026:- The Morning of the Wedding

Silvan was too out of it to walk her to the door, he stared at the gold bowl of pomegranate seeds on the table. In the light of the candles sitting in the intricately carved candelabra, it looked like drops of blood, it made a shiver go through him.

By the time he could bring himself to look away from the red glossy seeds, Queen Nadia had been gone for a while. Silvan had no choice but to get to his feet to finish undressing, he still needed to get adequate sleep although he doubted he would be getting any sleep after the information the Vampire Queen had personally brought to his chambers.

Silvan's wardrobes had already been filled with the clothes he brought from Asten, and there were even more clothes provided by the Vampires. Despite also being royalty, there was a vast difference in the quality of fabrics. They were all the same to Silvan though, he was far too used to his priestly robes.

He changed into his night clothes and got on the extravagantly large bed, he drew the drapes, hoping that the dark interior would better help him sleep. In the dimness of the bed's interior, Silvan's eyes were wide open. The obscured light of candles gave rise to unsettling shapes and phantoms in his bed, an infernal demon with red eyes and wretched black hair seemed to hover over him, thirsting for his blood.

Silvan woke up tired, it might have been better if he had sat up all night. He drew the heavy velvet drapes open to find that it was already light outside, he had slept the longest in weeks but it seemed to be detrimental to him. He didn't remember falling asleep, vague memories of his horrific dreams fading away as he got off the bed.

It was a miracle he had managed to fall asleep, it was more likely that he had passed out in exhaustion, it would explain why his sleep was plagued with formless dreams and far from restful. Silvan noted that the fruits and wine from last night had been cleared out again, and when he went to the bathroom, the steaming bathtub had already been prepared for him.

Silvan caught a glimpse of himself in one of the heavy ornate mirrors in the bathroom, although he had slept dreadfully, he didn't look any worse. He was already pale and drawn, with dark circles under his eyes, very little could worsen his current state.

There seemed to be some life to his face after a hot bath, he stepped out of the bathroom to find that clothes had been laid out for him. Silvan decided not to question the maids who seemed to materialize in his quarters out of thin air, complete their duties, and then disappear just as silently— his plate of troubles was already quite full.

He obediently put the white outfit on, it was completely white, the cravat, waistcoat, and overcoat as well. The waistcoat and overcoat were embroidered with vines in the same color, it looked quite ethereal. The white was startling against his dour skin however, it brought out the sallowness in his face and made his hair look grayish.

Silvan couldn't care less for esthetics, however, antsy as the ceremony drew near. Breakfast had been prepared and placed on the table but he barely spared it a glance, scarcely stopping himself from pacing. Now he wished he had more of a presence of mind to question Queen Nadia last night, at least then he would have known what time the ceremony would be held.

A knock on the door made him freeze and watch the door intently, the door opened carefully and white hair poked inside. "Sorry to show up unannounced," Queen Nadia said cheerily.

Silvan never imagined he would ever be relieved to see the Vampire Queen, he walked over dutifully to receive her. "It's no bother, Your Majesty." He said woodenly.

"How noble," She sighed, a hand over her heart. "Look at you, already dressed, you look dashing. Alessio is still in bed, the maids can't get him off, I might need to go in person."

Silvan listened to Queen Nadia's colorful complaints, picturing a group of frazzled servants trying to drag Alessio off his bed. It helped a bit to assuage the damning images of the infernal creature from the mosaic at the temple that plagued him ever since Queen Nadia informed him about the customary bites that were shared at wedding ceremonies.

"Perhaps I should take you with me," Nadia schemed, watching Silvan's reaction closely through her warm smile. "He might be more receptive to your presence."

"I'm certain Your Majesty wouldn't need the help of a stranger," He turned her down decisively, eager to move on to different topics.

The Queen, however, seemed content to chat about Alessio's sleeping habits for hours. "Oh, don't say that," She gently scolded him, "You're already family, the wedding ceremony today is merely protocol."

Silvan said nothing to that, asking instead what he wanted to know more than anything else. "When is the ceremony?" He asked ambiguously.

Queen Nadia had walked past him, treating his room like he had lived at the castle for years. She opened the lattice doors and drew the drapes to reveal the balcony, it brought more light into the room and it warmed Silvan up a bit. "In less than an hour, are you feeling nervous? I could have maids bring you some sweet wine."

Silvan was horrified, in an hour? And Prince Alessio was still in bed? The Vampire Queen walked back to him with the sunlight illuminating her from behind, it was difficult to conflate this warm, pleasing face to the hag that had tormented him all night.

"Are you worried about Alessio?" Queen Nadia asked, surprisingly perceptive. "Don't be, that child has always been like that. He'll certainly be on time, you don't need to concern yourself with that." She walked back to him, patting his shoulder.

Silvan was still silent, there was really nothing else to be said. Vampires were certainly less strict with protocols but that was somewhat to his benefit, the sooner the ceremony began, the sooner it would end and he could put it all behind him.

"I better go to Alessio's room," Queen Nadia tutted, heading for the door. "If you need anything, I'll be right next door."