Page 3 of A Kingdom of Broken Bonds

My purpose has always been clear—I am to represent my kingdom and be married to my mate, one of King Drath’s sons. As a child, I loved the idea that I would get to be a princess one day, and that this special destiny was mine and mine alone. However, as I grew up and saw my peers begin to flourish and grow into ladies who chose their own destinies, my purpose began to feel more restrictive. I have never resented my fate, but I will admit to some jealousy over the course of my adolescence. As I became an adult, my future was something I accepted, and until now, I have been waiting for the king to decide I am worthy.

That time has finally come.

Having already travelled for over four hours, we are on the last leg of our journey. An hour out from our destination is a trading post and the last signs of civilisation before the huge walls that surround Drathlor City. No one dares venture too closely to the walls, and those who do never return. Even here, at the outpost, the humans and handful of changed vampires look ragged and hold a fear in their eyes you don’t see in other citizens of the land. This has always been my least favourite part of the journey, as we swap from horseback to riding in a carriage.

King Drath decreed that all of the chosen females had to arrive via carriage when called back to the city, so this small trading post is where we do exactly that. I hate riding in the carriage, it feels so confining, and I wish I was out on Shadow’s back, feeling the wind in my hair. Much to the disgust of my tutors, I’ve always had a wild streak they’ve not been able to tame. As I grew, I began to see the consequences of that behaviour, and I learned to hide it. No matter how much I hate riding in this carriage and wearing my hair in a neat braid, I do as is expected of me.

I know better than to push the king on issues such as this.

Taking a deep breath, I look down at the scroll on my lap, my eyes scanning the letters without really seeing them. I’ve memorised every word of the summons, having read it many times.

I’ve waited for many years, always being told that when the day came, I’d be whisked away to meet my mate and become his bride. Now that it’s here, I find that I’m not ready, but not because of a lack of training, no, I know exactly what’s expected of me. The things that circle in my mind now are the questions that no one could have prepared me for—questions about… feelings. As a race, vampires are very good at keeping their emotions hidden, and it’s frowned upon to be overly emotional. The excitement in starting my new life isn’t here, pulsing in my chest as I expected it to be. Instead, I feel nauseous, confused, and full of trepidation. Is it normal for me to feel this way?

One thing that has also been playing on my mind is that Felix is going to be here, and I can’t place my finger on why this is disturbing me so much. I never expected him to be there on my wedding day, and certainly not like this. As my friend, I should be happy that he’s going to be present on one of the most important days of my existence, yet here I am, feeling conflicted.

Geoff sits opposite me in the carriage, staring out of the window with a distant expression, also lost in his thoughts. As my escort, he has to travel with me and attend me as an advisor, tutor, and father figure, and I can’t help but wonder if he’s finding this whole experience as uncomfortable as I am. Taking in his expression, I doubt it. Geoff is a stickler for the rules and hides his emotions better than any vampire I’ve ever met.

Returning my focus to the window beside me, I run my gaze over the barren landscape as the carriage races over the dry, dusty plains. All of our guards are riding alongside the carriage to keep us safe from the many threats that prowl the land, and I know Felix is out there with them.

Before the war, it never used to be this way, and our land was green and prosperous, with towns lining the borders between our neighbouring kingdoms. After the war, the life was stripped from Trador. Even now, I can see the burnt, dilapidated ruins from what must have been an old town, a reminder of the cost we all paid during the war.

The continent of Drathlor is made up of eight kingdoms, the largest of which is Drathlor City. The name makes it sound like it would be small, and I don’t know why they chose to call a whole kingdom a city, but the main city alone is enormous, and almost as large as half of Trador. I’ve never seen the rest of the land that Drathlor City stands in, and strangely, no one ever speaks of it, but it extends into a huge mountain range known simply as the Border. No one has ever been able to give me an explanation of the name or what it’s supposed to border.

The city is home to King Drath and his court, where he rules over us all, while the remaining seven kingdoms are spread out like a fan around Drathlor City. There are seven main races, other than humans whom we share our continent with, and each race rules their own kingdom—merfolk, witches, beasts, shifters, centaurs, dragon folk, and, of course, the vampires, whose land is in the middle.

Each kingdom has their own king or queen who rules them, and generally, they reign peacefully and dole out justice within their own lands. However, King Drath has overall supremacy when it comes to what happens on the continent.

He was the one who united the races and stopped the great war, and as such, each land promised one of their females to him. These females are to marry one of the citizens of Drathlor City at the king’s discretion, spending half the year in his court until that time. It is because of this that I travel to Drathlor City every six months and spend the remainder of the year within his castle.

As a child, I was taught what was expected of me as a future bride, but now that I’m older, I see it for what it is—a way of controlling my kingdom. By never being allowed to spend more than six months in my homeland, it makes me different from my peers and difficult to establish meaningful relationships. I’m never fully trusted by those in Drathlor City due to my ties with the royals of my country, yet because I spend so much time in the city, there are those in Trador who believe I’m nothing more than a spy.

By having a permanent hold over me, King Darth has a constant, not so subtle threat over my people. If Trador were ever to rebel against Drathlor, my life would be forfeit. Although it would be easy for my people to kill me to break this hold, they can’t due to the prophecy.

Just as King Drath was attempting to unify us, a prophecy was unveiled. A seer from each of the races received the message at the exact same moment, speaking in unison on the battlefields.

Seven lands, seven brides.

Lands united, peace will reign,

Harbour this warning if you are out for your own gain.

Without the brides, it matters not what is planned,

For the deadly war will destroy the land.

The firstborn will take the lead.

Silver surrounds her,

as bright as the hope she helps take seed.

Thirst for blood will twist the tide,

A macabre warning for those who wish to kill the bride.

The prophecy goes on to describe the other brides and their struggles, along with a warning that if we don’t complete our destinies, our races will suffer for it. I am the eldest of the brides, so it was clear that I am the first bride. My silver hair was another dead giveaway, along with the warning about a thirst for blood. As a vampire, we are the only race to drink blood, so there was never any doubt that this would be me.

My verse protects me, not only because of the prophecy as a whole, but due to the specific line at the end warning those who want me dead. Hence why my people still accept me within the kingdom, albeit reluctantly. Without me, they would be destroyed.

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