“Weddings between royal families are historically complicated. While there are certainly exceptions, many of these were pre-arranged, without the consent of either one of both parties involved. Political gain from uniting two houses was apparently more important than wishes of one or two people.”

–A brief history of our World, Cerolus Kreshorok, 600 AS

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It wasn't difficult to describe or make sense of what my bride was wearing, but it was interesting to see her wearing a white dress. I've heard before of such Human tradition, but I had not seemed to adjust well to seeing a woman wearing white. Red dresses were more practical if my opinion were to be asked for, but I had to admit that her pale skin made the dress look elegant and fluffy somehow. It was enjoyable in the least, and I've been pleasantly surprised. I'd thought they'd have a more dull tradition regarding clothing, but this one seemed suitable. After all, most of the Humans I've seen so far wore armour, and it wasn't even good one at that.

As for my bride, she appeared somewhat plain. Not in a bad way, I must've had to correct myself, but she was far from the most beautiful and eye-catching persona in the room. She had pretty long hair the colour of a Widower tree bark that rounded up her small face and contrasted the small blue eyes. Overall, she was simply pretty, and that was all you could say about her. Her skin looked soft, and something in the back of my mind wanted to touch it as if my touch would taint the pale flesh and make it mine.

I didn't know where my thoughts were coming from, and I felt ambivalent towards all of this, but something in her made me wonder if she were as fragile as she looked. I could tell at a glance that her shyness and hesitation were caused by her inexperience. She had plenty of time to grow. She reminded me of our children in a way, a lanky figure that needed guidance, help, and nurture.

So many possibilities were unravelling before me in my mind, but I had to stop imagining the future and focus on the moment at hand. Taking a step at a time was a practice that had served me well in the past, and I intended to keep it. However, even if preparation was key, I was willing to accept the turns and twists that life threw my way. After all, it was a twist that brought me here today in the first place. So I would try to enjoy the wedding. 'After all, a wedding was meant to be enjoyable.'

She stopped fidgeting next to me, seemingly embracing her position, and we both looked towards the priest who would perform the ceremony. He opened the large tome in front of him and the room got silenced in an instant, while the man in front of us started off slowly as if trying to lull us to sleep.

“Friends and family, thank you for coming on this glorious day.

"We are gathered here under the light of our Goddess to celebrate the joining of Her Highness Sophia Leonia and Lord Cerolus Kreshorok into a holy union of marriage.

"Marriage is a very special place…”

It was incredulously dull to listen to the words coming out of the man's mouth. Most of those were idle and empty, read word for word from that tome of his he never let his gaze off. I had my doubts about a marriage between them and Demons was a situation the book was intended to celebrate or officiate. I glanced away towards the crowd and saw stern faces that lacked any elation and joy on them, the entire audience bored and I would assume eager for this painful madness to end. The girl next to me was sullen and moody, obvious lacking the joy the ceremony should be bringing with it.

I kept listening to the empty words spewed out of the priest's mouth, thoroughly not amused by the various mentions of their Goddess. If that was an attempt at making me kneel before them in a show of humility or weakness, it was a rather poor one. If, on the other hand, they were somehow hoping the 'holiness' of those words would 'smite' me, they were poised for a stark surprise. I enjoyed the touch of light myself, it was a potent force when used correctly, being able to bring peace and mirth to a foe before taking all of their hope in one fell swoop. Light could do more harm than darkness could hope to achieve, but the fools around me were oblivious of such facts of life. The light for them meant glory and joy, so I was willing to bring all that to them. Show them all I could do using their own strengths and hopes against them.

'As soon as the man before me stopped speaking, that is. We wouldn't want to be rude, would we now?'

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The ceremony was a disaster either already happening or about to be one. The Priest kept spewing empty words at us: "love", "marriage", "union", "cherishing". I cared about none of those. I was getting married to a Demon, so he probably lacked most of those concepts in that blunt head of his. I fully well understood the eeriness of weddings. 'So many empty gestures, barren words, false promises, political games, shadow plays; So much and all that for a gain of the few, makes me sick of royalty I belong to.'

