1 Meeting Him

Talia sat in front of the mirror, looking at her pale face. Her silver hair - almost as white as the moon - was twisted into a curled bun with a golden pin securing it atop the back of her head. She could see a beautiful woman dressed in white. But Talia never knew the concept of beauty. Not when she has been locked in the castle since the day she was born.

Because of her damned fate, she was forced to hide from the eyes of the People. She was not supposed to be seen, heard, or even see the world outside the high walls of the castles without being escorted by the Royal Guards or the Handmaidens standing guards outside of her room.

Gathering her trembling hands around herself, she carefully and slowly took a breath.

"You can do this, Talia," she chanted softly like a whisper of lullaby a mother would sing to a babe who was crying so piercingly like a howling ghost. "You can do it."

Holding herself together by fooling herself that she can go through this. That she could live up to their expectations. However, having not eaten anything for the sole purpose of preparing for this day, Talia found it difficult to stay on her ground. Losing consciousness was not what she planned to do before she met her intended groom.

At least, not until she got what the Kingdom of Thalasia wanted through this marriage. Of course, not until she got what she wanted.

Suddenly, the door rattled as it was pushed open. Talia quickly reached for the veil thrown to the side and put it on to cover her face from being seen. She moved as fast as lighting as the person who entered her room also didn't seem to notice that she took off the veil they painstakingly put on top of her head.

"Princess... You look beautiful." Talia heard her handmaiden say from behind her..

Talia looked at the handmaiden through the flimsy cover of the veil. The world she could see from within the veil was limited. But since she had been wearing it, Talia had already grown used to it to the point that she could tell that the handmaiden was merely gracing her with empty words of comfort.

She didn't even know how she looked. How can the handmaiden tell her she's beautiful? Talia mockingly thought to herself. But her musing only ended with her thinking of how her father stole her freedom.

Still, Talia gladly accepted the compliment and ignored the gnawing disappointment that was growing inside of her. Fortunately, as limited the freedom that was given to her, she could still speak to her handmaidens and her immediate family members.

"Indeed... she looks pretty in that gown," a male voice said somewhere behind the maid, who stood in front of the opened door. Talia flinched as soon as she heard it. She almost wanted to turn and give him a dirty look. "After all, my daughter can't look ugly in front of her groom."

Biting her lips under the veil, she remained motionless as a statue, not giving him any sense of pleasure of gaining a reaction from her. The man, whom by title and name, was her father, and was none other than the King of Thalasia.

Though he called her daughter, aside from the blood cursing through her veins, he was more like her keeper.

Forcefully closing her eyes and trying to keep the sadness and pain inside her, Talia didn't want to disappoint herself by imagining what life could be if her father treated her more kindly like how he treated his other children.

"Let's go," her father said. "It's time for you to meet your groom."

After stepping out of the room, where she was trapped inside for many years and could only leave when she was ordered to and called upon, King Guillo leads his daughter to the twisting halls of the castle, down to several winding staircases, and to the gardens she hasn't had the chance to explore.

The banner of the royal crest fluttered when the cold night breeze swept through it in a gentle caress. Talia looked away from the royal crest - the symbol of the royal family. The night was dead. No servants, guards, or handmaidens were traveling across the places they passed through. It almost gave her an illusion of walking in an abandoned, ghostly castle.

However, Talia knew why there was no one around.

No one was allowed to see her, know of her existence, and hear her voice. They must never figure out who she was and what she is to them. And they must never find out what was about to happen that night.

After minutes of walking outside, turning into almost half an hour, Talia's father finally stopped in front of a huge oak door created from an old oak tree cut into a door and carved with twisting, delicate patterns.

"Wait inside the chamber for your groom. Do not speak unless he orders you to. Do not let him see your face until you secure the marriage, and do not ever disobey him," the King harshly reminded her, his words pulling her from her momentary distracted impulse to explore the castle. "The dignity and honor of the Lionheart family lay on your shoulders. Do not disappoint me."

Like a slap of reality in the wonderland, her father's words cut through deeper into her flesh, reminding her of what he expected her to do.

But Talia had no choice but to follow him. Well, for now at least.

Talia's father took a step back from the door, staying a few feet away from it as if even an inch of being near the door was akin to doing something taboo that could ruin the marriage he was zealously looking forward to more than Talia did, the bride.

It all worked for her anyway as Talia didn't want him to be around her all the same. With him beside her, there was no way she could do what she wanted without being watched.

Pushing open the door, the heavy creaking sounded throughout the chamber inside. The sound of the door as though it would fall from its hinges any second from now replaced the peals of bells she usually heard when somebody got married in the Temple.

'You can do this, Talia.'

'This is a step away from your freedom.'

Her thoughts continued to pour inside her head as she walked down the aisle. The pews in the Temple were empty. No one was around. Talia was alone.

However, the emptiness of the Temple was soon not as empty as it had been before.

Not long after she entered the chamber, the curtain covering the windows fluttered ferociously as if a storm was happening outside. But there was no rain nor storm. It was just her inside an empty chamber.

The sea of candles illuminating the chamber with golden glow was suddenly extinguished. One by one. Until, only darkness accompanied her.

Once more, Talia bit her lips as she tried to keep the gasp threatening from leaving her lips. She aimlessly looked around in the dark. She could hear her heart rapidly banging against her chest, telling her to run away. It was her instinct screaming. But a stubborn side of her forced the fear down, and then, that annoying voice ceased as courage rose inside her.

'I needed to do this. For freedom.'

'Boom!'

The loud clapping sound of thunder rang throughout the sky accompanied by the silver light pooling through the gaps of the windows, temporarily lighting up the chamber where Talia was inside.

But that few seconds was enough for her to see something in the dark.

And Talia realized that she was no longer alone.