CRESSIDA'S POV
I walked back into my chambers feeling defeated.
The elders had confirmed it. Tomorrow, I will meet my end.
Alicia stood up as soon as I stepped in. Her eyes were bright with optimism.
"So?" She asked anxiously. "What did the elders say? Has it been confirmed? Can we start packing now?"
"The wedding is still on," I whispered, hating how final the words tasted in my mouth.
"What?" She couldn't believe it.
She stepped back like her knees had gone weak, staring at me in horror.
"This can't be happening, I thought they said—"
"It doesn't matter what they said, the elders have confirmed that the wedding is happening tomorrow, so all I can do is sit tight and wait for it," I replied numbly, walking over to the bed.
I hated this.
I hated the hope that had clawed into my chest. I hated how it had been snatched away.
I was going to die tomorrow night and nothing was going to change that.
Alicia started to sob. "This is so cruel. Why is this happening to you?"
I wanted to speak. To tell her that there was no use crying, but my throat felt too tight.
She knelt on the ground, crying and begging the Luna Goddess to save me, like it wasn't the Luna Goddess that gave me this cruel fate.
"Oh Alicia…" I sighed, walking over to her and pulling her into a tight hug. "It will be okay."
She couldn't stop crying, her body trembled as she held me closer. "No it won't be, how can I imagine a world without you? You have always been there for me Cressida, you have been the bravest person I know, so why is this happening?!"
Her words felt like pain and comfort at the same time.
I loved that there was still someone who cared about me this much in the world but I couldn't stand the idea of leaving her behind.
"I am still here," I murmured softly. "And even after the worst happens, I will always be by your side."
Alicia pulled back to look at me, her eyes swollen and red. "You shouldn't be the one paying for this. You shouldn't—"
"I know," I said softly. "But we can't change destiny, we can only delay it."
I was already resigned to my fate. The only thing that gave me comfort was the fact that I had managed to save the lives of my people, that my sacrifice was not for nothing.
Maybe I was a martyr afterall.
****
The maids woke me up before dawn to start preparing me for the ceremony.
Five maids entered my chamber that morning, without any greeting or ceremony.
To them, this was just another day. To me, it was the last day of my life.
They moved with mechanical efficiency, scrubbing me, washing my hair with expensive scents and oiling my skin in scented oils.
Then a robe was draped around my body before they led me out of the bath.
Another maid held me while they measured my waist.
My shoulders. My wrists.
The dressmaker adjusted fabric around my body, muttering under her breath.
I stared at the wall, detached from myself, wondering why so much effort was being wasted on a bride who would not survive the night.
Alicia stood helplessly at the edge of the room, her jaw clenched, her hands curled into fists.
"She doesn't need all this," she snapped once.
None of them even glanced at her. It was like she did not exist.
They finished preparing me then left as briskly as they had come in.
Not too long after, another woman came in to educate me on my "wedding duties".
"When the Alpha appears then you must lay back and spread your legs, so that he can—"
"What is the point of teaching me this?" I looked up at the woman.
Her eyes softened like she pitied me. "It is procedure."
"What is the point when I am not going to make it?" I asked her, my voice breaking.
"I am sorry Princess but I am only doing what I was instructed," she said, keeping her head lowered.
"Well I don't care, today is the last day of my life and I don't want to keep listening to what to do if the Alpha's bond somehow doesn't kill me," I replied in annoyance.
To my surprise, she stepped away from me and walked away, allowing me to catch my breath for the first time since the day started.
Before I knew it, the sun began to set and the maids returned, this time to dress me in the silver ceremonial wedding dress.
I stood in front of the mirror, unable to recognize myself.
My long blonde hair had been swept into an updo and held in place with pins. My face was covered in heavy powder that seemed to whiten my skin with rouge on my lips.
The dress was filled with layers and layers of fabric, squeezing me so tight that breathing wasn't an option.
I stared at my reflection, feeling tears threatening to fall.
The girl from Stormhaven was completely gone. In her place stood someone trembling with dread.
This wasn't my wedding dress, I realized in horror.
It was burial cloth.
Alicia helped straighten the dress with trembling hands.
"You look absolutely divine," she whispered, avoiding my eyes.
"Yeah," I agreed. I looked completely different from how I arrived here. Much as I hated to admit it, the bold look suited me.
This was really my destiny.
Alicia's tears warmed my sleeve. Immediately, I turned to her, wiping her face with my fingers. "You have to be strong for me,"
"I don't want to be strong," Alicia shook her head. "I want you to be safe."
She hugged me tightly, too tightly, like she was afraid letting go would be permanent.
"If anything happens…" she started, then stopped herself.
I pulled back just enough to look into her eyes. "Whatever happens," I said carefully, "you live. You hear me? Promise me you will return back to Stormhaven and reunite with your family."
Alicia nodded slowly, but it was the kind of nod that carried dread, not agreement.
When the guards came to escort me, Alicia stayed behind.
I did not look back.
***
The ceremony was held beneath the open night sky.
Moonlight bathed the courtyard in silver, casting ominous looking shadows across the grounds.
Nobles and Elders stood in silence as I was led forward. Their faces unreadable.
King Alessio was already in front.
He was dressed in black, his posture firm and unmoving. His haunting eyes met mine and the same expression he had since he met me reappeared—disgust.
Even if he hated me, it didn't matter. He couldn't dislike me more than I disliked him, more than I disliked his entire empire.
The High Priest began reciting ancient words as soon as I stopped in front of Alessio. My heart was racing as the Priest rambled on, I wondered when it would be over.
Suddenly the priest took my hand and Alessio's in his and held them together.
"You are now bound to each other, in sickness and in health, in poverty and in wealth, until death do you part."
The priest's eyes locked on mine as he said the death line and my stomach nearly churned with nausea.
"I pronounce you both, King Alessio and Queen Cressida of Silverfang Empire," he chanted, sealing us together, under the moon.
I closed my eyes as the crowd murmured their approval, knowing that it was a done deal.
My life was as good as gone.
***
The ceremony ended as abruptly as it began.
There was no feast. No celebration.
I was escorted away immediately, guided through empty halls until I arrived in front of an enormous door.
My belly sank in dread.
"Go in," a maid instructed, shoving me inside.
Before I could spin around and protest, the doors were shut in my face, leaving me alone in such a majestic room.
It was spacious.
I walked past the adjoining room until I reached the inner chambers.
The bed lay in the center of the room, with satin curtains covering it completely. The floor was decorated with rose petals and a scented candle burned in the distance.
This was it.
This was the place I was going to die.
Solemnly, I sat on the edge of the bed, folding my hands in my lap.
Listening for footsteps.