Dark Lord: Bride of Vader

Chapter 5: Black and White Wedding

I do not own any of the Star Wars and DC characters and ideas represented in this work.

"Love doesn't lead to the Dark Side. Passion can lead to rage and fear. And can be controlled. But passion is not the same thing as love. Controlling your passions while being in love. That's what they should teach you to beware. But love itself will save you, not condemn you." - Jolee Bindo

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Kristoph of the royal house: Duke of Almerac's capital city—Tae Tamarac—cousin of Queen Maxima, and a nearly graduated Junior Lieutenant of the Royal Starfighter Corps of the Royal Almeracian Navy was currently walking down through the royal palace.

In his officer's uniform, he had his white tunic that was in that color to show his membership in the royal house. Members of the royal house, members of one of the nobility houses in Almerac, or a soldier in the royal guard have the privilege of wearing the color to show their importance, while members of the army have green jackets and navy personnel wear blue. He had no medals to speak of; he had pressed black trousers and shined boots. A proper uniform that he could finally wear instead of that embarrassing cadet uniform he was stuck wearing for almost a year.

He graduated from the Naval Academy of Tae Tamarac only weeks ago; he spent his entire time of being an eighteen-year-old at that prestigious school. Now nineteen and a full-fledged officer, he was ready to join a fleet and enter combat for his nation and for his family's honor.

If he gets into combat, that is.

Almerac hasn't seen peer-to-peer combat in almost generations—fleets and patrol sections only dealing with pirates, criminals, scoundrels, and other types of unfriendly neighbors outside of their borders. But none of the major fleets have gone into action since the Almerac Empire was still a thing.

But in spite of the peaceful situation, Kristoph was sure his time in glory would come soon.

Walking through the grand hall of the royal palace he grew up in, he passed servants, royal guards, and other important figures in the government so that he may head to the palace's own landing pad. His cousin, Maxima, just got back from a recreational trip on Warworld. He could never understand why his cousin would watch that bloody and dangerous game in person instead of watching it on a holo-projector. But knowing his older ruling cousin, she was an outside girl at heart. She never really liked watching action through other means; she most often liked to get down and dirty with the show. In some cases, he was like that too.

Passionate as she was, and though he loved her as they were family, she had her flaws. Outspoken more often than a queen should be, usually blunt in ways she shouldn't be, occasionally ill-tempered, and not very good at politics. But then again, he wasn't really good at politics either or very subtle about things.

Regardless of her flaws, she is his queen, the matriarch of the royal house and family. He will love her as such, with flaws or not.

Now, at the grand doors that lead to the palace's landing area, he was outside, where the palace stood tall and proud on a mountain that looked over to Almerac's capital city. It was morning in Tae Tamarac, and the citizens were beginning to go through their daily routines. Shopkeepers and clerks began to open stores in the marketplaces. Air cars ran through the canopy of the cityscape. Almerac's star was starting to rise up from the mountain range to give day, making its light show through the wide valley where the great city was constructed.

Cold air and singing birds greeted Kristoph as he made his way onto the landing platform, where ceremonial royal guards and silent servant girls stood in line for their queen's arrival that would come soon. There waiting by himself was Sh'Kirry, the Captain of the Royal Guard. In his sixties, with white long hair that almost touched the back of his neck while the top of his head was clean bald, he proudly wore the royal guards white uniform with many service medals and awards from his long life of being a loyal servant to the royal house. Being a talented pilot himself, Sh'Kirry had been in many smaller engagements with parts of uncivilized space that decided to enter Almerac's border more times than Kristoph can count.

The Royal Duke went up to the Captain Guard, who was at the area of the landing pad where he would be the first one to greet the Queen. He saluted the older officer, who had his hands clasped to his back. "Good morning, sir."

Sh'Kirry regarded Kristoph with a salute back, "Good morning, Lieutenant." He had a smile on his wrinkly face. Despite the amount of medals he had, Sh'Kirry had the look of an old shopkeeper that many would find hard not to like.

"Do you know when the Queen's skiff will be here?" Kristoph asked.

Sh'Kirry looked up into the morning sky onto a specific meandering cloud, "Right now, I suppose so."

Kristoph looked in the general direction upwards as well and saw the elegant royal skiff owned by Queen Maxima break through the clouds and descend down from the sky. Designed and manufactured by the Almerican Royal Corps of Engineers, the Royal Star skiff has one of the finest luxuries on board, with the addition of advanced shielding and the best hyperdrive money can purchase. Almost teardrop-shaped, its sides were bent to an angle, while the front of the ship was where the curve was at it.

