My Love, Please Kill Me

[pt.5] The Sacred Marriage

Part 5

[Lunalea POV]

I was crying. At first I thought I would be fine with this; that I understood if Lord Mikael was just playing with me. But I was wrong. Right now I was far from fine. The thought of me being used only to satisfy his need somehow hurted me so much. And the fact that I had lost something precious I couldn't get back..Well, a part of me knew I wouldn't mind giving it for him, but I would be seriously offended if he took it for nothing..

"Lunalea?" I heard Lord Mikael called me. Then I felt him placing his warm hand on my shoulder. "Does it still hurt?" he asked me. His voice sounded..concerned..? I wasn't sure.

[Mikael POV]

I was tortured by the mixture of pleasure, guilt, and pain. She was a virgin. In this kingdom, virginity was highly valued and I felt guilty because I took it from her. Why she didn't told me earlier..?

'then what?' a voice inside my head sneered, 'What would you do if she had told you earlier? Would you have stopped? Could you strain yourself?'

No, I thought bitterly. I wouldn't have stopped. I was so into her; her sweet scent, her silky smooth skin, her velvety voice..How thrilled I was when she's screaming my name in satisfaction. It sounded so..right. Perhaps she didn't realize it, but she got me so captivated I even felt sorry for myself.

But then..what about her feelings?

As I laid beside her thinking about all this, Lunalea rolled over to one side and laid with her back facing me. "Lunalea?" I called her. I rendered my hand and placed it on her shoulder as gentle as I could. I could feel her body slightly trembling. "Does it still hurt?" I asked her, deeply concerned. Was I too rough?

Lunalea didn't say anything and I got slightly irritated. "Luna-" I yanked her gently so I could see her face. Then I froze in shock; she's crying! Why was she crying? When I realized it must be me who caused her crying, I felt like I wanted to beat myself up.

"Why did you do this to me..?" she finally said, sobbing, "why me? You can have any woman, My Lord, but why did you pick me? What am I to you?" she questioned, her eyes searching for answers in mine.

I caressed her fair face. "I don't know.." I uttered the most honest answer I could think of, "you're just impossible not to love.." Her brows furrowed slightly. What could I say? I knew I was terrible in expressing my feelings. Hell, this was even the first time I had feelings like this. Let alone expressing it. All I knew was that I wanted to have her by my side and to protect her..

That's it! Suddenly an idea popped in my head. I smiled proudly to myself. That would do..

[Lunalea POV]

What was Lord Mikael trying to say? I really didn't understand him..

All of a sudden he bit his thumb until it bled. I gasped, but before I could react more, he pressed his bleeding thumb against my chest, just right above my heart, then solemnly and clearly stated an oath: "May God be my witness. From now onward, I , Mikael, claim Lunalea to be my one and only wife. Shall I betray her or intend to betray her, let my heart stop beating and my soul burned in hell." He pulled back his thumb. I looked down and was amazed to see the trace of his blood on my skin glowed red, then it slowly formed the insignia of a sacred marriage.

I stared back at Lord Mikael's eyes with dumb-stricken face. I was utterly and totally shocked. I couldn't believe he's performing the ritual of a sacred marriage! I'd read about this somewhere in a book; this ritual was one of the ancient magic-simple yet very powerful. The sacred marriage guaranteed the loyalty of two lovers, and it could not be broken unless one of them died. It's because the insignia was actually a hex that would strike at the heart of the bearer if he/she cheated on his/her spouse.

Why would Lord Mikael risked his life just to have me, I wondered. Perhaps he would just kill me once he got bored of me. Or perhaps..he simply..loved me..

Lord Mikael stared at me, waiting for me to complete the ritual. Either I was just delighting myself, or it is really affection I saw in his eyes..along with anticipation and anxiety. I felt a nice warmth growing inside me. Still staring intently into his eyes, I brought my thumb upon my lips and bit it, wincing at the pain. Like what he did, I pressed my bleeding thumb on his chest, stating the oath: "May God be my witness. From now onward, I , Lunalea, claim Mikael to be my one and only husband. Shall I betray him or intend to betray him, let my heart stop beating and my soul burned in hell."

Now that the ritual had been completed, the blood insignia sunk in, forming a kind of visible permanent vermillion tatoo; a mark.

Lord Mikael smiled blissfully. He took my hand and gently kissed its back, sending a shiver down my shine-a nice one. "My Lady." He addressed me.

Confusion struck me once more. "why..why..-" I stuttered, gulping, "are you jesting, My Lord..? are you playing me for a fool?" I whispered carefully, afraid that he'd be mad.

He frowned his temple. "Do not mock me, Lunalea." He said firmly, sounded a bit offended. "yet, you're not wrong to be suspicious of me." He added.

"Forgive me.." I pleaded with a weak voice.

"Mmh." He mumbled, placing his hand on my cheek. "You may think whatever you want, but what's done is done. This insignia is the proof. You belong to me now." He leaned forward, slowly breathing his every word upon my wavering lips, "And I, to you."

He..belongs..to me..? Oh God. This was overwhelming. I meant, he's a great general, he's respected and feared by all. While I? I was just a mere healer.. I should know my place, but his words..the sincerity in his words was enough to send me to cloud nine. My heartbeat accelerated again; I swore if this continued I would die of heart attack.

Speechless, I buried my face on his chest-I was surprised by my own boldness. I indulged myself with his warmth, and he began to gently stroke my hair, making me sleepy. I was tired. And I was sleepy. Lord Mikael whispered something I could not hear clearly. 'Yes, I love you too..' I thought instinctively before I drifted off to a deep slumber.

<Okay. What do you think?? ^-^ what will happen next to this newly wed? Please comment..lemme kno' what you think about this story. And thanks a lot for reading!!>