Several of Lyra's people had gathered around the shipyard, waiting to catch a glimpse of Lyra's future queen, the princess from Copia. An hour wasted away as the ship was tied down and a sturdy plank was placed, connecting the ship to the land.
Each minute that went by was torture for Henry as he struggled not to tap his leg with impatience. He wanted to see her already.
Quite soon, his wish was granted as he caught a glimpse of her carefully stepping up onto the plank, following behind what appeared to be the king and queen of Copia. The princess' lady's maid was close behind her, making sure Princess Karolina did not trip over her dress.
Henry was close enough to make out a general appearance of the princess, but far enough away to miss the details. The first thing he noticed was the magnificent red dress she was wearing. Copia was known for wearing and displaying much darker colors, especially compared to Lyra's light and bright feel. Lyra's colors were yellow and purple whereas Copia's colors were red and black.
The second thing Henry noticed was the princess' dark hair. It was darker than night itself and flowed with the breeze. Already he was excited to see more of her.
Without permission from his father, Henry took a step forward. He earned a glare from King Alan but did not step back. He could not wait much longer.
Judging by the sound of it, the Lyrans surrounding the shipyard were also anxious to glimpse the foreign royalty. They were standing behind the fence, separating them from the royal family, yet they were still close enough to be heard. Many expressed their impatience while others shouted with glee as the foreign royal family finally unboarded the ship and made their way over to King Alan and his wife and son.
Henry felt Miles nudge him. The prince glanced at his friend to see him grinning. Miles raised his eyebrows as if to say, "she really is a beauty."
Henry smirked in response. Then he turned his attention back to the beautiful princess approaching him. She was standing behind her parents, blocked from sight.
"What a happy day this is," the King of Copia said warmly, his accent thick. His smile was wide as he opened his arms and welcomed the embrace of King Alan. The Lyran King enthusiastically hugged the other king.
Henry struggled to remember the name of the other King, it was an odd name, one that was easily forgotten with Henry. Knowing he could not afford to mispronounce the king's name, Henry looked at Miles for help.
"What was his name?" He asked through gritted teeth.
At first Miles looked shocked that Henry could forget such an important piece of information, then he rolled his eyes, remembering that this was, after, prince Henry. He was known not to care about anyone but himself. "King Lemoine."
Henry nodded his thanks and repeated the name three times in his head, making sure he would not soon forget. He remembered the queen's name, her's was simple: Rachel, though it was pronounced "Ray-shell" Henry found it odd that such a beautiful princess did not have the most lovely of mothers. In fact, Queen Rachel was rather plain and her skin was already showing signs of age. He hoped that Princess Karolina would not lose her beauty as her mother had.
"We have been looking forward to this day for years," King Alan mused. "We have a feast prepared at the castle, we hope you will feel welcome to stay a while after such a long trip."
"Of course," King Lemoine agreed heartily.
Both kings introduced the other to their own wife and then stepped back to introduce the children.
The foreign King finally looked at Prince Henry, as if he suddenly remembered the reason for their journey. "Allow me to introduce my lovely daughter, Princess Karolina."
The princess stepped forward confidently and Henry smiled wide at how beautiful she was. Her skin was pale and her features as delicate as porcelain. Her black hair looked even darker close up and her mystical brown eyes were almost black, something Henry found intriguing. He felt as if he could look at her for days and never be bored.
Judging by the way she was looking back at him, Henry could tell she liked what she saw. Naturally, he stood up taller. Then, surprisingly he remembered the custom in Copia when being introduced to a lady was to bow, offer your hand, and then place your other hand over her's once she has given it to you.
He performed this task exquisitely as he bowed and held out his left hand for the princess to take. Though his head was down, his eyes looked up at her to see her reaction. She met his gaze, smiled sweetly, and lightly placed her hand in his. Henry wasted no time in placing his other hand over hers, feeling the softness of her skin.
"Princess Karolina," he said, trying his best to sound sincere. "You are truly a wonder."
She blushed, and Henry knew he had already won her over. He stood up straight and then released her hand, stepping back in line with his father. The princess said nothing, but her eyes never left Henry's.
"She does not speak very good English," King Lemoine warned, "Her lady's maid, Marina is her tutor and translator. They are working to make her English better, but for now Marina will translate."
