"There was only a few minutes between my arrival and Rosetta's.
Chatter filled the room while the guests waited, and as I scanned my eyes through them, I couldn't help but wonder how many knew about Henry's intentions. I wondered how many of them faced the same daily threats that Rosetta had.
Few came down the aisle before she did, all quietly positioning themselves where they were expected to stand for the entire event. I knew none of them. As I looked around the room once more, I was able to lock eyes with Caelum.
He stood in the back of the room, leaning against the walls with his arms crossed. His jaw was tightly clenched together and his fingers tapped against his skin impatiently. Despite his movements that spoke of frustration, his eyes wore relief.
Finally, it was Rosetta's turn. As I had decided, she walked alone.
As the doors opened one last time to let her pass, an audible gasp sounded through the people watching as Rosetta stepped forward. Whether it was in awe or in horror of how simple she was dressed, I couldn't tell. I felt proud for her. Not only was she leaving her home for mine, but she was defying the laws of her kingdom in her wake. She was reclaiming her life.
She was like a diamond among pebbles compared to all those who had walked out in front of her and all those unfamiliar faces sitting as our audience. Unlike the others who had looked frightened, Rosetta was smiling. Her eyes only rested upon me, refusing to look in any other direction but my own.
When she reached the bottom of the steps of the platform I stood upon beside the altar, I reached out and gently took her hand into mine, helping her up the stairs as any good gentleman might. I closed my fingers around hers, giving them a gentle squeeze.
The organ slowed to a stop, and the Priest dressed in white, silver, and gold, smiled at Rosetta and I as we both turned to face him.
'We are gathered here today, on this happy and joyous occasion, to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony.' He began, a smile upon his face as his light brown eyes seemed to be lighting up with joy.
It was nice to see someone so delighted over the marriage of another.
I thought of my mother. She rarely talked about what it would be like when I was older, but I could remember the times she had. She had spoken to me about what it would be like when I finally found the person that I loved, about what it was like to be wed.
I thought of how I had seen my father act around her; of how infatuated with her he had been. I thought of how much I had longed to feel the same. My smile grew as I realized that it was happening.
Despite being furious with my father earlier, I was thankful for his involvement. He had found me the love of my life. I would have to ask him how he knew it would be her when we returned home.
'Marriage is a solemn institution to be held in honor by all, it is the cornerstone of the family and of the community. It requires of those who undertake it a complete and unreserved giving of one's self. It is not to be entered into lightly, as marriage is a sincere and mutual commitment to love one another. This commitment symbolizes the intimate sharing of two lives and still enhances the individuality of each of you.' The priest looked between the two of us, his gaze eventually settling on me. 'The vows shall be shared now. Vladimir? Will you begin?'
I paused in thought, my mind beginning to blank. This was something I hadn't been prepared for. I hadn't thought an arranged marriage required vows. I spared a glance in the direction of Henry, watching as he smirked. I smiled to myself, realizing that Henry had made the adjustments. He wanted to see me sweat.
I wouldn't allow him the pleasure. Instead of crumbling, I decided to speak words of truth.
'Rosetta," I began, thinking over my words carefully. "I know I don't hold your heart yet, but it is something I intend to accomplish over the years we spend together. You are to be my wife, and being here with you now, I am relieved that it was you. Having you as my wife will be an honor I'll get to live with every day of my life. I promise to always protect you, to keep you safe from any harm, and to love you, respect you, and to give you everything I have to offer. You shall never know what fear is with me beside you. Until time itself ends, I will always be yours.'
It was everything within me to not hold her closer. All I wanted was to be with her and to focus on her. I allowed myself to forget Henry was watching. From where he stood, he couldn't bother either of us.
'And now Rosetta, it's your turn to speak your vows.' The priest turned to her, his smile remaining wide and elated. It was oddly comforting to see how much he was enjoying this ceremony.
