⟐﴾SUNSPIRE, CAPITAL CITY OF ASTRAGARDE﴿⟐
••{RHIANNON’S POV}••
The flowers in my hands shake as I walk down the aisle.
Sunlight streams through the stained-glass windows, painting the cathedral in hues of ruby, sapphire, emerald, and gold. The ængelic voices of the choir rise, accompanied by the beautiful melody of violins. The silk banners of Astragarde and Goldhaven drift in the gentle breeze, and from a distance, I can hear the echo of wedding bells.
I fight to steady my breathing, but my nerves won’t let me. Every step down the aisle feels endless and too short at the same time. And though the crowd is hushed, I can feel the weight of hundreds of eyes following me.
My gaze settles on my family in the front row.
My father, King Eros Aurelian, stands tall in his ceremonial cloak. He has never been the kind of man to cry in front of others, but today his green eyes glimmer with tears. Beside him, my younger brother, Rayn, smiles from ear to ear. My sister, Jesenya, silently mouths, You look beautiful. And little Darren, standing on a cushion to see over the railing, stubbornly clings to the wooden sword he wasn’t supposed to bring.
Across the aisle, Cyrus’s family occupies the seats of highest honor. King Bastian of House Highcrest watches with pride, his hand resting over his heart. At his side, Queen Marianna dabs at her eyes with a silk handkerchief. Cyrus’s older brother, Alexei, meets my gaze and gives me a small nod, a soft smile curving his lips. And Arielle, his younger sister, can barely contain the happiness lighting up her face.
They aren’t just his family anymore. They are about to become mine too.
And then I set my eyes on him.
My love.
My soulmate.
My whole world.
Cyrus.
My betrothed since we were children. My dream since the moment I first understood what love was.
He stands at the altar, dressed in white and gold, and the moment he smiles at me my heart skips a beat.
The moment I reach him, he takes my gloved hand and lifts it to his lips, pressing a soft kiss against my knuckles.
"You’re trembling," he whispers.
"Only because I can’t believe this is happening," I whisper back. "I keep waiting to wake up and find out this is all a dream."
The smile on his face only widens. "If it is, then I’d never want to wake up. Ever."
It’s such a Cyrus thing to say that it makes me laugh, but the sound leaves my lips as nothing more than a quiet breath.
He leans closer, resting his forehead against mine. And for a few heartbeats, we do nothing but stare into each other’s eyes.
Everything else around us falls away in that moment, and for a while, it feels as if the world belongs to only us.
"Rhiannon of House Aurelian," he says, teasing to hide his own nerves. "You are by far the most beautiful terror I’ve ever faced."
I snort, rolling my eyes. "You’re ridiculous."
"And yet you’re smiling," he replies.
Our eyes linger for a moment longer before we finally turn to face the priest together.
As soon as High Priest Ormund lifts his staff, the music fades and the murmurs hush.
"Before Astoria, Goddess of the Heavens," his voice echoes, "we stand as witnesses to the union of these two souls. May honesty dwell between them, and compassion guide their hearts. Let no darkness undo what has been blessed beneath the light."
"So shall it be," the congregation says in unison.
Cyrus’s thumb gently strokes the back of my hand in slow circles, easing the frantic rhythm of my heart.
"Prince Cyrus of House Highcrest," Ormund begins. "Do you swear by Astoria’s light to guard her life as your own, to love her in times of joy and grief, to stay by her side in sickness and in health, and to hold her hand until your very last breath?"
Cyrus meets my eyes with a look so full of love that my heart aches.
"I do," he says softly, a smile curving his lips.
I find myself smiling back before I even realize it.
The priest faces me.
"Princess Rhiannon of House Aurelian, do you swear by Astoria’s light to guard his life as your own, to love him in times of joy and grief, to stay by his side in sickness and in health, and to hold his hand until your last day?"
My lips part. "I—"
A sudden clap of thunder splits the heavens, rattling the cathedral to its foundations. As startled gasps ripple through the crowd, the bright sky outside begins to darken, and the rays of sunlight fade away until the cathedral is consumed entirely by darkness.
My skin prickles all over with goosebumps as a shiver crawls up my spine, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand erect.
"What was that?" someone gasps.
"Is it a storm?"
"The sky, it–it was clear just moments ago..."
"Your Majesty," a noble whispers urgently to my father. "Something is terribly wrong."
Uneasy murmurs ripple throughout the congregation. Nobles rise halfway from their seats, craning their necks toward the stained-glass windows. Even the guards rest their hands on the hilts of their swords.
When I look at Cyrus, I find the same troubled expression etched across his face, but neither of us says a word.
The High Priest lifts his hand to quiet the crowd.
"Remain calm," he says, raising his voice. "Let us all remain—"
The cathedral doors burst open, slamming against the stone walls with a thunderous boom. All the windows explode at once, and thousands of shards rain down on all of us.
Armored soldiers flood into the cathedral with terrifying speed, and in that moment, the congregation descends into chaos.
Nobles scream and scramble over one another, while the guards draw their swords, racing to form a defensive line.
The moment it dawns on me, my heart pounds violently against my ribs.
I open my mouth... but the word leaves my lips as nothing more than a whisper.
"Vampires."
Without hesitation, Cyrus steps in front of me, shielding me with his body while refusing to let go of my hand.
The invaders fall back, forming a clear path before bowing in flawless unison.
From the darkness beyond the doors, a man steps into the cathedral.
His skin is pale as moonlight, his face framed by hair the color of roses, falling over his shoulders in waves. A golden crown sits on top of his head, and he moves with the confidence of a man who owns both the ground beneath his feet and the heavens above.
The cathedral falls dead silent.
The man doesn’t look left or right.
He doesn’t look at the guards pointing their swords at him with shaky hands, or the nobles stumbling backward, or the priest who has forgotten how to speak.
His golden eyes instantly lock with mine, and as he stares, I feel it deep within me, as if he’s looking directly into my soul.
"This union ends now," he commands, his deep voice echoing throughout the cathedral.
Then his lips curve into a cold, devilish smile.
"The princess belongs to me."