As if to confirm this statement, Princess Karolina spoke, but Henry could not understand her language. He had not taken the time to learn the language of other kingdoms, something his father thought was important. Both Elysia and Ralf knew several languages, but Henry saw no point in it. Why learn when there were always translators around?
The lady's maid, Marina, translated, "The princess says she has heard many things about you, Prince Henry."
Henry laughed heartily and glanced over at Miles. "I hope they are all good things."
Marina turned to the princess to translate and the two girls shared a laugh. Then, "She says they are interesting things, nothing bad."
This however, did not clear up Henry's curiosity and he wondered what all she had heard.
"Shall we continue on with the ceremony?" King Alan asked during the silence.
Royal arranged marriages had been going on for centuries and so there was a certain tradition to be upheld. The engagement was just as important as the actual marriage. Preparations for such an event were long and tedious. In front of the castle, a display must be made with a ring to tie rope to and a concrete bowl must be laid.
Typically both families would be present at the prince's castle and the fathers would tie two ropes together to symbolize the union of families. The conjoined ropes would then be displayed in front of the castle entrance, tied to the display, and heavily guarded.
A very important concept for every kingdom was the idea of sacrifice. The willingness to lay down one's life for another. To symbolize sacrifice and devotion, the couple must use a ceremonial knife and produce a small amount of blood from their arms, making sure to let it drop into the concrete bowl. This bowl would have already been filled with water, blessed by the priests for purity.
One of the most rare plants in any kingdom was the Sangre Flower. Such a flower was a mystery to all, for a vital component in keeping it alive was not only water and sunlight, but blood. No amount of soil was needed, just water, light, and the blood of anyone willing to give it. The Sangre Flower only needed small amounts to survive and when it was satisfied it would bloom into a strange scarlet color, twisting and turning into different patterns.
Because of the rarity and marvel of this flower, it was often used in royal engagement ceremonies. The blood from the couple would be placed into the bowl of blessed water and the seeds of the Sangre Flower would then be placed in the bowl. If the flower did not bloom, it was an omen that the marriage would fail. If the flower did bloom, it was a sign that the engagement could progress into marriage. This process normally lasted several weeks if not months.
However even if the flower bloomed, this did not always mean a marriage would follow. Though it was rare, a few cases were recorded of couples ending the engagement and calling off the marriage. When this happened, not only was the Sangre Flower to be disposed of, but the ropes that were knotted together were to be cut by at least one of the members involved in the engagement.
Once both families reached the castle, anther crowd had formed. This crowd was full of other noblemen and upperclass Lyrans. It seemed as though all of high society would be present for this momentous event.
Lyra and Copia used to have a history of violence with one another, yet recently this violence and hatred had ceased with the newer generation of rulers. Both King Alan and King Lemoine were aware of the need to become united. Both kingdoms had very successful trading ports, but the important thing both kingdoms had were a good navy. If war were to break out with several kingdoms, Lyra would need Copia as an ally, not an enemy. Otherwise, both kingdoms were sure to suffer great losses.
The joining of the eldest daughter of King Lemoine and the son of King Alan was the two kingdoms' form of a peace treaty. As long as the marriage went according to plan, so did the peace treaty and alliance. However, were the marriage to fail, King Lemoine was sure to change his mind about matters.
"How do you feel, Son?" King Alan asked Henry as the young prince changed into the white clothing laid out for him in his chambers. Princess Karolina was just down the hall in the room she would be staying in until the wedding, then both the prince and princess would have a new room to share. Like the prince, the princess was dressing in white clothing as well. The white symbolized innocence and purity. Until the day of the wedding, both of them were to wear at least one article of white clothing.
It was not often that Henry did not know what to say. But for once, he was unsure of how he felt. He was both excited and nervous. Princess Karolina was beautiful, but she was both young and foreign. He knew little of her culture and wondered what characteristics she possessed. Would she be strong and outspoken like his sister? Or kind and gentle like his mother? Personally, Henry hoped she would be a quiet girl whose beauty would do the talking. He loved that she was gorgeous and was sure to be the center of attention in any room she was in, as long as she didn't act upon this attention. It seemed shallow, but he wanted her to be seen, not heard. He didn't like other people's opinions when they differed from his own. If she was outspoken and argued with him, Henry might not be able to survive with her sitting next to his throne.
The idea of the princess being his ideal type of woman made Henry feel better about the idea of marriage. "Never better," Prince Henry answered his father confidently.