Her features softened as she gazed at me, hands squeezing mine once more. Rosetta bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from smiling too wide. She took a deep breath, briefly closing her eyes before she spoke. As soon as she began speaking, her eyes reopened.
'I promise to serve you and support you in everything you have done, and everything you will do. Anything you ask of me, it shall be completed, and I shall do so happily. I will do my hardest to make sure you are pleased in life. I promise to be the one that takes weight off your shoulders when things get difficult, and to be the one that comforts you in your darkest hours. And above all, I promise one day soon to love you.'
My smile remained, though some of her words were concerning. Her vows had all been about serving me and caring for me. While that was wonderful, I wondered if she knew how far from the truth it would be. I didn't want my wife to serve me, not when there were willing servants around. I didn't want my wife to wait on me every moment of every day. An excitement bounced around inside my chest as I imagined how she would react to the customs of Transylvania.
Her last sentence touched me the most.
The words had sent shivers spiraling down my spine. One day, she would love me just as I would love her. I wanted to imagine every part of our future together once we left Invea. Everything would change for her for the better. There would be no listening to anyone, no cowering away from anyone who dared raise their voice in her direction, and most importantly there would be no one that would lay a hand upon her.
Rosetta would have a power she had never known.
After her vows were said, a young boy started to come our direction with a pillow. It was then that Caelum stepped off his wall and hurried towards the child. He caught the boy by his shoulder, leaning down and whispering something to the boy, who quickly nodded and turned around. Instead of the boy coming towards us, Caelum did.
Caelum kept his eyes upon Rosetta, a weak smile rising to his face. Before us on the stairs, he knelt and held his hand towards us. In his palm rested two silver rings, one with a carefully placed diamond upon it.
A glance at Rosetta told me they were special.
Her eyes lit up, tears quick to fill the bottom of her eyes. 'Caelum,' She whispered, her voice thick with disbelief. 'How?'
Never once did he take his eyes off of her. 'A magician never reveals his secrets, Rose. You know that.' He teased, watching helplessly as the ceremony continued.
I made a mental note to ask her about them. I had planned on having one crafted for her back home, but if these were the ones she loved then these would be it.
'Vladimir, please grab Rosetta's ring.' The priest spoke, motioning towards Caelum's hand.
I wondered if this was normal for them, to take rings out of someone's hands. I took another glance around the room and found all those that looked to be servants were smiling, each one genuine and true. My heart began to swell as I realized they stood behind Caelum. They understood the meaning of this gesture and knew Rosetta would be safe from harm after this.
I carefully grabbed the ring with the diamond out of Caelum's hand, taking her left hand in mine. I brought my eyes back to her, giving her another reassuring smile. Just a little bit longer and she was mine. She would be safe and protected from her father at long last.
'Vladimir Alistair Dracula, do you take Rosetta Dawn Woods to be your wedded wife? Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her in sickness and in health, remaining faithful to her as long as you both shall live?'
The sound of my full name was odd. I hadn't heard it fully used by anyone other than my father. I shrugged the feeling off, knowing it wasn't important. 'I do.' Without waiting for further instruction, I carefully slipped the ring onto Rosetta's finger.
'Rosetta, please grab Vladimir's ring.'
Rosetta grabbed the other ring from Caelum's hand, letting her hand linger in his. The two had a relationship I didn't quite understand.
'Rosetta Dawn Woods, do you take this man, Vladimir Alistair Dracula, to be your wedded husband? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him in sickness and in health, remaining faithful to him as long as you both shall live?'
She broke away from Caelum, taking my left hand gingerly in hers. She smiled up at me, giving me her full attention once more. What I wouldn't have given to look inside her mind at that moment. 'I do.' Just as I had, she placed the ring upon my finger.
It slid on perfectly, feeling more like it had always belonged there rather than some foriegn object on my hand.
'Then by the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.' The priest smiled, taking several steps away from us to give us the space we needed.
