Cinder

by J. E. Taylor

  THE ENTIRE CASTLE HUMMED with excitement as I stood in the vestibule of the castle chapel. The bodice of the wedding dress I wore fit my form like a second skin. The satin was soft and lined with gold. The detailed beauty reminded me of my mother’s dress that I wore to the ball, but this was more beautiful and made just for me. Roland, the head of the King’s Guard, stood at the door waiting for the signal from the court. He had agreed to walk me down the aisle in my father’s place. Miranda doted on me, straightening my train and making sure my veil was just right.

  “It’s okay,” I said to her on her fifth check.

  She was worse and more endearing than any little sister could ever be. I adored this child, and I hoped she realized that her job was not done the minute I said ‘I do’. I would need a lady in waiting to help me with my day-to-day duties as princess.

  She blushed and curtseyed before taking her place behind me.

  Roland turned. “Are you ready, my lady?”

  My stomach fluttered, and I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath before I nodded. He hooked his arm in mine as the musicians started to play. We walked through the doors of the chapel, and I nearly stopped at the amount of people filling the seats. Even the balcony was occupied. I recognized faces of our neighbors and some of the craftsmen we used to barter with at the market.

  My nervousness disappeared with one look down the aisle. Prince William stood in his full formal dress including the king’s crest. The man I approached was stunningly handsome. He flashed that smile that made my knees weak, but I continued until Roland placed my hand in his. Miranda fixed my train and stepped to the side.

  The priest looked just as ancient as the chapel. His white hair stuck out in tufts on the side of his head and his wrinkled face split into a grin.

  “Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God to join together Prince William and Lady Elle in holy matrimony; which is an honorable estate, instituted of God in paradise, and into which holy estate these two persons come to be joined. Therefore, if any man can show any just cause why they may not lawfully be joined together by God’s Law, or the Laws of the Realm, let him now speak, or else hereafter forever hold his peace.”

  Silence blanketed the church for a fraction of a second.

  “I object to this union!”

  The voice sent an unpleasant shock down my spine. I stared at Prince William before turning my gaze down the aisle. Lady Githa stood in her finest dress, glaring at me from the opposite side of the church. She had Lily’s wrist clasped in a grip that left her knuckles white enough for me to see at this distance. Lily’s face was hidden behind a wave of hair, but I recognized the stance. I recognized the defeat in her shoulders.

  “She stole my husband’s body from the grave. No prince in his right mind would marry a grave robber!”

  The queen stood and stepped into the aisle. “I had her father exhumed and brought to the castle to cremate him in a proper funeral pyre.”

  “The servant girl has cast a spell over the royal family!” Lady Githa cried, eliciting a wave of murmurs through the church.

  “I did no such thing,” I said.

  The queen splayed her fingers at me to quiet my argument. “What proof do you have of this?” she said, her voice icier that I had ever heard.

  Lady Githa pushed Lily in front of her. “Tell them, girl,” Lady Githa ordered.

  Lily looked up through her hair. My heart plummeted at the shade of black and blue outlining her right eye. Her gaze met mine, pleading silently.

  “Tell them!”

  Lily closed her eyes and pressed her lips together, straightening her back. She ripped her wrist from her mother’s grip. Gasps filled the chapel when she brushed her hair out of her face, revealing the bruise for all to see. My chest tightened because Lady Githa could be so coercive with her fists and I had an idea of what kind of falsehoods she would plant in her daughter’s brain.

  Lily cleared her throat and took a step away from her mother towards the queen. “My step-sister...” She stopped and clenched her fists. The struggle in her was visible and it broke my heart.

  “I promise...” I started, but the queen gave me a glare that silenced me.

  William squeezed my hand in a silent show of support.

  Lily gave a small shake of her head and looked straight at me. “My step sister protected me, even though my mother continually beat and humiliated her on a daily basis.”

  “Why you ungrateful...” Lady Githa launched at Lily.

  “Stop!” I yelled before Lady Githa doled out her vile form of punishment.

  I reached towards the two of them. Power shot from my fingertips. Flashing across the distance, my power pushed Lady Githa onto her ass, far enough away from Lily that her swing wouldn’t connect.

  Lily continued, “My mother set fire to our house hoping it would burn the whole town to the ground, and then she planned to blame it on Elle.” She glanced over her shoulder at her mother. “My mother is not right in the head. To have so much hatred for someone as sweet as Elle is wrong. I cannot stand by and participate in a plan to destroy the only person who ever truly protected me from harm.”

  A blanket of utter silence fell over the chapel.

  After three fast heartbeats, the queen issued an order. “Take her to the dungeon.”

  The guards descended upon Lady Githa and dragged her out of the chapel.

  As soon as the doors closed, I pointed to the front row. “Lily, the front row is reserved for family. Please, come sit up here.”

  Lily brightened like a flower opening to the morning sunshine. I would make certain that she would never be touched by her mother again. Lily sat next to the king and queen, and she smiled at me with a nod of gratitude.

  William turned to the priest. “I think you can continue now,” he whispered and winked at me.

  The priest cleared his throat and looked to the king and queen for approval. The both nodded their assent.

