Page 3 of The Princess and The Warrior

She nodded, swallowed hard, then walked with me to the front of the room.

The crowd at the chapel was enormous. Mounted knights, the entire royal guard, and every wealthy citizen in the land filed into the small building. Those for whom there was no room inside hovered around outside.

Luckily, the ceremony was short. Yet I could tell from the lusty glances of the seven elders that they were looking forward to the consummation ceremony.

As far as I knew, only this realm continued the barbaric practice of the bride being taken for the first time in front of the elders. Their supervision was supposed to bring peace, blessings, and fertility upon the new couple, but all I could think was that it must be humiliating for the bride.

It was terrible enough to be married off to a stranger, but to my mind having such an intimate moment in front of others was absolutely cruel. Surely no young maiden would wish to be tied to the ceremonial post and deflowered in front of older men, especially when she’d just met her husband moments ago.

I had made a special request to the King the second I found out we were to be wed, and prayed that he would grant us this one tiny modification for his daughter.

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Althea

The knowledge that so many eyes were on me caused my vision to blur and my breathing to stutter. Somehow I managed to walk down the aisle on my father’s arm without tripping or fainting. A slight current of anger ran through me from the way he so easily traded my life in thanks for the security of the kingdom. I’d have to think more about that later. Right now I needed my full concentration to slide one foot in front of the other.

My friends were all giving me strange glances, likely wondering if I’d be able to go through with both ceremonies. As a subject, I had to obey the King, even if I was his daughter. I obviously had no choice.

There was a rumor that a bride refu

sed once, and she was thrown in the dungeon for a month before being set free.

Although a Princess would likely be locked in her room instead of the dungeon, my main concern was my family’s reputation. As the youngest daughter, I was considered a special prize. This warrior must have saved our entire army if I was being given to him. There was no way I could dishonor the traditions, even if they were grossly unjust.

The ritual of the elders’ blessing was to ensure that a child would result from a couple’s very first union, and to safeguard the health and safety of all of the children to come.

To me, it was also the most disturbing thing I’d ever heard of. How could you be intimate with a man if there were others in the room chanting?

That particular private moment was cause for nervousness all by itself. I’d admired a few of the soldiers and security men before, but had never seen a man as massive or intimidating as Trax.

Yet he’d been so gentle with me after I’d fainted. His deep, hypnotic eyes had seemed to catch me in a spell. The feeling of his hands on me had made my thighs clench, and my breasts feel too tight in my bodice.

As my father placed my hand into Trax’s giant palm while the priest played the sacred horn, I looked up to Trax’s soft smile. I hoped that he would be kind to me, even when he clearly had to hurt me in just a few minutes.

It wasn’t his fault. It was the horrific rituals of the elders who controlled the customs of our people. I just hoped that I could be silent and brave so that I didn’t shame my family or my new husband.

Once the blessings and scripture had finished, Trax slipped a ring of twisted strands of silver and gold onto my finger. My breath hitched as every eye in the room was riveted on the two of us.

“By the power vested in me by the realm, I now pronounce Prince Trax and the fair Princess Althea to be husband and wife,” the priest said, stepping back.

Trax turned to face me as I looked up at him. Though his tanned face was rugged, his eyes were kind. Instead of yanking me toward him and kissing me roughly, which was the usual custom intended to make the congregation laugh, he moved slowly.

His large hand circled my waist, pulling us together as his fingers trailed along my cheekbone. “I am the luckiest man in the kingdom to have such a beautiful wife,” he said, loudly enough that the first few rows could hear him. As the ladies all sighed and fanned themselves, he bent down to bring his lips to my ear.

“Forgive me, your highness. Your first kiss should not be like this, but we have no choice.”

I smiled to tell him that I understood, that it was the custom. Sure, I was nervous, but I wasn’t angry at him.

Every single thought dissolved as his lips brushed my own. An electrical current seemed to pass between us as he began to pull away, then crushed his mouth to mine. His arms circled me, holding me against his huge, hard body as I tried to stifle the low moan attempting to escape my throat. His hand held the back of my head gently but firmly, perhaps fearing that I might faint again.

Finally, he pushed us apart, as I blinked wildly, trying to focus. His sheepish smile made my heart swell. As he grinned at me, his face softened, making him unusually handsome. Trax kept his thick arm around my waist as he turned us to the crowd, pausing for their cheers and applause.

My hand automatically lifted, waving politely as I was taught, even while I found myself leaning against Trax, nestling into his side.

“You’re doing great, m’lady,” he whispered, holding me close as we slowly walked back down the aisle.

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