Dawna: 17
Pixie: 14

Tell me that you mean it
Tell me that it's true
The last thing you do
Tell me that you mean it
I'd rather watch my kingdom fall
I want it all or not at all.
Claire Wyndham; Kingdom Fall

Fifteen days later, the entire Kingdom was preparing itself for the biggest feast they had had since the little Dawna had been born. Children were forced to wear their nicest clothing, both men and women spend way too long on their appearances and the streets were decorated with beautiful, handmade white garlands. People were preparing large and delicious meals for their family and friends to enjoy after the festivities had ended. The newlyweds would make an appearance in every single village right after they had said I do to each other in a beautiful, white carriage that was pulled by white horses. No one could wait to lay their eyes on the beautiful couple. No one could wait until the two were finally married.

No one expect the bride. Dawna, who was no older than seventeen-years, had been crying all morning. It was not that she despised the man, on the contrary, she had grown to at least like him. It was the fact that neither her beloved brother nor mother could attend to a wedding she did not even want. Seeing the beautiful white dress her aunt had the seamstresses made for her was a constant reminder that she would lose her childhood within a few hours. No longer would she be able to do whatever she wanted. Now the pale woman would have a husband to obey to and a ring around her finger to keep her from doing so much as look at other people. She would be his and it frightened her.

'Now, now, sweetie, do not frown. It does not work well with your crown,' her sweet auntie spoke in an attempt to lighten up her mood. It was no secret that she miserably failed in doing so. 'They are almost done with your hair and make-up and I must say that you look absolutely magnificent my darling. Your groom will not know where to look when he sees you entering the room with that beautiful dress. The people will be blown away by your beauty, that is for sure.'

Dawna was not fat, just a little curvy. No one minded though, not that the young woman would have cared if they had. The pale Princes was beautiful in every way. Her curves only complimented her body. With a skin as light as the moonlight, blue veins visible through her thin skin and hair as white as snow; the Princes was certainly something else.

'Would you like to try it on?'

'Not really,' the pale girl answered, softly petting Looky. 'But I do not think that I really have a choice in this matter, do I?'

Suddenly, her aunt straightened her back and commanded all the maids to leave the room. Her voice was stern, causing all of them to scare off immediately.

'You always have a choice my dear child. If you really do not want to marry him you must tell me now, before it is too late. It is just you and me now, so tell me whatever trouble lays on your mind. I want to help you darling; you are my favourite niece.'

The white-haired woman softly chuckled before speaking up. 'I am your only niece.'

'Yes, yes, that too,' the blonde woman laughed before her face got serious again. 'Darling, if you are really against this wedding you can tell me. You know, that right?'

A deep sign left her dark red painted lips before blue met amber. 'I know auntie,' her voice whispered weakly. I just wish that someone would tell me what to do. 'I wish that someone could look into the future to tell me whether or not I am making the right choice. If I do not marry him; the people will destroy our monarchy. They will most likely murder me. However, If I do marry him it will mean that I lose everything.'

'What are you talking about? You will not lose everything,' Delphinium spoke before she sat down next to her worried niece. 'I will give you the exact same advice I gave your mother all those years ago; right before she married your father. Every choice you make, whether it is a wrong or a right one, has consequences. Nothing comes without a cost. Everyone is a little scared to make a commitment. Some people tend to run away from it, others choose to face it. I have gotten to know you a little throughout the years and I think it is safe for me to say that you are no runner. You are a fighter. There is a fire inside of you that burns too bright to be shut down by any man. You will never allow him to take control; you will never allow him to tame the beast inside of you and that, right there, is your power, darling.'

Dawnas pale face was painted with a beautiful smile before she grabbed her aunts slim hand into hers. 'How do you always know what to say, auntie?'

The blonde woman shrugged before a mischievous smile formed itself on her lips. 'I guess I am just gifted by the Gods.'

They both laughed softly before the oldest woman pulled the Princes up from her comfortable chair.