Landing down on the platform, its shiny frame reflected the early sun's rays with its landing gear deploying. The boarding ramp went down, and the servants bowed while the guards stood at attention. Both Sh'Kirry and Kristoph bowed to the waist simultaneously. The duke heard the footsteps of his cousin exit out of the skiff with another heavier set to her side.

"Welcome back, my Queen," the Captain of the Royal Guard said. Both he and Kristoph went up to greet their Queen with their gaze. "It is good to..."

Sh'Kirry's words stopped, and both of the uniformed men froze as they saw a figure that their queen was clinging to with her arm. Standing above two meters was a man in shiny obsidian-colored armor. He had a strange panel of some sort built into his chest that glowed with red and green. He had a cape in the same color as the rest of his suit, which made it difficult to see his body altogether for how dark it was. He wore a black mask that slightly resembled a skull. Finally, the dark man had an eerie respirator, which made heavy mechanical breathing dominate any sound around despite it not being loud.

Being in the royal house, Kristoph had the gift of being a telepath, though weaker comparatively to his cousin. The man that he sensed that was next to his beloved cousin was absolutely nothing. A figure that can be only described as a bottomless pit.

A black golem.

Even though it was a chilly morning, it was a welcome one and relaxing as well because that part of Almerac was in its summer cycle. When the man got closer, it felt as though Kristoph was put in a freezer for an entire day. He felt a shiver run down his back, and his fingers started to lock up.

Maxima, though, despite the nightmarish shadow next to her, seemed happy, even delighted. As if she didn't know the man that she interlocked her arm into was a pure pitless golem. He looked over to the skiff and saw the servant girls and guards that accompanied Maxima during her trip exiting behind as well. They looked like they hadn't slept for days, even though it hasn't been no more than two. They were spooked too, and Kristoph couldn't blame them.

He saw Sazu, and she had the sad face that someone had seen their own death.

The servants and guards at the landing platform stiffened; some girls tried not to faint or shiver as if they were freezing to death, while the guards couldn't help but watch the dark figure even though they were at attention. The joyful Maxima with the dark man went up to Kristoph and Sh'Kirry. They stopped a couple of paces away. Maxima breathed in the air, which was getting even colder to Kristoph with the presence of the dark figure. "Isn't it a beautiful morning, Sh'Kirry?" She asked the leader of her personal guard.

The duke saw that Sh'Kirry was shaken by the presence of the man next to the Queen; even veterans like him aren't immune to anomalies like this golem. "Y-yes, yes, my Queen, of course it is."

Maxima looked in between the man and the dark, tall figure that she clung to, then she giggled as if she forgot something that was funny. "Oh! Where are my manners? Boys," she looked over to Sh'Kirry and Kristoph, "Meet my new hubby," She hugged the dark man, "Darth Vader, and he'll be Almerac's new king!"

Kristoph didn't know if he should yell at Maxima out of anger or completely run away to the other side of the galaxy. Maxima, his cousin and the only family they have, picked possibly one of the scariest beings that she must've found in the darkest crevices in the universe. He had seen many men that Maxima had interest in; they were slimy—literally and figuratively—raunchy, greedy, barbarous, and other males that Almeracian society would shun.

Yet now, her sweet royal cousin was possibly madly in love with this Darth Vader. He hasn't even seen him for a complete minute, and it seemed the masked man just came out of Krisoph's worst nightmare.

Sh'Kirry, terrified to not make Darth Vader mad, to please his Queen, or both, forced a smile and a fake happy tone. "That's...wonderful, my lady."

Maxima looked up to Darth Vader, who only stood as a statue. "Darthy..." she said in a soothing voice to please the figure, "This is Sh'Kirry, Captain of the Royal Guard." She pointed to the older officer.

Darth Vader placed both black gloved hands onto his belt and moved his mask to the shorter man. The voice that he spoke out of was not of his own. The vocoder carried his words, deep as oil, black as night, and cold as an automata. "You protect your queen's life over your own, would you?"

Though shaken a bit, Sh'Kirry still had a somewhat military manner to him, answering with supreme confidence despite the being in front of him that might've drained it if he were a lesser man. "Yes, sir. In an instant, I would. I hold the rank of Colonel in the regular forces, but I owe my soul, body, and mind to my Lady's protection."

