Bride of the Vampire Prince

CHAPTER: 17

The tall girl next to Vienna looked up at the sky. "Perhaps the prince is ready to be married." She turned to Vienna, two spots of color developing on her cheeks. "Perhaps to one of us," the girl shared.

"Now, hold on," Vienna said to the girl. "Ready to get married? But I am barely eighteen!"

"I would not worry about that if I were you." The girl looked Vienna up and down, a couple of times. "You do not have the right attitude, and if you ask me, that dress is a bit desperate looking."

This was insanity, the girl had to be mistaken, Vienna thought. How could a prince choose his wife like this? This was no better than an exhibition of girls! Vienna struggled to pay attention to what was happening, rather than the buzzing in her head.

The queen then smiled at her audience. "And now my husband, King Theodore Jackson, would like to tell you some very special news."

The king stepped forward. "Loyal citizens, and beloved candidates. It is with honor and excitement that I make this announcement. The time has come for my family to expand."

Excited chatter broke out in the crowd, and the king smiled at them, waiting for the audience to calm down. Vienna glanced at the prince. He was standing rigidly behind his father, an incomprehensible expression on his face. 

"The ceremony has always been about unifying our interests and strengthening the bond between the crown and the people," the king continued. "This year, I am so happy to announce, there will be a wedding. To show you our true commitment to the people of the kingdom, my son will choose one amongst these candidates as his bride." He gestured at the contestants across the platform as the crowd broke into cheers and ear-shattering applause. 

No way, Vienna thought. It is better to offer oneself for sacrifice than be a bride. She wanted to get out of here, very soon.

The villagers did not share her sentiments, though. Their expressions ranged from shock to delight.  They hugged each other, many of them crying. 

"One of us!" a woman in the front said. "The gods have shown us more than mercy! The tides have turned finally, good fortune is coming our way!"

The king beamed at them. "The wedding will take place in public, for all the citizens of this nation to attend and celebrate. This is history in the making, and I am very proud of my son as he takes his place as a member of our court." He motioned to the prince, and Prince Damien bowed deeply.

Vienna started moving ever so slightly closer to the stairs at the end of the platform.

The prince smiled as he stepped forward to address the crowd. "Dearest citizens, it is a great gift for you to share your loyal maidens with us today." He held out his arms toward the candidates, and the audience erupted into more cheers. "They are our true heroes, a credit to our kingdom. There is no finer group of women than them, amongst us. Their bravery and willingness to sacrifice their old lives demonstrate their commitment and patriotism. I am honored to choose one of them to be my wife." Still smiling, he bowed again as the audience burst into wildly excited, rapturous clapping.

"And now, if I may, I would like to meet each of the candidates. I will speak to each one of the young ladies, and then I will make my choice," the prince said.

He then turned to the woman next to him. She was a beautiful brunette with dark skin, whose braids cascaded down her back. She gazed up at him, starry-eyed. The prince smiled at her, asking questions softly, it appeared as if he were making small talk at a cocktail party. He shook her hand, indicating her interview was over. He then began talking to the next young woman, who had killer curves and blonde hair. The tall girl next to Vienna straightened her spine and smoothed the invisible wrinkles off her dress, with her shaking hands.

"Is not this a bit crazy?" Vienna asked the tall girl. "For the prince to choose a bride so quickly?"

"It is often said that the prince has a foresight," the girl said. She kept her voice low. "It is said that he knows things that others cannot. So perhaps this would be an easy choice for him, one that he has envisioned."

"I hope that he chooses you," Vienna whispered. The girl seemed to want it badly, and Vienna certainly wanted nothing to do with this farce of a wedding, the prince's alleged foresight, and a possible vampire coven waiting on the other side of that wall.

The girl nodded once before she turned away. "Me too. This is the opportunity of a lifetime, of a hundred lifetimes." She did not wish Vienna good luck in return.

That was fine for Vienna. She took another step backward, trying to appear as though she was simply giving her space. But actually, she was simply preparing to make good her escape. Alex had said to Vienna, that she did, in fact, have a choice. She would thus exercise her right by running out of there and never looking back, again. But Alex was watching her carefully. It was for sure that he would chase her, but she doubted that he would risk biting her in broad daylight. If he flashed his fangs, the ceremony would turn to chaos. Alex would therefore not dare, Vienna told herself.

Vienna then took another step toward the stairs, and Alex visibly froze. The prince was working his way down the line of candidates and was already halfway down the platform. What on earth could he be asking them? Vienna wondered. Could he be asking, 'Do you like long walks? Or what is your zodiac sign? Do you mind if I bite and drink your blood? Oh! You are so hot. Will you marry me?' It was absurd, yet each girl he spoke to looked at him with adoration. It was as if the lamb was practically begging to be slaughtered by him. 

A/N: To be continued...