Princess Of The Skulls - Chapter 20: Chapter 20

The chapel was a masterpiece of architectural intimidation, its soaring arches and stained glass windows designed to make mortals feel small in the presence of the divine. Today, it felt more like a trap than a sanctuary, with Lord Cassius's guards positioned at every entrance and exit.
I walked down the aisle in my elaborate wedding gown, every step measured and deliberate, while mentally cataloging the faces in the congregation. Allies, enemies, and those whose loyalties remained unclear watched me pass with expressions ranging from admiration to calculation.
Prince Aldric waited at the altar in his formal ceremonial armor, polished to mirror brightness and decorated with the silver ravens of his house. He looked every inch the royal prince, but I could see the tension in his shoulders and the way his eyes tracked the movement of his father's guards.
The officiant was High Priest Valdric, an elderly man whose loyalty to the crown was supposedly absolute.
But as I approached the altar, I noticed his hands trembling slightly as he held the ceremonial scroll, and his eyes kept darting to Lord Cassius in the front row.
"Dearly beloved," High Priest Valdric began, his voice carrying clearly through the chapel despite its tremor, "we are gathered here today to witness the union of Princess Seraphina Blackthorne and Prince
Aldric Thornfield, binding together two great houses in alliance and partnership."
I listened to the traditional words while scanning the crowd for signs of our remaining allies. Captain
Marcus was positioned near the main doors, his hand resting casually on his sword hilt. Elena stood with the other servants along the side walls, her eyes alert despite her submissive posture.
Of Matthias, there was no sign, confirming my suspicion that he'd been eliminated along with Master.
Dorian.
"The bonds of marriage," the priest continued, "are not merely political or social, but spiritual and eternal.
They tie souls together in ways that transcend the mortal realm."
Those words sent a chill down through me. In a normal ceremony, they would be metaphorical. Today, they were likely literal.
I felt the first stirrings of magical energy in the air—subtle enough that most of the congregation wouldn't notice, but clear to anyone trained in the mystical arts. The ritual was beginning earlier than expected, woven into the traditional ceremony rather than replacing it.
Prince Aldric must have felt it too, because he turned slightly toward me, his eyes asking a silent question.
I nodded almost imperceptibly, confirming that I was ready to proceed with our desperate plan.
"Prince Aldric," the priest said, "do you take Princess Seraphina as your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for better or worse, until death do you part?"
"I do," Prince Aldric replied, his voice steady despite the magical energy beginning to swirl around us.
"Princess Seraphina, do you take Prince Aldric as your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for better or worse, until death do you part?"
I felt the magical compulsion pressing against my mind—subtle but insistent, trying to ensure that my answer would be magically binding rather than merely ceremonial. Instead of fighting it, I embraced it, drawing the power into myself rather than allowing it to control me.
"I do," I said, and felt the first threads of the soul-binding weave themselves around us.
The priest smiled, and for a moment his expression was triumphant rather than nervous. "Then by the power vested in me by the crown and the gods, I pronounce you husband and wife."
The magical energy intensified dramatically, and I realized that the true ritual was beginning now, hidden beneath the veneer of traditional ceremony. The congregation thought they were witnessing a simple royal wedding, but what was happening was far more complex and dangerous.
I felt the soul-binding magic trying to establish connections between Prince Aldric and me, not just emotional bonds, but actual magical links that would make it impossible for either of us to act against the other's interests. But instead of allowing the magic to complete its intended pattern, I began subtly redirecting it, using techniques my mother had taught me years ago.
Prince Aldric's eyes widened slightly as he felt what I was doing. Instead of being bound to serve his father's interests through our marriage, he was being bound to serve mine. The magic was still connecting us, but on my terms rather than the cult's.
"You may kiss the bride," the priest announced.
As Prince Aldric leaned forward to kiss me, he whispered, "What did you do?"
"I changed the rules," I whispered back.
The kiss was brief and formal, but it sealed the magical working in ways that would have consequences far beyond what anyone in the chapel expected. We were now truly married, but the soul-binding that was supposed to make us both servants of the cult had instead made Prince Aldric bound to protect me and my interests above all others.
The congregation erupted in applause, but I could see confusion and anger beginning to spread among
Lord Cassius's mages. They could feel that something had gone wrong with their ritual, but they couldn't immediately identify what.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the priest announced, "I present to you Prince Aldric and Princess Seraphina.
Thornfield!"
As we turned to face the crowd, I felt the skull pendant at my throat grow warm. My mother's spirit was trying to communicate something urgent, but the magical energy from the disrupted ritual was interfering with the connection.
We began walking back down the aisle, acknowledging the cheers and applause of the congregation while I tried to establish clearer communication with the dead. What I finally heard made my blood run cold.
The crypt, my mother's spirit whispered through the bone. They moved the real ritual to the crypt. This was just the preliminary binding. The true working happens tonight, and now they know you can manipulate their magic.
I managed to keep smiling and waving as we made our way toward the chapel doors, but inside I was calculating rapidly. We'd disrupted their preliminary ritual, but the main event was still to come, and now they knew I was more dangerous than they'd anticipated.
As we reached the doors, Lord Cassius stepped forward to offer his congratulations, his smile as sharp as a blade. "Welcome to the family, Princess. I'm sure you'll find marriage to be. educational."
"I'm sure I will," I replied, meeting his eyes steadily. "I've always been a quick learner."
His smile widened, and I realized that despite our small victory, he wasn't concerned about the disrupted ritual. If anything, he seemed pleased by the turn of events.
Which meant that either he'd expected me to interfere and had planned for it, or my interference had served his purposes in some way I didn't yet understand.
As we moved toward the reception hall, I felt the weight of the day's true challenges settling around me.
The ceremony had been only the beginning, and the real battle was still to come.