  “William, wilt thou have this woman to be thy wedded wife, to live together after God’s ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony? Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honor, and keep her, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live?”

  William grinned. “I will.” His voice rang out, echoing against the stone walls.

  The priest looked at me.

  “Elle, wilt thou have this man to be thy wedded husband, to live together under God’s ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony? Wilt thou obey him, and serve him, love, honor, and keep him in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, keep thee only unto him, so long as ye both shall live?”

  “I will.”

  William reached into his pocket and pulled out a wedding band adorned with diamonds, rubies, and sapphires. It was the most beautiful ring I had ever seen. The wedding band even outshined the diamond on my finger. He laid it upon the priest’s bible.

  “Bless this ring, O merciful Lord, that those who wear them, that give and receive them, may be ever faithful to one another, remain in your peace, and live and grow old together in your love, under their own vine and fig tree, and seeing their children’s children. Amen” He made the sign of the cross over the ring and held it out to William.

  William took my left hand and slid the ring onto my ring finger. It fit as if it was made for me. My eyes misted. “With this ring, I thee wed, and with my body I thee honor, and with all my worldly goods, I thee endow. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

  He released my hand and we turned to the priest, lowering to our knees in front of the cherub-like man.

  “Let us pray. O Eternal God, creator and preserver of all mankind, giver of all spiritual grace, the author of everlasting life, send thy blessings upon these thy servants, the man and this woman, whom we bless in thy name, that as Isaac and Rebecca lived faithfully together, so these persons may surely perform and keep the vow and covenant betwixt them made, whereof
this ring given and received is a token and pledge, and may ever hereafter remain in perfect love and peace together, and live according to thy laws, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

  The entire congregation said, “Amen!” and then recited the Lord’s Prayer in unison.

  I closed my eyes with William’s hand still covering mine, reciting the words as well. I had never felt so close to God as I did in that moment, and the joy of faith renewed in my heart.

  We stood, and the priest joined our right hands together.

  “Those whom God hath joined together let no man put asunder.” He smiled at the two of us and then looked out over the congregation. “For as much as William and Elle have consented together in holy wedlock, and have witnessed the same before God and this company, and thereto have given and pledged their troth, each to the other, and have declared the same by giving and receiving of a ring, and by joining hands, I pronounce therefore that they be man and wife together, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

  His gaze returned to us. “May God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit bless, preserve, and keep you, and look upon you with his favor, and so fill you with all spiritual benediction and grace, that ye may live together in this life, that in the world to come ye may have life everlasting. Amen.”

  The congregation echoed the “Amen.”

  “Son, you may kiss your bride.”

  William leaned in and pressed his lips gently upon mine, and the clapping in the congregation disappeared. His kiss deepened, and he pulled me to him. It wasn’t until the kiss broke that I heard the cheers.

  Heat filled my face as I grinned at William. Light danced in his eyes, promising me a life filled with passion. My body responded to him, stirring a need so great in my core that I wished we were not in this chapel in front of hundreds of people.

  William took my arm and walked me out of the chapel towards the reception hall. “We could just go get the bedding ceremony over with now if you’d like,” he whispered in my ear. “That way I can spoil you tonight.”

  My eyes widened, and I glanced at him. “That’s really a thing?”

  It was a stupid question on my part as I had been schooled in the ritual by my mother in the event I was ever to marry a nobleman, but the idea of someone in the room while we made love sent chills up my back and cooled whatever anticipation had been fueled by his kiss on the altar.

  “You know they don’t actually watch, right?” he asked.

  “Yes, but still. We aren’t exactly...quiet,” I whispered as we walked into the royal hall. The wedding feast was laid out across the dining table. My stomach growled at the sight.

  William chuckled. “True, so they will get an earful,” he said and shrugged. “Do you have a preference of who you want as your witness?”

  I chewed the inside of my lip. There were only two people I would be willing to allow in the room to bear witness, but Miranda was much too young to be subjected to our passion first-hand. “Lily,” I said.

  “Roland will bear witness for me.”

  I smiled. Roland was a fine man, and I had caught him looking at Lily with interest when she took a seat in the front row at the chapel. Perhaps the archaic ceremony would spark something between them.

  “What will your parents do with Lady Githa?” I asked.

  His smile faded. “Exile or execute, depending upon how benevolent they feel when they pass judgement.”

  I swallowed my horror at the second option. While I loathed the woman, I did not wish her dead. “Please impress upon your mother and father that the woman’s crimes do not add up to a death sentence.”

  He stopped and stared down at me, and his head cocked to the side. “You amaze me. If someone treated me the way you were treated, I would gladly chop off their head with my sword.”

  I sighed and glanced around at the people still filtering into the room, distracted by all the festivities around me.

  Everyone was dressed in their finery, and it reminded me of the night of the ball, except the women’s gowns were more reserved. Most of them were on the arm of a nobleman or a knight instead of alone.

  Lily and Miranda stood near each other, partaking in the fine spread at the table. I was happy to see them getting along. Roland was nearby, lurking. To see such a formidable man shy in the shadows pulled an amused smile to my lips. I wondered how they would fare tonight in the shadows as William and I made love.