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I had now become a part of that vicious circle, given away to an enemy for nothing but peace deals and promises. I was like a common gem, traded away until it lost all its value or got dropped into mud, forgotten by all that once had any regard for it, and I didn't have an inkling of what to do about it or how to make my stance against it.

I looked at the Demon, watching intently on his brooding face. He seemed deep in thought, and that was deeply unsettling. 'Is this it? Does it all end when the Priest finishes speaking? Will he just grab me and take me away, without being able to even say a goodbye? Will my life end like this, with empty gestures and false promises? Why is everything so uncertain?'

I’ve always loved having dreams, having plans, knowing what the next day will bring. Life was more joyous when you knew what it will bring, although I can’t deny that there is an allure to unpredictability. Somewhere along all this, I've lost a part of my hesitation. This was all new to me, although I've been to weddings before.

The Priest had stopped his arduous speech, and looked towards the Demon, seemingly ignoring my presence completely.

“Do you, Lord Cerolus Kreshorok, welcome Her Highness Sophia Leonia as your wife, offering her your love and encouragement, your trust and respect, as together you create your future?”

I swallowed. I had hoped somehow he would say 'no'. I had even imagined all of this being a game and nothing was serious. The Demon stared at the Priest, drawing a large grin across his face as the Priest tried to look away, like a rat was trying to escape a lion.

"I do," he said bluntly, smiling innocently and looking directly into my eyes, seemingly having his plans unfold like he wanted them to.

The Priest turned to me.

“Do you, Her Highness Sophia Leonia welcome Lord Cerolus Kreshorok as your husband, offering him your love and encouragement, your trust and respect, as together you create your future?”

'Of course, I don't! He’s a Demon! He’s going to take me away, he’s going to toy with me, make me his slave, do whatever he wants, and yet you want me to agree to that?' I had plenty of thoughts around my head, but was unwilling to speak them out, silently pondering what was happening to me.

I looked around the Great Hall, the ghastly silence befalling everyone present. 'What would happen should I decline?' I contemplated briefly, thinking about what my family would do. Then I realised another aspect of all this, and looked towards the Demon, who stared at me with a smile, waiting for me to answer.'More importantly, what would this Demon do? Do I have the courage to stand up to this; to stand up to him?'

My hands were shaking and I dug the nails into my skin, my hands hurting. Everyone was watching me, judging me, and I was lost as the murmurs and whispers spread around the crowd behind us. I could almost hear them, plotting and mocking me, or impatiently waiting for me to answer and get on with their perfect lives, completely disregarding my own. I could imagine their words in my head, 'Just say ‘I do’ and this will all be over and I can go back to my life’.

I wondered was that all it took for a man to turn against one another — a single promise of peace, a simple contract, and every price would become negligible before their joy.

My family was to my left, beyond the Demon's towering body. I cast a glance, watching their unwelcoming faces. The people that were my family, or that I considered such, were casting me out, and I was being left alone. 'Can I live alone?' I wondered, eking out more painful moments of thinking about my damned future.

I knew what I had to say. The words clawed at my throat, tore through my mind, wanted to get out, and yet I continued to suppress them in a seemingly futile effort. The choice was all mine, but there wasn't a choice, to begin with. This wedding was already planned and done before it had even started, and all of us here were just puppets playing out parts in machinations of others. I knew it, and my family knew, and the Demon next to me was fully aware of the fact.

There was one single answer here, two words that I had to say, same words that sealed my fate and cast away everything I knew and cherished. A final thought passed through my mind. 'Is this the beginning or the end of my suffering?'

I cleared my throat, ready to accept all of this for what it was. Ready to accept my part, move my strings to someone else's plans. There was nothing I could do, so I had to yield. "I do."

Silence welcomed me, and the world around me didn't change one bit.

'I am Second Princess Sophia Leonia of the Leonia Kingdom. This is my wedding day. And I have fallen.'