The Dark King's Bride

by Janessa Anderson

  Chapter One

  Moving out of her bedroom at the top of the loft of the stone cottage home, Lily headed down the wooden steps with the soft, white fabric of her quarter length sleeved gown swaying around her ankles where the tops of her white slippers could be seen. Her long, curly, black hair hung down her shoulders and back, as well as around the sides of her fair skinned face, in curly waves. Once she got to the ground floor, Lily picked up her brown wicker basket, and stepped outside the front door of her family’s home after she pushed it open with her right hand on the door handle.

  “Good morning, Lily!”

  The sound of her mother’s voice speaking to her out of the blue caused her chestnut brown eyes to move in the direction of where it had come from. Looking out towards the direction of her family’s small garden, Lily caught sight of where her mother, Marigold, was squatted down amongst the various vegetables she had helped her and her father plant after winter had passed. The visual of her mother working hard in the garden brought a smile to her face, and caused her hand to slip away from the door knob.

  “Good morning, Mama!” Lily spoke a little louder than she would have given the change in distance. Maintaining the smile on her face, she proceeded across the soft lawn of her family’s property while keeping the conversation going with her mother. “How are the vegetables looking this morning, mama?”

  “They are looking great today, Lily.” Marigold said, wrapping her hands around the top of some of the ground vegetables. With a tug of her hands, she pulled out some carrots and dumped them into her own basket before focusing her gaze towards her approaching daughter and continued the conversation with her. “We are going to have a bountiful harvest this year.”

  “That is good to hear, mama.”

  “What are your plans for this fine day?”

  “I was just about to head in to the village, and visit with Maria for a little while since it is so nice out.”

  “Well…Just remember to make it back before night falls tonight, Lily.”

  The response she got from her mother caused an automatic groan of frustration to escape from her mouth shortly before her response followed it.

  “Why must I never get to experience what the world is like at night while everyone else in the village and out here in the woodland area of it get to?” The question she chose to ask her mother revealed the inner annoyance her body fell under the moment Marigold had made her request while her outer features on her face still appeared calm and relaxed. “All of my friends get to go out at night and have fun with one another…Why can’t I?”

  Ever since she turned twelve, her parents had made sure that she was not out at night, and that she was behind closed doors when the sun fell over the mountains behind their cottage. She had just turned twenty…and still had not gotten to experience much of what her friends already had.

  Lily watched her mother rise up from the ground, dusting her hands off, as she listened to the soothing tone she used often to speak with to calm any sort of argument one of them might be having.

  “Lily,” Marigold replied, “your father and I keep you indoors at night in order for you to not be harmed by the more…dangerous beings that lurk out at night. The vampires that lurk around in the kingdom are dangerous and can attack at any given time. We must-“

  “There have not been any attacks in the last eight years mother. Since the vampires signed the peace treaty with the new king, there has not been a single attack done to anyone in or outside of the village.”

  “You have to listen to-“

  “No, Mama! I am done with being locked away from the rest of the world because of the fear that papa and you have of the vampires!”

  Lily had reached her breaking point. She was tired of being kept to her room with the doors and windows closed as if she was a wild animal being held captive. Another night would not pass her by without her experiencing it.

  “It is time I start enjoying my life for me if not for papa and you!”

  “What are you saying?!”

  “The summer festival is taking place in the square tonight…and I am going to it with Maria.”

  “No, you will not, young lady!” Marigold’s voice begun to possess the same defiance that her daughter had in her own. “You are going to be inside that house when the sun sets behind the mountains or you will get severely punished by your father when he comes back from seeing the king!”

  “We shall see…”

  Not giving her mother another chance to attempt changing her mind, Lily dropped her basket in front of Marigold’s feet, and ran in the opposite direction where the village was nestled with the imposing castle of King Daniel Willows overlooking it, as well as the rest of the region.

  * * *

  It seems like everything is as it should be in my kingdom.

  Nestled upon one of the cushioned seats of the black carriage, King and ruler of the surrounding area, Daniel Willows, had his body relaxed back against the velvet material of the seat while his black satin shirt rubbed against his muscular upper body. His strong, pale hands rested against the tops of his black trousers with his crimson ring glistening from the ring finger on his right hand. With his long, black hair hanging down the sides of the strong features on his face, he looked out one of the opened windows of his carriage with his intense, emerald green eyes that could pierce the soul of anyone he desired to do so with.

  It is very relaxing for me to leave the castle every now and again to look over the territories. I would go crazy if I never left the walls of it, and see how the world is outside. I can’t imagine-

  “My lord…”

  The sound of his royal advisor’s voice speaking to him broke his train of thought that he was currently under at the moment, and brought his complete attention onto that of the short, plump man sitting across from him inside of his carriage on a seat much like his own. Daniel released a short, heavy sigh out of his strong mouth before his deep, firm voice followed suit.