Once both he and the princess were dressed, they met each other back down in front of the castle and the ceremony was commenced. Prince Henry stood in front of the display with his father and mother on his left and his future bride and the king and queen of Copia on his right. Lyra's highest priest stood between the young couple. He stood on a raised platform and spoke loudly so the crowd could hear him.
"Today is a day for celebration because today is the day that the ropes of unity be tied together," the priest was older and so his speech was slow, yet his voice carried through the crowd. "This will signify the beginning of a new era in which the kingdom of Lyra and the kingdom of Copia will be at peace with one another and at war with anyone who threatens the other."
"To begin the ceremony, I ask that King Alan and King Lemoine tie the knot of unity." The priest waited and watched as Henry's father and King Lemoine happily tied the knot. They helped each other hang it from the display and then stood off to the side.
"Now that the knot has been tied and hung, I ask that the young couple step forward and face each other." Prince Henry cleared his throat nervously and stepped toward the beautiful princess. The priest stayed on his platform and motioned for his help to bring forth the knife. "Prince Henry, to signify your love for Princess Karolina and your vow to never let anyone else harm her, please produce your sacrifice."
Prince Henry was handed the knife and a drop of sweat fell from his forehead as he tried not to focus on the crowd watching him and the task ahead. He lifted the sleeve of his white shirt and then slid the knife across his arm, gritting his teeth as the pain subsided and the blood poured.
He swallowed his relief that the hardest part was over and stepped over to the bowl of blessed water. He let the blood drip from his arm and into the bowl, watching as it dropped and mixed with the water.
He shook his thoughts and then he stepped back while one of the priests' servants cleaned the knife and another bandaged Henry's arm.
The prince eyed Princess Karolina, looking for signs of fear and weakness. She did well in hiding her anxiety but Henry could see the worry in her eyes. He wondered if she feared the sight of blood. If so, the thought of cutting her own arm must be terrible for her.
"Now I ask that Princess Karolina do the same and draw her own blood to signify her willingness to stay by Prince Henry's side and assist him in ruling the kingdom of Lyra by providing comfort and future heirs."
He watched as the princess flinched at the last statement. He wondered if she, like Elysia, was bitter with the role women played in society. Queens were not needed to help a king plan battle, or rule his kingdom, queens were necessary for heirs. Ariana was the one exception in that King Alan not only allowed his wife to assist in his duties but encouraged it. Henry glanced at his parents now and saw that his parents were holding hands and gazing into each other's eyes, as if reminiscing their own engagement years ago.
The princess was handed the newly cleaned knife, though she hesitated. The weapon looked wrong in the hands of such a gentle beauty. She looked like she had never held a knife before, something Elysia would have scoffed at. The thought made him smile. Elysia was definitely not a princess to be trifled with or taken for granted. She would never go through with an arranged marriage, though Henry feared she may have to.
Finally, Princess Karolina worked up the courage to pull the sleeve of her white dress up and slowly slide the knife across her arm. Her hand trembled and at first she did not push hard enough to draw blood, but after a moment she closed her eyes and blood soon welled from her once flawless skin.
A tear fell from the princess' cheek and Henry hoped no one else noticed. He did not want people to think the princess was weak, someone who was not fit to bear him children.
As if she could sense his thoughts, the princess quickly wiped the tear away, stood up straighter, and handed the knife away. She walked up to the bowl and let her blood drip into it. She seemed to stare into the mixture, as if mystified by what she saw.
The priest's voice gave her a jump and she moved back to her original position next to Prince Henry, then allowed her arm to be wrapped.
"The seeds of the relationship have been planted and so the seeds of the Sangre Flower shall be as well." The priest stepped down from his platform and turned to the bowl. He pulled some seeds from his robe pocket and placed them into the bowl.
Nothing happened, as was expected, but Henry was still a little let down. All this fuss just to announce he would soon be wed to Princess Karolina.
The prince felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see his father smiling proudly at him. His mother smiled too, but her's was forced. Henry could tell she hated the idea of an arranged marriage. After all, she had married King Alan out of free will, not because she had to. She married him because she loved him.
His mother was very adamant about teaching her children the importance of true love. But Henry did not really believe in such a thing. Yes, he believed his mother and father were deeply in love but were they meant to be? Did they fall in love because the stars aligned? For Henry, the answer was no. The stars stayed where they were and the day they married was just another day. Love was a concept Henry had never grasped and he wasn't sure he ever would.