'So, are you ready to marry the man?'

'I would rather marry Rafferty than watch my Kingdom fall, so yes, I am ready auntie.'

'Shall we put that gorgeous dress on now? Or would you rather have me wearing it?'

'No, I am ready,' the young woman spoke, straightening her back. 'Rafferty will not know what is happening to him when I enter that church.'

'That is my girl.'

Hours later, the church had been filled with only the most important people in the Kingdom. A beautiful, silver carpet had been laid down on the floor for the flower girls, boys and the bride to walk over to the altar where the groom was waiting for his darling bride. On the high ceiling hung beautiful, silver painted flowers whose paddles hung just above the heads of the guests. In the air also hung white candles with a small flame burning on it. Dawna herself had managed to keep the candles secured in the air without anything else but her power holding them steady. The candlelight and the natural sunlight coming through the coloured windows was the only light in the large church, but it was more than enough.

The altar itself was a beautiful thing too; it was completely made out of silver with a large, silver dragon as standard. The wings of the beast held the priests book, on the head stood the candle that the couple had to light right before they would say I do to each other.

Rafferty was already waiting, standing nervously next to the priest. In a beautiful, black suit that fitted him just right. There was no secret that the man with the brown eyes and dark eyebrows was very attractive.

Suddenly, there was no longer chatter filling the air as the orchestra started to play a soft tune. First came the flower boys and girls, who were nieces and nephews of the couple. They threw golden painted paddles of roses on the ground for the bride to walk on. Their small bodies were forced into beautiful; silver suits and dresses and their hair had been done perfectly. For anyone on the outside it looked rather strange; with the silver colour and the small children walking all the way from the beginning to the end of the church.

All the way at the beginning of the aisle stood the Princes and her father. Dawna was dressed in the most beautiful white ball gown with a tight corset covered with lace. The skirt and body were separated by a beautiful belt made of diamonds that matched the shiny diamonds in her crown. Her long, white hair had been woven in a long, loose braid with white flowers in it. Her gorgeous dress had a long trail made with lace that followed the Princes everywhere. The dress, the hair, the jewellery and the make-up were all beyond perfect. They were more than suited for an important royal wedding. Every other person would have at least complemented Dawna with how beautiful she looked; her father, however, kept quiet as he took her arm into his own.

'There we go,' he said, not asking her whether she was ready or not. Honesty, he did not even seem to care about his daughters appearance or state of mind. All he could think about was the wedding and its purpose.

'Do you think that Damien can see me, father?' the young woman asked with a shaky breath as they stood still before the large doors. Behind those doors lay her new life; the life of a newlywed. Once the marriage was completed, she would no longer just be a Princes. No, she would suddenly become the future Queen.

Much to Dawnas surprise, she heard her father chuckle before he spoke up. 'Of course not, silly child. Your brother is dead, how could be possibly see you?'

Dawna could feel her heart shrink in her chest at her fathers cold words. The man could never, not even for a second, tell her what she needed to hear. He had never been a real father; he had always seen his pale daughter as a disappointment.

'Stop,' Dawna suddenly hissed, right before her father could sigh to the guards to open the door. 'I do not want you to give me away.'

'What?' her father asked, clearly shocked by her words. 'What are you talking about? I am your father! I must give you away, it is tradition.'

'No, you are my King. My father died years ago together with my brother. I do hope that they are watching me together,' she sneered angrily. 'I want to be given away by my auntie Delphi.'

'That is most certainly not happening!'

'Then I will walk away right now, leaving you with no other option to save your stupid monarchy. Or you get my aunt. Either way, I win.'

The King scoffed angrily before commanding the guards to seek for Delphinium right away.

'You better walk straight towards that aisle once she gets her or I will make sure that your head is the first to burn on a stake,' he hissed before sneaking away through a secret door.

