Maze woke up and she would give anything to wake up at home but when she opened her eyes she was still at the strange palace. She heard whispers and she jumped up to sit and backed against the headboard. Few slave girls bowed down to her and then carried on buzzing around. Maze looked on the other side of the bed and she saw various dresses made of silk and silver.
"Do you like any of them?" Lucian appeared in the room.
"You slept like a stone. I ordered silence in the whole castle." He brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear and she pulled away when he lingered on her cheek.
"Smile, it's our wedding night." His voice slightly darkened.
"You butcher my whole village and you tell me to smile?" Maze murmured.
"She speaks!" The Prince clasped his hands. "Better if you don't speak tonight. As much as your most venomous words are angelic to me, my father wouldn't be pleased." He walked around to have a closer look at the dresses. "The green one. My wife will look ravishing in it." The Prince looked Maze up and down and he noticed her gentle curves for the first time. The night gown hugging her skin tightly as it twisted whilst she slept. She quickly pulled the blanket over herself.
"They have to dress you. Unless you want guards in here whilst they do, you better behave." The prince got closer, crossing the bed. He stopped close to her and ended looking down at her. Maze felt the warmth radiating of his body. Lucian kept looking into her eyes whilst he took the key out of his trouser pocket and undone the cuffs. She pulled her wrists to her chest and rubbed them. Her skin red from the fight she tried to put up against the cold metal.
"Behave, little one." He got closer, grabbing her chin into his fingers and
looked straight into her soul.
She held his stare for a moment and couldn't look into this abyss any longer. His eyes were bottomless. She broke the stare and had to look away. Lucian smirked and kissed her forehead. He got over her, sitting on her in the middle of the journey and she tried to push him away. Once he got over he let out a chuckle and started out again. "I change my mind! Black!"
Once the Prince was gone, the slaves started pulling her to sit on the chair.
Maze heard them cursing when they tried to brush her long hair. Once they were done with the oils and scents, they dressed her in a beautiful black dress. Maze has never touched such soft and light material. She marvelled how people can make such beautiful things.
She felt uneasy with other women, slaves, dressing her but that's just the way it is. When the dress was on and they have pinned her hair, the prince returned once again. He was wearing black robes with the most beautiful purple colour cloak Maze ever saw. He handed a wooden box to a slave and left. She wondered why he didn't approach her. Or even look at her.
The slave walked up to the dressing table and laid the box down. She opened it and Maze's breath was taken. A necklace with the same purple colour stones. The slave gently took it out and prepared to put it on Maze's neck.
She paused. "His Highness wants you to wear it proudly. Be very careful with it. It's heavy." Then she carried on.
Once it was all done, they helped her up and walked her to the door.
Her heart was pounding. She was incredibly nervous of what's behind this door. In past six days her life turned upside down. Slowly it opened and there he was. The prince that ruined everything. "My Lady." He glided over to her and took her hand under his. They strode out to a corridor. The amount of people made Maze's knees weak and all she wanted to do was to go back in and be chained to the bed again. She took a step back but the Prince pulled her forward.
"Try to smile." The prince leaned in and whispered into her ear. Not making the situation better.
They walked for felt like hours through the main Palace. Labyrinth of corridors lead them through to a grand staircase where she was taken up when they arrived in Tyran. When they emerged, tens of people in fine clothes gathered at the bottom of the stairs. All in awe when they looked at the bride and groom. As they descended all of them bowed and made way to the grand doors of the palace. "Are you ready?" The prince whispered to Maze.
"I will kill you." She hissed at him in return. The grand door opened and they walked out into the sunlight. Once Maze's eyes adjusted to the daylight she saw thousands of people bow on their knees. Two massive horn trumpets on both sides of the grand door sounded and all the people in the palace walls got up with cheer.
"Let us celebrate the end of war and coming of my beautiful wife." He addressed the crowds and took a couple of steps from Maze waving at her from her head to her toes as he bowed to her. The crowd got even louder this time.
"Wave at them with a smile. A bride shouldn't be crying on her wedding night." Lucian commanded but she disobeyed and a tear run down her cheek.
Maze and the Prince sat at the back of the room at the longest table. Her and her husband were displayed sitting in the middle at the long side. Two other long tables were positioned at 90° on both sides, with people talking, drinking and eating. The centre was filled with dancers and behind them musicians, playing their instruments. Dictating the dancers.
Maze looked around at all those people and she felt nothing but hate towards them. The way they celebrated all those people they supported to slaughter.
Her dismay must've shown on her face as the prince leaned in closer to her.
"It will be over soon. I promise to treat you well, wife." She looked straight at him. She couldn't read if this was him making her relax or petrified.
"I don't want to be your wife." Maze's voice broke as she said it.
"You have no choice. Now eat something and sip your wine. No more tears." He's voice changed and he straightened his back and looked out to the dancers.
What else could she do but obey? This was her life now. A trophy wife, a prisoner in a golden cage. Even if she killed the prince, what then?
She finished her cup of wine and a slave refilled it immediately. She drank this one and again her cup was full.
The music slowed and the dancers seemed to move closer to one another, brushing on each other's skins. Another cup went down, easily. The movements of the dance became erotic and they started to undress one another. Almost simulating sex. Once all their clothes were off a drum banged three times and the prince stood up.
"It is time for my wife and I to go to our chambers." He announced and looked down at Maze offering her his hand. She gathered her dress and stood on her own. Once the slave moved her chair she turned from the celebration and started walking. The prince quickly grabbed her arm and slowed her down to walk with him. Once they exited the ball room into the grand hall, he grabbed her tight by her elbow. He spun her around and made her face him. "Do you want to die? I took you in, made you a princess and what do you do?" His tone serious but with a hint of pain. "You expect me to be happy? You butchered my mother! You burned my whole village! You cage me like an animal and bride me as if I'm just an object..." Maze yanked away and screamed at him. His angry stance made her take a step back. He marched towards her, grabbed her throat and his cold venom spilled. "If you want, I'll cut your heart out and eat it instead." The fear in her eyes made him let go. He marched away and guards surrounded her and started leading her away. Once in her chamber, they didn't chain her. As soon as they locked the door behind them, she started looking for anything that she could use as a weapon. She opened every draw, every chest, every cabinet... nothing.
"You will not find anything. I had everything removed that you could use to kill me." The princes voice came from behind her. She has not noticed that he's been standing there all this time. The shadows made him barely visible. Only thing she could make out was he's eyes. They seemed to glow out of the darkness. Maze quickly composed herself and stopped looking.
She sat on the chair, by the dresser table in front of the mirror. He's footsteps getting closer. "I never told you how beautiful you looked." His cold hands on her bare shoulders made her her jump but he held her down. "You truly are beautiful. This is your home now. The soon you accept it, the sooner you'll be free to do whatever you want. You're a princess now. Act like it and all your dreams will be fulfilled." He stroke her soft cheek and took her beauty and smell in. He left her in the room again and didn't come back.
