The Curse

Part 1 - The Ceremony

The once white pillars rose up on either side of the altar, eroded from thousands of years under water. The sea dragons looked out upon the audience, their mouths wide open, as if they were yawning. Everything looked like it belonged in an ageless underwater kingdom. I was making my way down the aisle while the orchestra played their instruments and the audience was standing, staring, captivated by my seemingly ancient dress that matched the setting perfectly.

The city of Atlantis surfaced nearly 50 years ago, after The Great Tsunami came, leaving destruction and chaos in its wake. It took scientists 6 years to determine it was safe for humans, and since then, it has been both a tourist attraction and a venue for events varying from weddings to funerals.

Today we are here to celebrate my coming of age, my transition into womanhood. I have finished school, meaning now is the time for me to find a husband and start a life of my own. Today, the man my parents have selected for me will meet me at the altar and drop to one knee, asking my hand in marriage. I have no choice but to accept. I will begin a new life today, with my fiance and soon to be husband. The wedding will be a month from now, a grand celebration, before my husband-to-be and I will go away. We travel to an unknown destination on our honeymoon and when we get back, we will be expected to begin a family in a manor house that my parents have already selected for us.

My dress brushed across the ground, and as I reached the altar, the music suddenly cut off, leaving everyone in silence. My father rose, approaching me. I raised my arm, and he linked his with mine.

"We are here today to celebrate Fiona's ascension into womanhood and adulthood. It is now time for her to begin a life of her own. If you would all turn your attention to the back, where Mr. Viktor Darke will enter shortly."

Following my father's announcement, there was a moment of silence, before the doors I walked through not long ago swung open with a creak, and a man stepped through. He was tall and handsome. His short hair was dark, nearly black, and curly. His facial features were sharp and angular. He had a small smile on his face that made him look dangerous. As he walked down the aisle toward me, his smile grew into a smirk, and as I watched his body move, I noticed his arrogance. The way he held himself made him look as if he was in on a secret that no one else knew, a secret that could kill. I felt myself shiver.

After what felt like an infinity, he reached me and stopped briefly, before bending down on one knee and pulling out a small box, a box that I knew held a ring. Up close, I could see his eyes, they were as black as the lake behind me. The audience made sounds of appreciation and awe, as if they hadn't known a stranger was going to propose to me today. He opened it and inside was a beautiful diamond ring that my parents probably picked out long ago.

"Fiona Morgan, will you marry me?"

"Yes."

He slipped the ring on my finger before kissing my hand and standing. The audience applauded wildly, and as I stood there, my hand clenched in Viktor Darke's, I realized that this is going to be my life. I'm going to spend the rest of my life with this man.