That was the very first time her father had actually threatened her, and it hurt her deeply. The knife that he had left in her heart sunk a little deeper, almost deep enough to hit all the vital parts. A single tear escaped her beautiful blue eyes but got wiped away before it could fall by a slim and warm hand.

'Oh darling, I can only imagine what your father said to you before they came to find me,' the comforting voice of her aunt sounded. 'No need to worry anymore, my child. I will give you away and I will be by your side.'

'Do you think that Damien can see me?' Dawna repeated her question again, hoping to hear a better answer this time.

I' have no idea, sweetie. All I know is that he is always right here,' Delphinium spoke, pointing her finger at her nieces heart. 'So, he will always be with you. Whether he is watching you or not.'

'And mom?'

'My sister is most certainly watching you. She must think that you are the most beautiful bride that has ever walked down the aisle. You are a work of art my dear.'

'Thank you,' the seventeen-year old whispered, wiping away a few more tears that had managed to escape their prison made of eyelashes. 'I really needed to hear that.'

'I know you did, darling,' the blonde woman whispered, kissing her niece on her forehead before taking the veil over her face. 'Now, are you sure you want to do this?'

The answer lying on her tongue was clearly no, yet she managed to put a fake smile on her red lips.

'Yes.'

'Than we shall.'

Her auntie gave the signal to open the doors to the guards and they obeyed immediately. Behind the wooden doors stood hundredths of people whose eyes got bigger and whose breath hitched in their throats as they watched the stunning Princes with her aunt walk past. The silver paddles cracked underneath their shoes as they walked over them towards the aisle where the soon-to-be future King was waiting with a nervous smile on his lips. Looky was walking in front of the Princes. He was careful and suspicious of every movement. Knowing that she had her beloved cat to protect her from potential evil was a huge relief for the young woman. The thought that the two creatures she loved the most were right there, supporting and protecting her was more reassuring than her fathers arms ever could have been.

Her father stood next to her grooms parents with an angry look on his face. The fact that he was not even hurt about her words made the knife go even deeper. Only this time she had her aunts arm around her to keep it from doing any collateral damage.

'Who is giving this beautiful lady away?' the priest asked with a low and loud voice. Hundredths of eyes were still watching them as Delphinium straightened her back.

'I am,' she then spoke. 'Her aunt Delphinium. I will give her to this fine gentleman in her mothers name.'

Dawna could feel her breath hitch in her throat at the mentioning of her mother in such a public room. The King seemed to be completely forgotten in the ceremony, something that must have pissed him off.

'Very well,' the priest spoke, clearly content with the answer. 'Then you may give her away.'

Suddenly, Dawna felt two arms wrap around her shoulders; holding her firmly. 'You are such a brave young lady, her aunt whispered in her ear. I love you, my little moonshine.'

I love you too auntie, 'Dawna whispered, wrapping her arms around her aunt as well. ; Please tell me that I am not making a mistake.'

'I cannot; I can only tell you that you can learn from each mistake. So, if your marriage does turn out to be a complete disaster it will not be for nothing.'

The two women let each other go, knowing that they still were in the eye of the public. Her auntie removed the veil from before her face and after kissing her soft cheek she gave the young womans hand to the older man.

'Take good care of her,' Delphi told him with a stern voice.

'Do not worry, I will,' the man replied with a genuine smile before he turned to her. 'You look absolutely marvellous. I must be the luckiest man in the world to marry you.'

The ceremony seemed to take forever, yet, the young woman hoped that it would never end. They had already exchanged rings, lit up a candle together and said I do to each other.

'Very well then,' the priest said with a happy smile on his lips. 'By the power invested in me by the Gods, I hereby announce Princes Dawna The First and Lord Rafferty Lincolnshire The Third to be husband and wife. Sir, you may kiss your beautiful bride.'

For just a moment, the world seemed to stop right there; with all those curious eyes focused on the couple and with his hands rested on her shoulders. Dawna knew that this was the finally of their little play; the kiss. Her aunt had told her the story about her first kiss over and over again. Yet, no story could have ever prepared her for this moment.

