Marriage

Damien barely slept throughout the night. At first, he had thought Audrey would be unable to sleep because she felt uncomfortable beside him and had tried to convince him to sleep somewhere else. She didn't sleep until he turned his back to her when he looked at her again; she was fast asleep and snoring.

Seeing her in his clothes did strange things to his body, and he could barely sleep without wanting to touch her. It seemed he had punished himself by placing her beside him. It was uncomfortable.

Not wanting to make her more uncomfortable, he washed himself first, dressed, and left her still fast asleep in the room. He locked the door behind him because he didn't trust that she would stay without wanting to escape. He just needed to continue that until she learned to trust him.

The palace was busy with officials; because of the upcoming war, emergency meetings were going to be held. No one expected less, as it had been a long time since war descended on the kingdom. Damien was supposed to move to the hall, too, but he went in search of Audrey's maid. He needed her to prepare her for their marriage, and the only one who could help was the maid.

Unlike the crown prince's marriage, theirs would be simpler; there won't be a big ceremony. It would be just him, his bride, and the official joining them together.

People whispered as Damien moved but dared not look at him directly. He walked into the maids' quarter, and the hall bubbling with noise went silent. Everyone focused on their work after bowing to greet him.

Damien didn't respond to any of them as he strode towards his destination until he saw a young lady seated alone, tending to her duties. None of the other maids alerted her about the stranger in their hall as her back was towards the entrance.

It wasn't until Damien touched her shoulder that she jumped up, making the cloth in her hand fall. She turned around, instantly bowing for him. The rest stared at them curiously and silently.

Without words, she followed him out of the maids' quarter. He instructed her to tend to Audrey and gave her the key to the room while he moved to the general hall for the meetings.

By the time he got there, the meeting was already in full motion; he took his seat beside the king and listened to the official's words.

"I believe we won't have much to worry about with the crown prince married to a princess; we already have an ally in that kingdom. Also, we need to know what sort of power the crown prince possesses now." Philo said. He wasn't satisfied that his daughter didn't become the crown princess, but he was ready to milk the situation to his advantage.

"I don't think we should rely on just the royal family. Every noble family should send their sons to join the army. We need more strategy then relying on the crown prince power right now," Another countered.

His suggestion didn't sit well with the house as they burst into arguments, turning the room into a bustling market. 

Damien remained silent, watching them like a predator watches its prey, if there was something he knew about the nobles, it was the fact that they would never act in the interest of the commoners. They only do things that interest them. 

It wasn't until the king hit a staff on the floor that they all went silent at once. It wasn't an ordinary staff; it was a symbol of authority in the kingdom. Satisfied, the king cleared his throat, "I see no reason to turn my palace into a bustling market. I've two sons, why should I sacrifice my people's son for war. Today Prince Damien will be joined in holy matrimonial with his wife, and the princes will prepare for war."

 The room remained silent; no one dared countered the king, for they knew that the time their suggestion was cherished had long passed. 

After a few more discussions about the kingdom, the House of Lords was dismissed. 

Meanwhile, when Audrey woke up, her first impression was everything that happened was a nightmare. But, when she realized the room she slept in, the unfamiliarity of the room, and the deep vacant space beside her, she knew she hadn't imagined it in any way. She had truly lost the chance of becoming the queen of this kingdom.

She ran towards the door at the same time the door open and sighed in relief when she saw Phina. She pulled Phina's sleeve, "I need to get out of this room," but the lady only locked the door back and pocketed the key.

Surprised, Audrey stared at her, "What do you think you are doing?"

Phina entered the room, "The prince asked me to prepare you for your marriage. You need to give up on escaping, there's no where you can ran to in this kingdom."

She didn't believe that; she had her father, and there was no way her father would ever abandon her. She was his only daughter, and he had always cared for her.

"Just open the door for me. I know what to do."

Phina ignored her and continued setting things on a nearby table, "I'm sorry my lady, but I can't go against the prince." She wished she could help, but she had a family to protect, and disobeying the prince's order wouldn't help her protect them.

Audrey moved back to the door and tugged on it. If Phina wouldn't help her, she wouldn't give up that easily. She moved the door, but it refused to open. After repeating that for minutes, she resigned to her faith and met Phina. She just needed to endure it for now. She thought she could run for it when she left the room.

Phina quickly got her dressed up before she changed her mind again. And just in time, she heard the doorknob rattle and open; Damien walked inside in his beauty.

Immediately, Phina pulled the key out for him and dropped it in his hand. But he returned it to her. "I need you to keep this in case the lady needs anything."

She bowed her head and excused herself from the room.

Audrey watched the scene with narrowed eyes.

Damien didn't exchange a word with her as he moved deeper inside and stripped himself. Audrey gasped and looked away from him. The guy didn't care for anything. He strips whenever he likes and sleeps naked. Her cheeks reddened when she remembered how she had easily slept comfortably in his presence and how safe she had felt beside him. He hadn't done anything to hurt her or make her feel uncomfortable.

When she turned again, Damien was dressed in royal attire and looked just as breathtaking as he had when he had stolen her from her husband. She frowned as she remembered that.

"Wipe that frown off your face; we are getting married, now!"

Audrey scoffed, "I'll never get married to you."

He nodded absently, "Today is the only available date. Preparation for war is going on, and I wouldn't want to leave you back home a single woman. But, if you're my wife, you can go with me anywhere."

Surprised, her eyeball widened. That wasn't possible. Women weren't allowed anywhere near a battlefield. But again, Prince Damien had never acted like every man does. There was nothing he could say to make her get married to him.

"If you don't want to get married to me today, you can remain in this room until I get back from war preparation."

A threat. She looked around the room; being cooped up here for a day had done her more harm than good. If marrying him was what he wanted to hear, she would humor him, but she was escaping as soon as possible.

"Okay."

She expected him to be surprised, but his expression didn't change a bit. It was as if he had expected her to agree to his proposal.

"Then let's go."

The ceremony was small; the opposite of what she had with the crown prince. Fortunately, her parents were there, it gave her a bit sense of belonging.

Audrey looked far away as the priest talked about the couple's union and things they needed to know as they would live together. She wondered if the palace would be the best place to escape, but she had noticed the number of security on the way. Being outside would be better, and everyone would be focused on the celebration; they wouldn't see her escape.

"I now pronounced you man and wife."

He turned towards he and Audrey closed her eyes immediately. She knew what was next. She waited for him to complete the ceremony.

She waited

And waited.

When she saw nothing happening, she opened her eyes to see him staring at her with a glint of excitement. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Let's go wife, we have a journey to prepare for."