Princess Of The Skulls - Chapter 35: Chapter 35

The great cathedral blazed with a thousand candles, their light dancing off the ancient stones where generations of Blackthorne royalty had been crowned, wed, and mourned. Noble families from both kingdoms filled the pews, their silk and jewels creating a tapestry of wealth and power that would witness either a union or a massacre.
I stood at the cathedral's entrance in my grandmother's wedding dress, the midnight blue silk now adorned with silver threads that formed protective runes along the bodice and sleeves. To the watching nobles, the embroidery was merely decorative. In reality, each symbol had been carefully chosen to channel necromantic energy.
"You look radiant, daughter," my father said, offering his arm. He wore the ceremonial armor of ancient kings, black steel polished to mirror brightness. "Are you ready to make history?"
"More ready than you know," I replied, taking his arm and allowing him to lead me down the aisle.
The wedding march began, played by musicians who had no idea they were providing a soundtrack to multiple assassination attempts. Every step toward the altar brought me closer to the moment when pretense would fall away and blood would flow like wine.
Prince Aldric waited at the altar, resplendent in Thornfield colors despite the bruises on his face. His chains had been removed for the ceremony, but I could see the guards positioned throughout the cathedral, ready to cut him down if he tried to flee. His eyes met mine as I approached, and I saw a flicker of something that might have been admiration.
Good. Let him appreciate the performance, since it might be the last thing either of us ever saw.
Lord Cassius stood beside his son, his weathered face a mask of paternal pride that fooled no one who knew him. The man who'd murdered my mother, who'd hired an assassin to kill me, who planned to sacrifice both his son and daughter-in-law for political gain. Before this day ended, I would feed his heart to the crows.
The High Priest of both kingdoms waited between the two families, his ancient hands steady as he prepared to speak the words that would bind us in marriage and death. But it was the figure in the shadows behind the altar that made my blood sing with anticipation.
Kael stood among the serving staff, his face pale but very much alive, dressed in the simple robes of a temple servant. The potion had done its work perfectly, slowing his vital signs enough to fool even trained soldiers. Now he was positioned exactly where we needed him for the final act.
"Dearly beloved," the High Priest began, his voice carrying through the cathedral like the toll of a funeral bells, "we are gathered here today to witness the union of two great houses, the binding of two souls, and the beginning of a new age of peace between our kingdoms."
Peace. The word tasted like ash in my mouth. There would be no peace today, only the settling of old debts and the claiming of rightful power.
"Prince Aldric of House Thornfield," the priest continued, "do you take Princess Seraphina of House
Blackthorne as your wife, to stand beside you in darkness and light, to share your burdens and your crown?"
Aldric's voice carried clearly through the cathedral. "I do, before gods and witnesses, bind myself to this woman until death parts us."
How prophetic. Death would indeed be parting us, just not in the way anyone expected.
"Princess Seraphina of House Blackthorne, do you take Prince Aldric of House Thornfield as your husband, to stand beside him in darkness and light, to share his burdens and his crown?"
This was the moment. The point of no return. Once I spoke the words, the binding ritual would begin, the magical energies would start building toward their climax, and blood would flow before the sun set.
I looked out at the assembled nobles, at the tapestry of wealth and power that had shaped my life from birth. Then I looked at my father, at Lord Cassius, at the men who thought they could use me as a tool for their ambitions.
"I do," I said, my voice carrying to every corner of the cathedral. "I bind myself to this alliance, to this purpose, to this destiny."
The High Priest raised the ceremonial chalice, its silver surface gleaming in the candlelight. "Then drink of the binding cup, and let your union be witnessed by gods and mortals alike."
As Aldric took the chalice, I felt the first stirrings of magical energy beginning to build around us. The ritual was starting, the ancient forces awakening, the trap closing around everyone who thought they were the hunters rather than the prey.
But I had my trap to spring.
In the shadows behind the altar, Kael's hand moved to the weapon concealed beneath his robes.
Throughout the cathedral, other figures in servants' garb shifted position, revealing themselves as the hidden army we'd assembled over the past months.
The wedding was about to become a funeral, just as Aldric had promised.
The only question was whose.