The Dragon Prince's Bride
Chapter 58. Wedding.

Chapter 58: 58. Wedding.

Without delay, Barak reached the palace and as soon as the palace knights saw the flying being over the palace, alerts had been made, bells were rang, guards were armed, and sharpened arrows were ready to fire.

"Hold your fire!" The commander of the palace knights cried out as he rushed to the top of the palace walls. "Hold your fire!" He ordered again. And the men watched as the flying being, holding a strange fighting woman in his hand landed in the center of the palace.

Instantaneously, they were surrounded by sharpened long spears held in the hands of battle-ready knights. Barak retracted his wings but still held Neriah firmly in his hands.

"I am your Princess Neriah!" She started." I have been captured by this vile beast! Kill him and set me free." She continued. And Barak could not just believe that anyone could be this adamantly foolish! What in the world was she trying to pull in this obvious situation?

"I never ran away, I was kidnapped by—" Her words were interrupted by the mocking laugh that escaped his mouth. She turned in his arms and stared at him incredulously.

"I was kidnapped by this—" She paused once again as yet again his laugh filled the air. This time even louder than the last. He was mocking her.

By the time she opened her mouth to speak again, she saw her mother almost running toward them with her father The King beside her. Beside them was the King of Trago, and also Lady Bretton.

"Withdraw your weapons." The King Gerald ordered as he got closer.

"Neriah!" Erra cried out as she saw the bruised face of her child. "What happened to you!" She ran to her and Barak released Neriah to go to her mother.

"Prince Barak, you know ’tis a sin to open your wings in an elven kingdom. So for what reason have—" Barak did not wait for the older man to finish his words before he spoke up.

"Seeing my bride-to-be in danger, I could not help but do all I could to save her. Even though it meant committing a grave sin. I found her hiding in that accursed forest about to be devoured by the soul seeking beasts. Using my wings was the quickest way to get us both out." He calmly explained and Erra gasped in shock realizing what Neriah had done once again. The very foolish act.

Gerald was short of words. He just did not know what to say.

"Child! Are you alright? Look at your face. Does it not hurt? You have cuts on all your precious flesh. Does it hurt?" Erra worriedly touched every part of her daughter.

Neriah on the other hand had a little smirk on her face. She was glad her mother showed no ounce of anger over her failed attempt at an escape, and was instead worried for her safety. "Oh mother, I was so scared. Those beasts, those beasts were so huge. They almost— ack!" Neriah’s eyes widened with confusion as her palm held her left cheek that burned due to the impact of her mother’s swift and very unexpected palm landing on her face.

"M_mother?"

"I know you can be stubborn. I know you can be very stubborn. But I did not think you would be foolish too! If you were going to run then you should have done just that!" The queen trembled with anger.

"What in Aveliana’s name were you thinking when you ventured into that forest on your own! If you wished to have yourself killed then you should have just stabbed yourself and gotten a peaceful death, but you went into that forest!" Erra yelled, holding herself back from landing another factory resetting slap on Neriah’s face.

"Do you know what would have befallen you had he not shown up!! You would have been torn limb from limb! You would have been tortured and persecuted very slowly! You—" She faltered and Gerald saw his wife tremble so he moved closer to her and held her shoulders, pressing her back to his chest gently.

"My Queen—" He whispered to her, soothing her anger. "Prince Barak, once again you have been made to face hardship for the sake of our child." Gerald shook his head wearily. "I shall once again seek your understanding and forgiveness." And once again he bowed his head to Barak.

"And I am grateful that you have returned her to us."

A low hum and nod was Barak’s response to the man’s words.

Gerald’s lips pursed as he stared at his daughter for a little moment before turning his gaze back to Barak.

"I am truly ashamed that I shall have to give such child away to you for wife. I believe we have failed to instill some certain morals in her. So for that, I am certain after seeing this, you too would not want this sort of woman for wife. I truly can not give her to you. My conscience, morals and respect for you would not allow me to do it. So the wedding—"

"Has been prepared for, I believe." Barak interrupted the man, making Gerald stare at him with confusion. "And the dowry discussions have been completed?" He turned to his father this time and Bashan nodded to his son.

"Prince Ba—" Gerald tried to speak again but Barak interrupted him yet again.

"Then we shall waste no more second. Her wounds need to be attended to." He simply said. When he saw that Gerald and his wife were still quiet, he spoke up again, "Let us say our vows. Then have her wounds treated quickly." and Neriah’s teary eyes turned and glared at him incredulously.

He then added while staring at her, "I will not go back on my word again. I will have Princess Neriah Claudia Gerald and make her into Crown princess Neriah Claudia Barak Der Drache."

...

Neriah could not believe it was happening. She could not believe it at all. She was speechless. Dumbfounded was the better word. For she just stared blankly at the man who stood before her with her hands in his.

How did she end up in front of the priest who stood next to the statue of the goddess Aveliana? What was this madness! Her life! It was her life slipping away from bare hands. Even after all she had tried, even though she had tried her best to escape. After all her efforts!

She could see her mother and father standing there. They were not smiling, well neither was she. She could see the man whom she had now come to know as the King of Trago kingdom, Bashan. She could see him too standing there with his hands crossed over his broad chest. She could see Lady Bretton and about three other maids.

And that was it. That was all. There were no other person’s there. Just those faces.

How did she end up standing there? Not even in a wedding dress, but in a dirty, rumpled, torn maid’s uniform that had some dots of her blood stains on it and a pair of dirty muddy boots. Her hair was a bushy mess, and her face she was certain was most definitely not presentable.

And the man holding her was also a mess but he probably looked better than her. Now they both stood facing each other, dressed as shabby as they had both been that night when they had first met. Albeit a whole lot messier.

But the point was although they both looked like they were pulled out of the kingdom’s trash dump and probably smelled badly too, he’d just said his vows and seeing that he had slipped a ring upon her finger, it meant she must have also said something like a vow too.

It meant that she was really getting married to a man that was not Lyle. Worse, she was truly getting married to a barbarian no less!

At some point, she knew she had slipped a ring upon his finger too. Maybe she did it on her own, maybe he wore it by himself, she had no idea but they had exchanged rings and now she could hear the priest saying.

"With the authority bestowed upon me by the goddess Aveliana and the temple, I now pronounce thee, husband and wife." She wanted to scoff at the words she believed she heard but she was too numb to do that. She still could not comprehend what was happening. Could not comprehend a moment of the entire ordeal.

"May the peace of Aveliana rest upon your union," The priest continued and Neriah wondered how the peace of Aveliana could be in such a union? She wondered if it was something even possible.

"and may it last for generations unseen." Those were the last words Neriah heard the priest say before she was overwhelmed by sudden strong dizziness followed by a soul-saving darkness. Blackout. Total knockout...

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.