”