Very slowly, the man brought his lips to hers. The pale Princes did not move; she simply could only watch as he came closer and closer until his lips finally touched hers. At first, it felt like she was softly kissing a cloud. People started to cheer all around them as he placed his arms around her waist and pulled her closer; deepening their kiss in the progress. There were no butterflies flying around in her stomach, she did not feel dizzy all of a sudden and she did not want to grab him in order to pull him closer. All the young woman could do was close her eyes, imagine to be the only one in the room and just go with it.

After something that felt like a lifetime his lips left hers as he took a step back and looked at his new wife with his dark brown eyes. His thin lips were now swollen and even pinker than before.

'Please make yourselves heard for our newlyweds!'

Loud cheering once again filled the room as the couple left the aisle. Over a thousand people were waiting for them on the other side of the church, cheering even louder when the couple stepped outside. Most children threw fresh flowers at the couple, most elderly were crying, and others were just cheering at them.

Their beautiful carriage was awaiting them; with six white horses clothed in silver armour. Looky went first, his yellowish eyes inspected the carriage before he allowed himself to settle on the soft pillows.

'I must say that your cat looks very impressed,; her husband snickered before taking his wifes hand. 'Come on, let me help you.'

'What a gentleman,' the bride replied, taking his hand and allowing him to help her. A maid lifted her dress up and helped it lay in the carriage nicely and comfortably for the Princes.

Once everyone was settled the carriage the carriage left the royal church for their ride across the Kingdom, they would one day be responsible for.

The Kingdom was divided in separated areas. Some parts looked like deserts; others had the most beautiful trees. Some parts were wealthier than others, yet, all the people greeted them with just as much love and joy.

As they entered the last village of their trip Rafferty suddenly grabbed her hand. 'You must know, my darling bride, that I will do everything I can to make you happy from now on. I want to be a husband to be proud of; I want our love to grow and grow so that we can one day have a beautiful baby to share it with.'

The young Princes, who felt nothing for the man simply smiled; not knowing what to say.

'Why,' she then said since he clearly expected a reaction. 'Thank you.'

Before he could manage to make a frown appear in his forehead a loud bang sliced through the thin air. It was the sound of an arrow, one that was deadly enough to kill anyone. Looky, who had been fast asleep throughout their entire journey, was suddenly wide awake.

They now were right in the middle of the last village when, yet another bang filled the air. The many people along the roads heard it and chaos broke free. Young children started to cry, people started to flee the scene; tumbling and falling over each other while doing so. The third arrow was directed towards their carriage, yet the wooden stick could never do any harm to the newlyweds. Before the small, thin arrow could reach the couple Looky woke up completely. He opened his small mouth and let a loud roar go free. The power of the roar was enough to shatter the arrow into hundredths small pieces that got lost in the air.

Suddenly, the black and white spotted cat jumped out of the carriage, fleeing the scene just like everyone else was.

'Looky!' the bride screamed loudly. 'Looky come back now!'

The coachman then lost all control over his horses, causing the carriage to tumble. With panic filling the young princes veins all she could think about was her beloved friend who had just saved their lives. Without thinking twice, she opened the door and grabbed her dress.

'Where do you think that you are going?' Lord Rafferty asked after grabbing her arm firmly. 'If you get out now you could be killed. We have to go back to the castle.'

'Without Looky we are not going anywhere,' the pale girl hissed before freeing her arm from his grip. 'But if you really want to leave; feel free to do it.'

'Wait!' he said, trying to stop her desperately but it was too late already. Dawna had stepped out of the carriage and mingled with the rushing and worried people from the village. She saw the carriage roaring away in the back of her eye with her new husband in it.

Another arrow was fired and the person who was running next to the Princes fell on the ground, clinging to her spotless white dress. The young man had been shot in his chest, blood spilling out of his wound with the rhythm of his pulse. Her dressed was painted with his blood as he fell on the ground lifelessly. The poor man would have died no matter what Dawna would have done; the wooden stick went straight through his aorta.