  I turned back to my husband. “I’m not a saint. I have had those same dark thoughts before, but giving into that train of thought would have drew me down to her level. It lets the darkness in. I prefer hope to despair, even though I have intimately flirted with both. I also prefer to think people are capable of change, given the right motivation.”

  “This is why you have captured my heart forevermore.” He kissed my lips and took my hand, leading me to the dance floor as the music started up.

  As he pulled me into his arms for our first dance as husband and wife, I gazed up at him with a heart so full of love and joy that I thought my chest would burst. I thanked the stars above that I’d found someone who would put a smile on my face and a fire in my soul for the rest of my life.

  The End

  Continue the Fractured Fairy Tales collection with Brave.

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  About J.E. Taylor

  J.E. Taylor is a USA Today bestselling author, a publisher, an editor, a manuscript formatter, a mother, a wife, a business analyst, and a Supernatural fangirl, not necessarily in that order. She first sat down to seriously write in February of 2007 after her daughter asked:

  “Mom, if you could do anything, what would you do?”

  From that moment on, she hasn’t looked back.

  In addition to being co-owner of Novel Concept Publishing, Ms. Taylor also moonlights as a Senior Editor of Allegory E-zine, an online venue for Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror.

  She lives in Connecticut with her husband and two children and during the summer months enjoys her weekends on the shore in southern Maine.

  Visit her at www.jetaylor75.com and sign up for her newsletter for early previews of her upcoming books, release announcements, and special opportunities for free swag!

  Sign up for Ms. Taylor’s newsletter at: https://app.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/y2z2x6

  You might also enjoy other books from J.E. Taylor’s backlist:

  THE STEVE WILLIAMS SERIES:

  From the mountains of New Hampshire to the streets of New York City, these novels take you on a journey through some of the darkest days in Steve Williams' FBI career.

  The series includes these single titles:

  DARK RECKONING (Book 1)

  "J.E. Taylor has penned a tale of terror worthy of Lovecraft. The strong characters, edgy atmosphere, and unflinching narrative hooked me from the first and kept me riveted all the way through to its horrifying conclusion - a solid piece of storytelling!" Ty Drago, Editor of Allegory and author of PHOBOS

  VENGEANCE (Book 2)

  HUNTING SEASON (Book 3):

  "Unstoppable, breath stealing, and terrifying all at once." - Cat Connor, author of killerbyte, terrorbyte, and exacerbyte.

  "Hunting Season goes where few venture, mixing a compelling crime thriller with supernatural forces. The action and drama is thick and fast and I guarantee you will not be able to put this book down." - Poppet, author of Seithe and Darkroom.

  GEORGIA REIGN (Book 4)

  CRYSTAL ILLUSIONS (Book 5)

  “Gripping, rich and magnificent - crime whodunnits don't get any better than this!” Author Poppet – Author of QUISLINGS, BLINDSIDED, DJINN and DUSAN

  “CRYSTAL ILLUSIONS is a dizzying thriller with a terrifying killer, a unique detective, and some twists you will not see coming! This is Steve Williams’ most addictive adventure so far and J.E. Taylor at her very best!” Ty Drago - Author of THE UNDERTAKERS Series

  "This has to be one of the best mysteries I have ever read. Move over Ag
atha Christie there's a new sheriff in town, and she is great." - PRG Reviews

  SAVING FACE (Book 6)

  THE GAMES TRILOGY

  Intensely disturbing. Beautifully horrific. Indescribably intense. Gruesome and gory. You can't help but get caught up in this series.

  When Ty Aris kidnaps Jessica Connor for his step-brother’s underground film network, he is not prepared for the impact this woman will have on his life. The Games Trilogy brings Ty and Jessica from the dark days in his step-brother’s sadistic prison, to the glitz of a major motion picture premier in New York City in a powerful combination of suspense, romance, and heartache. They battle the worst in human nature, as well as a paranormal twist that nearly destroys them and all they love.

  This series includes these single titles:

  SURVIVAL GAMES (Book 1)

  MIND GAMES (Book 2)

  END GAME (Book 3)

  The Games Series is for sale to Adult Audiences Only. It contains substantial sexually explicit scenes, graphic language, and violence that may be considered offensive by some readers.

  FALLEN – Games Trilogy Prequel

  Ty Ryan’s downward spiral started the day his mother met Jacob Aris.

  An unexpected romance between the emergency room nurse and the multi-billionaire plunges Ty into the wealthy world of entitlement, secrets, and lies.

  When tragedy strikes, leaving Ty and his siblings at the mercy of Jacob Aris, Ty is powerless to defend against the old man’s rage. Each random beating chips away at Ty’s sanity, leaving him vulnerable to his stepbrother’s master manipulation.

  NIGHT HAWK TRILOGY

  Damian Andreas is an ancient vampire tasked with keeping the archangel bloodlines safe. Blinded by his hatred for Lucifer, he snatches Naomi Hawk from the devil to claim her as his own. The moment his teeth sink into her neck, he realizes he has just broken his own vows.