Since it was hard to tell what emotion Darth Vader was having while hard to sense by Kristoph's telepathy, he seemed pleased with the answer. "That is good, Colonel. I wish some men that I have seen had your sense of loyalty."

Maxima then gestured her free hand to Kristoph, which he silently gulped. "And this is my beloved, lovable cousin, Kristoph: Duke of Tae Tamarac."

Darth Vader moved his black helmet and studied the Duke. Kristoph was never really afraid of the dark. But when Darth Vader looked into him, he remembered the phrase, "If you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." And when that line got to him in his head, he now understood what it meant.

"Maxima," Darth Vader said to Kristoph, "Had said many things about you, Duke."

Kristoph could only move his head up and down and gather enough courage to say, "Yes, sir."

"She said that you are a pilot."

The Duke's head went up and down slowly. "Yes, sir, I am."

Darth Vader didn't say anything as he let his respirator cycle through a cold inhale and exhale. "Then we shall see if you will have a great career in such matters."

"Yes, sir, of course, sir."

Maxima put her amorous attention away from Darth Vader and onto Sh'Kirry with a serious manner. "Sh'Kirry," the old guard got rigid and lost his nervousness, "Get the minister of rituals; we'll be having a wedding!" She hugged Darth Vader very much; Darth Vader didn't return the embrace.

Sh'Kirry went to shock and quickly replaced it with his loyal, complying tone, "Yes, my lady, consider it done. Is there a specific date and time you wish to put it in?"

Maxima placed a finger onto her chin for exaggerated thought, "How about...now!"

Sh'Kirry looked like he was about to protest but dropped it immediately. "I'll tell the minister, post-haste."

She smiled, "Great!" She went to Darth Vader. "Hubby dear," she caressed his black mask. "Let's go and see the palace while the wedding gets ready."

Darth Vader turned his head towards Maxima, his helmet not showing any emotion Kristoph could make out. He made a long pause before saying, "As you wish...dear."

Her arm wrapped around his large black padded one, and him not showing the shame affectionate she is, Maxima and Darth Vader walked out of the landing platform and into the entrance of the Royal Palace. Servants bowed as they saw their Queen walk by them, doing their best to not show the fear of Darth Vader's shadowy presence. Kristoph spots an alien dog with orange fur, and tusks come out of the skiff, confused and slightly freighted, then head towards Darth Vader behind once he spotted him. When the servants passed to attend to their Queen's desires, guards going back to their posts, Sh'Kirry leaving to now arrange the wedding ceremony, Kristoph went to the saddening Sazu, who was walking in Maxima's direction.

He went to her side and silently but unbelievably said, "Sazu! What happened!"

Sazu gave the Duke of Tae Tamarac a sidelong glance, "Many things I'm afraid of." She sounded almost like she understood the situation and accepted it.

Kristoph knew Sazu since he was a little boy; the older woman was Maxima's personal advisor and handmaiden. Sazu is a loyal servant to the house and a friend to Kristoph; if he didn't consider Maxima like a sister, then Sazu would be second-to-best in that role. Sometimes she was the first. Even though a couple years ago, when Sazu had done that thing no one wanted to talk about, Kristoph understood the position she was in; even if she somewhat betrayed the house, she had the intentions of keeping Almerac from falling apart due to Maxima's rule.

Sazu was usually there to at least steer Maxima in the right direction. Whether politics or critical decision-making, she was there for his cousin so that she could never make a wrong decision. At least recently. But now, it felt like Sazu didn't do her job properly.

"What do you mean by many things?" Kristoph said his relationship with Sazu was informal, so there were no titles or regards to be made. "Why is Maxima marrying..." he motioned to where Maxima and Darth Vader were walking when they entered the threshold of the palace. Maxima was currently showing her new "betrothed" the family's artifacts, art collections, and other decor from Almerac's past in the palace's grand hallway. "That?!" He whispered.

Sazu lifted a black eyebrow and said, "You act as if I have any say in the matter."

"Well, you do, don't you?! You're her advisor; how could you let this happen?!"

Sazu shifted her head from side to side. "In my position, I couldn't do a thing." She didn't say anything for a moment. "You know we went to Warworld, correct?"

"Yes."

"And I'm sure you know about Mongul's late champion: Draaga."

