Rozmarie & Josiah

Rozmarie

"Look upon your future husband," the king shoved my head lower, just over Isaac's. I closed my eyes and cringed, trying not to breathe him in, but our skin was practically touching. "For he shall give you a baby this night!"

"Stop it!" I screamed and struggled to pull myself up. "Stop it!"

"Oh? You don't like the suitor I've selected for you?" He pinched my neck. "Had you married him when he was alive, he might have been more appeasing."

"The priest," someone said and shoved an old man in a long brown robe into the room. He looked confused, like he wasn't sure why he was supposed to be here. Then he spotted Isaac on the floor and gasped. He looked to me, pinned down by my father and then back to Isaac. Enlightenment flared and he shook his head, retreating a step.

"You will marry them."

"Your majesty, he is—"

"You will marry them!" the king roared. "Now! Do it now!"

The priest looked at me with fear. He knew it was blasphemy; that Isaac was dead and I was being forced into an evil, unholy ceremony that he himself would have to perform. The priest gulped, glancing between me and Isaac and then back to my father. "Your majesty—"

"Say that one more time and you shall lose that holy head, priest. You are to marry them and ensure they consummate it."

At this, the old man's face paled. Another gulp. He looked at me, as if hoping I might reason with my father.

"What are you waiting for?" He hissed, releasing his hold of me. "Do it! Now!"

The priest blinked a few times, his jaw dropping as he searched his robes for something. The book? Would he actually perform the ceremony? I tried scrambling away but my father stood behind me, pinching my neck again and holding me next to Isaac. Blood seeped from his midsection and onto the floor beneath my knees, soaking them. I desperately wanted to crawl away but I couldn't move. The king gripped me with steel fingers, locking me to the spot. I might've been able to stab him but he stood behind me awkwardly and a group of soldiers gathered around us like an impenetrable circle.

How could I cut through all of them?

"W-we usually begin with a prayer," the priest cleared his throat, the book laying open in his palms. He gulped and stared down at Isaac, at the pool of blood drenching us. He cleared his throat again and focused on the book. "Oh Blessed is—"

"Block the door!" someone shouted. "They're getting in! They're getting in!"

"How many?"

"Four!"

Four?

"Priest!" my father shouted.

He nodded and blinked profusely, concentrating on his book again. "Oh Blessed is the one above all and to—"

"I said block it! I said—" the man gasped and fell to the floor with a loud plunk.

Shouts erupted as swords clanged together. Some of the guards abandoned their post to assist with the invasion, but the pinch on my neck grew stronger. My father wouldn't let me go. The commotion boomed louder as yells and shrieks ripped through the space and swords clashed and clanged around me. But I couldn't see a thing. I could only see the stone floor, stained with Isaac's blood.

"The bald one! Get the bald one!"

Dido?

"Finish it, Priest!" my father roared, spittle flying over me. His steel grip loosened in the sudden action and I used the distraction to push back. The priest scanned the scene, his mouth hanging open. He gulped, blinked a few times and finally glanced at my father. But he couldn't remember what he was doing, which made the king irate. "Marry them now!"