Divergence: The Vampire Queen

Til death do us part

Marcello Christiano Venedici of Venezia knew this moment had been months in the making. When his parents had first summoned him to the great hall, an unusual occurrence of itself, he had not expected to receive the orders that he must marry and produce an heir for the family line.

A minor argument had ensued when he had been told his parents would choose the girl he married. Despite his protests, there was nothing he could say to sway their minds. They did not trust him to pick a worthy woman, nor to go through the whole of courtship without compelling her to do something irrational. They told him he did not know what he wanted, and that some street urchin that took his fancy would not be good enough. Marriage was an alliance of power and wealth.

Marcello had little faith in his parents' choosing. If power and wealth were of the utmost importance, how could he expect them to get along? He cared so little for both things. What he loved was beauty and artistry. He craved the dark and seductive side of things. A virgin of proper upbringing and class would surely bore him.

Yet now he stood in the grand cathedral at night wearing the finest tailored black and red suit and black furred cloak around his shoulders. It was the moment of truth, finally the time to lay eyes on his betrothed and hope that she was as he desired. His mother had assured him she was as elegant and as well mannered as she was beautiful. His father had said she would produce a fine heir or become a fine meal. In moments, he would finally have an answer to if she was to his liking or not, and it gave him butterflies despite not having a beating heart to race.

"Lords and Ladies, your excellency," the priest addressed the crowd, then nodded his head in reverence to the prince. "We have come here together to unite these two people in holy matrimony. They stand before us to pledge their love and fealty to one another for this life and the afterlife, that their souls may be bonded together as one."

The priest then nodded to the prince that he might remove her veil. "After removing the veil from your bride, please place the cloak around her shoulders to signify you taking her under your protection. You will shelter and love her, keep her safe from harm, and be the warmth she needs for the coldest nights. And by cloaking her, you pledge yourself to her and only her so long as you both shall live."

He slipped his hand under the edge of the cloth and carefully lifted it off her face, and a surprised smile spread across his own. Should he have been so surprised? His parents had done well. She was genuinely exquisite. In contrast, his sharp features differed from her softer ones. The Prince wore his dark hair messy and unkempt, and any attempt to fix it had failed. His smokey grey eyes were no match for the vibrance and life of her green. The pale flawless skin of his face only creasing to form the smile he could not shake as he stared down at her olive tone.

In one swift motion, he pulled off his magnificent cloak and swept it through the air before it fell onto her shoulders. Covering the light blue and gold by a sea of black, a physical manifestation of his now taking dominion over her. The size of it fully encompassed all of her smaller frame.

He lent in and whispered to her "You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I will take care of you and keep you happy until one of us is sadly no more." It almost felt a little cruel to make such a comment. She had a hard and tasking road ahead. Even if she survived, the experience would change her forever.

She smiled back at him, heart fluttering up into her throat. He was breathtakingly handsome. She wasn't sure she'd ever seen a man who took her breath away before. Perhaps it was this situation that added to the splendor of his looks, but he truly looked godly... otherworldly, even.

As he put the cloak around her shoulders and spoke those sweet words, she almost believed him. Still, this was still an arranged marriage, and they knew nothing of one another. He could pledge anything to her, but the fact remained. She wanted to believe. How could she not wish for a fairytale ending?