  “Yes, Richard?” He asked. His tone had a lingering sense of annoyance within it. “What is on your mind?”

  “I apologize for intruding on your thoughts, your highness,” Richard said, apologetically, “but I believe that we need to discuss about the situation that you are facing.”

  “And what would this ‘situation’ be?”

  “Well…Your subjects are starting to become more curious and anxious about whom you are going to choose as your bride and future queen.”

  Oh no…Not this conversation again. Isn’t there anything else he wants to discuss with me besides my marital status? Anything at all?

  Daniel lifted up one of his hands, and ran it over his face before having it to stop over his eyes. A soft groan escaped from his mouth shortly before his words followed it.

  “Is this conversation really necessary when we have already it a number of times, Richard?”

  “Sire…You must choose a bride soon if you are to have an heir to the throne, and keep the other vampire nobility from taking it.”

  “I know that I need to find someone to wed and have a family with them. However…It is hard for me to simply wed a woman, human or vampire, if there are no feelings attached to them.”

  “You wish to have a bond with the young lady that will be your wife, right my lord?”

  “That is correct.” Lowering his hand from his eyes, Daniel looked towards the pale blue eyes of his advisor while making his voice sound more firm and deeper, expressing the seriousness of that moment in time. “If I am to become involved with and married to anyone, they must have a bond with me that no one else can experience.”

  “You are searching for the half of your soul, my lord. Is this correct?”

  “That is correct, R
ichard.”

  “My lord…You have been searching for this so called woman for the last two years with no luck so far.”

  Daniel moved his eyes towards the window of his carriage once more, and looked up to the sky that had started to become litter with several dark clouds since he was unable to look upon the face of his advisor while he spoke the truth to him.

  “Perhaps…My lord…You should give up on this quest, and settle for a young mortal or immortal woman before time runs out for you, and you are forced off the throne.”

  Perhaps Richard was right. He had been searching for a long time with no luck of finding the other part of his soul with any success. Time was not on his side. He needed to find a woman to be his bride and queen very soon if he was to keep the throne out of the hands of any of the rival vampire families that had been trying to steal out from underneath him.

  Lowering his eyes down from the approaching storm, Daniel caught sight of something that nearly took his breath away.

  Walking upon the edge of the very dirt road the carriage was traveling on, a beautiful young woman dressed in white with flowing, curly hair the shade of the raven’s feathers was moving at a steady pace with her hands to the sides of her curvaceous frame.

  Oh my god…It’s her…

  Daniel knew without a shadow of a doubt that he was looking upon the very woman that was the other half of his soul, and who would complete him after so many years of living in darkness. Keeping his gaze fixated on the beautiful angel moving down the trail, Daniel spoke to Richard in a firm tone that showed his dark, seriousness completely.

  “Stop the carriage when we get close to the fork in the road up ahead, Richard.”

  “Of course, my lord.” Richard replied. Giving a knock on the wall behind him to the driver, he kept his focus on his master. “Are you wishing to get some air before we continue on to the castle?”

  “I am wishing to do more than get some measly air to clear my head.” Moving his eyes to his confidant and advisor, Daniel’s voice maintained the darkness it had kept while a little linger of hope had started to float on the surface of it as he spoke. “I am wishing…to meet my new bride.”

  Chapter Two

  What am I going to do?

  Lily found her mind plagued with an intense amount of guilt from having an argument with her mother outside of their home about her staying out at night for once in her life.

  I want to do what I want, and live my life…but I can’t do it when I know that my mother is angry with me, and doesn’t believe that I should be out at night.

  All she ever wanted to do was to make her parents happy and proud. Lily strived to do everything from gardening to sewing to hunting and fishing perfect for them. The only downside to this was that she never got to do the things she liked, such as going for long walks in the woods behind their home or stare at the night sky, for the sake of pleasing her parents.

  What am I going to do-?

  Her train of thought ended upon a light rumbling sound coming from overhead. She brought herself to a stop near the fork in the road, and lifted her head up. Her gentle eyes focused upon the sky, hoping that there was nothing up there and she had only heard things. However, she discovered several rain clouds forming into a large one overhead of her with little bits of lightening that can be seen within it, appearing like sparks shooting out of a roaring fireplace.

  Oh no…This is not good at all.

  The sight of the bad weather coming her way caused the conscience part of her mind to go into overdrive.

  I think that is enough of a sign for you to go back home while you still can, Lily, or otherwise you are fixing to get drowned by the rain that is nestled within that very cloud that is above your head in this moment in time.

  Lily let the words from her conscience linger out in the open for a few moments, and soak into the deep recesses of her mind. She could either retreat and go back to her family’s home or continue on the path that she was on, and potentially end up looking like a drowned river rat.

  Before she could decide on what decision was the best one, her ears picked up something moving up the path in the direction behind her. Lily turned her head, and looked over one of her shoulders in the direction of the noise.

