Till Death do We Part

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The church cathedral doors swung open at the push from two large men positioned at the entrance. The entire assembly stood, anticipating the happy princess who should be walking through the door. The people of Alburin loved their princess. Not only was she a beauty to behold, but she took after her mother, being extremely kind and generous, offering help to anyone who asked of it.

Sadly the beloved Queen had died years before, plunging the land into a long period of mourning. The King changed then too. He had dearly loved his wife, but for some reason, bitterness consumed him and he was no longer the kind man he had been. The people still had hope that the princess would take over and ease the darkness that settled over them like a blanket. But for some reason, she had changed.

No longer would she be seen visiting the poor, sick, or elderly, nor delivering food to the orphanage. No, something about the princess had changed and a coldness seemed to emanate from her.

Such thoughts of sadness were forgotten as their beloved princess swept into the room in a long flowing white dress, purple beading embroidered on the cuffs and collar. She was breathtaking and would have been more so if they could see her face. The veil she wore covered her entire head, her long black hair curling slightly at the ends, hung down to her waist. Walking with purpose, Katlyn made it to the front of the church where she stood by her chosen husband.

The King stood close by, anticipating with greed what this marriage would bring him. Protection from the country of Crius, hopefully a strong grandson to take over the thrown after he passed, and an occupied daughter. He sometimes sensed hatred coming from her, but passed it off as nothing more than bridal worries. He was oblivious to the fact she had a burning hatred directed at him for what he had done only a few weeks before.

For all the preparations that went into it, the ceremony was soon over, all that was left was for the sealing kiss that bound the two together.

Katlyn was distracted by something the priest had said. “Till death do you part...” It was a line she had looked forward to saying to Danny, but here she stood, giving herself away to another man. Before she knew it he had lifted her veil and was leaning towards her. He had a handsome face, but nothing could compare to her one true love.

The one true love that now laid beneath the earth. Katlyn's father had wanted to throw the body in with the dog food, but after a little persuasion in the form of being terrorized, he had consented to placing the body to rest in the church cemetery.

Feeling hot breath brush against her lips, Katlyn stiffened and braced herself. She need not have worried, the man pressed softly on her lips with his own. His were warm and had she closed her eyes, Katlyn might have imagined it was her Danny. But, no. Imagination was something that she had forsaken along with the cruel thing people called love.

When they parted, a roaring of applause hit their ears and Katlyn was given a moment to study her husband's face. It seemed to be etched out of stone, yet a softness was apparent. He was quite handsome with his brown hair and tender brown eyes, even his stature was appealing. What most girls would want in a man, Katlyn thought to herself as she swept her gaze back to the people before her. The man beside her gently took her arm and placed it in his as he guided them back down the aisle.

A plastered smile was what Katlyn could muster and she silently prayed that it looked more real than it was. The man next to her, whom she believed was known as Prince Weston, seemed to have a genuine smile. Perhaps that was due to the fact that he had arranged the entire marriage himself. He had sent the proposal straight to her father, and hadn't even asked for a dowry. Surprisingly, Prince Weston had offered to pay for everything, only asking in turn that Katlyn be his wife. She found it quite strange, seeing as he was making nothing out of the deal, but she knew that their was some sort of hidden motive. There always was.

Just as quickly as it had started, it had ended. Katlyn was escorted out of the church into the bright afternoon sun and quickly swept into a waiting carriage. She, along with her new husband, were headed toward a celebration at the castle. Soon after, they would depart for Prince Weston's home country where she was sure that congratulations and various ceremonies were to also take place.

Although it was a short carriage ride, the seconds and minutes seemed to drag on. To avoid conversation of any kind, Katlyn stared out the window, as if engrossed with her surroundings. This of course was not true because she had traveled this same road a countless number of times, and yet it was easier to simply avoid looking at her spouse.

A small dent in the road caused her to grab the seat beneath her and she felt the pressure of the new ring that adorned her hand. It was silver leaves that were intertwined so delicately that Katlyn thought that the ring looked almost impossible to make. A blue sapphire sat in the center and although the ring was quite simple, she was very pleased. She didn't know how it happened, but the ring had the leaves of her favorite flower, the Quisque Fire Flower, and the blue sapphire was her favorite stone. It seemed especially made for her, yet none to her knowledge had know she'd liked theses things except Danny.

A soft sigh escaped the man's lips and Katlyn glanced over at him. He was looking out the opposite window, probably taking the hint that conversation was out of the question. He sighed again but kept his eyes glued to the window. Katlyn felt herself getting a little irritated. When she was sure that he was about to sigh again, she coughed a little louder than was necessary.

Never looking back into the carriage, Katlyn could still feel his eyes on her. He stared for so long that she began to feel uncomfortable and would have started a conversation just to divert his gaze when the carriage pulled to a stop. She was thankful she had been saved from speaking to this complete stranger. He stepped out and swiftly offered his hand to assist her.

“Princess.” He spoke softly, the voice seeming to belong to a child rather than a large, full grown man. His proffered hand waited patiently as Katlyn slipped hers into his. She would have rather get out herself, but the fact that there were people watching and to disgrace her husband so soon after their marriage could cause an uproar. From the people's eyes, she had been engaged to the handsome young suitor for quite some time and they truly loved each other. So as she stepped out of the carriage, Katlyn prepared herself for the long masquerade she would have to keep up.

The twelve steps that led on to seven more steps before entering into the front room seemed so familiar, yet foreign at the same time. Often Katlyn had run up these very same stairs, either barefoot or even playing with one of the servants. If her father caught her, she was given extra lessons for the week and usually forced to endure supervision for a great length of time. The King had even sent away servants that had seemed to be a distraction to his daughter.

Servants opened the large door and Katlyn walked in on the arm of her new husband. She could already hear the commotion coming for the large ballroom where music was playing and many had already gathered. It would make for a day of feasting and drinking and dancing. Katlyn could hold her wine down, yet didn't plan on drinking any alcohol. She wanted to be alert during the whole thing so she didn't slip up and reveal how much she hated this arranged marriage.

She heard the loud announcer proclaim that the Royal Prince and Princess would now enter. They did, Prince Winston leading the whole way. His smile was truly bright and more than one young women bowed lower than was necessary, apparently trying to draw attention to their plunging necklines. Katlyn didn't mind at all. She was well aware of the possibility that her husband might already have a large group of women waiting for his return home. It was fine with her if they were married in name only. That would simplify things for her. Make it easier to focus on her true goal.

Revenge.

And she was going to do it with her own two hands.