Heart of Fire

Chapter Thirty Seven

"Daddy, am I going to be like you and mommy one day and get married?" I ask my father.

He laughs, picking up the sword I dropped after trying a new trick.

"One day, yes, but I think you're a little young to be worrying about that right now. Give it about 20 years and then you'll be ready." He says, ruffling my hair.

"Are you going to be there when I do get married?" I ask, taking the sword he holds out to me.

"Of course honey! I'll be the one walking you down the aisle." He says reassuringly. "Come on, enough talk about weddings. We have to get this trick down before your mom yells at us for being out here too long."

***

I walk down the aisle by myself, holding a bouquet of white flowers in my hands. It's a pretty venue with lights and flowers scattered all around, yet I don't bask in the beauty of it. Hundreds of people stare at me from where they stand to the sides of me. I don't look at them. Instead, I look for the group, but they aren't anywhere to be seen. My once hopeful demeanor changes, turning into one of worry. They may have said they have a plan, but I can't possibly see how they can change this, fix this. I keep my chin up high, willing myself not to break down as the violins play around me.

I only allow myself to look at my future husband once I reach the altar. He's handsome, he looks strong. Perhaps a perfect husband, but he's not Kenton.

King Bastian and Queen Evelyn sit on their thrones just to the left of the altar, content expressions on their faces. The priest stands between the prince and myself, smiling slightly.

As I return my gaze to the prince, who's name I still do not know, he smiles brightly at me. His teeth are a perfect row, sparkling white. His honey brown hair rests perfectly across his brow, complimenting his tan skin. His brown eyes are kind, inviting. On paper, he's a perfect prince.

I turn my attention back to the priest. The prince and I stand side by side facing him, me on the left, the prince on my right. Once the priest allows everyone to be seated, he starts the ceremony, speaking the words I've heard many times at other weddings. As I listen to him, I start to feel sick to my stomach just at the thought that this is truly happening.

When the priest asks the crowd if there are any objections to our marriage, every guard in the room drops to the floor. Gasps erupt from the crowd, Bastian stands up from his throne, and I sigh in relief, releasing the breath I've been holding.

It's happening.

I spot Kenton in the corner of the room, smirking slyly at his work. I smile at him, catching his eye. He gives me a small wave before pointing somewhere behind me. When I turn around, Amelia is there, hitting the priest on the head with the bunt of her sword. He drops to the floor with a grunt, a small gash on his forehead bleeding out.

Something scrapes the floor, landing at my feet. It's a sword. When I look to see where it came from, Fyn is standing off to the side holding various weapons in his hands and looking very stressed. I suppose crashing a wedding isn't exactly his idea of fun.

I ditch the flowers that I hold, throwing them off somewhere to the side to grab the sword at my feet. I don't know exactly what I'm supposed to be doing, what the group's motive is right now. I look at the sword and my hand, feeling the familiar heaviness it brings.

This is my chance. The moment I've been waiting for ever since that bastard of a king killed my parents. I'm finally going to get my revenge.

Most of the crowd has fled, either from fear of their lives or simply from the chaos being too much for them to handle. I look back up at the prince, who looks around worriedly. When he catches my eye, he looks down at the sword in my hand and backs away slowly. He only takes a couple of steps before he runs into Hudson's chest. He doesn't have a chance to escape from him as Hudson takes him in a choke hold, stopping him from running away.