  Slowly approaching her, a regal black carriage being pulled by a team of four black stallions traveled down the dirt path without any difficult. The hooves of the horses hitting against the ground made a sound similar to the thunder rolling in the heavens as they got closer to where she stood.

  Curiosity hit her core with tremendous speed. The visual of the mysterious carriage coming towards her made her take full notice of it while some rain droplets started to fall on her.

  Who could be out here in a carriage at this time in the morning?

  Lily maintained eye contact on the approaching horses while her body tried to step underneath a tall tree to keep her dry from the increasing rain droplets that had started to fall upon her gown.

  The nobility in this area usually are still sleeping in their homes. It is not a usual sight for one of them to be up at this time.

  Holding her eyes on the carriage, she watched it pull up in front of her, and come to a complete stop with one of the doors facing the direction of where she was standing. Lily slowly took a few steps to move away when she froze upon the door opening up and a short, round man stepping out of the carriage and bowing his head to her while his deep voice escaped his mouth in a calm yet serious tone.

  “Good morning, my lady.”

  Lily took notice of him from where she stood as the rain was picking up a little more while the sound of the thunder had started to get louder and more noticeable. She was taken aback from the sight of the individual coming out into the open with his body dressed in the attire of a royal advisor. After a moment, she gave a nod of her head to him, and replied back to him in a polite way.

  “Good morning, sir.”

  “I trust that you are doing well this day.”

  “I am doing just fine today, sir.” Straightening up, she focused on the opened doorway of the carriage for a moment before looking back towards him. “How may I help you?”

  “My lord wishes to give you a ride to wherever it is that you are traveling to in hopes of keeping you from getting sick and anymore wet from the storm that is moving right over us.”

  Did I just hear him say that his master wishes to give me, the daughter of two peasants, a ride to where I am heading to?

  The answer she had received from the plump man caught her by surprise. A member of the nobility class wanting to assist her caused her thoughts to be full of curiosity and confusion.

  She went to speak up when her eyes noticed a strong, pale hand reaching out towards her with a crimson ring on one of its fingers. The sight of the mysterious individual’s grasp reaching out caused her to step a little closer, and peer inside through the rain that was gradually starting to pour over a short period of time.

  Nestled upon one of the cushioned seats, Daniel flashed a warm, charming smile at the same time speaking to her with a soothing, sensual tone in his deep voice.

  “Please…” He said, “Allow me to give you a ride to where you are heading to on foot. I would hate for you to be drenched and end up ill from this horrible weather.”

  Her heart nearly stopped on the spot due to finding the hand belonging to that of King Daniel Willows, the ruler over the village that her friend lived in, and the very woodland area where her family’s home had been built upon. The realization of the lord and master of the land wishing to give her assistance on her trip made her more curious than she had ever been before.

  Pulling in a breath of air, Lily eased her left hand into Daniel’s grip, and stepped inside of the dark carriage, removing herself from the torrential rain that had started to fall down without mercy.

  * * *

  Maintaining a gentle yet firm hold on her hand, Daniel guided her inside the dry carriage to where she would be safe from the thunder shower that
was taking place over them at that moment. He watched her sit across from him inside of his vehicle, and flash a warm yet shy smile in his direction. The sight alone caused his smile on his own face to widen a little more, and his piercing stare to have a twinkling look to them in the darkness.

  She is the one…There is not a single doubt in my mind that is telling me anything else. The beautiful angel that I have been waiting so long for has finally come to me, and is sitting across from me inside of my carriage at this very moment.

  Despite his body burning with a need to get close to her, Daniel managed to keep a calm, relaxed position on his side of the buggy while he spoke to her, breaking the momentary silence that had fallen between the two of them.

  “So,” he asked, “where is it that I shall be having my driver to take you to, my lady?”

  Daniel witnessed her eyes blinking in an attempt to try to hide the fact that she had been staring at him since he had assisted her inside of his carriage even though he had known about her staring at him as he had been looking back at her in the same exact fashion. The sight of her trying to not be so girlish and silly only made him more attracted to her.

  “I…” Lily replied, “I wish to go to the shop that my dear friend, Maria, runs in the village square if it is not too much trouble, your h-highness.”

  The way her soft yet nervous voice floated to his ears sent a faint chuckle loose in his deep voice for a brief moment as he maintained the conversation, as well as eye contact, with her.

  “It's no trouble at all, my lady. I trust that you are talking of the florist.”

  “That I am, my lord.”

  Daniel moved his gaze towards where Richard was outside the open doorway, and gave a single nod of his head to him. He waited for the door to be shut before his attention focused on the face of the shy, reserved woman dressed in white that he wished to make his wife and queen over all of the lands he owned. Pulling in a breath of air, Daniel relaxed the facial features of his face, and spoke to her in a more confident and regal sounding voice that he had used on a number of occasions due to his position of power.