I swallowed, realizing it would be our first kiss. It was going to be my first kiss as a person and ours as a couple, both together and wedded. It was a plethora of firsts, and while I was nervous it was fine by me. We would figure it out as we went along. I recalled all the times I had seen my parents together, how natural they acted. They weren't forced.
Wanting to be the same with Rosetta, I did what felt most natural. I placed one of my hands upon her cheek, the other moving towards her waist to carefully pull her towards him. I offered a smile, noticing that my cheeks felt hot and hers were already starting to turn similar colors, before closing the distance between us and pressing my lips as softly as possible against hers.
Explosions don't quite explain what happened to me in that moment.
A burst of energy bursted from my lips and the middle of my chest. The warmth of energy began to spread through my body, coursing through my veins like an alternate form of blood. My heart raced and my knees threatened to give out if the kiss lasted much longer.
From the very second I pulled away, I was already thinking of when the next time I could kiss her would be. I could already see that she would be far worse than any alcohol addiction. I would never be able to get enough of her.
'Now hold on!' Henry rose from his seat, beginning to stomp in our direction. His eyebrows were twisted down in fury, his face flushed from rage.
The happiness stilled as I saw him coming towards us. I straightened my posture, keeping Rosetta against me. There was nothing Henry could do to her now.
Even Caelum stood, blocking most of Rosetta from the king. It was nice to see that we shared similar thoughts about the sudden movement of the man.
Henry stopped before Caelum, eyes locked upon the priest. 'You didn't ask if anyone objected.' Murmurs passed over the audience.
'I didn't?' The man frowned, looking through the book he held. He was quick to smile, giving a shrug. 'I suppose I did. My apologies, your highness. I'm growing too old for this I believe.'
It was then I realized that the man that had wed us had been siding with the servants. It was good to know that not everyone within Invea shared the same views of Henry.
'Did you have an objection, King Henry?' I narrowed my eyes, securing my hand upon Rosetta's waist. I stared down at him, hoping that he knew I was a fight he wouldn't win. He would never win.
At least, I thought that then.
The man held his tongue, his gaze narrowing into a glare. He had lost that kind facade he had put up earlier. I was seeing the truth version of him. '...No.' He turned on his heel, storming directly out of the room and away from our sight.
I had won this time.
As soon as the king had left, the servants erupted into cheers.
Their Rosetta was finally safe.
I smiled, turning my attention back to Rosetta. I placed my forehead against hers, gingerly grabbing her hand with my free hand. It felt strange knowing that I was married now. I had a family separate from my father. I wanted to place another kiss upon her, but knew I wouldn't be able to pull away so easily.
Caelum glanced at us over his shoulder. 'The servants have prepared your bedroom, my princess.' He said quietly. 'It was against your father's wishes, so we made sure to make it extra special.' He offered a little smile, then walked away to join the other servants.
I watched him go, a brief sadness coming over me. He was a brave man for letting someone he loved so much go like this without a fight. I wondered if I could ever convince him to come with us to Transylvania, to remove him from this place.
Before I could protest, Rosetta's hand pulled on mine. She was leading me back down the aisle. I was pulled from my thoughts, my smile naturally returning as I followed her down. I didn't need to ask where we were going.
The eyes of everyone in the room were upon us as we left, but we didn't care. There was nothing more to care about. The most pressing situation had been dealt with. Rosetta was freed from Henry's clutches. No longer was she a part of his family, but part of mine. He wouldn't be able to even look at her the wrong way anymore. I wouldn't allow it.
Rosetta led me directly to her room, which was several floors above the one we had been on earlier. It puzzled me, seeing as though the room with all her clothes was so far away but I assumed it was just another way Henry controlled her. Things would be different when we went home.
As we neared her bedroom door, a wave of energy passed through me. I grinned as I dropped her hand, instead securing my hand back upon her waist and the other beneath her knees. Effortlessly, I picked her up from the ground and found myself laughing with her.
'What are you doing?!' She held onto my neck, a wide smile spread across her warm face. Gone were the tears from earlier and the fear she had carried. I prayed she knew how much she meant to me already, how much I would do for her.
