The Crown's Entrapment

Everyone in the hall gasped at the Princess of Ebodia’s words. It was an unexpected development, but historians had never failed to take note of such sincere vows from the Princess. Her eyes were filled with emotions, ones that touched everyone present in the halls. All except for the villains, of course, who were against this union in the first place because of their personal greed for power.

While the event wouldn’t be witnessed by all Cordonian subjects throughout every corner of the realm, the royal family would see to it that they would also be well informed of the exact happenings of the event through mind links and announcements that would be formally done in every pack in the kingdom.

“I’m… You caught me off guard…” Darius murmured.

“Surprise…” Xenia whispered back, a beautiful smile on her face even as she extended her hand out and wiped away his tears. “I spent a bit of time on that, you know.”

Darius chuckled at her sincerity before then firmly holding onto her hand. Taking a deep breath, he composed himself as he was about to put the ring on her finger.

“I am truly blessed by the Almighty to be given the privilege of experiencing the Mate Pull,” Darius began. “But not I wasn’t captivated merely because of it. Instead, you earned my respect. My warmth. You made it so that it was easy to fall in love with you, not because of the Pull, but because of how wonderful you are both as a woman and as a person. There is no other person I’d like to be with in this life other than you. You, whose love and affection will be there to be my guiding light when all hope is lost. You, Xen, who has done her best to achieve the right to stand by my side.”

The crowd ate up his vows, some even being moved to tears as his heartfelt speech reached even those that weren’t even married in the first place. Still, Darius paid them no mind.

Instead, his entire world currently revolved around the woman in front of him, of how the ring that now resided snuggly on her finger would now signify that they were lawfully wedded in both of their respective customs. Her, who would assuredly bear him his heirs without so much as a complaint.

Her, who would risk even her very life just for her to be able to say that she earned her right to be her Queen.

“If there is nothing else to be said, let it be known to the world and to the Almighty that Princess Xenia of Ebodia and King Darius of Cordon are now husband and wife,” the bishop declared aloud, anointing the two in part of the ceremony. “From here on, their kingdoms would now be forever intertwined; an alliance forged in blood and sanctity as should happen when royals wed.”

Darius blinked as he heard the declaration. While it was true that the wedding also meant that Cordon was now officially in an alliance with the Kingdom of Ebodia, hearing it being announced at his own wedding left a somber tone in his happiness. It reminded him that war was still beyond the horizon, that Xen’s home was still embroiled in enough fighting that they needed all the help they could get with.

“You may now kiss the bride, Your Majesty.”

But of course, it all melted away at that one declaration. Focusing on his mate, Xen’s glistening lips almost invited him to ravish them right in front of the crowd. In front of their own family and friends, he almost felt like he could ignore them and take her right then and there.

[Care to try that out then?] Zeus teased.

“Husband?”

He blinked in shock, his mind almost wanting to question if his hearing had been right based on what he just heard.

“Husband?” he repeated out.

“That is what you are to me now, isn’t it?” his new wife knowingly smiled at him. “I might as well get some practice in with calling you that.”

Husband… Somehow, the term sat well within his heart, his joy soaring as the reality of the situation finally sank in.

Without any reservations at all, Darius held onto his wife’s shoulders, pulling her close to him before giving her lips the much-needed kiss they so clearly deserved.

Almost immediately, those present in the event erupted into cheers, calls of celebration filling the air as whistles and hollers almost made everyone in the room go deaf in happiness. Still, it all never seemed to register as the newly-wedded couple held their kiss. Seconds passed… even going as far as a full minute or two as they relished the event. Each second was seared into memory, historians assuredly writing about this historic wedding for decades to come.

Of course, the two were still mortal, and before long, they finally drifted apart, their cheeks burning deep red as the sounds of their breaths drowned out even the loudest of the cheers going on around them.

“This… This is really happening…” Xen whispered out, almost in disbelief.

“Indeed, it is,” Darius smiled, his own overwhelming feelings making it hard for him to believe it was all real. “As of now, you, in your own customs, are officially my wife.”

He couldn’t help but smile as he pulled her in close once more, forgoing the kiss in favor of wrapping an arm around her waist. Holding her beside him, Darius almost felt invincible. That with her by his side, he’d be able to take on even the worst that any of his enemies could even field against him. Whether it was Helion’s armies knocking on their doorstep, or even Nasser and his evil acts, he would manage to surpass and defeat all of them. All while being able to run and lead his kingdom to heights it had never seen before even before his father’s time.

Come hell or highwater, so long as Xen was by his side, Darius was confident that he’d be able to achieve anything.