"Yeah, I've seen the holo-vids of..." Kristoph's eyes widened when realizing her choice of words. "'Late?'"

"Dead." Sazu confirmed, "Darth Vader killed him." She looked over to the "couple" and looked back at Kristoph again, "Along with Warworld's ruler, and rather in a barbaric way."

"Mongul?...he killed Mongul?" Kristoph looked over to Darth Vader with many things in his mind. "I've...heard Mongul's race is just as powerful as those dead Kryptonians..."

The Queen's assistant shrugged, "We'll never know now since he's dead too. And because of that, it makes Darth Vader Warworld's new ruler and owner of Mongul's Empire by extension. Draaga was strong in his own right, but Mongul was just and possibly stronger than more sentients if the rumors are true. He fought Vader and took his entire castle down. Vader showed himself he was stronger and more powerful than Mongul." She narrowed her eyes forward, "THAT is how your dear cousin got attracted to him and lost in a fight to test him."

Kristoph whirled his head at Sazu, stunned. "She fought him, and she lost?"

Sazu sighed, "Yes," and looked disturbed. "She almost died because of that. You don't understand how helpless she was when she was being choked by his psychic abilities."

Kristoph twisted his face in boiling rage at Darth Vader, his fear of him vanishing. He was about to stomp over to a dark figure when Sazu grabbed hold of his arm silently. "And you also don't understand that you have no say in this either, whether you like it or not."

Kristoph peeled back his lips to show his teeth and gritted them, "I'm not going to have my cousin marry the man that tried to kill her!" He said quietly, almost nearing yelling.

"Your cousin says otherwise; she wasn't disturbed by it." Sazu stated calmly, "And what makes you think you can just challenge him? If he killed Draaga, killed Mongul, and almost Maxima, what chance do you think you'll have?"

Kristoph made his eyes into slits at Sazu. "I'll stun him with my psychic powers, that's what." He said confidently.

Sazu couldn't contain a genuine laugh that was near mocking. "I don't know what good that will do. Maxima told me that she already tried to probe him for information." She shook her head. "He batted her away like a fly, and you know how your cousin fights. If she wanted to put him in a coma, she would. But she probably had the right mind of not doing it; if she did, it would've just made him more angry. He's more powerful than you think, Kristoph. Be mindful of that. He slaughtered hundreds of beasts, killed Draaga, and proceeded to butcher Mongul's armies and Mongul himself—back to back." She looked at him with emphasis and almost with warning. "You are no threat to him whatsoever."

"Fine," Kristoph let out. He folded his arms and observed Vader from behind. "Well, do we know where he's from?"

"Other than he was captured by Mongul's men? Nothing but the title he called himself: A Dark Lord of the Sith."

"Huh, a fitting name." Kristoph mused.

"Quite so," Sazu said, "but when I checked the database on the Maxima's skiff, there is no known record of a 'Dark Lord of the Sith' or 'Sith' altogether."

"The galaxy is a big place, Sazu," the Duke explained, "and the universe in all—not everything about them can just be accessed or stored."

She shifted her eyes in Kristoph's direction. "Someone with that much power and skill doesn't just pop out of nowhere. He's from somewhere, and with that title of 'lord', there might be others like him."

Kristoph shakes his head. "That's a day I don't want to see. So... what do we do now?"

"Simple," Sazu said. "We wait."

"Wait?!" Kristoph strongly questioned, "We wait for what?!"

"We wait..." Sazu continued, "For the Council of Almerac to convene about the situation and make a decision about it. All of this is out of our hands. If I know anything about the council, when they see Vader for the first time, they'll be livid about the marriage and do whatever is in their power to stop it."

"But with how much Maxima wants the wedding," Kristoph interjected, "they might not have time to do anything."

Sazu shakes her head disappointedly. "You forget, Duke; if the Council disapproves the marriage, they have the right to denounce it and revoke it if the non-royal doesn't have Almerac's best interest in mind. And they can do that, whenever, before or after the marriage."

Kristoph remembered the legal authority of the Council of Almerac. A small collection of the highest noblemen from all of Almerac; they were supposed to check the Queen's power, if need be. Maxima can be wild, but even she knows not to question or challenge the council, at least partially.

A headache starts to form in Kristoph's head. He rubbed his temple and ran a hand through his brown, slicked-back hair. "I have a bad feeling about this." He admitted.

Sazu responded with, "Bad, Kristoph, is an understatement."