'Isn't it customary to carry one's bride over the threshold?' I teased, ignoring how she playfully rolled her eyes. It wouldn't matter here, as the legend was about bringing a bride to a place that wasn't formally her home. I opened the door, stepping into the room and setting her down. I closed the door behind us, turning the lock. It wasn't for any reason other than I didn't want Henry bothering us anymore than he already had.
Rosetta's room was smaller than I imagined. It reminded me of a child's room, only enough room to walk around the bed in. Her bed was in the middle of the room, blankets carefully folded to make the bed look neat. There were slippers underneath her bed, a small table with a drawer beside it. There was a vanity and a divider inside the room as well, both looking like they had been crammed inside to fit. She had a bookshelf that was filled with titles that I didn't recognize, though all belonged to a fairytale of some sort.
My bag had been placed beside her bed. There was a table near her window, set up with two chairs. Upon the table was a platter of what I assumed was food, given how it was covered.
'You are going to have a hard time adjusting to life in Transylvania.' I spoke with a smile as I tugged on my collar to loosen it from around my neck. It was one of the main reasons why I didn't dress up often. It was far too uncomfortable.
'Why's that?' Rosetta slipped her shoes off, placing them beside the door. She threw me a smile, leaning against a vanity that was close to the door.
'Our bedroom is far bigger than this.' I thought of my room back home, comparing it to hers. If I wanted her to be comfortable with me and with living in a place so unlike her home, things would need to change. I'd be okay with it. I undid the buttons of the coat I wore, carefully placing it over the table beside her bed. I sat down on the edge of her bed, continuing to gaze around.
The walls were painted a pastel pink, several chunks around missing. I didn't want to think about all the horrors that had possibly happened within this room.
Rosetta fell silent, catching my attention and returning my eyes to her. She sat upon the chair of the vanity, pulling and twisting at her fingers in a form of nerves. A blush began to cascade over her cheeks.
'Rosetta?' I smiled as I gazed upon her, unable to believe that this would be the woman I would spend the rest of my life with. I wanted to bombard her with questions. My yearning to know everything about her had only increased since earlier. 'Are you alright?'
She shrugged, focusing on her hands. 'If I'm being honest with you, I'm nervous.' Rosetta whispered, allowing her hair to fall partially in front of her face.
'Whatever for?' I encouraged her to speak. When she didn't, I tried to answer for her. 'Is it your father? He can't touch you now. There is nothing he can do to you. You are free from his hold now. He won't ever have that kind of power over you again.' I reassured, placing my hands beside me on the bed to support my weight.
Her cheeks darkened. 'I know. Only one thing is left for us to do to ensure that, but I fear that I'm not ready. Yet, if I don't, father can still take me away.'
'What are you ta-' I stopped short as I realized what she was talking about. A similar blush rushed over my face. Out of habit, I placed my hand in my hair to relieve some of the nerves that had suddenly arose. I scratched my head and stood as an idea came to mind. 'If I'm being honest with you, I feel the same. I hadn't even thought about the consequences of not, though.' I gazed at her bed, carefully pulling the blankets back to find that the sheets were pure white. When the servants came to clean her room in the morning, Henry would know if anything had taken place.
I assumed he was thinking that nothing would happen, given how I had acted earlier and how timid his daughter was. He was relying on that, so in the morning he could come and take her away, saying that the marriage wasn't official.
Rosetta hardly seemed comfortable with going through with it tonight and I understood. I wasn't sure I wanted to either. I barely knew her. It would seem wrong to do such a thing when we weren't fully in love yet. I reached into my bag beside the bed, pulling out a small dagger father had given me long ago. I climbed onto the bed, pulling my sleeves up.
'What are you doing?' Rosetta stood, coming closer to examine what I was doing. She came from the end of the bed, leaning over the footrest.