'Looky!' she yelled again, knowing that she indeed was the target of this massacre. 'Looky, come on boy! Where are you?'

People started to push her away in their rush, not one soul even did as much as look at her. She was going to be their Queen one day but in the hectic of that moment none of that mattered.

Another shot filled the air; this time hitting a woman whose family started to cry out for help. Every second seemed to take forever as the Princes bloodstream was once more filled with a load of adrenaline. The adrenaline together with her desperation to find her friend again was the only thing that kept her going in that moment.

Suddenly, her eyes spotted a small, black creature crawling over the ground. More and more people around her got shot, yet the shooter never managed to actually hit his target. It was only then that the pale girl realised that her protector was walking towards a building. Her eyes moved up and spotted a figure dressed in black clothes with a large bow and many more arrows in his hand. He noticed that she had spotted him and only grinned at her with satisfaction. He shot yet another arrow, this time pointed towards her heart.

As he shot it, an older woman who had been running past her jumped in front of her in order to protect the Princes from being killed. The arrow dug itself deep into her left arm, causing the woman to cry out in pain as she fell on the ground right before the young bride.

Dawna immediately grabbed the older woman and lay her down slowly. She could not speak or move as she watched the blood pour from her wound. Suddenly, a young womans cream filled the air.

A young woman, around fourteen-years old, ran towards the two and kneeled down next to the woman.

'Oma*, Oma, are you okay? Can you hear me?' she asked with a worried voice. The young woman had short, black hair and a skin even more special than the Princes skin; her skin was darker but with small, white dots around her lips, eyes and all over her arms and legs. The newlywed would have admired the other girls beauty if the situation had been different.

'I need that arrow,' her voice sounded, stern and fearless. 'It will hurt, but do not worry. I can help you.'

The young girl looked up and nodded, taking her grandmothers hand into hers. 'Go ahead, Princes.'

Slowly, Dawna grabbed the tip of the arrow and pulled it out of the bleeding wound, whereby the older woman started to free cries of pain. With her hands and dress covered in blood, the young Princes stood up straight and held on to the arrow tightly.

'You want a fight?' she asked, her voice sounding a lot louder than before. The shooter clearly heard her since he lowered his bow for a second. A second was all the pale girl needed to throw the arrow towards him with such a power that it even went up in the air. It was as if her blue eyes could steer the arrow as it flew through the air into the shooters chest. With a loud, coughing sound the person dressed in black fell on his knees and disappeared from behind the window.

A soft purr filled her ears as she could feel herself being dragged back to the earth again. Looky had showed up out of the blue, purring softly as he flattered himself to the hurt woman.

'I am forever thankful, Madame, for you have saved my life,' Dawna said, wiping her dirty hands of on her already filthy dress. 'Please allow me to return the favour.'

She did not really gave the woman time to speak before gently placing her hands around the wound. When her blue eyes were closed a soft and relaxing feeling filled her veins. Her lips parted as her grip around the womans arm got stronger. Once again could the white-haired girl feel energy flow through her body.

'Oma, look, the younger girl spoke,' giving Dawna a sign that it was alright to open her eyes again.

When she did, there was no longer a wound on the womans arm. Somehow, Dawna had stopped the bleeding and healed the wound. Looky was purring satisfied next to her as he crawled on her lap.

'How did you do that?' the young girl asked again. Her beautiful dark brown eyes found her blue ones and they just sat there for a few seconds; staring at each other.

'That is my little secret,' the Princes whispered before she softly placed a kiss on the older womans hand. 'Thank you, my dear, for saving my life. Your sacrifice will never be forgotten.'

In return, the older woman got up with some help and just held her hand, looking at the big diamond around her ring finger. 'Neither will yours, my child.'

* Oma: means Grandmother or Granny in Dutch.