Three weeks later, the day of the wedding had arrived, and the entire Empire came to see the Queen Empress and the Crown Prince marry along the steps of the palace's royal gardens as so many generations had done before. Lords and ladies, highborn and commoner, all flocked to catch a glimpse of the happy occasion.

If they only knew.

Alex stood in front of her floor-length mirror while her three Mistresses worked around her like busy little bees. She invited them back for the day, and they attempted to make her look like an example of perfection. The wedding dress fit her perfectly, even with her expanding belly and ample bosom. The white satin was inlaid with gold embroidery along the empire-cinched bust line and hems of the skirts and sleeve, while the rest of it flowed about her as though she was walking on a cloud. She wore simple satin slippers that matched the dress' golden details, and her necklace and earrings complimented the embroidery in gold and diamonds. Upon her head sat the crown of the Empire, and her hair was left down, curled and cascading over her shoulder.

If it was another day at another time, she would have thought everything was perfect.

But as she looked at herself in the mirror, turning from side to side while she smoothed a wrinkle here, adjusted a seam there, she resigned herself to the idea that today was all about duty.

As would every day be thereafter.

It was all she could do to keep herself moving forward. Looking back only brought her to the darkest of places.

Almost ready, she dismissed her Mistresses to give her a moment of privacy while she donned her personal effects. Mallia smiled at her knowingly while she ushered out the others, evidently assuming Alex's intentions focused on her wedding night with Treyan.

Mallia was going to be sadly disappointed.

Alex went over to the table next to her bed and pulled from its drawer a black silk-wrapped item that lay inside. With gentle hands, she removed the knife from its protective covering and laid it flat in her palm.

She had taken the knife from her dinner tray not long after she had returned and decided she would proceed with the wedding plans. It was serrated, and sharp, and would get the job done should the wedding receive its expected crasher.

She refused to be a victim any longer. This time, she would be ready for him.

Hitching up her wedding skirts, she placed the knife within the garter around her thigh, securing it to her leg tightly with an additional leather thong. Without another thought, she lowered her dress and exited her rooms.

Surprisingly, there was no one waiting for her outside her chambers, so she walked to the stairs that led to the main terrace. The Councillor was waiting for her at the door to the gardens as it was decided he would present her to the Empire in place of the Lord Steward.

The Councillor smiled at her as a proud father might and offered Alex his arm. "Empress, you are truly as lovely as the suns in the sky."

She returned his greeting with a polite smile, finding her mind drifting toward a distant memory in a faraway realm. She once dreamt about her own father walking her down the aisle, but that was another time, and different circumstances. "Thank you, Councillor," she said softly. "You're too kind."

With a nod from the Councillor, the guards opened the double doors that brought them to the gardens, and they proceeded out to the veranda to begin the ceremony.

Despite how she was feeling inside, the day couldn't have been more flawless. The weather was cool compared to the moderate days she had gotten used to, but the warmth from the twin suns kept it comfortable. The gardens were lush and colorful, and the scent of roses immediately filled her sinuses.

She couldn't see Treyan from where she stood, and her heart began to flutter with anxiety. The last thing she needed was nerves to slow her down when she had allowed herself to be so reserved in her decision. But she ignored him for so long, and started to believe his emotions would overcome his obligations...

Though it seemed the Empire's entire population was present and craning their necks for a glimpse of the Queen Empress, all of Alex's attentions were on Treyan once he came into view.

With Jamison at his side, he stood at the edge of the veranda, dressed in the ceremonial best of the Crown Prince, his sword at his waist, white pants, and black boots. His raven hair was tied into a ponytail at the nape of his neck, keeping it out of his vibrant blue eyes.

Alex's breath caught in her throat as her heart fought to escape from her chest. He was breathtaking. And once his eyes fell upon her, a smile that mirrored hers came across his face.

For the first time in a long while, she felt a familiar twinge within her. That pull of nostalgia that drew her toward the Crown Prince since the first day she met him. She knew now that it was most likely the magic of the Prophecy that made her want him. For a while she considered that there may have been something legitimate between them rather than a predestined force.

Maybe at a different time, under different circumstances, she would have let herself find out.

The Councillor had passed her hand along to Treyan's, but she was so lost in the sight of him that she barely noticed. Taking her hands in his, Treyan just looked at her with that smile, and she found her blush warming her face in the cool breeze. He squeezed her hands in assurance, and she tightened her grip in response as they both faced the Councillor, who in turn announced to the populace that the wedding ceremony between the Queen Empress Alexstrayna and the Crown Prince Treyan was about to commence.

It quickly became apparent to Alex that weddings within the Empire were much different than any she attended while she lived in Boston, as their ceremony continued until the suns began to set. Vows were said, rings were exchanged, bread broken, wine drunk, and finally, when they were allowed to kiss to seal their commitment to one another, she sensed the hesitation before Treyan leaned in, meeting her lips chastely in the kiss that would seal their fate as husband and wife.

The crowd erupted in applause and excitement.

But then they heard the screams.

Breaking their kiss, Alex and Treyan turned toward the sounds of distress.

From their vantage point above the crowd, they saw a figure in the distance moving toward them, and as the crowd parted to make way for their visitor, the screams and cries increasing.

The newlyweds looked at each other without a word and descended the stairs hand in hand to greet their unexpected guest. As they waited, Alex's other hand slowly fell to her thigh to feel the security of the knife within her garter, expecting the worst.

As they watched, a rider upon a horse emerged from the distressed crowd, but both could tell from its approach that something was not right. The horse seemed erratic and moved as if some unnatural force drove it forward. The rider was slumped forward in the saddle, completely still as if they had fallen asleep.

It took but a moment for them to realize the rider wasn't sleeping at all.

The rider was dead, tied to the saddle.

It was Jamison's cry from behind them that brought them around to recognize the rider.

It was Mallia, and she arrived bearing gifts.

Her hands and legs had been bound around the horse's saddle with an excessive length of rope. Treyan and Jamison rushed to the horse while another guard held the reins, and after what seemed like an eternity of untying and unwinding, the Mistress was finally brought down from the saddle. Jamison held her in his arms, but it was too late.

Alex immediately recognized the hair comb in Mallia's hair – it was the same one she had worn on her coronation day. She tried to remove it for a closer look, but it wouldn't budge as the accessory had been stabbed directly into the mistress' skull.

Mallia's eyes had been pierced with the very same earrings Treyan had given Alex, and around Mallia's neck was the matching necklace, pulled taut, strangling her to deal the fatal blow.

Alex's vision began to blur as she looked upon the animal that had been sent to them. On either side of the horse, the word "CONGRATULATIONS" was carved into the creature's flesh, the wound fresh, deep, and bloody.

Treyan turned toward Alex, face pale with disbelief, and their eyes met just as everything faded to black.