I shrugged, offering her a smile. 'Making sure he can't use anything against us. It doesn't feel right to do this tonight, especially since the only reason urging us to do so would be your father taking you away. Let us wait until the time feels right.' I placed the blade against my palm. 'Look away, my dear.'
Her eyes widened as she stepped away from the bed, hurrying into her closet to grab something I couldn't see.
I cut a straight line into my palm, wincing only a little as the blade stung my skin. I let the blood drip down my palm and onto the fresh sheets. I waited until there were enough red stains on the bed to make it look convincing before I turned my palm up and got off the bed.
Rosetta was waiting for me, bandages already in hand. 'I thought you might need these.' She sheepishly smiled, glancing towards the table.
'Thank you.' I followed her gaze to the table, sitting down into one of the chairs and offered my palm to her. I slipped my shoes off as she came closer, relieved that the worst of the day was over.
She bandaged my hand quicker than I had expected, but I didn't ask how she had learned to do it like that. I didn't want to know that just yet. She set the bandages back in her closet. 'Please, eat. Let me change out of this and I'll join you.' Rosetta offered me a smile as she disappeared behind the divider beside the vanity.
I lifted the lid off of the silver platter, my mouth already beginning to water as the two plates were revealed. Both had helpings of meat with vegetables. I hadn't realized how hungry I had been. While I was anxious to eat, I wasn't about to start without her.
I thought of my father while I waited, trying to imagine the look on his face when I returned home sooner than I was supposed to. I could already see his features twisting when I would tell him about Henry. My heart swelled with the knowledge that my father would easily take over that place in Rosetta's heart. He could replace what she knew a father as and show her what love from a father really was.
'Vladimir? I thought I left my nightgown back here, but it's still in the closet. Will you grab it for me, please?' Rosetta's voice blessed the room once more.
I stood without hesitation. 'Of course.' I walked to her closet and opened it up, quickly glancing over all the clothes within. There wasn't much inside this one, not nearly as much as there had been in the one I had been in earlier. There was one white nightgown hanging up. I grabbed it and closed the closet, crossing the room to bring it to her.
I stopped beside the divider, offering the nightgown to her. I kept my eyes upon the ceiling, wanting to respect her earlier wishes. Yet, as I held it out, she didn't take it. 'Rosetta?' She had gone quiet. Concern began to rise above respect. I took another step forward, allowing myself to be behind the divider with her. My eyes fell upon her and immediately, my heart sunk.
Rosetta stood with her back to me, eyes focused in a mirror. She was dressed only in undergarments, the rest of her skin exposed. While it would have been a sight I would have already fallen to, it instead filled me with an unexplainable rage. Patches of bruises covered her body, all with different colorings. There were ones of yellow and brown around her stomach and upper chest. The darker colored ones that reminded me of wine, much like the one I had seen earlier, covered both her arms. The one on her neck was more visible now. Both shadings of the bruises were scattered throughout her legs.
'Rosetta.' I mumbled again, placing a hand on the wall to support myself as I took her in. My chest began to shake as I imagined Henry bringing his hand down upon her not once, not twice, but for her entire life. This was what she was used to. Rosetta was used to having a body covered in bruises.
She slowly turned her head to look at me, tears building in her eyes. Rosetta said nothing. She didn't need to.
I hung the nightgown upon the vanity, closing the distance between us once more. I brought her into my arms, securing her into my chest. It was everything within me to not storm into Henry's office and show him the same treatment he had shown Rosetta. If it wasn't for the fear she would have been taken from me, I would have. 'It's okay.' I whispered to her, placing my hand at the back of her head as I tried to comfort her.
I briefly recalled how I had seen my father react when he had lost my mother. I hadn't understood it at the time, but at that moment it made sense. I would cross oceans, climb mountains, and kill anyone in my path if it meant Rosetta was safe.
The thought of losing this new form of love made my hands cling to the woman before me.
I wasn't going to lose my Sun.
I would protect her, and keep her safe.
I promised."