Unlikely Endings (Now Being Rewritten as: The Pursuit of a King)

Desires

The walk from her chambers to the chapel that adjoined the castle seemed to take forever. As she walked alongside her father followed by her mother and Violet, the hallways seemed to melt together and warp around her. Any secret hope she had of appealing to her father was lost the moment he had entered her room. He had not looked at her since.

Amelia greeted the chapel’s great wooden doors with apprehension. She could hear the murmurs of those already housed within it and awaiting her arrival. Her father gave no reassuring squeeze or smile but merely strode purposely forward, propelling her along with him.

From her position at the back of it Amelia could fully appreciate the cavernous beauty of the church. However she quickly noticed how many people filled it, their eyes all trained now on her.

She was vaguely aware of an organ playing in the background as her father impelled her down the aisle. The faces of the people occupying the pews all blended together until it seemed as though they became a single entity, scrutinising and poring over her.

Amelia admitted to herself for the first time that she was frightened.

Seeing Henry standing beside her at the end of her walk deadened her fears and she was strangely calm in her despondency. She was here merely to fulfil a purpose, an inevitable end to the life she had always dreamed she would lead.

She felt Henry’s gaze upon her but her eyes remained trained on the face of the priest. Could he sense her woe? Would he somehow call off the wedding in the name of God? However, as soon as he began the ceremony she let go of her last naïve hopes and stared down at her bouquet, attempting to flee into her mind until she would have to fulfil her role.

“Do you Lord Henry Townsend, Duke of Torring and Prince of Elereld take Lady Amelia Hayward of Cambrin as your lawfully wedded wife?” the priest droned.

“I do.” Henry replied his eyes never leaving Amelia’s face. She had refused to look at him throughout the entire ceremony and he could not understand why. This should be one of the greatest days of her life, she would ascend to a station she could only dream of. He had prepared himself to deal with her self-satisfaction all day.

He observed her now; she looked and acted nothing like the woman he had come to know. Her face was painted yet she still looked pale, the makeup doing nothing to hide the sadness in her eyes. This was embarrassing to him, he was the Prince of Elereld and had women fawning over him begging for the honour of being his wife, he did not need to be seen as having to drag a woman down the aisle.

Her reaction had hurt his pride and inflamed him. Did this social climber really believe that she was better than him? That this marriage was beneath her? Henry drew his eyes away from her and looked firmly forward.

“And do you Lady Amelia Hayward of Cambrin take Lord Henry Townsend, Duke of Torring and Prince of Elereld as your lawfully wedded husband?”

Amelia took a sharp intake of breath; this was her final chance to escape. Her lips spoke the words automatically with seemingly no direction from her mind.

“I do.” Henry breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment he had thought she would leave him standing in front of the whole court without a bride.

“With the power vested in me by the holy Lord I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may now kiss your bride.” Henry grinned leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss. She was his now, he had been terrified of matrimony never wanting another woman to control him, however he had not counted on the satisfaction he felt that Amelia was his and only his forever.

Not that he planned on being totally devoted to her, while he possessed her she really had no claim on him. He would still be able to do as he pleased. He glanced over and winked at Lady Annabelle sitting in the pews.