Chapter 7

The wedding was to take place in the Great Hall, overlooking the beautiful imperial gardens. It was decked up in the royal shades of midnight blue and royal pink representing the two noble families of Scarpetia and Calidon. 

Banners with the royal emblem of both the families were hung from the stony arches and balconies. Orchids, carnations, tulips and hydrangeas added to the charm of the castle. The head end of the room, where usually the royal family sits, was replaced with a podium for the bride, the groom and the priest to stand. The remaining part of the hall held numerous chairs for the family members and the other invitees to sit.

Sky took her time going from her chambers to the hall. She let everyone observe her. Sky was kind of savouring the fact that Antiope created both awe and fear in everyone. Not one person could look away from Antiope once their eyes fell on her and Seth was to be given the credit. The entire palace was richly decorated in the soft colours of pink, the one shade which Sky absolutely hated. 

Everyone made way for her as the Queen and her entourage reached the Great Hall.

"Welcome, the great Queen Antiope, the ruler of the eight Kingdoms, the wise and the fearless.", called out Angelino.

A hush fell over the entire hall that spread like a ripple till it reached the podium when Dominic stood. Not one person dared make a move fearing breaking the stillness that lay like a fragile glass. 

"I would like to sit up in the balcony.", announced Antiope and glided towards the stairs leaving the entire hall feeling flustered behind her. Sky has never felt a more vicious pleasure before now and could not help but smirk at the gaping faces.

The balcony that was kept reserved for the Queen consort had a clear view to the altar. It had a plush sofa for Sky to sit on with a table that boasted every kind of delicacy she could think of. Seats for the Queen's entourage to sit on were placed behind the Queen's sofa. The stone wall was decked with pretty carnations and draped with blue and pink satin. Sky was about to roll her eyes at such elaborate dressing but controlled herself when she noticed half the hall staring at her from below.

The person that caught her eye the most was Dominic, who stood at the altar, also staring up at her. His blue tunic brought out the ocean blue in his eyes that was worth drowning into. The silver mantle on his back matched the silver of his hair that was gelled back. The sunlight pouring in through the glass windows played shadows on his profile that accentuated the angles of his face. He looked like as if he walked out of a painting of a Greek God ready to strike at every woman's heart with his countenance. 

Dominic locked his gaze on Sky's and held it there. Sky felt her surroundings melt away, she lost senses of where she was, who she was with. It was only her and Dominic in the entire world. 

She felt someone touch her arm and turned to see who it was. Elijah lightly nodded towards the sofa to indicate that they must settle down. By the time Sky turned back to where Dominic stood, he was ushered away as the ceremony was about to start. As soon as Sky sat down, the harp started to play. A calming silent fell over the crowd sitting in the hall downstairs. Dominic stood at the altar with a stoic expression staring ahead. If somebody looked closely at his eyes, they would realize he was staring into nothingness, looking at no particular thing. By his side stood a man as tall as the King himself flashing his bright smile at every young girl present there. Sky felt eerily familiar to the man but like always could not place his face. 

"Who is that man standing beside the King?", Sky softly asked Elijah. At this Elijah made a face of distaste and said, "Pardon me my Queen, but that man is not good. He calls himself the King's best friend and thus is the best man at the wedding but does nothing but create nuisance for him. But alas the King still loves him dearly."

"What is his name?"

"Lord Ariston of the house of Baros."

"Hmm", assented Sky and continued her scrutiny. Next her eyes fell on an equally striking figure with the same ice blonde hair and facial features as the King himself. "And who is that standing behind the King? He looks so similar to the King."

"Ah, that my Queen is Lord Desmond of the house of Cirillo.", said Elijah and before she could avert her eyes, Sky found her blushing at his name. Curious, Sky continued, "What do you mean house Cirillo? Is he related to the King?"

"Why yes, of course my Queen. He is the King's elder brother. But that fact is not publicly spoken about. You see my Queen, Lord Desmond is not the King's own brother. The King's father once experienced a weak moment with another woman not his wife or belonging to the royal family. Lord Desmond was borne out of that union. And that is why despite him being the elder brother, Lord Desmond had to forfeit his right to the throne. But he loves and cares for his younger brother deeply and so does the King for his elder brother. Lord Desmond is the King's guard and looks after his security measures."

Intrigued Sky kept staring at Desmond who like his brother stood with a stoic expression but his eyes kept fluttering here and there looking for any perpetrators. 

As the choir reached their crescendo, the doors to the great hall parted and a white figure entered the room. On looking closely, one would notice that the wedding dress wasn't white but a shade of blush pink. She was carrying a bunch of pink meadowsweet and peonies that added to the sweetness of the air. She was led on by a man in his sixties having tufts of white hair on his head. He was continually wiping his tears with a pink handkerchief. 

Sky soon got bored of progression of the event and continued her scrutiny of the hall. Her eyes finally fell on three most colourful individuals of the room who broke the monotonous combination of pink blue white and black. They were the other three wives of the King. Queen Myra, Queen Eliana and Queen Amara all sat huddled in the first row casting surreptitious glances at Sky, Dominic and the advancing Ariadne. Their eyes betrayed fear and dislike when they looked at Sky and she could not help but think what exactly did Antiope do to cause such a reaction in those three while it seemed they had a comparatively better relationship among themselves. It seemed they were discussing something regarding Sky since they kept on making faces while casting glances her way. 

Sky was brought back to the current events when the music suddenly stopped indicating that Ariadne had reached the altar. Her father burst out crying while handing his daughter over to Dominic. He went ahead to hug the King but was cordially stopped by Desmond. This act made the attendees laugh out loud. The bride's father was led away to his seat as Dominic took Ariadne's hand and stood in front of the High Priest. 

As the priest droned on with the vows, Sky could feel a headache creeping in. Before she could figure out what happened or before she understood what she must do, the headache blinded her and it took all her strength to keep her from crying out in pain. But in that blinding pain there came flashes of understanding or still better, there came visions. She saw Dominic, a much younger version wearing a pale blue tunic with a golden mantle. She saw him staring at her with affection, with something resembling love. She looked down and saw her hands in his,  covered in lace gloves. She saw herself wearing a white princess gown with a train so long that it covered the entire aisle. She was holding white orchids with red spots on them. But amidst everything beautiful, she felt something akin to distaste, may even be bordering on hate. And before she knew it, she found herself falling, falling through consciousness. She saw Elijah's terrified face and knew something terrible was happening. She knew she was going to hit the hard floor soon but the impact never came as she closed her eyes and a peaceful sleep took control. 

Sky heard a soft lilting sound drifting towards her from a great distance. She tried to find the source but could not even lift her head. As her eyes slowly parted open, darkness engulfed her. As she tried to lift her hand, someone strong got hold of her hand with surprising gentleness. 

"Oh thank the great Lord. You are ok."

As Sky tried to figure out who it was, Dominic's tear stained face came into focus and his eyes locked into hers. And just like in the morning everything in the surroundings melted away for Sky as she found herself falling, yet again, but this time in the deep bottomless depth of Dominic's eyes.